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Titanium Sony Radio


barrywi
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You need.......

To cut the end off a loom which had the sony unit fitted as standard in order to get the plug needed as you cannot get it from ford

Then order a parrot patch lead that you would use to fit one of their hands free kits in order to get the sockets needed

Then you need the wiring diagram for the fiesta audio system......

Then get the soldering iron out and make a conversion lead up.....

It took for ever....and if you get it wrong you can damage the headunit...display.....bt unit....or all 3.....

Ken

OK thanks. Not too arduous then. Had to do much the same on the BMW when fitting the Becker. I'll try to get hold of the wiring details and post them here.

Savcom

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You've fitted a Becker in to a BMW? Me too - what a nightmare! Didn't go to the trouble of soldering connections, all you need is a a couple of autoleads connectors so you go male-female-male, (in effect creating an extension lead) and you can mess around with the autolead wires thus leave the Becker and BMW looms OEM.

Will never forget one of the +ve wires on the Becker was coloured BLACK!! I couldn't believe my eyes - checked, double checked, triple checked, used volt meter - still had trouble believing it.

Matching up a black wire to the red +'ve on the BMW wiring loom followed by that first power up of the head unit!!! Squeaky bum time indeed.

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You've fitted a Becker in to a BMW? Me too

So worth it though. Rainbows fitted front and back and a sub in the boot. Sounds SO much better. But enough of our cars on the forum. We'll get kicked off ... heh heh heh ;)

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Finally got our 2010 ( 60 reg) Titanium with the Sony radio. Not had too much time to play with it yet but generally pleased though it doesnt feel as substantial in build as our old 2003 Skoda Fabia ( see gripes post on this forum)#

Anyway the radio is great. It connected to my Blackberry Curve 8520 very easily for phone use. It also allows playback via bluetooth of music but doesn't allow control of tracks etc via the radio( unless I am missing something!) I am still waiting for a lead to come for my IPOD to see how that works but dont expect any problems from what other have said here. I am also about to start loading up a memory stick with tunes when I can find time and the right programme ( probably windows media player or nero)Its a shame it wont accept itunes transfers on the stick. The quality seems pretty good from FM but expect a cd to sound better...will report back

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Finally got our 2010 ( 60 reg) Titanium with the Sony radio. Not had too much time to play with it yet but generally pleased though it doesnt feel as substantial in build as our old 2003 Skoda Fabia ( see gripes post on this forum)#

Anyway the radio is great. It connected to my Blackberry Curve 8520 very easily for phone use. It also allows playback via Bluetooth of music but doesn't allow control of tracks etc via the radio( unless I am missing something!) I am still waiting for a lead to come for my IPOD to see how that works but dont expect any problems from what other have said here. I am also about to start loading up a memory stick with tunes when I can find time and the right programme ( probably windows media player or nero)Its a shame it wont accept itunes transfers on the stick. The quality seems pretty good from FM but expect a cd to sound better...will report back

The sound quality it amazing on this radio. Just done a 60 mile trip down the motorway playing music from a memory stick - with the DSP(?) set to "pop" and the volume only up to 8 and the beat was THUMPING through the silver door pole/handle things. Was like a rolling night club lol.

(Turned it right down once back in the city though - wouldn't want to be branded a chav lol)

Oh and I can control the tracks (ie next, back etc) via the controls on the steering wheel and the radio when playing music from my phone over bluetooth. Its an iPhone but can't imagine that making a difference? Have a play about, you'll probably be able to too.

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We should pick ours up on Thursday, all being well. Have Android phones to check bluetooth, an iPod to check iPod and a memory stick already ready to play. B)

Funnily enough, no CD's. Wonder why? :lol:

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We should pick ours up on Thursday, all being well. Have Android phones to check bluetooth, an iPod to check iPod and a memory stick already ready to play. B)

Funnily enough, no CD's. Wonder why? :lol:

Because you dont like top quality sound? :rolleyes:

Seriously though iPOD's etc over a top quality Hi Fi don't cut it compared to CD. I agree in a car there is probably no difference to the ear and an iPOD/iPhone are much more convenient.

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Because you dont like top quality sound? :rolleyes:

Seriously though iPOD's etc over a top quality Hi Fi don't cut it compared to CD. I agree in a car there is probably no difference to the ear and an iPOD/iPhone are much more convenient.

Just tried my Blackberry via Blue tooth which was Ok and then the IPOD via two leads.

The ipod sounds fantastic with oodles of volume ...almost too loud. The bass was bending the door panels, maybe it needs turning down a bit. Have yet to try on the move but and can't compare it with the older radio in the Titanium but I have to say it is one of the best car radios I have heard ( including my Jag XJ)

If you are thinking of buying a late Titanium make sure you get the SONY radio( after about September 2010 build I think)

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Because you dont like top quality sound? :rolleyes:

Seriously though iPOD's etc over a top quality Hi Fi don't cut it compared to CD. I agree in a car there is probably no difference to the ear and an iPOD/iPhone are much more convenient.

I'd happily challenge you there, but this is not the forum to do this.... You can't get better than CD quality, true, but with the right coding you can get imperceptibly close (all my CD rips are to FLAC and from that I create VBR MP3's using LAME setting -V0 (~245 kbps)). Add to that having the convenience of an ipod loaded with 500 CD's on board and individual CD's pale into insignificance.

Even my iPod is tweaked.... B)

Mind you, we have a March 2010 model, so NOT the Sony model, hence the interest in this thread....

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I'd happily challenge you there, but this is not the forum to do this.... You can't get better than CD quality, true, but with the right coding you can get imperceptibly close (all my CD rips are to FLAC and from that I create VBR MP3's using LAME setting -V0 (~245 kbps)). Add to that having the convenience of an ipod loaded with 500 CD's on board and individual CD's pale into insignificance.

Even my iPod is tweaked.... B)

Mind you, we have a March 2010 model, so NOT the Sony model, hence the interest in this thread....

I agree entirely with you as I am a HI Fi and Home Cinema anorak. The Fiesta is my wife's car which I drive now and again, so I don't get much chance to listen to music in it on my own, as she always wants to talk and not have it on loud! . I am really pleased with it's connectivity and audio quality in general. I know about Flac files being virtually lossless but dont know the implications of putting them on an IPOD or even how to do it. I don't buy downloads and if I buy music it's always on CD or SACD( which is fantastic on my Hi Fi)As this is really off topic I don't suppose you could PM me with details of how to set up the way you make the files. I presume you play off a hard drive at home or do you still use the Ipod? Anyway if you have the time I would be grateful for the info( in laymans terms please)

My car is Jaguar XJ 2007 which has a premium sound system, but doesn't have any external inputs at all , just a 6 CD loader in the boot and a single CD in the dash,and no USB, very frustrating. I think the Fiesta Sony system is actually nearly as good as the Jag.

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I'd happily challenge you there, but this is not the forum to do this.... You can't get better than CD quality, true, but with the right coding you can get imperceptibly close (all my CD rips are to FLAC and from that I create VBR MP3's using LAME setting -V0 (~245 kbps)). Add to that having the convenience of an ipod loaded with 500 CD's on board and individual CD's pale into insignificance.

Even my iPod is tweaked.... B)

Mind you, we have a March 2010 model, so NOT the Sony model, hence the interest in this thread....

Can you please tell me how you have 'tweaked' your iPod? I have a 3rd gen fat model and would love to know how to tweak it?

Also I agree, the new Jaguar XJ for instance will save all your CD's in losses format on the built in hard drive, all to play on the B&W speaker system, I think it's a bit of old thinking to say MP3's etc can't be as good. IMO THESE day's they can with the right hardware, get an iPod/ iPhone and a decent set of headphones and the CD will be challenged.

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I know about Flac files being virtually lossless but dont know the implications of putting them on an IPOD or even how to do it. I don't buy downloads and if I buy music it's always on CD or SACD( which is fantastic on my Hi Fi)As this is really off topic I don't suppose you could PM me with details of how to set up the way you make the files. I presume you play off a hard drive at home or do you still use the Ipod? Anyway if you have the time I would be grateful for the info( in laymans terms please)

It's not really off topic, but happy to maybe prepare a guide for the forum, as it applies to all users of iPods, MP3 players etc. in the car.

To fully answer your question requires a bit of preparation, so if you'll excuse me, I'll spend a little time working on the full answer. What I will say, is that FLAC is absolutely lossless and is therefore as good as CD quality. Trouble is, without modifications, you can't use it on the majority of MP3 players on the market (such as the iPod/iPhone). What most people do therefore is rip a CD to MP3, which is a lossy format - and therefore you do end up affecting the sound. The trick is to set the MP3 rip to its highest quality setting and ripping to that standard. Most people don't do that though as they use the default settings which are 'adequate'rather than 'best quality'.

Can you please tell me how you have 'tweaked' your iPod? I have a 3rd gen fat model and would love to know how to tweak it?

My tweak was to change the output capacitors on the board, but this is only worth it on the 4th/5th gen iPods. More info on what can be achieved is here

Must go catch train. More later.

Savcom

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It's not really off topic, but happy to maybe prepare a guide for the forum, as it applies to all users of iPods, MP3 players etc. in the car.

To fully answer your question requires a bit of preparation, so if you'll excuse me, I'll spend a little time working on the full answer. What I will say, is that FLAC is absolutely lossless and is therefore as good as CD quality. Trouble is, without modifications, you can't use it on the majority of MP3 players on the market (such as the iPod/iPhone). What most people do therefore is rip a CD to MP3, which is a lossy format - and therefore you do end up affecting the sound. The trick is to set the MP3 rip to its highest quality setting and ripping to that standard. Most people don't do that though as they use the default settings which are 'adequate'rather than 'best quality'.

My tweak was to change the output capacitors on the board, but this is only worth it on the 4th/5th gen iPods. More info on what can be achieved is here

Yes please..take your time and let us know all the details.

Must go catch train. More later.

Savcom

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Ignore prvious post but please put upp all the details re Flac files when you get time. Thanks in advance

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My tweak was to change the output capacitors on the board, but this is only worth it on the 4th/5th gen iPods. More info on what can be achieved is here

Must go catch train. More later.

Savcom

Thanks mate, I see it talks about the HDD iPod. I have a Nano, it's the 3rd gen. So that's fine as considering how tiny the board is I can probably say I am 99% sure I would break the thing trying to change the capacitors!!! It sounds good anyway and it's only 8GB so lossless fills it up very quickly anyway.

But I'll be interested to read what you say and may have a go with the lossless you suggest to see if my ears can tell the difference, I'm sure I can tell between my iPod using the cable and my iPhone using bluetooth in my car.

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  • 2 months later...

hi, i have fiesta titanium bud my stereo system is the normal defualt one i was just wndering how i can get this sony audio and where i can find it??

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hi, i have fiesta titanium bud my stereo system is the normal defualt one i was just wndering how i can get this sony audio and where i can find it??

Yes, it's because some countries have different options for cars.

Anyway, could you guys help us find some Sony units?...

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I have had my new Ford titanium for a week now. The Sony system is amazing but there are also great other features Inc the voice control, Bluetooth and the "Y" cable to connect a iPhone/iPod with the car with out all that messy and unnecessary wiring every where!

I totally agree with you on that :D. The buttons on the unit make it easier for me to answer and end calls using bluetooth - I find it a bit 'hit and miss' when using the button on the steering wheel. The new stereo is a great improvement on the ones I've had in my previous Fiestas so I have to give Ford a big thumbs up for that.

As for finding one to retro fit, they've only just come out as standard on the Titanium so they'll be easier to find once they've been around a while

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  • 5 months later...

Some people dont like it......but I managed to get one from a scrapped car.....

IMAG0385.jpg

Its not straight forward to retro fit.....ive got everthing working other than the blue display.....but im unsure if to bother. Sound quality IS better without a doubt...

IMAG0390.jpg

Ken

Dear Ken,

my fiesta has the sony cd/radio, could you please supply me with the model number for the sony as i need to get the technical specs of this unit.

steven

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Dear Ken,

my fiesta has the sony cd/radio, could you please supply me with the model number for the sony as i need to get the technical specs of this unit.

steven

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just getting back to the original question about DAB - I have just ordered a Metal with the Sony head unit. I couldn't really find out if it was DAB or not. On the ford website under the titanium it says Sony DAB, on this website people who have got it say not (although those posts are a little old, so maybe it has now been added). I decided I wanted the Sony head unit regardless but asked the guy at ford if it was DAB and he promised me it was!

So I am still not sure, but will report back when I get the car

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Just getting back to the original question about DAB - I have just ordered a Metal with the Sony head unit. I couldn't really find out if it was DAB or not. On the ford website under the titanium it says Sony DAB, on this website people who have got it say not (although those posts are a little old, so maybe it has now been added). I decided I wanted the Sony head unit regardless but asked the guy at ford if it was DAB and he promised me it was!

So I am still not sure, but will report back when I get the car

I have ordered a metal with the Sony head unit and due to get it on Saturday. I was told that it would be a DAB as it was built in September. I will let you know when I get it. I think it was in cars built in Aug/Sept so I think it depends on when yours was built. Presume that yours was built Aug/Sept if the dealer said you would get DAB.

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Ah that would explain it then. Just been to sigh the paperwork and it has got DAB written all over it

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Ah that would explain it then. Just been to sigh the paperwork and it has got DAB written all over it

Also I tried the Sony DAB out in the showroom and compared to the standard one in the zetec S that I had the sound is much better. You only have to turn it up a couple of notches and it is quite loud and also excellent Speakers. So if you like your music you will be pleased I'm sure. Enjoy when you get it...any date of when you may get it? I ordered mine beginning of July, it got delayed then there was a problem with the rear axle bolts being the wrong spec, they are being done today, then waxed tomorrow to collect Sat...fingers crossed!!!

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Also I tried the Sony DAB out in the showroom and compared to the standard one in the zetec S that I had the sound is much better. You only have to turn it up a couple of notches and it is quite loud and also excellent speakers. So if you like your music you will be pleased I'm sure. Enjoy when you get it...any date of when you may get it? I ordered mine beginning of July, it got delayed then there was a problem with the rear axle bolts being the wrong spec, they are being done today, then waxed tomorrow to collect Sat...fingers crossed!!!

Yeah the Speakers are brilliant on the Sony system, I've only ever had mine up to 7 or 8 on the motorway out of maybe 20-25 I'm guessing.

Volume 4 or 5 is plenty for in the city/doing slower speeds when theres less road noise etc.

You'll love it. :D

Post plenty of pics once to collect it.

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