Ping: Tom B Autocom on new Sony Walkman w/ active noise cancelling.

[Jazzy]

Tom B.:

 

The new X-Series of Sony Walkman MP3 players have active noise canceling on both in-ear phones. These might help with helmet noise - just maybe? They are pretty small and can be worn under a helmet.

 

The new Sony's have the normal 1/8 inch mini-plug on the phones, but it has 5 connectors (not the normal 3 or 4, but 5 !). I'm guessing they are to the microphones to cancel extraneous noise.

 

Do any of the Autocom cables work on these new Sony 5-conductor mini-plugs? I see some of yours has 4-conductors (1 powered?), but what about this new stuff? I don't want to plug in a $400 Sony X-Series player and short it or the Autocom out with some 5-connector to 3-connector mistake.

 

Fwiw, Sony's new Walkman has surpassed the Apple iPod at estimated 6.7 million units sold to 2010. I've listened to it and it does sound much better than the iPod and has equalizers and other high-end audio stuff the iPod doesn't.

Biz Brief: Sony Walkman surpasses Apple iPod sales.

 

Tia.

 

Jazzy

[Tom B]

I will look into this and get back to you.

 

My thoughts are that three of the wires are for Left Speaker, Right Speaker and common earth, and the other two wires are for Left microphone and Right microphone.

How they are wired I will investigate.

 

I would ask your supplier if the Walkman can be used with ordinary headphones (standard 3 pole stereo jack) because if so they should be able to be used with our stereo music leads.

 

You will need to be careful if you plug into our Pre-2009 systems as some of these had power out for the plug and go Bluetooth module on some of the 4 pole Aux sockets,

 

However you are safe with ALL of our new 2009 range, which have a separate power output socket, so that now ALL audio inputs have our standard T2 4 pole stereo phone type connectors, which a 3 pole stereo music lead can be used with, or any of our new 4 pole leads, per page 23 of our 2009 brochure, or phone leads on page 21.

 

So to conclude for now; if your walkman can be used with a standard 3 pole stereo headset, it can be used safely with any of our Aux sockets on our new 2009 systems.

 

For Pre-2009 Autocom systems you must be careful to only to plug into the T2 stereo music socket, and not to any of the T1 or T3 or T4 powered sockets (see the instruction manuals for Aux socket details which varied depending on your old pre-2009 products)

 

Also remember that if you bike power your walkman and your Autocom system you will require an isolation interface lead, not just a standard wired one.

 

 

Autocom UK Tom

 

 

[Jazzy]

Thanks Tom.

 

I did try a regular headphone set and they work fine on the new noise-canceling X-Series Walkman. I think, as you do, the other two connections on the plug are the microphones. It's a very weird looking gold-plated plug with 5-connection rings on it. Sound is far better with the Sony phones that came with it. Might be the quality of the phones though and not the odd plug affair.

 

I'm still wondering if it would work as a noise-canceling headset on the bike? I know if I throw the switch on it to activate the "NC" or "Noise-Canceling," a lot of outside sounds are minimized or eliminated, especially a fan-like noise. It works even if there are no songs playing. Pretty neat.

 

Since I'm in the U.S. I will assume I have an older model Autocom that has the powered-outlets (there is a Blue-Tooth dongle in one of them that chimes very loudly when it powers up and the old importer Top Gear said there was no adjustment to turn it down). I guess I won't be plugging the Sony into it too soon.

 

Question:

I know about the ground loop issues with bike-powered devices. Shouldn't the Autocom have the isolation built in? Seems my selling dealer dropped the line for all the issues and it seemed most were ground loops. They had to try several different leads and make calls to get the right ones for me once or twice. My other dealer will not sell them as they don't want to spend hours chasing audio (probably ground loop) issues down. It can get arduous at times trying to find "The right ground-loop lead." Most dealer's sales/parts "kids" give me a blank look about them.

 

I don't know if the "ground loop electronics" on the Autocom's main power lead would be the same as one on all the input leads that are on it now. Might cut down on some of the "Under the seat wiring clutter" and the dealer calling to find the right cables (usually not in stock). This has dragged out for weeks on some of my Autocom installs on different bikes.

 

Thanks.

 

Jazzy

[Tom B]

 

Jazzy

 

In a week or two our new website will be on-line and make everything so much clearer.

 

To start with our all new 2009 products all have the same T2 Aux connections and none have power out, so all new Aux leads work with all Aux connections on all new systems. ANY LEAD ANY SOCKET (that’s new Autocom lead on new Autocom socket)

 

Admittedly in hindsight the 2005-2008 products became confusing for many and here’s the reasons why;

 

ALL pre 2005 products had simple standard 3 pole Aux sockets for standard phone and stereo music, so why change them?

 

Well, people were starting to want to use Bluetooth wireless connections for their phones, which meant offering a Bluetooth module and that required power, plus Mic/Spk and Earth. We could have made a Bluetooth module like our part 1276 which has a plug for the Aux socket and a separate 12 volt power lead to the bike, but we decided to make a 4 pole Aux socket with power output so that the Bluetooth dongle (1273) was plug-and-go, and that was what we called a T1 Aux socket (Mic/Spk/Power/Earth)

 

Some people were just starting to get stereo phones so we wanted a stereo phone socket, so again this meant a pole Aux socket was required (Right/Left/Mic/Earth) which we called a T2 socket. (what’s fitted to ALL new 2009 Aux sockets)

 

We also had people wanting to use a Bluetooth dongle for stereo music devices, so we made a T3 socket that had power out for the Bluetooth dongle for a stereo music device (wired Right/Left/Power/Earth).

 

Some customers wanted to use two different bike to bike radios on the same system, so we made a T4 socket (wired Mic/Spk/VOX/Earth)

 

All this at the time seemed to provide most customers with the choices they wanted and these systems were VERY popular indeed, however while dealers understood the difference between a Black 7 pin headset lead/socket/plug, and a Grey 5 pin bike to bike lead/plug/socket. All the other audio sockets/leads/plugs looked much the same and we had unknowing created a very easy to misunderstand array of 4 pole leads and sockets.

 

Realising this over time and with the growing number of new audio devices on the market that people want to use on their bikes, we looked for a solution to make this all much easier, and the solution is now what we make in the 2009 range

 

 

 

We have also been very busy trying to find a way of providing everyone with an easy solution to find and use the correct lead in the correct socket of our 2005 to 2008 range of products, and that will be on-line within a couple of weeks, when it will be easier to understand, find and buy all the parts for all of our systems.

 

I experienced first hand at the MOA rally just how many people were using old 3 pole leads from their pre-2005 systems in the later 2005-2008 systems which have 4 pole sockets, and wondering why they needed me to work out why their system were not functioning well. A few moments in person with the customer, parts, bike and helmets all to hand and we had them on their way with a smile.

 

I think you will find that over the next few weeks everyone will be saying; why didn’t you make your old systems as simple as the new ones, and why didn’t you make the on-line support that you now have available, right from the beginning?

 

It’s been a game of chess but we think we have at last found the solutions. Please bear with us for just a couple more weeks and you will find an easy way to understand, find and buy any parts that you may want for any of our systems.

 

We don’t fit isolation to all of our Aux sockets, because it would considerably increase the products size and costs, and for many customers that would not be right. We believe that you should just buy the part/s you want, if and when you want them, and that’s why we make a modular system that you can add the parts you want to them.

 

 

If your Sony works with a standard 3 pole stereo lead then it should work with any Aux 2 socket (T2) on the 2005-2008 range. DO NOT Use it in any Aux 1 (T1) which has power out, or any others aux sockets.

 

If you have ANY of the new 2009 system you can plug it into any one of the 3 to 4 stereo Aux (T2) sockets. And you can use a standard 3 pole stereo music lead in any of the T2 sockets (just remember it needs isolation if bike powered).

 

 

Autocom UK Tom