You would need an impedance matching transformer, and a good amp that
accepts speaker inputs to make this work even halfway decently.  Or you can
do what I am planning on doing - install a Rio Car as your head unit, and
store up to 200 GB of MP3s...

Even with all my CD's ripped, I still don't have more than about 40 GB of
music and audio books - so far, anyway.

Don in Reidsville, NC
1987 Vanagon GL Syncro (Suzie)
1988 Vanagon GL (Sylvia)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Max Wellhouse" <maxjoyce@IPA.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Fri 28 January 2005 18:08
Subject: Re: '87 gl stereo cheap fix

> I'm no electronics expert, but unless you have Klipschorns for speakers, I
> doubt you'll hear that mp3 player without a substantial power
> amplifier.  As I understand most portable players, they produce
> milliwatts  of power to the headphone jack and I would guess to hear your
> factory speakers in a Vanagon(or even decent aftermarket speakers), you'd
> need 10-20 watts of power.  Not even sure plugging the mp3 player to an
> external poewer amp would work with potential impedance mismatches.  The
> Audi World group has a separate forum for audio freaks and they've been
> toying with your concept and they have suceeded.
>
> Yeah, it's Friday, so burn some holes in my thinking here!!
>
> Max
>
> At 10:05 AM 1/28/2005, Aaron Pearson wrote:
>>my stock radio/tape player doesn't work very well (the tape player
>>doesn't work, even after numerous cleanings, and the antenna is gone so
>>the radio reception is poor).  i don't listen to tapes or radio anyway,
>>so my new plan is to remove it entirely, and plug my mp3 player directly
>>into the speakers.  the idea is to wire in a potentiometer between the
>>speaker plugs and an 1/8" audio jack.  that way i can plug in whaterver
>>potable device i want.  this seems like a good idea to me.  can anyone
>>think of why it's not, or have any suggestions to make it better or more
>>reliable (or why it's a bad idea in the first place)?  this is the
>>cheapest way i can think of to get what i want.
>>
>>fyi, i'd bring along a portable weather radio on trips for emergency.
>>
>>aaron
>>'87 syncro gl