Buying a new Taco on Saturday...anyone have the Grom ipod interface?

I'm picking up my new silver DC off road on Saturday and I can't wait. My stereo system will consist of the single CD player. Will the Grom ipod interface still work with the single or do I need to have the 6 disc player in dash? Thanks.

 

anyone?

 

I have a Grom Audio box and the OEM Toyota box - this is on a SW Blue 2011 DC PreRunner. I have both the single and the 6-CD changer (former was original, latter bought from a TW member).

On the Grom, there is some sort of problem with the 2011 model. I tried the unit with both USB and Ipod. It plays music OK, but it does not turn off the iPod properly, and for both iPod and USB if you hit the text button (to switch the headunit display between album, artist, song title) the whole headunit shuts down, loses its memory, and has to be restarted. The unit was in my car over a week with the 6-CD changer and worked fine on USB if you can live with the text button issue for USB and manually shutting down the iPod when you turn off the ignition. Playlists (virtual CDs) worked, and the USB stick went in/out of shuffle mode properly, etc.

To be fair, Grom Audio has not claimed 2011 compatibility, and they are working with me to see if a firmware fix will solve the issue. So please don't take this as a shot against Grom Audio - they have been most helpful.

At the moment (AFAIK), the only fully functional, Apple certified, box is the OEM Toyota model (others limit the model of iPod - I have a new iPod Touch, as well as an older model that I used in testing both systems). The OEM iPod box is in use with the OE single CD unit. It does NOT have the USB playback capability of the Grom box.

Also, AFAIK, no brands work on the little iPod. I forget the name (nano?), but its the one that just uses a 3.5mm plug to both charge and play - all require the iPod to have the 30 pin dock connector.

The Grom Audio box acts like it is a changer and you activate it (and the "real" CD) by pressing the disc /Aux button (don't know what it does to the factory Aux plug, didn't try). It will support up to 99 virtual CDs (they call them playlists to keep in line with the iPod function) with up to 2000 songs per virtual CD (if you want to use shuffle mode), but as you load on more songs, or create more virtual discs it has a slow start up and it won't remember song positions for more than 20 virtual CDs). Finally, each playlist on the iPod (or root folder for USB) has to start, and use, consecutive numbers (its how the whole CD changer thing works).

The OEM Toyota box comes in as a Sat radio, and the limit to playlists and number of songs is an iPod thing.

There are a bunch of other companies in play that I have no experience with. But given what problems I saw on the '11 model my advice would be to get a reference with someone who has tried, and had success, before laying down your money.

I'm guessing that was more than you wanted to know, I apologize for the rambling.

 

Thanks. Are there any other good companies that make ipod interface adaptors?

 

Let me ask this, is there a place I can simply plug my ipod into with a USB cord? I'm getting the PreRunner Off Road package. Will that be possible?

 

I have a USB port on my 2011 trd sport that I plug my iPhone into. I think 09+ have it.

 

Will I get the display showing the artist, song, etc?

 

Nope.

 

I have the USA Spec one, it works similar to the GROM except you're unable to browse through the ipod. I have mine in my 2011 and it has had no problems.

I was thinking about getting the grom because it has the ability to use a USB as well as Ipod and also has a bluetooth module. The bluetooth module is nice because it uses your stereo controls unlike the Blu Logic one. Not sure about the quality of it though.

 

2011. I'm hearing though that GROM won't work with the 2011's.

If you can't browse throught the ipod, how do you get from song to song?

 

Thanks, I was wondering what must have changed since the plugs look the same on older units.

Maybe that's why the 2011 OEM iPod box doesn't use the CD changer interrupt (like Grom and most others) on the AVC-LAN bus, but instead uses the Sat interface.