22 replies to this topic

[BushmasterSI]

I doubt it, but I was wondering if the stock stereos have a line in on them? I haven't pulled mine out or anything to look, but again, I doubt it. I would rather keep the stock one than get an aftermarket one, because I like the WB radio. Does anybody know if it has line in on the back?

[BushmasterSI]

BTW, it's in a 99 OBW and has cd, tape, and radio

[Tiny Clark]

Stock units don't have line inputs. I'm sure someone could install one, but it would probably cost more to do that than buying a new CD receiver with a jack on the front panel.

[BushmasterSI]

Oh well, I guess I'll have to use a fm transmitter or tape adapter. Thanks

[firstwagon]

They used to. My 91 Legacy LS has a line in jack (aux in) on the front of the stock deck. Great for plugging mp3 plays.

[BushmasterSI]

Great for plugging mp3 plays.

That's what I want to do. Since cd players first came out, they should have started making stereos with a line in on the face, but if they did, then you wouldn't have a reason to buy an expensive cd player stereo.

[Manarius]

They used to. My 91 Legacy LS has a line in jack (aux in) on the front of the stock deck. Great for plugging mp3 plays.

It's a rare item. Legacies after 1994 don't have that nice aux input that makes for ease in hooking in a MP3 player.

[Mark-O-Back]

Get one of those cassette car kit adapters. It goes in like a tape but has a cord with a 3.5mm plug at the end. I used one of those for years in my 97 until I upgraded to a (much) nicer head unit... no weather band though. You can get them still at many places, electronic stores. I've even seem them at NAPA.
Good Luck,
~Mark

[rweddy]

They used to. My 91 Legacy LS has a line in jack (aux in) on the front of the stock deck. Great for plugging mp3 plays.

Yep my 91 has this great for my ipod

[msmithmmx]

I wanted my 98 OBW looking stock. I bought a 6 disk in-dash changer with tape deck from an 01 sub of Ebay for 130 shipped. I then bought an alpine fm mudulator for 15 bucks new off Ebay. I still need to install the modulator. I want to have a hidden plug, 100 stock

[BushmasterSI]

Get one of those cassette car kit adapters.

What is everybody's experience? is FM modulator or tape adapter better?

[Andyjo]

I persanally am not a big fan of the FM modulators... they always just... suck...
in my OBS i just kept a tape deck adapter in, and used that... but in the OBXT i have the problem of not having a tape deck... so the solution you may ask?
well... i havent' done it yet, but i'm going to tap into the FM signal, on the audio control board, and throw in some JFET's to switch the signal from the FM radio, to an AUX input...
if you want to have fun w/ electronics you can just cut some traces, wire in your own circuit, and away you go!
only problem.. i have no clue about the workings of the inside of older radios... just learning about the 05 radio right now...

[BushmasterSI]

I'd be afraid of screwing the soldering up, plus I wouldn't know where to start. Where do you get the schematics for the radio? Or do you just study the board?

[Andyjo]

I'd be afraid of screwing the soldering up, plus I wouldn't know where to start. Where do you get the schematics for the radio? Or do you just study the board?

Good ol' multi meter & power supply.
you can pull the head unit, hook it up to a power supply, with some speakers, and figure out what goes where....
i've also seen some pictures on other forums, and i made up my own circuit to meet the needs...

[ShawnW]

Ironic that the base model 90/91's had them and the people that bought the top of the line got the CD player installed below the factory radio and that wasn't included...cuz what would you ever plug into it now that you have a HIGH TECH doohikie for CD SPINNING IN THE DASH!

Techology is so great.

Short answer, none of the factory radios built to date have any sort of input into the back of the head unit for AUX input.

Get an aftermarket radio that reads MP3 discs, burn the MP3's to cheap blank CD's and lose the mess of having your ipod run everywhere you go, subjected to theft, heat, vibration, etc.

[Andyjo]

Short answer, none of the factory radios built to date have any sort of input into the back of the head unit for AUX input.

The 07 legacy/ob 6 cd changer has an aux in :-p
or so i hear it does...

[Tiny Clark]

The cassette adapter works much better than the 3 fm transmitters I've used for my ipod.

[gbrand]

My 91 legacy has a jack-great, what a novel concept!

I prefer the tape adapter, that is what I use in my daily driver 96 Sunfire convertible.

Bought an FM transmitter to use in my 99 Buick Lesabre, our travel vehicle, as the cassette in them is notorius for accepting a tape and never letting go-and this happened first time I tryed after buying th car 2 years ago. They are OK if you are going around town, so can find an open frequency-ut on the road you are constantly dealing with interference as you move near stations using your once open frequeency. And, with a power cord and audio cable to the FM transmitter, and a Power cord to your CD player, a fair amount of spagetti. Still better than ambient radio in rural Okla though! this year upgraded to Sony CD deck fo the Buick, but insisted on having an aux input jack on the front to handle waht ever present or new technology may have to offer

[Gnuman]

It's a rare item. Legacies after 1994 don't have that nice aux input that makes for ease in hooking in a MP3 player.

Make that 1992 and later. I put a 91 headunit into my 92 just to get that input, which is the only difference between the two units. I also grabbed the CD player from an SVX to put under it and play CDs. . .

[thomcat00]

The modulators are subject to interference from nearby frequencies. I have an FM modulator with 4 preset frequencies and when I drive interstate, I have to dance around the dial to get reception.

I vastly prefer my tape adaptor, but can no longer use it since foreign objects were inserted in the tape deck of the stock radio. The tape input is more reliable and the sound quality is decent enough - don't bother with Dolby. Heck with the windows down all I need is volume since quality is trashed by the rush of air anyway.

btw, I have a '99 Forester.

[91LegLS]

The 07 legacy/ob 6 cd changer has an aux in :-p
or so i hear it does...

You are correct, The much loved "aux" port has reappeared in the '06 models inside the arm rest next to another power socket and has a notch on the console for the wire leading out of it so that the armrest can be closed.

[johnceggleston]

doesn't the cd input qualify as an aux input. of course it's used by the cd player, but it's there. could you sacrifice the cd player for and actual aux input?? all the radios have cd capability, right?

[BushmasterSI]

I vastly prefer my tape adaptor

I got a tape adapter and I really like it:banana:. I have had a fm modulator for a while, but like you say, it goes in and out as you drive around and the quality isn't that great. Also it took a battery so it sucked to constantly feed it batteries.

The only drawback I've found is that the adapter (or the head) has a slight clicking as the player plays it, although you can only hear it if the engine is off and it's between songs and not putting out any sound (so it doesn't matter).