agctr Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Hey Everyone, Ive done the searches both here and on other sites and unable to get 100% correct information on the McIntosh system. I would like to know 2 things 1. Does McIntosh play MP3 CD's 2. Does McIntosh have an AUX out or similar for easy iPod Setup. TIA Ada///M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 you mean AUX in My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted December 5, 2005 Author Share Posted December 5, 2005 AUX in correct. Thanks. Ada///M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo_GT Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Don't know about MP3's and i seriously doubt that the factory HU will have an aux in... but if no one replies in the next week, i'll let you know - should have my HU out by then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo_GT Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Oh and the easiest way to hook up your ipod would be via a FM transmiter 0 you could use the power point in the center console/arm rest and leave the ipod there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted December 6, 2005 Author Share Posted December 6, 2005 Yeah I know the FM Transmitters are out and avail but the quality I would say would be shocking compared to the actual iPod sound. Would be very interested to know once you pull the unit out and have a look. Keep in touch. Thanks. Ada///M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo_GT Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Yeah I know the FM Transmitters are out and avail but the quality I would say would be shocking compared to the actual iPod sound. Would be very interested to know once you pull the unit out and have a look. Keep in touch. Thanks. Ada///M. If youre happy with the sq of the Ipod and the factory Mcintosh (Clarion 6 disk HU) you won't be dissapointed with a FM transmitter. Hope to pull my HU out by Thursday and will let you know if there's an aux in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted December 12, 2005 Author Share Posted December 12, 2005 Mate any news on this......? TIA Ada///M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwl Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 I too have been in search of answers whether the McIntosh HU is mp3 compatible. I sent an email to Subaru Australia and here is their response. Note: I also asked about where the 13 speakers were as I could only find 11 in the 2.0GT... "Regarding your McIntosh audio system in your vehicle, we are able to advise the system does have 13 speakers, but shows as a 11 unit speaker system, the lh and rh rear speakers consist of 2x speakers incorporated into one speaker per side therefore consisting of a 13 speaker system, We may confirm the McIntosh audio system is not MP3 compatible at this stage, other add on features for your stereo or the compatibility of fitting these items is not currently available, unfortunately Subaru Australia does not offer this as an accessory, you may wish to contact a Stereo specialist or McIntosh Australia direct for more information." Prior to this, I asked Subaru Service staff whether there was a firmware upgrade possible for the unit to allow mp3 playback. They went off and looked, but came back saying no. When I put in a cdr with mp3 files (either on the root or in a directory structure), the unit does read the cdr but nothing is played. The cdr is treated as a data disc from what I can tell and only ever displays Track 01 with the time played increasing. There are no other tracks able to be switched to. I can confirm though that a CD-RW disc burnt as an audio cd is playable with the McIntosh HU. I sent off another email in response to their reply and here is their response. "Regarding details and specifications of the McIntosh audio and speaker system, unfortunately Subaru Australia is not privy to this information from the factory in Japan, the only details we have are part numbers for the unit which may be of assistance to you - Subaru p/n 86201AG240 or McIntosh p/n PF25511-A, these details may be passed onto McIntosh (Aust) for future advise." I have been trying to search for the McIntosh specifics as well. So if anyone is able to shed some more light on this topic, there will be more people than just myself appreciative for your contribution. One of the subaru service guys also threw a figure out as to how much the McIntosh system costs to replace (and I will assume the speakers are included...) - around the $7000 mark if not a little more. I don't have anything to support that apart from his word. There are many other interesting paths people have gone down to have mp3 playback in their car. I have not yet decided on an approach. FM Transmitter, replace cubby and info gauge with double DIN, attempt to install an iPod link... Reading some of the step by step guides has been a bit of an eye opener. Cheers, gwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted December 13, 2005 Author Share Posted December 13, 2005 G'Day and Welcome gwl. Great to have you onboard. Well yes, looks like u have researched this as much as I have and pretty much came up with the same answers.... NOTHING. With the information you have now been given from SoAU, have you approached McIntosh Australia or McIntosh USA for any answers on the ability to buy add on gear or upgrade. Very interested in that part of the response from SoAU because if you can buy an add on, Im sure there will be many many interested parties. As this system is fitted by SoJ I would hope that there will be a part/add on available such as an ICE link or similar, otherwise its back to the drawing board or FM Transmitter. Thanks so much for the details and information and please let me know if you spot any further details. Ada///M. PS Where are you from in Australia ? Make sure u post up in the "Where are all the Aussies?" thread in the International forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo_GT Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Re the 13 speakers its a bit of "marketing play on words" as they count a co-ax speaker as two (mid and tweeter). I guess they are going buy "the more is better" theory. With the HU, you'll have better luck speaking to Clarion than Mcintosh, the HU in the GT is a clarion. Mcintosh does not make a 6 disk cd player the last time i checked. Also, the Mcintosh is one of the options in Japan, if you wanted MP3 playback, you could chose a HU that has the feature... $7000ish for the stereo? ouch! Its hardley worth half that when you compare it to other stuff thats available! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo_GT Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Pulled out the HU this evening. No aux iin.... This is the front: http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/405000-405999/405982_79_full.jpg And the back: http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/9/web/405000-405999/405982_78_full.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwl Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 G'Day and Welcome gwl. Great to have you onboard. Well yes, looks like u have researched this as much as I have and pretty much came up with the same answers.... NOTHING. Yep, rather disappointing really. You'd think in this day and age that audio options would be made available to the consumers. Especially when you consider other car manufacturers have mp3 players (and GPS) as a standard feature. For the "supposed" price of the McIntosh system, you'd expect a few other whistles. I'm not complaining too loudly because I am quite stoked with the audio quality coming out of the McIntosh system. With the information you have now been given from SoAU, have you approached McIntosh Australia or McIntosh USA for any answers on the ability to buy add on gear or upgrade. I went to the websites and couldn't find anything useful. I have not sent an email or phoned them to ask anything yet. I've just been caught up with too much other stuff as of late...like driving :-) Very interested in that part of the response from SoAU because if you can buy an add on, Im sure there will be many many interested parties. As this system is fitted by SoJ I would hope that there will be a part/add on available such as an ICE link or similar, otherwise its back to the drawing board or FM Transmitter. I have a bit of patience, and I am strongly considering just using an FM transmitter for the interim. And I can live a while longer with the stacker. You can wait forever for the latest 'perfect' product just around the corner... I think I had to rule out the ICE link for some reason I can't remember now, perhaps because it was incompatible with the McIntosh HU(?). I am still trying to decide whether to get the double DIN console panel and the info panel relocation bracket, so that I can then fit a unit like the Kenwood Excelon DDX8047 or similar. Perhaps it is worthwhile talking directly to Clarion as Mo_GT suggested to find out what units of theirs (desirable: VRX756VD) can be integrated with the McIntosh unit. Thanks so much for the details and information and please let me know if you spot any further details. Ada///M. No fworries. PS Where are you from in Australia ? Make sure u post up in the "Where are all the Aussies?" thread in the International forum. I'm up in Brisbane. I haven't set up all my details properly yet. And yeah, I'll send a post to the Aussie thread later. Cheers, gwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwl Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Re the 13 speakers its a bit of "marketing play on words" as they count a co-ax speaker as two (mid and tweeter). I guess they are going buy "the more is better" theory. With the HU, you'll have better luck speaking to Clarion than Mcintosh, the HU in the GT is a clarion. Mcintosh does not make a 6 disk cd player the last time i checked. Also, the Mcintosh is one of the options in Japan, if you wanted MP3 playback, you could chose a HU that has the feature... $7000ish for the stereo? ouch! Its hardley worth half that when you compare it to other stuff thats available! When I had the subie service guys fix a problem I had with my speakers (no sound), I asked them to confirm the number for me. Anyway, they came back to me saying that there were only 11 speaker wires coming out of the amp. And yeah, as you say, now it is understood that each speaker in the rear doors are really co-ax ones. Nonetheless, I am still pretty stoked with the audio quality coming out. I am sceptical of that $7k figure, but I wasn't in a position to question the amount or how it was arrived at. I'd be honestly surprised if it was true. I think I'll have to send off an email to Clarion to get their input to some of our questions. Thanks for those pics! It is good to have. I hope you ejected all the cds before removing the HU...just in case you were to accidentally turn it upside down thus dislodging one of the cds in the unit. I read somewhere that when switching it back on, a slipped cd caused all sorts of problems. Cheers, gwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmith Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 You guys realize that the rights to the McIntosh brand for car audio are owned by Clarion, right? There is nothing particularly special about this head unit or the system attached to it, other than the HU's classy McIntosh appearance. Just my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted December 14, 2005 Author Share Posted December 14, 2005 Thanks guys for all your hard work in this thread.... including yrs msmith..... I think we are for the moment stuck with what we have unless our friends at Clarion can come to the rescue, its just a wait and see regarding yr mail to them gwl. I will have to get a demo of the system as I have only heard the reg system in the GT which sounds pretty good but by the sounds of it, the McIntosh is pretty impressive. I was in Brisbane last Monday for two hours at the airport before flying off to Darwin.... its been a while since I was in Brisbane and hope to get back there very soon. Stay in touch guys and thanks again for the hard work, greatly appreciated. Ada///M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo_GT Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 You guys realize that the rights to the McIntosh brand for car audio are owned by Clarion, right? There is nothing particularly special about this head unit or the system attached to it, other than the HU's classy McIntosh appearance. Just my two cents. Not just the rights, Clarion owns Mcintosh. The Mcintosh in the GT is actually made by Clarion, Japan. Yeah, there's absolutely nothing special about this system - i'll put up some more pics in the next few days. I should have the whole system out this weekend. Having said that, I must say that this system is probably the best sounding factory fitted system in a car under the price of the GT( in Australia.) Bye, Mo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agctr Posted December 16, 2005 Author Share Posted December 16, 2005 Would U believe that I havent even heard the system yet but cant wait. Let hope that Clarion can do something for us........ fingers crossed. Ada///M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillAce Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 I had seen a JDM version of the Legacy GT head unit that is the oloder MC-406. This Head unit is available in the Ford GT as well. I have called a contact at Clarion and expect to get one to use in my wife's LGT. This head unit is definitely not MP3 compatible and has no Aux input. Clarion no longer runs McIntosh "Car Audio" division and never was a part of the real McIntosh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillAce Posted December 19, 2005 Share Posted December 19, 2005 Oh yeah, Hi Manville, see you at CES. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwl Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 Yesterday, I sent off an email to McIntosh (America) to see whether they can provide any useful information. When I hear back from them, I will certainly be posting here. If they are not too helpful, I will send an email over to Subaru Japan and get their input. I wanted to leave SoJ as the final port of call. Otherwise, I have no more news to report. cheers, gwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillAce Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 It's near impossible but I'll take a crack at it. I'm not afraid of a little fabrication and I can get help from the manufacturer. Once upon a time I was Impossible Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwl Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Here is the response I got from McIntosh (America) this morning. Not so good news...and it is as expected... There is no AUX in, an FM modulator is your only choice, I believe the system came w/ a 1,500 USD package that included leather and sunroof, so the cost to the Subaru customer was well under $1,000, the McIntosh head unit that is based on is the MX406, that sells for 1,300$, plus amp and speakers, that would be a $4,000 system + install in separate McIntosh aftermarket units. The system was designed to bring it in at that very low price to Subaru customers, so one compromise was no AUX input. We do not sell the components in that system, they were available ONLY through Subaru. There really is no way to incorporate an AUX in for MP3 or DVD players. I might test out a mates iPod transmitter and see if I could live with that solution. Christmas is only 4 sleeps away . Cheers, gwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadetubman Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 I recently got a 3.0R SpecB with McIntosh sound, and the dealer said there was a aux line in that could be connected up after market. After reading this post, it looks like this is no so easy. This is a bummer, as the FM transmitter (iTrip) has quite low levels and I find has quite bad interference on any blank station in Sydney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elarbee Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 I recently got a 3.0R SpecB with McIntosh sound, and the dealer said there was a aux line in that could be connected up after market. After reading this post, it looks like this is no so easy. This is a bummer, as the FM transmitter (iTrip) has quite low levels and I find has quite bad interference on any blank station in Sydney. i think they mislead on you or just didn't know better. i've got a 3RB on order and my dealer confirmed what's in this thread, no aux input Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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