[uofmtiger]

I finally have my Kenwood Music Keg in my e90. It required the use of a Kenwood display and I also bought a sunglass holder to replace the ashtray. I actually had someone install it for me, but the look I wanted is there. We used the audio outputs on the unit (Kenwood KCA-R71FM) and the aux input in the console for sound. Here are a few shots:





The Keg is the storage space in the trunk under the liner and the modulator (which I am only using for aux outputs) is tucked behind the wall under the steering wheel. The one line of text is easier to read than it would appear in these shots, but I am getting a voice program that will allow me to select songs without seeing the display.

[MonacoBlueNJ]

Very nice

[mds82]

thats Hot. how much does something like that run you?

[uofmtiger]

thats Hot. how much does something like that run you?

I have a Phatbox from my e46 and it would have only been $50 for a cable, $70 for the display, and around $35 for the sunglass holder (I had to call Pacific BMW for this piece). However, I grew impatient waiting for the cable that was on backorder and just bought a keg for $220. I had a 60GB DMS for holding tracks and it is interchangeable between the keg and the BMW Phatbox. I am going to just sell the BMW E46 Phatbox on eBay with the 10GB DMS that came with the keg and I am sure I will recover a couple hundred bucks on it.

One thing I did not mention is that I also bought a piece called KNW AUX that I thought would work with it. The installer said it would not work, so I brought it home and installed it myself. I just had to unscrew three screws in the compartment under the steering wheel and hook it up between the modulator and the keg.

This KNW AUX piece is central to what I wanted because it has a port for the keg and one for RCA inputs. When it senses a signal over the RCAs it overrides the keg and this allowed me to use the aux input for my XM radio, too. The piece was $30 on eBay.

The Viot (Voice Index on Tap) software was $75 and I am still waiting on the CD for it. (just ordered it today).

The Phatbox was actually much more expensive than this setup because it could use the steering wheel controls. However, this setup has a display and a remote.

[uofmtiger]

One thing I should mention is that the keg I bought only comes with 10GB of storage space for music. However, they also make a 20GB version music keg. The DMS cartridges are expensive if you want more space. I have the 60GB version that they no longer sell, but the 40GB version is $199, the 80GB is $299, and the 120GB version is $399.

[uofmtiger]

Just a quick follow up related to the VIOT (Voice Index On Tap).

The program is a must have item for the music keg. It allows the user to hit the scan button and the program will say "Genre", "Playlist", "Album", or "Artist".

I usually listen to my music by artist. If I go to the artist menu using the scan button, I can then navigate by artist name or the first letter in an artist's name. This allows the user to navigate easily to any artist in seconds. The great part is that your eyes can stay on the road because the program will actually say each artist name or letter so you do not need to view the display while navigating. Once you get to your artist, then you can skip to the album you want to hear or even randomly play all of their music.

Here is the webpage that explains it better than I do:

VIOT

[Imtheweezel]

Just a question about the whole keg thing, can you use this instead of a CD changer? What do you need for it to work with the steering wheel controls? Will it display through the radio display, or I need that separate display that you show on your pics?
I have a 40gb ipod, but it's dying on me, so I was thinking about getting something different, and this sounds pretty cool.
Thanks for the help!

[uofmtiger]

Just a question about the whole keg thing, can you use this instead of a CD changer? What do you need for it to work with the steering wheel controls? Will it display through the radio display, or I need that separate display that you show on your pics?

The new BMWs have an optical interface that is incompatible with the commercially available adapters (Blitzsafe) like they had on the E46. This is the main reason I went with this setup.

I had a Phatbox in my E46 and I was so addicted that I had to find a way to get this setup. The Phatbox had steering wheel controls, but no text display unless you bought a Traffic Pro receiver. The beauty of the Phatbox and Keg is that they use a voice interface (costs extra for the Keg) that makes the display a nice feature instead of a necessity. This makes it easy to select songs/artists/albums/genres/playlists without ever taking your eyes off the road.

Finally, the way I have it hooked up is the best way to do it until BMW lets others (Phatbox) design an optical interface adapter. Unlike iPod, I can go to any song on the hard drive without ever having to take my eyes off the road. This is not to say that the iPod is not a better gadget for many other purposes, however, it cannot compete with the keg's features (mainly VIOT) in the car.

added: The keg cannot use the steering wheel controls (unless there is a add on that I do not know about). It does have a remote control, but I rarely use it. It is easier to just reach down into the ashtray area to control it.