Convenience and hi-fi quality can go together, JBL argues. Voters agreed.
The $139-suggested AUNI200USB universal interface from Audiovox Integration Solutions connects to most RDS-equipped OEM head units to add a satelliteradio tuner and playback of music stored on iPods, iPhones, flash drives with up to 4GB storage, and Android phones in mass-storage mode.
The one-box solution incorporates FM modulator to send audio to the head unit’s FM tuner, while RDS (Radio Data System) technology sends the source’s text information to the head unit’s display. Song title and artist and album name are displayed from USB-connected Apple devices and USB drives. When the interface is connected via cable to a separately sold Sirius SCC1 or SiriusXM SXV200 tuner, the head unit displays satellite-radio channel number, station name, song title and other related information.
The satellite tuner can be controlled from a 13-button IR remote with shortcut buttons intended to offer easy navigation of channels and presets. The tuner can also be controlled from an iPhone app.
The remote also lets users control the selection of songs stored on USB drives and on select Android phones. Tracks play in alphabetical order, and consumers use the remote to skip tracks. Users can also play back songs in random order. From Apple’s music-library app on their iPod and iPhone, consumers select iDevice-stored songs as they normally would, but limited iDevice-song selection is also available through Voxx’s remote to control track up/down, playlist up/down, artist and album up/down and shuffle on/off.
A true digital FM modulation circuit ensures the highest-quality audio with no interference from nearby radio stations, the company said. To reduce unwanted distortion and noise, digital audio signal through a USB 2.0 FS interface is processed by an LSI featuring 1-bit DAC output, which feeds the digital input of the FM modulation circuit. The modulator also features high-frequency isolating relay and USB audio processing. As a result, it will “outperform any FM modulator in the industry,” the company said.
It’s powered by a firmware-upgradable 24-bit processor that supports the latest sources, including the iPhone 5S and SiriusXM SXV-200 tuner.
