VAIS vs. DICE vs. Coastaletech

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wmshax @ Jul 29 2007, 03:45 PM) [snapback]487203[/snapback]</div>

So I can only speak for the Dice. In short it works, but it is limited. You can use the controls on the steering and the MFD CD Changer mode to do basic IPOD manipulation.

If you envisage tight integration with the ability to view and scroll throw you lists of artists, albums, etc., and select a specific song, or even to see album art on the MFD etc., then no, you not be getting anything close to this.

What you get to do, is to basically see the title of the currently playing song, artist and album on the MFD, and to move to the next/previous song. You will still need to use the IPOD to actually find a specific artist or song. It will also pause and restart you IPOD if you take a call through bluetooth or otherwise stop your stereo, which is in my opinion is probably the most significant return on investment that it offers.


So is it worth it? Yes. Is it great? No very far from great. However, I don't think there is a great solution out there.

 

Bump!

This is my question, exactly! I figure its better for me to bump this post than create my own.

By the way, I'm a new user here, waiting to pick up my 2008 Prius in a couple of weeks.

 

In case anyone else finds this old thread, please note that the DICE unit you can buy today is different than what's being described up thread. You do have the ability to navigate your ipod by artist or title or playlist on the MFD. There are still some annoying limitations and some things that don't work right, but it's definitely better than it used to be.

 

Vais. They are the best. Everything is compatible. Next question.

 

How about some insight as to why they are the best... If I'm going to spend an extra $100 why would I do so?

 

I spent a lot of time looking at this and ended up controlling the iPod with the iPod. I have a 3' cable plugged into the aux port and the iPod sits in the cup holder. The deal breaker on the other units was that none supported bookmarks, which I need for the lectures I listen through my iPod

 

I installed an SLI 2 a few weeks ago in Velma. It's great. It allows full control of playlists and masquerades your ipod as a MD changer. You don't loose any of the existing stereo features like the cassette or CD changer. You can even have the track name displayed on the MFD.

The best bit for me about the SLI is that it remembers what you played last, and where. If I take my iPhone out of the car and play a different playlist and then put it back in the car it remembers where I last listened to it in the car. Great for podcasts!

For me, the primary goal was to have a completely stealth setup. I want my car to look standard from outside. Here in the UK certainly, having a car with extra bells and whistles visible from outside (like a cell holder, GPS window bracket or iPod dock) is just asking for trouble as most people don't take the devices with them when they leave their car.

I was able to hide both the SLI control unit behind a dash panel and route the iPod connector through into the centre console in such a way that it's not visible from outside. This also means that if I'm making a quick stop somewhere I can leave my iPhone in the car hidden from view in the centre console without anyone seeing it or even knowing it's there.

Yup, SLI for me rules. The only things that would make it better for me would be for them to become official iphone kit to stop the annoying "this accessory is not designed to be used with an iphone" message you get on bootup and also for the SLi to include some form of bluetooth microphone to handle cell calls...

 

So does the SLI allow me to browse artist/album without changing the currently playing track?

Also, many car kits I've seen block out iPhone controls (meaning on the iPhone, a big iPod icon is displayed, and songs can't be selected). Do either of these do that?

 

I have the Vais SL2i and have been extremely happy with it.

As to anything made by Coastal: steer clear. I had a terrible experience with them, to the point that I was about to file a complaint with the Attorney General in Florida. Their customer service is non-existent, their manner of doing business is the worst I've ever experienced, and their products are clearly not worth the trouble of dealing with such a crummy company.

Vais, on the other hand, is excellent; you can get a human on the phone, they will help you with any install issues (for people like me who don't completely read instructions sometimes!), and their product works all the time.

I have the latest firmware, which allows you to select by playlist, artist, album, genre, audiobook, or podcast. My only complaint is that when you select an artist, it shows you a list of songs by that artist, not a list of albums by that artist.

If you're listening to a song, and are stopped, you can scroll up and down in the list of songs, so long as you don't click on any of them; same thing applies in the other screens. So you could be listening to one song, and while it's playing, scroll up or down using the touchscreen up/down buttons, and look for something else. So long as you don't click another song title, the existing song will continue to play.

Install took about an hour for me, and went perfectly. I've had my SL2i in my 07 Prius for 8 months, and I love it. Highly recommended!

Bob

 

The VAIS and DICE (Silverline) are both good units. Remember, however, that both these devices are trick-hacks that make an iPod seem to the car to be a CD changer. The problem is that iPods are NOT CD-changers, and therefore there are fundamental limitations to what can be done! I believe that these units are the best option available to integrate an iPod into a Prius, but it is important to remember that this is not a way to connect two compatible units, but a way of making two incompatible units play nice together! All things considered, it works pretty well.

 

You can change the setting on the DICE Silverline so it makes the radio think it's a SAT input. This allows you use the tuning knob go to between playlists, songs and the like (depending on the setting).

 

jetlaw:

Do you have experience with both units? I'm still hoping for someone to give us a comparison of the two with some pro and cons, especially since the VAIS costs so much more... I'm not against spending some extra cash on the VAIS if it's actually worth it.

 

While I haven't had any dealings with Dice, I *have* had the displeasure of dealing with Coastal, and with that in mind, I would choose ANY device over theirs, because of their terrible customer service.

Another post mentioned that the Vais "tricks" the stereo into thinking the iPod is a CD changer, but I have to ask: so what? If it works, it works, and the Vais works flawlessly. I can only assume that it will continue to get better and better in future firmware upgrades, too.

 

Bump.

So, I am still going back and forth between the DICE and the VAIS. Is there a reason for paying extra for the VAIS? Does it intigrate "better" than the DICE?

Also, have the DICE issues been solved for the 2008 Prius?

In closing, I have been leaning more toward the VAIS simply because it will take anything USB. I currently own an ipod but have been thinking of NOT buying Apple in the future.

 

I'm thinking of buying more Apple - upgrading to the iPhone 3G (from the original iPhone). I want to see which one will charge the 3G first and figure that will help me decide who is moving the quickest to keep up with developments (i.e., Apple making stupid changes)

 

Sounds like the VAIS is far better. Why use an iPod at all? Keep it for what it was originally made for and just connect an external hard drive with 300gb's of music,movies or whatever. That's the way I am going for sure. Once I can afford to spend the extra money of course. :rockon:

 

Bumping this again...

Do any of these solutions allow video playback through the MFD? If so, how do you select what to see on the display? In the middle of a movie, for example, can I switch over to the climate control without stopping the iPod, and then switch back to the video? My wife and I often go on long drives, and she would love to have the video working up front.

I have the JBL 9-speaker set-up but no NAV. I want to be able to integrate the iPod and stream video from it to the MFD. I'm also considering using an inverter and an Apple TV. Then I could sync wirelessly with the car in the driveway. I could control it in the car with an Apple remote, instead of through the head unit.

 

Can the VAIS unit be used with the basic stereo, with the MD or CD changer option?

 

I just installed the DICE unit this weekend on my '08 Prius and it actually does what it's supposed to do. Controlling the iPod iusing the SAT interface on the Prius is somewhat cumbersome at first but you will eventually get used to it, or REALLY hate it.

It doesn't list all your songs, albums and playlists on the screen, but instead you scroll through each of them ONE by ONE using the seek button or the knob. If you want to find one particular song on your iPod to listen to, it's going to be an absolute pain of you have a lot of songs. If you have a lot of albums and artists, scrolling through each of those will also get annoying.

In my opinion, I think it's a better alternative than to use the AUX port inside the armrest because it does charge your iPod at the same time, the sound quality is noticeably better, and you can skip to the next song using the Prius controls on the steering wheel.