Playing MP3's through a car adapter

11-15-03, 10:03 AM

Whenever I play music files from my PPC (Dell Axim) through a car adapter (cassette type, not PPC specific), the sound always ends up coming out of one speaker. Whether it is after 1 song or 2 or 3, sooner or later, I'm only rocking out to the right speaker

I have tried different adapters but it is always the same result. I have also tried flipping the cassette, playing of the other side etc, but it doesn't help. I know it is not my stereo because this only happens while I try it through my PPC. Normal radio and cassettes sound just fine at a balanced speaker level.

I know the car adapter supports stereo and I know that the MP3 was ripped in stereo.

So, if anyone has any thoughts on what else I can try, I would greatly appreciate it.

fremen · 11-15-03, 10:28 AM

Two things I would try;

1. Check if the Axim is outputting stereo. Connect some headphones or speakers into it and see if they are playing stereo.

2. Check something else on the adapter, if you have anything else you can try on it. Perhaps your sound system in your car just doesn't like those adapters, who knows.

11-15-03, 10:38 AM

Thanks for the reply.

I've tried both of those things!

banisters_mind · 11-17-03, 01:13 PM

I've had no troubles with my Ax through the car adaptor I got at Strathfield - you may want to get your Ax looked at to see if it's not a fault with your unit. Otherwise try a completely new adaptor or check your settings in windows media player - if thats what you're using to transfer tracks to your Ax.

Check that the compression isn't lower than 64kps (or whatever it called). If it's lower then the audio quality is crap.

ceej13 · 11-17-03, 01:31 PM

I've had no trouble with my car adapter and I have some music set to 64Kbps to 128Kbps. But either way you should even have a mono sound coming out if your quality is off. You might want to check if you are in fact plugging the jack all the way or if the wire is bad, wiggle the wire around a but from the jack or from the cassette adapter if possible.

11-17-03, 02:44 PM

I haven't had any problems with mine, either.

welshrabbit · 11-17-03, 03:02 PM

MPS - Is it definitely a stereo jack that you are using?

WR.

carndog · 11-18-03, 02:12 PM

Probably the car deck. I was a professonal installer while in college. Alot of tape decks, type of deck would help, if stock year make model and sounds package, do not play the cd to tape adaptors. It has something to do with the tape not actually moving across the heads.