Ok guys,

I just purchased an Audi S4 and I am unfortunately going to have to abandon my MKIIa RioCar because I'm not planning on installing an aftermarket stereo so unfortunately I have to opt for another in car MP3 solution.

I have looked at the PhatBox/Noise and it seems like a good option. However, how happy will I be with it after owning the Empeg for several years.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be great.

Thanks for the time,

justin

Get a Karma and an aux in adaptor.

Get a Karma and an aux in adaptor.

I'll second this. It's what my wife does (actually with an FM modulator, but similar idea) and she loves it.

I thought about that but how easy is it to drive and navigate the menu system on the Karma?

Thanks

I never have any trouble with it, but it is a little more of a pain than the empeg as you have to pick it up and mess with it if you want to change the current playlist. Usually I just pick a playlist and go with it; it's easy enough to reach down and skip songs while I'm driving. The other pain with the Karma is that it doesn't stop playing when you turn off the car, so you have to be careful about that if you want to keep your place (especially if you're listening to an audio book).

There are benefits, though. The Karma is much better suited for carrying with you and plugging into your stereo than the empeg. Plus it's just a great product all around that is really worth having. If I were in your situation I'd definitely buy a Karma and do some kind of aux in.

Aside from being a totally in car solution are there any other reasons why I shouldn't get the Phatbox/Noise?

I'm still debating whether to get a standalone mp3 unit or not but I kinda of like the integrated car system.

Thanks

H'm if it's wired the same way as a TT, it isn't particularly difficult to fit an Empeg.

I don't think it is...in the TT you have 1 DIN stereo right? THe S4 has a 2 DIN stereo and I really don't want to get rid of the Bose Head Unit. The only other spot I have thought for it would be in the center console but I'm nto sure if it will fit.?

I wonder if you could use the empeg with an FM modulator and have it powered... somehow. You could control the empeg with the remote. Or, even get a custom remote with a more tactile-feedback-sensitive layout and program in the features you want to use. Or use the up-and-coming remote display taped to the dashboard? Mount it in the glovebox and run it as auxilary to the Bose HU?

Ah, just my usual flurry of half-baked ideas. I'd vote for yanking the Bose, selling it on EBay, and mounting the Empeg and a top notch AM/FM/CD in the second DIN slot.

I've got a Phatnoise Phatbox and love it. The integration is great, as is the quality. I've had and loved the Empeg as well, but the Phatbox really makes sense if you don't want to carve up the dashboard of your expensive car. Having all the MP3s I want invisibly inside my BMW is great.

Treason, treason, I know. No flames, please. Just being honest....

Treason, treason, I know. No flames, please. Just being honest....

No flames, you said that it's a good solution if you don't want to alter the dash, which is totally valid. The fact that car manufacturers are making it harder and harder to install aftermarket stereos is a big problem, and the Phatnoise/Keg people certainly have the right idea in that regard.

A while back, people were claiming that factory stereos were getting much better. They may have been right, but they still suck for both features and quality. In particular, despite the fact that most of them can display text now, none seem to allow any attached devices to send text for it to display.

Yea I was a bit disapointed when I found out that dispite the Bose Stock system could display RDBS text it couldn't display CD Text. To me this is silly if the display can handle it why not support it. Even with some of the Navigation based bose systems that Audi uses you can't even display CD Text from a changer.

This is really my only complaint about the PhatBox/Noise solution but it isn't really their fault its Audi's fault for not building CD Text ability in....To me if the manuf. would do this it would be a good thing but I guess it saves them money or something.

Thanks for all the help....the more I read about PHatbox the more I'm comfortable with going with this solution. While I had to get rid of my Empeg I think its my only option. I loved playing around with it and setting it up and flashing w/ Hijack..etc but I don't have much time for this anymore and its just another toy I don't play with enough. The Phatbox might be the solution I need that does its just and doesn't provide another distraction for me to play!

Thanks again!

Yeah. It's certainly not Phat's fault, but it makes it less than useful for me. I want to be able to see the names of the tracks. I believe that someone has figured out how to write arbitary text to the Audi in-dash display. I wonder if you/Phat could figure out how to get the track info there?

Oh really...I'd be interested to see the details on how they were able to get this working....any links?

Audi appear to use CANBus for almost everything

http://www.techreactions.com/vision.htm
http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/288648.phtml
http://www.audifans.com/pipermail/quattro/20030823/080471.html
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ScottSilver

And some hardware:
http://www.squarell.com/6632.htm

Oh yea....I thought you were referring to the Audio display on the symphony unit.

I actually thought about the CANbus but you would have to have some sort of electronics in between the Symphony which translates the CD TExt and sends CANbus. Either that or Phat noise would need to display something. I would really like it to display on the Symphony unit though.

Really it just seems like alot of work for just cd text.

Thansk for the links though

I just purchased an Audi S4 and I am unfortunately going to have to abandon my MKIIa RioCar because I'm not planning on installing an aftermarket stereo so unfortunately I have to opt for another in car MP3 solution.

Hey, what model year is your S4? If it has the glovebox cd changer option, you can mount your empeg there like I did in my A4.

Here's my photo journal:
http://sandgnat.com/photos/empeg_a4/

As an aside, I just completed the final step of the installation a couple of days ago: an infrared passthrough so the remote works with the glovebox closed!

The Phatbox and Keg are completely out-dated concepts. They also take up too much space for the very little storage they offer.

If someone is happy going up to 40GB, I highly recommend using an iPod with IceLink (from Dension). The new link version is available that uses only the iPod's lower sync connection for Power, Audio and Control (with new iPod units).

http://www.densionusa.com/x/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=375&Itemid=79

Of course if anyone *IS* interested in putting a new deck in their dash, but not an empeg (for whatever reason) then Alpine has also come out with their own iPod adapter and at least one head unit that supports display of its text output.

Unfortunately I don't have the time to keep updating my comparison page, otherwise I'd love to add the iPod solutions and a couple of other products: http://www.mypocket.com/mobilematrix

Bruno

I'd like to see an interface like the IceLink as a standard piece of equipment, that would work with all the standard HU's and with all the portable MP3 players, and not only the iPod. I think it would be very cool to use a Karma in that fashion.

As an aside, I just completed the final step of the installation a couple of days ago: an infrared passthrough so the remote works with the glovebox closed!

Do you have any details on this you can share?

As an aside, I just completed the final step of the installation a couple of days ago: an infrared passthrough so the remote works with the glovebox closed!

Do you have any details on this you can share?

I hacked a $7.00 "fiber optic" battery powered lamp much like the one found here: http://www.coolstuffcheap.com/batpowfibopl.html . The fibers are certainly not communications quality, but seem to pass the light from point to point reasonably. They are all fused together in a plastic bundle that would have been inside the base of the lamp, near the 4 LEDs that the lamp used as a light source.

I removed the fiber bundle, flattened and fanned it out so the tips of the fibers are pointing in about a 90 degree arc. Then I applied some clear silicone caulk to keep the fibers in the flattened/fanned state (can be seen in the photos). I fit the doohickey in the glovebox so the bundled end of the fibers was hanging just near the empeg's IR receiver. I snipped the tips of the fibers (using a paper cutter) in a straight line such that the tips barely show themselves when the glovebox is closed. Finally, I made a molded blob out of epoxy putty (like this stuff: http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=11363 ) and attached the fiber assembly to the blob. The epoxy blob is simply there to fit the device snugly in place and to provide an attachment point (I used velcro tape on the blob and on the inside of the glovebox).

You should be able to see most of what I talked about in the photo journal. Also note that it has its own comments along the way.
http://sandgnat.com/photos/empeg_a4/

Anything I left out?