Phatbox super cheap $120USD

[Mr Bright Side]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Seriously... has anyone managed a "Stealth Install" on this FATBox yet? Still waiting to see a factory worthy install on this thing?!

Cheers...

I found out its pretty tricky getting the height just right. I'm pretty satisfied with my install but i left about a 5mm gap between the phatbox and the liner which kind of pisses me off, but you can't see it unless you look underneath the unit so its not too bad.

BTW, Southcentre Fine Cars says they still have plenty but they're selling fast.

Does anyone know if the VW phatbox is hardware compatible with a 2004 Audi A4? An almost identical Phatbox is sold through Audi, but still at $560...

Thanks.

PS-I'm brand new here. So hi everybody...

[tintin]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Seriously... has anyone managed a "Stealth Install" on this FATBox yet? Still waiting to see a factory worthy install on this thing?!

Cheers...

Mine should be going in this weekend. I'll be having it so only the cartridge is exposed. Without cutting the sides off the phatbox this is the best I could come up with. Stay tuned.

[Van G]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Great price. I'm interested in the product but not sure I'm too pumped to move away from ITunes.

Anyone care to describe how they find the interface (no album/song text on HU from what I've read)?

How long does it take you to find an album when you've got 500 loaded on?

Will I lose the use of my in dash CD player (2003 Jetta GLI w/ Monsoon)?

[Billip]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Great price. I'm interested in the product but not sure I'm too pumped to move away from ITunes.

Anyone care to describe how they find the interface (no album/song text on HU from what I've read)?

How long does it take you to find an album when you've got 500 loaded on?

Will I lose the use of my in dash CD player (2003 Jetta GLI w/ Monsoon)?

I find the interface a little clunky to be honest. It works, but it can take a while to find stuff, especially if you have an "All Music" playlist like I do. Navigating albums/artists/etc. is easier if you make smaller playlists.

Your CD player will still work fine... no problems there.

Despite the length of time it can take to find what you're looking for, it's still totally worthwhile because of the simple fact that you can have all that music at your fingertips. Organization is the key.

[Khyron]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Which dealers give NVD discount?

Khyron

[Mr. Burns]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

I just use the disc wizard and add each artist as its own disc

EDIT: I believe NL gives NVD discount. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

[Van G]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Cool. I'm sold. Hope to order one today

For those of you who ripped your cd collection down to PB, what bit rate and codec did you use?

[Mr. Burns]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

The software it comes with is awesome for ripping/encoding. I rip everything to 192... but if you prefer higher quality the Phatbox can play (and rip to) .mp3 .wma .flac .ogg and .wav

[Van G]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Sweet. Anyone buy from the US and pay duty into Canada? If so, what was the cost?

[Billip]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Sweet. Anyone buy from the US and pay duty into Canada? If so, what was the cost?

I bought from 1stvwparts.com. It was $120 US on the site, and I ended up paying about $240 CAD in my hands (after exchange, duties, GST, shipping, etc.).

The PhatBox can also play AAC (ie: .m4a) files if you purchase a $14 upgrade to their software. I bought this because I manage all my music with iTunes and encode into AAC. Works great!

[Van G]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Billip - so with the software upgrade you can simple drag and drop your aac and non-protected formats from I Tunes into the Media Manager? No need to change Tags or Formats?

Did your US order come with the mounting bracket?

[Van G]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

I think I'm going to order mine from Liberity VW. $150 US includes unit, bracket, tax, and shipping so should be about $188 (Someone will bring it back for me across the border, other wise I would buy in Canada).

Dealer in Toronto wants $259 plus tax plus bracket = est $315

Van G

[Billip]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Billip - so with the software upgrade you can simple drag and drop your aac and non-protected formats from I Tunes into the Media Manager? No need to change Tags or Formats?

Did your US order come with the mounting bracket?

Well... it doesn't work exactly like that. You can tell the PhatBox Media Manager to look in a different folder when updating its database of songs. It will then look through all of the folders/files and update its internal db of your music. There is no need to modify ID3 tags or anything like that. The bad part is that it's ungodly slow (I asked it to look at 27gig of music all at once). The PhatBox software is (in my opinion) absolute crap, so i use it only for its purpose, which is to enable me to update the firmware on my DMS and copy songs to it. That's all.

Yes, I got the mounting brackets... the wrong ones. I don't see how what they sent me could have ever helped me mount that thing in the factory changer location. I took the brackets off of my existing CD changer and used them for the time being. I think I'm going to relocate it though when I install my amp and sub to a location outside of the pocket in the side of the hatch.

It should be noted that install in a Jetta is a million times easier than in a Golf/GTI.

[R_Ethug]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

http://www.projectgli.com/PhatNoise.html

[Stampfan]

Re: Phatbox super cheap $120USD

Not sure why anybody would want to install this thing anywhere BUT the back corner of the hatch. Its the most out of the way there. Your glove compartment and other hiding spaces are much better used. If you really wanna mount something cool and potentially useful in your glove compartment, look into the Mac Mini.