Bluetooth head unit for old Focus - Suggestions

Feek

Feek

Feek

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I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask but it's worth a shout.

I have a 2000 Ford Focus diesel, still going reasonably strong.

For the last x years, I've used my iPod Classic through a half decent transmitter into a Sony MD head unit (MDX-M690) which works fine, but I'm struggling now as I also have two mobiles mounted on the dashboard and the transmitter isn't as well screened as it could be and it picks up interference from the phones.

I want to move away from the iPod and use my iPhone for music. My iPhone is already in a charging cradle which I'm not prepared to replace so I think the best solution would be a replacement bluetooth head unit.

I have the Sony interface so I can use the existing control stalk and I don't want to lose that functionability - I don't mind moving from Sony providing I can link the new head unit up to the stalk.

Any suggestions?

/edit - My head unit is now broken, see here
 
I have a JVC unit in the MX-5 which has a bluetooth module and works fine with my iPhone for music playback but as far as I am aware, Apple didn't licence the entire stack or don't allow you to use it so you cannot skip tracks etc from the HU via bluetooth, you have to do it on the iPhone itself.
 
In my mumc car we had an io play, a Bluetooth handsfree and music streaming system, it connects to the existing car radio and has it's own amp, so music sounds good at normal levels but turn it up quality drops.

She just got a new car last night and I went to fit it in the new Beetle and there's no room for it, so now I'm getting her a Sony BT3900 head unit which has built in handsfree and music streaming! :)

But I'd recommend you have a look at an io play or parrot handsfree kit :)
 
You may want to make sure your head unit supports a separate microphone. I have a Sony Bluetooth head unit, which is great for music, but people usually complain that they can't hear me on the built in mic.
 
I don't care about using the bluetooth to make or receive calls, I use my phone as a phone so rarely that it's not important.

It's getting sounds out of the iPhone into the headunit, that's all I really care about.
 
Fair enough - I wouldn't have thought bluetooth would be worth the extra if you're not actually using it for calls (saying that, I went all out and got a H/U with a USB port :p)
 
Alpine CDE-125BT gets my vote, or whatever is the newest equivalent model.

I owned the earlier '104BTi' model, and it was cracking, far faster ipod interface and better sound quality for Bluetooth than the £500 JVC double din unit I replaced it with (which I subsequently replaced with a double din Alpine with inbuilt parrot Bluetooth which is great).

Having worked at halfords for 4 years up until 2009 I had a play with (and installed) numerous different head units. I don't have knowledge of the very latest models but my general opinions were thus - Pioneer were good but often had fiddly control interfaces (jog wheels/joystick rather than discrete buttons etc), Kenwood had great features and design but tended to break a lot and again used joysticks/jog wheels which I found fiddlier though they look cleaner than a unit with more buttons. Sony were just average in every respect (often had inbuilt Mic for hands free which was never great), JVC units looked nice and were good value and well featured for the price, but Bluetooth SQ let them down and their user interfaces were never as slick or intuitive as others. Alpine units were rarely the best looking but tended to be very reliable, offered best SQ out the box and were quick and simple to operate. The newer models with parrot Bluetooth tech offer great sound quality with the external mic.
 
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Will said:
I owned the earlier '104BTi' model, and it was cracking, far faster ipod interface and better sound quality for Bluetooth than the £500 JVC double din unit I replaced it with (which I subsequently replaced with a double din Alpine with inbuilt parrot Bluetooth which is great).
Click to expand...

That's actually the one I have, and I would highly recommend it! My only gripe with it is when seeking through mp3s it is very slow, which when you're trying to find a certain point in a 2hr mix is very frustrating!
 
This is now an old bump because I didn't do anything last year and now my Sony unit has died.

I'm looking at the Alpine CDE-133BT, will that do what I want, does anyone know?
 
I have a USB powered bluetooth a2dp adapter that plugs into my AUX in, all hidden away in the glovebox in my 530i and hidden in the boot (where the radio is) in my 325i. Total cost per car £20, I bought the adapter from the purple shirt place. If your current radio has an aux in at the rear (where the wiring won't be unsightly) then this is the cheapest and easiest option.
 
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