How to Connect a Media Player to a Land Rover LR3

I own a 2005 Land Rover LR3 and have been very frustrated connecting my Zune to the stereo system. Land Rover advertises an easy connection: plug your iPod or other media player into the audio input on the center console with a 3.5mm audio cable, switch the radio to AUX, and there you have it.  What Land Rover doesn't tell you is that the volume is way too low. In an effort to make your music louder, you turn your media player's volume all the way up.  It's better but still not enough so you turn your radio volume really high.  This is a better fix until you use the navigation system or switch back to the radio.  Suddenly, the navigation system is yelling at you.  I found this so frustrating.  The bottom line is the vehicle provides limited controls for balancing the navigation system volume and the audio system.  It just doesn't work right.

So, I started looking for an inline amplifier that I could use to boost the audio signal for the AUX input to balance better with the navigation and radio system. I scoured the Internet and found a solution that not only ups increases the AUX volume but also enhances the quality of the sound very nicely.

Headrooms (http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/the-mobile-line/headroom-total-airhead.php) makes a headphone amplifier called the Total AirHead ($99.00). According to their website, "Put a Total AirHead portable headphone amp between your portable player and quality headphones, and presto chango, the space between your ears becomes your own personal listening room. How does it do it? Behind most headphone jacks is a cheap op-amp. The Total AirHead is a true miniature power amplifier for eadphones. It isolates your player from the complex load of the headphones (which make the player even sound better), and it drives them with the authority and finesse of quality power amplification. The result? Exquisite audio right between your ears."

Simply, put 4 AAA batteries into the unit. Connect it with the supplied stereo cable to the Land Rover AUX input and your media player and you suddenly have loud, wonderful sound.  In my car, I use a Belkin TuneBase FM Transmitter for Zune (http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=301311).  I plug the AirHead supplied stereo cable in the 3.5mm audio line-out to the AirHead and my own supplied stereo cable from the AirHead to the Rover AUX input. I used some mounting tape (much better than the Velcro dots provided by Headrooms) to attach the unit to my dash.  It's a simple solution and it works.

Please post a comment if this has been helpful to you.

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