Connects2 Walkman-to-UniLink Car Audio Integration Adapter

[MDX-400]

Intro:

As a little introduction this is probably my first review ever on one of the MD/ATRAC-related forums, so don’t kill me if it’s not perfect. Questions are welcome! One main reason for this review is because another user here had posted a mainly negative review (which I refuted at the time as well) and I thought I would add my own review as well. I’ve been using the Connects2 unit for over a month now and it has served me very well. This device goes under several model numbers: ASONWHD001 / MSC-01 / AHD-D001

but they are all actually the same thing. The newest firmware (which is NOT user-upgradeable but requires return to Connects2 UK for programming) supports the NW-A series HDD players as well. Though I don’t have one of these I was told my unit does have that firmware revision on it. It’s also supposed to support MD Walkmans and though I haven’t tried all of mine with it, I have tried a few and they all seem to work perfectly with it

I heard about this device quite some time ago and posted information about it way back then on a few forums. Wasn’t much interest but I was determined to get an NW-HD3 and this device at some point. Well finding an HD3 was easy enough but this interface took some time. Firstly Sony was supposed to make their own interface but they never did, opting to make an iPod adapter instead of all things (the XA-110ip). However Connects2 had been making this interface and an iPod interface for UniLink HUs for quite some time.

There was a Connects2USA division (that was really just Aardvark Multimedia in the US distributing the product) but Aardvark decided to drop the line and these interfaces are no longer sold in retail chains in the US I was lucky enough to find someone selling one (steeleuk) here on the forums and bought it from him (and at a pretty good price I would add!).

The box arrived and, well, here’s the review!

Box/Package Contents:

Well the unit comes nicely packaged in a square box with a glossy “sleeve” surrounding it. Some pictures of Sony Head Units and Walkmans are pictured on it.

Slide the sleeve off and open up the box and here is what you find inside:

-Interface Box

In the UK apparently these interfaces are known as Connects2 “little silver boxes” as they use the same type of shell for nearly every interface they have. I had previously thought they were made of metal however they are just silver plastic. Interestingly mine was missing a screw (?) but that’s of no consequence as the other ones hold it together fine.

-Walkman-to-Interface cable

This cable has the standard Sony miniplug + 4-pin remote connector (to connect to a compatible Walkman) on one side, and a 9-pin mini-DIN male connector on the other end. The only thing about this cable I didn’t like was the lack of length—it is only about 4 or 5 ft long I believe and some installations may require a longer cable. I could’ve used a longer one but I just put the box closer to the Walkman install location. It seems that you can extend it with an old-skool 9-pin mini-DIN Macintosh serial (M-F) cable. However those cable extensions are pretty hard to find, lol; and I didn’t want to bother getting one on eBay because shipping would make it like $20 afterwards…

-UniLink Cable

Connects the silver box to the HU/UniLink bus. It’s not an official Sony cable (you can tell just by looking at the ends) but it’s functionally fine. A little short as well but this one doesn’t need to be long anyway.

-Pair RCA Cables

Just a standard analog RCA cable here. Nothing special, pretty cheap dollar store type but does the job. I plan on replacing it whenever I find a Lightning Audio cable of the right length (as all the other RCAs in my car are LA Storm series ).

-Instruction Manual

This is a very thin 2 page square pamphlet type deal—not too informative but really it doesn’t need to be. You pretty much just connect up the thing logically (as you would any UniLink device) and it works—plain and simple! The pictures for connection are rather crude but the instructions that the [now defunct] Connects2USA provided (I previously dl’d these off the internet) were a little more in-depth for installation. However, if you can’t hook up a UniLink device on your own already then you might want to think about “professional install” lol--really though, it is very easy.

The only instructions you really need to note are for the text output. If you leave the HU to play with no play mode it will cause the unit to output Artist text to UniLink’s “Disc Name” display and Track text to UniLink’s "Track Name" display. If you select the “Repeat” play mode you instead get Album text in place of Artist text, above. This seems a little strange but it really is interesting that they could do it this way--it works perfectly as well.

Installation:

Well mostly covered above… Very very simple install. Just connect it up as if it were a UniLink changer and off you go. UniLink cable connected to the HU (in my case I had to connect it to my Multi-Changer Adapter, but it worked fine with the MCA and shows up as CD device/changer #7 in my install). Connect the RCAs to the box and then to UniLink analog audio (again either to the HU or to the appropriate slave port in your UniLink system).

Connect the other cable to the box and then connect the other end to your Walkman wherever you ended up “installing” or placing that.

Pictures of my installation can be found at this thread:

http://www.atraclife.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1334

And here is one copied over here to spice up the review, lol HD3 is velcroed to the mirror cover on my sunvisor and the cabling runs through the A-pillar. (The other thing beside the HD3 is simply a temperature display for the outside temp, btw).

Operation/Features:

Well here we get to what everyone’s probably waiting for!

Keep in mind that the interface is limited in two ways. One, what the remote/phones port allows you to do on the Walkman itself; and, two, what UniLink allows you to do in terms of control/display options.

First of all you set up your Walkman in the playmode you need it to be in (for HDD-based players that includes Album mode, Artist mode, Group mode, etc.) and then you’re supposed to max the volume on it. This was one of my initial main concerns about the device. Since you are using the remote port, the Walkman will not let you engage LINE OUT mode. This is Sony’s limitation, but a limitation nonetheless. At first it seems like it is going to affect sound quality, particularly through the maximum level you can get out of the unit. I was so concerned about this initially I had decided to get two HD3s and eventually attempt to hardware modify one so it was permanently in the Line Out mode. Thankfully I did not have to do this! I was thinking at one point that Connects2 could have done what Sony did with the XA-300 Aux-Input adapter… That device has two analog RCA inputs but one of them is cleverly designed to put a gain on the signal, meaning that if you have a device with only a headphones amp output (or an otherwise low line level) you can use the other input and have the signal boosted for better volume. I’m glad to report it seems like this is exactly what Connects2 have done! There is no real need for Line-Out mode with this device as it does indeed gain the signal from the Walkman. I found that setting the volume to maximum on my HD3 would easily clip the analog inputs of my XDP-210EQ processor! Therefore I can set the HD3 to about 80% volume and get a perfect line signal for the XDP.

Next up you need to select the Connects2 box as your current CD changer. This is done on most Sony HUs by pressing the SOURCE button until you get to CD mode--"CDx"--and then pressing MODE until you get to whatever device the Connects2 box is. In my application I have to go to CD7 but if it's just a HU and this box you'd only need to hit MODE once to get to CD2 which would be the Connects2 interface.

With that out of the way I ventured to use the unit with the HU. Well it works quite well I must say. Tracks skip forward and backward fine, as do albums (or artists or groups depending on what you set the player to). Text comes up properly/nicely and it actually seems to be able to throw commands on Sony’s UniLink that you don’t normally get. For example when you switch tracks it will actually flash the Artist (or Album depending on your selection mentioned in the other section above) momentarily and then display the track name (or go to whatever display you’ve selected on the HU). This isn’t normal operation but it’s actually quite a welcome addition! Scrolling works as it does normally on UniLink and with the A.Scrl option on the HU set to ON, it will scroll once and then stop.

I had only a few instances where text seemed to stall or stop working all of a sudden and only the track time would display properly thereafter. Fixing this was as simple as changing a track manually and then text was restored. This does not happen often at all, but I did encounter it perhaps twice so far.

Navigation other than track +/-, and disc +/- is not that easy but there is no facility in Sony’s changer protocol to do this really. However personally I find the track and disc control is all I need. This is exactly why I mounted the unit to my visor so I could navigate on the HD3 as normal (which is completely possible/permissible with the interface hooked up, by the way--something which cannot be said for any iPod interface due to the way the iPod works in it’s different remote modes).

Another interesting feature I found one day when my HD3’s battery ran down was that the Connects2 module was smart enough to continuously flash “Low” as the Disc title and “Battery” as the Track title on the head unit! So if your battery goes low, it simply flashes “Low Battery” at you on the HU, so you know what’s up even when the Walkman is out of sight.

Power control is another feature of the interface… When you turn on the HU (into any mode even not selecting the interface as your “current” changer) it powers up the Walkman and places it in standby mode. For this reason playback can start from the HD3 faster than you can get audio from a UniLink changer, in most cases! After the standard timeout on the HD3, the device will turn off if unused. If you are using the Walkman as the playback device and you turn off the HU/car, the Walkman goes back to stop/standby mode and again powers off once the time out has gone by as normal.

The only thing a little quirky about it is if you didn’t have the Walkman as your playback device (and it was already powered down) and you turn off the HU/car then the Walkman actually powers up and goes back into stop/standby and then shuts down again after the time out. This is probably a little bit of a waste of battery power but it isn’t too big a deal.

Unfortunately, unlike most iPod interfaces, this interface cannot charge/power your Walkman on it’s own. This is again because it has to use the phones/remote port which has no such charging facility. If you need to power your Walkman you will have to be powering it with the proper DC in voltage, from a DC-DC converter in the car. With the HD3 this proves a silly exercise since you need the stupid minidock. However on a device like the HD5 this might not be so bad since you have the DC in jack right on the player.

As for the audio from the device, it really sounds great. Despite having to use the headphones amp, the slight gain you get from the interface allows you to match the normal line level quite well and therefore it performs very nicely.

Overall the device is well worth the money, based on the US retail which was $105. It gives you very nice integration with a Walkman to your Sony UniLink HU and does everything it says it does. Unfortunately it isn’t available in North America any longer, though it seems PAC (another mobile electronics adapter manufacturer) has started to use Connects2 to OEM products for them. The PAC Sony-iPod interface is made by Connects2 but rebranded and the plastic colour is changed from silver to black. PACs site does not list the Walkman adapter however, which is a shame especially considering Sony already makes an iPod interface for their HUs. Perhaps PAC or another company will start distributing this interface in the US. I guess it may be a little moot as even the A3000 is obsolete now as we await a new Sony player.

Well that’s the end of my review anyway, pretty long I guess!

Summary:

Unit: Connects2 ASONWHD001 / MSC-01 / AHD-D001 Walkman-to-UniLink Car Audio Integration Adapter

Company Website: http://www.connects2.com (UK)

Price: $105 US, though no longer marketed in the US.

Features: Provides complete integration for Sony Walkmans to Sony car audio head units with UniLink control. Allows for text display, as well as track and album skipping/control from the Walkman, on the head unit.

Review Info: Product used with Sony CDX-C7850 Head Unit (1998 model) in a UniLink system with 2 other CD changers, an MD changer, XA-300 Aux Adapter, MCA, and XDP-210EQ UniLink Processor.

Pros:

-Great interface, text and control work very well. Walkman need not be in sight, except for more advanced navigation.

-Low Battery warning transferred to head unit indicates intuitive and well thought out design.

-Gain added to volume to compensate for Sony’s line-out/remote limitation.

-Good value--price point is competitive to other similar interfaces (usually for iPods)

-Compatible with most Sony products with the standard Sony 4-pin remote port. Now works with NW-A1000/A1200/A3000 Walkman models.

Cons:

-Bundled cabling. Walkman to UniLink cable could be longer. RCA cables could be of a little higher quality.

-Documentation/Manuals. Differences exist between the US market and UK market manuals; manuals not very in-depth. Granted, there isn’t much to the unit and it’s operation so the manual need not be much more detailed anyway.

-In-Depth navigation must be done on the device itself, however this is a limitation of Sony’s UniLink head unit protocol, which was never designed to handle a mass-storage device like a Network Walkman.

-Rare communication problems for text display.

[Jillako]

Thanks for the great review. I've actually been looking for this product but without luck! If anybody on the forums can sell me one, I'm interested. Alternately, I will be in London for a day next month and if I can purchase at a retail outlet, that will be great too. Any suggestions on where to look, UK members?

[MDX-400]

On the Connects2 website forums a lot of people seem to be saying they are getting their products from a store called "Halfords" I think. So you might want to see if you can find one of those when you're in England.

Also you can try the Connects2 website http://www.connects2.com to see if they have a list of distributors; or you can visit their forums and ask there...

[BIGHMW]

I own two of these units, one of the (now-defunct) Connects2USA units (MSC-01, purchased through Crutchfield) and one of the U.K. units (ASONWHD001, purchased through auction on eBay UK), and I think they are GREAT units, despite the UniLink-based limitations, and well worth importing here to the states if there are merchants in the UK who are willing to sell them to us here on this side of the Atlantic. I use it with my MZ-NH700 and my MDX-C5970 HU and MDX-65 6 MD changer (identical setups in both my 1999 VW New Beetle GLS and my 1963 VW Transporter Kombi), and I can deal with the limitations of having to set it for "album shuffle" mode if necessary, after all there is an old saying (mostly used in poker), "you have to deal with the cards that are dealt", and in this case, it is the aforementioned units I just described.

I just wish that Connects2 (UK Headquarters) would offer the same "direct purchase" option like Connects2USA offered, and, to offer payment via PayPal (I do have a PayPal account), so if I need extra replacement parts like NW HD-to-box or other cables necassary to keep my Connects2 units running for years to come I (and other Connects2 owners) can order them.

ONE NOTE:

I tried it with my D-NE700 ATRAC CD Walkman to see if it would play CDs in the same way, and found it to sometimes "crash" my unit (reset to factory-default), so we now know it won't work with ATRAC CD or other CD Walkmans, but it operates fine (after setup) with my MZ-NH700 or other Hi-MD/NetMD/MiniDisc Walkman unit as well as the NW-HD series.

Why doesn't Sony come out with one of THEIR OWN, since people here in the States can't (unless they are willing to pay $$$ in shipping from the UK or take their chances on eBay UK) get these units domestically, or at least SOMEBODY should offer these great units for sales here in the U.S.

ANOTHER NOTE:

There are slight cosmetic differences between the U.S. and U.K. units, the U.S. version (MSC-01) is chrome with an extra hole that is taped up, while the U.K. Version (ASONWHD001) is Silver with no extra hole in it, and I prefer these as they look like they are better built than the U.S. ones despite them both coming from the U.K.

[Jillako]

Thanks, MDX-400. I managed to snag one off an online store and have it shipped to a friend I'm meeting. Looking forward to getting this installed when I'm back home in a month after vacation!

[steeleuk]

Got 3 units for sale on ebay if anyone is interested, Item number: 330090106924.

Steeleuk

[BIGHMW]

Got 3 units for sale on ebay if anyone is interested, Item number: 330090106924.

Steeleuk

Here is the direct link to SteeleUK's auction for those great Connects2 units he is selling on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...rchQ3aUSQQfviZ1

Better get 'em FAST!!! Hey, he even has 100% positive feedback AND he even takes PayPal!!!

As for me, I already own a US MSC-01 and a couple of the newer ones like he is selling right here on this link, so in respect to my fellow ATRAC Life users I will recuse myself from this auction, but would also like to know if SteeleUK can get spare replacement cords for my current units in case one cord shorts out (or breaks over excessive usage) on me.

Thanks and get 'em while they're HOT!!!

Edited February 19, 2007 by BIGHMW

[Jillako]

Thanks, snagged one. I'm still waiting for the other one to be delivered from the UK. It was a lot expensive to order the first one too!

[NFHD5]

Im a first time poster in the forum, but a casual browser of AtracLife.

I found this thread while doing research for a new head unit for my truck. Im still shopping and I might get a Sony HU. I have an NW-HD5, and I was looking for a way to fully integrate mp3 file info and track navigation with the HU and HU display. And the Connects2 looks like it does the trick.

Thanks for the in-depth review, MDX-400. I have a couple questions, though. (Questions open to anyone.)

I noticed that you mentioned the XA-300 Aux Adapter in your Review Info. I read through the specs on Crutchfield.com, and it has RCA inputs of its own, but It did not say anything about navigation control, or HU info display.

Would I be able to use the XA-300 with a 1/8th jack to RCA cable to my HD5 to get it to play, navigate and show info through my HU? Or would I need the Connects2 along with that, to control the nav. and display on the HU?

Also, with the Connects2, are you able to use the HUs nav. buttons (seek, play, stop, etc) to control your DAP?

NF

[BIGHMW]

Im a first time poster in the forum, but a casual browser of AtracLife.

I found this thread while doing research for a new head unit for my truck. Im still shopping and I might get a Sony HU. I have an NW-HD5, and I was looking for a way to fully integrate mp3 file info and track navigation with the HU and HU display. And the Connects2 looks like it does the trick.

Thanks for the in-depth review, MDX-400. I have a couple questions, though. (Questions open to anyone.)

I noticed that you mentioned the XA-300 Aux Adapter in your Review Info. I read through the specs on Crutchfield.com, and it has RCA inputs of its own, but It did not say anything about navigation control, or HU info display.

Would I be able to use the XA-300 with a 1/8th jack to RCA cable to my HD5 to get it to play, navigate and show info through my HU? Or would I need the Connects2 along with that, to control the nav. and display on the HU?

Also, with the Connects2, are you able to use the HUs nav. buttons (seek, play, stop, etc) to control your DAP?

NF

Hey, welcome to the club.

I, too, am a first-year member of this forum, I own an MZ-NH700 Hi-MD Walkman, and use one of the Connects2 units with my MDX-C5970 AM/FM/MD deck, and I did some research on the XA-300, and basically it is a multi-auxilliary RCA-input device, which is basically from line/phone outputs, and it just lets you (on a phone-level device) control the volume, as far as any other control (track switching, display, text, folders, etc.), it does not do that.

You would need the Connects2 unit to do all that, it will work absolutely PERFECT for your NW-HD5 unit the same way it does my MZ-NH700 Hi-MD unit, through the remote/phones output, with COMPLETE control over everything (on the HU at that!!!) but the volume, that you have to set at 80% if you have a non-EU unit (not 100% because it will clip), because this beautiful unit even adds gain to your source for use on your car deck (ask MDX-400 on this board for more details). It is a MUST to go along with any sony HU especially if you own a Walkman like you and I do.

I highly recommend this unit, and i am sure everyone here on this board will agree with that. Thanks. I hope I was of help.

[BIGHMW]

Got 3 units for sale on ebay if anyone is interested, Item number: 330090106924.

Steeleuk

Hey Steely, great job,. you sold those units FAST.

I hope my direct link to your auctions on eBay helped out with sales of those 3 Connects2 units, PM me or let me know if I had anything to do with it. Thanks.

[connects2auto]

Hi guys

We are new Connects2 distributer in US. This adapter type was not in my original plans to bring to US but if there is significant interest, We may reconsider this decision.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks

admin

connects2auto.com

[BIGHMW]

Hi guys

We are new Connects2 distributer in US. This adapter type was not in my original plans to bring to US but if there is significant interest, We may reconsider this decision.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks

admin

connects2auto.com

Hey, welcome to the Show. I as well as about 17,000 users of this board and also those on the MDCF would definitely want to see the Connects 2 Walkman adapter here in the States, as well as spare replacement cables, and also any and all firmware upgrades for the ones we currently own.

I am sure MDX-400 and a few of us will voucher for me on it. I use one with my MZ-NH700 Hi-MD Walkman in both my cars and it is a GREAT product, I highly recommend you start carrying them and perhaps selling them through eBay and online through your site.

Thanks,

Ray Jackson