Parrot Kit MKi9200 in a 55' plate V8 Vantage
Discussion
After a little help here.....
First of all - I do NOT have the 'premium audio system' fitted.
I had been planning on having the MKi9200 kit fitted in my car after reading other owners posts on here.
Just been contacted saying that after talking to an 'official parrot installer' they are saying this
kit is not recommended for my car - the ipod sound will only play out of the 2 speakers and will sounds very flat / disappointing.
Any other recommendations as to what i should do or should i not worry at all as the sound will be OK ?
Installer seems to be pushing for me to have the Parrot 3100 installed - i must say that system looks far inferior to me.
I want to be able to use an Iphone for phone / music and to be able to charge the phone whilst in the car also.
Cheers,
Nick
First of all - I do NOT have the 'premium audio system' fitted.
I had been planning on having the MKi9200 kit fitted in my car after reading other owners posts on here.
Just been contacted saying that after talking to an 'official parrot installer' they are saying this
kit is not recommended for my car - the ipod sound will only play out of the 2 speakers and will sounds very flat / disappointing.
Any other recommendations as to what i should do or should i not worry at all as the sound will be OK ?
Installer seems to be pushing for me to have the Parrot 3100 installed - i must say that system looks far inferior to me.
I want to be able to use an Iphone for phone / music and to be able to charge the phone whilst in the car also.
Cheers,
Nick
The Parrot kits make me shudder (irrational as that might be!). Other half's dad had one fitted to his car (Audi) and it adds a cheap looking control panel (actually 2 - a screen and a separate control knob) that looks stuck on (because it is) and doesn't sound that great (and this is just for the phone). Really ruins the interior of the car to my ultra fussy eyes.
If I'd bought a car without these bits and bobs, I'd be talking to Paralight about getting them fitted "properly". Even though the cost would be quite a bit more.
If I'd bought a car without these bits and bobs, I'd be talking to Paralight about getting them fitted "properly". Even though the cost would be quite a bit more.
Hello All,
I wrote this answer in response to an earlier post reference the installation of a MKi 9100 in a V8. I hope it helps.
Funnily enough I took a call today from a Parrot approved installer, and I took time to describe how the car was assembled with the MOST bus etc. He was recommended to call me by Parrot! The same people that didn't want me as an approved installer....... Probably something to do with the fact I didn't have time to attend the training course. Ho Hum. Used to train and audit Vodafone engineers, so I guess I'm not up to scratch.
I have read with great interest the recent posts concerning the installation of the Parrot MKi range. Having had a little experience of both the cars and the kit, I would like to add a couple of thoughts.
In brief, the way the Vantage (pre 08) Audio system works is, roughly, as follows; The centre stack (radio and heater controls) houses the ICM (infotainment control module), this gives the clock data commands to the rest of the MOST (fibre optic) bus, linking first to the CD changer just below, then the fibre cables run down the centre console around by the battery and into the o/s rear wheel arch where the radio tuner and the SAT NAV gps module is situated. From there it travels to the amplifier (260W) or amplifiers (720W Premium) then back around on itself, making a closed loop.
The existing bluetooth kit (if fitted) is a standalone, Motorola IHF1000, unit which is fitted behind the headlamp switch, accessed from above the accelerator pedal. The connector plug is fitted on all cars regardless of having Bluetooth or not. There is then a loop harness in the passenger footwell that connects to the front speakers to allow connection of a relay block to switch between hands free and audio. On cars which have bluetooth fitted, there is a green aluminium box that does this job.
Points to note if fitting the MKi units. The KRAM 86130 is for the Honda range of cars, this will not fit onto the amplifier (Volvo/Alpine derived). The 86195 lead is the correct plug, however due to the nature of the design of the lead, this will only run 4 speakers, thereby leaving the sub behind the passenger seat connected at all times, i.e. play Ipod through MKi and you will get radio or CD at the same time. One other thing to consider. When the MKi is in use playing Ipod, it utilises its own amplifier, Class D 20W, this would be 5 Watts per channel...
As it happens, I had a call from a V8V owner today. I did ask it he was reading this thread, he wasn't. He had a MKi 9200 installed to his car, the installer had tried for a day and a half to get the kit working adequetly, in the end giving up and offering the parts at cost rather than removing them. I have suggested keeping the Parrot kit as a hands free device and the fitting the Gateway Ipod kit as an Ipod connection.
In conclusion, I will happily advise and help anyone wishing to add kit to their car. However when it is the wrong device for the job, I will try and persuade them against it. They are beautiful cars and I feel very lucky to be able to travel the UK and meet the owners, dealers and then work on these fine cars.
I hope the technicality of this post makes sense. I am always open to enquiries on my mobile (on the website) to answer any questions, or via email. Many Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope it helps.
Kind Regards,
James @ Paralight
I wrote this answer in response to an earlier post reference the installation of a MKi 9100 in a V8. I hope it helps.
Funnily enough I took a call today from a Parrot approved installer, and I took time to describe how the car was assembled with the MOST bus etc. He was recommended to call me by Parrot! The same people that didn't want me as an approved installer....... Probably something to do with the fact I didn't have time to attend the training course. Ho Hum. Used to train and audit Vodafone engineers, so I guess I'm not up to scratch.
I have read with great interest the recent posts concerning the installation of the Parrot MKi range. Having had a little experience of both the cars and the kit, I would like to add a couple of thoughts.
In brief, the way the Vantage (pre 08) Audio system works is, roughly, as follows; The centre stack (radio and heater controls) houses the ICM (infotainment control module), this gives the clock data commands to the rest of the MOST (fibre optic) bus, linking first to the CD changer just below, then the fibre cables run down the centre console around by the battery and into the o/s rear wheel arch where the radio tuner and the SAT NAV gps module is situated. From there it travels to the amplifier (260W) or amplifiers (720W Premium) then back around on itself, making a closed loop.
The existing bluetooth kit (if fitted) is a standalone, Motorola IHF1000, unit which is fitted behind the headlamp switch, accessed from above the accelerator pedal. The connector plug is fitted on all cars regardless of having Bluetooth or not. There is then a loop harness in the passenger footwell that connects to the front speakers to allow connection of a relay block to switch between hands free and audio. On cars which have bluetooth fitted, there is a green aluminium box that does this job.
Points to note if fitting the MKi units. The KRAM 86130 is for the Honda range of cars, this will not fit onto the amplifier (Volvo/Alpine derived). The 86195 lead is the correct plug, however due to the nature of the design of the lead, this will only run 4 speakers, thereby leaving the sub behind the passenger seat connected at all times, i.e. play Ipod through MKi and you will get radio or CD at the same time. One other thing to consider. When the MKi is in use playing Ipod, it utilises its own amplifier, Class D 20W, this would be 5 Watts per channel...
As it happens, I had a call from a V8V owner today. I did ask it he was reading this thread, he wasn't. He had a MKi 9200 installed to his car, the installer had tried for a day and a half to get the kit working adequetly, in the end giving up and offering the parts at cost rather than removing them. I have suggested keeping the Parrot kit as a hands free device and the fitting the Gateway Ipod kit as an Ipod connection.
In conclusion, I will happily advise and help anyone wishing to add kit to their car. However when it is the wrong device for the job, I will try and persuade them against it. They are beautiful cars and I feel very lucky to be able to travel the UK and meet the owners, dealers and then work on these fine cars.
I hope the technicality of this post makes sense. I am always open to enquiries on my mobile (on the website) to answer any questions, or via email. Many Thanks for taking the time to read this, I hope it helps.
Kind Regards,
James @ Paralight
Nick,
I agree with the other posters that the 9200 screen may look a bit poor in the V8V interior. Have you considered the 9000? I ask this as I have one in my V8V. The controller fits nicely in the ashtray hole so that it is unseen unless you need to use it. If you want to call you just open the lid and press the green button and it is all voice activated from there (just say who you need to call and it works very well). If someone calls you it announces who they are by voice (if they are in your phone directory). The sound quality of the audio streaming is actually pretty good from my iPhone4 but I have an iPod adapter so tend to use that as it saves on phone battery and is better quality sound (I too have the standard audio system).
Mark
I agree with the other posters that the 9200 screen may look a bit poor in the V8V interior. Have you considered the 9000? I ask this as I have one in my V8V. The controller fits nicely in the ashtray hole so that it is unseen unless you need to use it. If you want to call you just open the lid and press the green button and it is all voice activated from there (just say who you need to call and it works very well). If someone calls you it announces who they are by voice (if they are in your phone directory). The sound quality of the audio streaming is actually pretty good from my iPhone4 but I have an iPod adapter so tend to use that as it saves on phone battery and is better quality sound (I too have the standard audio system).
Mark
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