Gotta have my iTunes
One of the first mods I performed on my Carrera was to install a Dension Gateway 500 iPod interface so that I could listen to my iPod through the factory stereo system. The Porsche Communications System has a pretty awful user interface, but the alternatives all seem to be even worse situations so the Dension was the way to go.
I bought it from Eric at BumperPlugs.com and I cannot more enthusiastically recommend buying from him. Eric was a total pleasure to deal with -- prompt, informative, personable, and professional.
Installation
I installed everything in the luggage compartment. Especially considering that my car is a convertible I wasn't too keen on passing wiring into the passenger compartment so that the iPod could be used from inside the car. I was happy enough using the factory radio's interface and leaving the iPod out of sight and out of mind in the front. This simplified the install quite a bit.
In hindsight the installation was a breeze. If I had to install another one I don't think it would take more than an hour and that's factoring in the time it would take to open the second beer. Going into the install, though, it was pretty intimidating. The Porsche uses a "MOST bus" which means that the in-dash radio, the amp, the cd changer, and all the other parts are hooked up to a fiber-optic ring and communicate digitally. It was quite a departure from the copper and analog stereos I'd futzed with in the past. It was sort of spooky disconnecting and re-wiring the fiber-optic cables to make room for the Dension within the MOST bus ring. If you can look past the optical part, though, it's really not any more complicated than playing around with TinkerToy®.
The provided instructions were unclear to read, but once I got all the panels removed and exposed the components it made a lot more sense. I snapped a few pics while I was in there:
I got some velcro and rigged it up so that the iPod belt clip holster (came free with my last iPod, a 30GB third gen) holds the iPod snugly in place while I drive. I was a little concerned about it, but it survives an autocross with no fuss so it's more than adequate for everyday driving.
Operation
Initially I had the 1.00 firmware and operation was pretty flaky, but since upgrading to the 2.02 firmware (July 2007) it's been a lot better. The Dension provides full access to all the iPod playlists, artists, and albums from the PCM user interface. I mostly listen on shuffle and use the playlist to tailor the music I listen to. For this sort of operation the Dension is quite satisfactory. If you're the type of person who likes to micromanage your listening and select specific artists or songs as you go along you'll be really unhappy with this method. In that sort of environment I'd suggest just using the Dension as an Aux in and wire things so that you can get to the iPod from the driver's seat. That will let you use the iPod's native interface and clickwheel which is substantially less annoying than the Porsche interface.
The Dension wasn't cheap, but it's the best solution out there. Maybe someday Porsche will join us in the new century and offer a better, Factory iPod integration. Until then, though, this will do. What we need is for Steve Jobs to buy a Porsche and then funnel some of that patented RDF off to Stuttgart.
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