hey. i need help, and recommendations. i just installed a power acoustik cassette deck. i have a prestige 10 disc changer in the back. i was told the only way of having the cd changer run with this deck is by getting an fm rf modulator. now i was thinking, if i run the sound thru the antenna with a modulator wouldnt that sound like the radio? i know when i start pumping the sound pretty high in my car with the radio on you start hearing the static from the radio. will the same thing happen if i install the fm modulator?

is there any other way of connecting the deck and the cd changer than using a modulator? please reply. need the help.

dozer80464@aol.com

 

Does your cass. deck have any inputs on it for other devices? If not than you are limited on how you can do it. The FM modulator is about the only way to go. As far as clarity, it will sound a heck of a lot better than a radio station. It's a direct signal to the receiver in the cass deck, not coming through the air. It will be limited to how much frequency response you have. Most FM tuners in a car stereo cut off at 45-50hz. That is why so many radio stations boost their bass output in their format. So any cd that you play with really low bass, you may not hear that low bass because of the cut off in the tuner. Which should be OK though because 45hz is pretty low anyway. A bass drum is about 60hz, so any "real" music from real instruments will sound fine. It's rap or pop music that will have lower bass than that.

 

Modulators sound decent, but not as good as a direct connection. But, you will need the modulator designed to operate that specific changer.

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I have a Sony 10 cd changer hooked up through a modulator, and I have no complaints about the sound.
Maybe an explanation how they work will clear things up. Easiest is to think of it in the same manner as a cable converter box. The signal that comes into the converter is "converted" so that the program is sent to your TV on the same frequency as let's say channel 3. You set the TV to channel 3, change channels on the converter and voila! cable TV. Same for a video game. Your game travels through the cables on the same frequency as channel 3.
The FM modulator works the same way. Your incoming music is sent to your radio on a frequency of say 88.3 MHZ. You set your radio to 88.3 MHZ and through the antenna input it sees the music coming from the modulator. Since it is sent directly through a cable, you have no transmission/reception interference.

Hope this can clear things up.

 

Yes, an FM modulator would basically sound like the best FM radio station you've ever heard...pretty darn good, but still FM quality. Most people don't mind them too much, though.

Another option would be to buy a Prestige tape deck with CD changer controls...that is, if your Prestige changer will allow for a direct hookup.

 

thanks all for your replies. i used to have a prestige deck, but the thing is, prestige doesnt make any decks with dancing spectrums, and thats mainly what i want. i decided to just buy a deck with a single cd player, what do you think?