I have a 2006 Honda Odyssey with a built-in CD player, but the factory player doesn't work. I also have an onn. boombox that plays CDs, Bluetooth, and cassette tapes. I'd like to play CDs in the boombox and hear them through the van's speakers. I'm not very familiar with car audio, so I'm looking for the simplest setup and what cables or adapters I would need.
3 Answers
You can also use an FM transmitter. Plug the boombox’s headphone output into the transmitter, choose an unused FM frequency on the transmitter, and tune the car radio to that exact frequency. Don’t select AUX for this setup—the transmitter is sending the sound over FM radio. Search for a “3.5 mm FM transmitter” or “portable FM transmitter with audio input.” Keep the volume moderate to avoid distortion, and make sure the boombox is secure before driving.
If the boombox has a headphone or audio-out jack and the Odyssey has a 3.5 mm AUX input, the simplest option is a regular male-to-male 3.5 mm AUX cable. Plug one end into the boombox’s headphone output and the other into the van’s AUX input, then select AUX on the car stereo. If the boombox only has speakers and no audio output, this won’t work directly.
If your van has a cassette slot, a cassette adapter may be easier. It looks like a cassette with a cable attached; connect that cable to the boombox’s headphone output and insert the adapter into the car’s tape deck. Some 2006 Odyssey audio systems also had a rear entertainment system with an AUX input, so check for a jack near the rear controls. Another practical option is replacing or upgrading the factory radio, or copying the CDs to a phone and playing them through Bluetooth or an FM transmitter.
I may have tried that already. I connected the boombox to my Bluetooth FM transmitter with an AUX cable, but I put the car stereo on AUX mode. I’ll try tuning the radio to the transmitter’s FM frequency instead.