Factory Radio Service aux-in on 2000 LS400
03-18-13, 08:14 PM
#31
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Location: AZ
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Kansas, thanks for posting this. This is on my wishlist as I like to upgrade my LS but keep it fairly stock looking.
I am considering getting the "premium" mod with the connection in the back of the unit. When you remove the wood shift cover, is there enough space under there to run the wire all the way to the armrest?
I thought about drilling holes into the armrest, at a place below the shifter cover, so the wire could run and stay in there when not in use and be completely out of sight. Thanks for your help and sorry if my description is not very good.
I am considering getting the "premium" mod with the connection in the back of the unit. When you remove the wood shift cover, is there enough space under there to run the wire all the way to the armrest?
I thought about drilling holes into the armrest, at a place below the shifter cover, so the wire could run and stay in there when not in use and be completely out of sight. Thanks for your help and sorry if my description is not very good.
03-18-13, 08:59 PM
#32
I actually just ran the wire from my aux- in under the shift plate up into the armrest this weekend. Worked great! There is plenty o' room, at least in my 97. In the armrest, I just used the same path that the wire for the carphone used to be in, so their wasn't any drilling needed. the ground loop isolator tucked nicely into the space underneath the head unit, behind the shift plate.
03-18-13, 10:00 PM
#33
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I actually just ran the wire from my aux- in under the shift plate up into the armrest this weekend. Worked great! There is plenty o' room, at least in my 97. In the armrest, I just used the same path that the wire for the carphone used to be in, so their wasn't any drilling needed. the ground loop isolator tucked nicely into the space underneath the head unit, behind the shift plate.
03-19-13, 05:01 PM
#34
02-28-17, 06:58 AM
#37
great result
Thank you for posting about Factory Radio Service. I sent my 2000 LS base head unit to Jon and have it reinstalled now. I'm very happy with the results. As long as you aren't charging your phone you won't have any ground loop feedback and the sound is very, very good.
I have a 70s era Chevrolet radio I'm going to send him as an AUX Port project.
Rich
I have a 70s era Chevrolet radio I'm going to send him as an AUX Port project.
Rich
There isn't much to see in these photos other than the flawless installation of a push-button on/off switch for the aux-in to the right of the fader **** and the 3.5mm aux-in port (included 6 foot 3.5 mm audio cord plugged into it) installed at the back of the head unit. http://factoryradioservice.com/index.php
Edit: The radio must be set to either FM1 or FM2 for the aux on/off switch to work.
The cost of this deluxe version of the several aux-in formats offered by Factory Radio Service was $85 not including shipping ($15 each way via FedEx) between Kansas and Rancho Cucamonga, CA.
Sound quality is excellent. Although the aux-in is connected to the FM section, sound quality is closer to CD quality. I'm hard pressed to tell the difference between playing my favorite "test song" from a commercial CD and from my phone's memory ... and I've listened to that tune a few hundred times on vinyl, CD and MP3 since the 60's.
I was particularly impressed when how great Pandora sounds through the aux-in connection -- definitely going to have to get a higher capacity data plan for my phone.
The service by Factory Radio Service was fast - they received my radio on a Thursday and shipped it back to me the following Monday. I couldn't be more satisfied.
There were a couple of issues that have nothing to do with the aux-in install: The output level of the audio-out jack on my Samsung Galaxy S3 "Infuse" charging cradle is too low to supply the aux-in. Instead of plugging the aux-in cable permanently into the charging cradle, I instead have to plug the aux-in cable into the top of my phone each time I want to stream audio from it. Not a huge problem but I was looking for "perfect".
And so far, most of the time, my car's electrical system has been emitting too much EMI and/or RFI to charge my phone while listing to audio from it. I've tried ferrite chokes on the phone's micro USB charging cable with no improvement. Any suggestions for suppressing this interference would be appreciated.
Regardess of the current phone charging issue, sliding the charging portion of the cradle downward and away from the phone makes the audio crystal clear.
Edit: The radio must be set to either FM1 or FM2 for the aux on/off switch to work.
The cost of this deluxe version of the several aux-in formats offered by Factory Radio Service was $85 not including shipping ($15 each way via FedEx) between Kansas and Rancho Cucamonga, CA.
Sound quality is excellent. Although the aux-in is connected to the FM section, sound quality is closer to CD quality. I'm hard pressed to tell the difference between playing my favorite "test song" from a commercial CD and from my phone's memory ... and I've listened to that tune a few hundred times on vinyl, CD and MP3 since the 60's.
I was particularly impressed when how great Pandora sounds through the aux-in connection -- definitely going to have to get a higher capacity data plan for my phone.
The service by Factory Radio Service was fast - they received my radio on a Thursday and shipped it back to me the following Monday. I couldn't be more satisfied.
There were a couple of issues that have nothing to do with the aux-in install: The output level of the audio-out jack on my Samsung Galaxy S3 "Infuse" charging cradle is too low to supply the aux-in. Instead of plugging the aux-in cable permanently into the charging cradle, I instead have to plug the aux-in cable into the top of my phone each time I want to stream audio from it. Not a huge problem but I was looking for "perfect".
And so far, most of the time, my car's electrical system has been emitting too much EMI and/or RFI to charge my phone while listing to audio from it. I've tried ferrite chokes on the phone's micro USB charging cable with no improvement. Any suggestions for suppressing this interference would be appreciated.
Regardess of the current phone charging issue, sliding the charging portion of the cradle downward and away from the phone makes the audio crystal clear.
02-28-17, 06:49 PM
#38
Thank you for posting about Factory Radio Service. I sent my 2000 LS base head unit to Jon and have it reinstalled now. I'm very happy with the results. As long as you aren't charging your phone you won't have any ground loop feedback and the sound is very, very good.
I have a 70s era Chevrolet radio I'm going to send him as an AUX Port project.
Rich
I have a 70s era Chevrolet radio I'm going to send him as an AUX Port project.
Rich
The following users liked this post:
BNastee (03-01-17)
07-02-18, 12:24 AM
#39
Do you have a link to replace the LCD’s??? On my 99 LS the buttons on everything don’t light up at night, I have to turn on the lights to change everything. And it’s not a fuse, the climate control section still works
07-03-18, 10:31 AM
#40
Lexus Test Driver
ive considered this, but i just use the cassette player to run my phone music from. unfortunatly, mp3s from a phone, dont sound anywhere near as good as a cd. doesnt matter if its via a cassette adapter in a 20 year old ls400, or via BT audio in a new ls500, the quality just isnt there. im an audiophile so i notice crap like this. most people wont tho. although inconvienent, CDs are by far superior in sound quality.
the cassette adaptors arent awful, depending on what year car it is and how much the player was used if you dont mind a little hiss. i dont. oddly enough, the cassette adaptor sounds WAY better in my 95 then in my 2000
the cassette adaptors arent awful, depending on what year car it is and how much the player was used if you dont mind a little hiss. i dont. oddly enough, the cassette adaptor sounds WAY better in my 95 then in my 2000
07-03-18, 11:22 AM
#41
Racer
ive considered this, but i just use the cassette player to run my phone music from. unfortunatly, mp3s from a phone, dont sound anywhere near as good as a cd. doesnt matter if its via a cassette adapter in a 20 year old ls400, or via BT audio in a new ls500, the quality just isnt there. im an audiophile so i notice crap like this. most people wont tho. although inconvienent, CDs are by far superior in sound quality.
the cassette adaptors arent awful, depending on what year car it is and how much the player was used if you dont mind a little hiss. i dont. oddly enough, the cassette adaptor sounds WAY better in my 95 then in my 2000
the cassette adaptors arent awful, depending on what year car it is and how much the player was used if you dont mind a little hiss. i dont. oddly enough, the cassette adaptor sounds WAY better in my 95 then in my 2000
Car radio/speaker market tech has been really improving.A LOT!
07-03-18, 11:30 AM
#42
Ik what you mean, I notice the difference 2! And it really annoys me. I use the tape/ aux cord also and it gets the job done but nothing compares to the CD as u said. I don’t even own any CDs I like I just listen to them for the better boom
02-11-19, 02:06 PM
#43
Racer
prolly no good for a non namakichi nav radio off a 99?
02-11-19, 04:54 PM
#44
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
The aux-in mod should work fine on a standard Pioneer system although the Kenwood I later had installed was more satisfying: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...ml#post8219167
02-11-19, 04:57 PM
#45
Racer
The aux-in mod should work fine on a standard Pioneer system although the Kenwood I later had installed was more satisfying: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...ml#post8219167
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