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It's been suggested over and over again, and usually shot down by audiophiles, but wired FM modulators aren't all that bad.
I bought one on eBay recently for just over $20, and spent another $24 on antenna adapters at Circuit City (got ripped off on these, but I saved enough money on the modulator itself). I installed it myself by unscrewing the glove compartment and passenger kick panel, removing the stereo to rearrange the antenna plugs, and slipping the modulator into the empty space under the HVAC controls (above the 12v power jack). Then, I took out one of the empty ABS plastic buttons (there were three blank ones in my '99 9-3 base) and drilled a hole to accomodate a 1/8" stereo jack. For power to the modulator, I tapped into the lines I had already run from the factory amp harness to my aftermarket Sony amp, which powers just the rear speakers.
While I was in there, I moved the seat heater controls to a more logical location, so that they're next to eachother and are both in the two-button section (had to unplug and switch the harnesses so that the buttons were going in the right direction).
One thing I might try when I get the chance is to make an antenna override so that I can keep the antenna down while using the modulator.
I had a wireless FM modulator for a while (the iRock), but it doesn't work very well here in the MA/CT/NY area where there are radio stations everywhere. I had to keep switching the frequencies, and even then it was spotty at best.
The wired modulator offers two frequencies in the 88 range (.3 and .7?) and so far works very well, with sound quality that's only slightly inferior to a CD. All said and done, it cost under $50 and took about 2 hours to install. I'm pleased.
Good luck if you choose this, or good luck waiting if you decide you'd like something that wires into the CD changer ports. It might be a long wait, though....
posted by 137.49.40...
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