In-Dash Mp3 player (1 Viewer)

[Mark Dubbelboer]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a decent middle of the road mp3/cd player for my car?

I was looing at crutchfields because i'm not that big into car audio and they had a couple models in the 200 dollar range but i'm not really sure what would seperate one from another, any suggestions?

thanks,

mark

 

[Henry Carmona]

Im not well versed in car audio either, but from what a friend tells me, some of the cheaper ones that hes tried didnt always read his MP3's or would lock up.
he has since switched to a Kenwood Z828 and swears by it.
Im hoping to get the very same unit when i save some money. You can get about $200 off if you buy from EBAY.

 

[Thom B]

I've had experience with the Aiwa cdc-mp3 and the Kenwood kdc-mp8017 and z828 models. Had the Aiwa for about 6 months before it was jacked and got the mp8017 to replace it. My S.O. has the z828.

I'd avoid the Aiwa. It was pretty good when it came out, and was the only sub $500 deck, but it had skipping problems if it wasn't mounted just so, would occaisonally not read a disc, and would restart at the beginning of a mp3 track whenever you turned the car off and on again.

Both of the Kenwoods are nice decks. The z828 is pretty and has flashy graphics, a remote, and is sattelite radio "ready." It's also considerably more expensive. I actually prefer the 8017. I like the controls a bit more, though this could be due to using it more. The faceplate flips around to hide itself which the 828 doesn't do. Sound between the two is reasonably equivalent. Neither have shown any skipping tendancies, or disc reading problems.

Let me know if you want any further details on any of these.

T

 

[Philip_G]

I've heard good things about the JVC MP3 deck (sorry I can't provide a model, I think there's just the one)

 

[MichaelPe]

I've been wanting to get one of these, but I'm just a little hesitant about paying so much.
There's a cool demo of the JVC KD-SH99 model here.

 

[Marty Christion]

I've had the JVC SDH99 for about 2 months, and I absolutely love it. Let me say that again: I absolutely love it.
The only thing I don't like is its silver face, but I've gotten used to it; there is a black one available in Europe, if you have connections.
This deck has it all. It has read every CD-R or CD-RW I've thrown at it(30+), and it does a great job reading the ID3's off of files. It sounds as good as the Sony ES deck it replaced, and the EQ is outrageous in its adjustability. If you like to tweak your system, there are endless possibities.
It does a great job "fast searching" through MP3 (scanning through the song as it plays). The only thing it lacks is a "random through a folder only"; the random mode only shuffles the entire disc.
The other day I noticed I have yet to set any FM presets; I have not listened to FM radio once since I put the thing in. I couldn't believe it.
If you have any specific questions, you can ask me, or check out his site:
http://www.mattomedia.com/jvc/
For info on all the MP3 decks, with user forums to peruse, check out this site:
http://www.highwaymp3.com/
Good luck.

 

[Henry Carmona]

Thanks for the link Marty.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Anyone know if there's any MP3 players with an FM Modulator (I think that's what it's called...)

Thanks

 

[Scott Strang]

Will any of these units play wav and low sample rate MP3's?

I could record multiple books on tape or talk radio programs and play them on long trips.

 

[Denward]

I've been wondering if it makes sense to buy an iPod and use one of those cassette adaptors to play through a car stereo???

 

[Alex Spindler]

I put in a Jensen MP3510 into my car and have been pretty happy with it. It has some clumsy menu navigation and some quirky behavior, but it was cheap and works reliably. Certainly meets my needs.

 

[Scott Strang]

I would think that anything with a line level input and a mini plug adapter would send a signal to one of those adapters. The cassette player wouldn't even know that it's an mp3 player.

 

[Paul Jenkins]

I have a fairly cheap Best Buy radio in my car that has a line level input, specifically for something like an outboard MP3 player. The receiver was $99 or so at BB. We have an Archos 6GB MP3 Jukebox that holds something like 1500 MP3 songs. Hook that up into the radio and off you go The only downside is you have to put the MP3 jukebox on the middle console, but it is small and light...

 

[Marty Christion]

I ran some experiments with low bitrate Books on tape for the JVC SDH-99, and couldn't find anything that wouldn't play. I went as low as 32kbps, but settled on a VBR ~64kbps (using Razorlame; if you want the custom settings, I can send them to you.)

I don't lose any sound quality, and I've put 3 books on one CDR with plenty of room for more.

 

[Leroy]

I have a Kenwood MP8017 in my car and it works flawlessly. My only tip is to avoid any Sony model MP3 players. I tried 'em and they were awful.

Kenwood features ID3TAG display, fold down/removable faceplate, user selectable red/green illumination and the ability to turn off the extra display info for a more unclutterd look which are some of the things that sold me.

 

[Denward]

Scott,

I wasn't really asking about whether it's technically possible. As you stated, it should be pretty darn easy. I was wondering if it makes sense.

My car (Saab 900) has a built in head unit without a line-in, but it's integrated with various car computer functions so it's not feasible to replace it with another one. It seems to me that with an iPod I could have all my MP3s and books or whatever on a very compact gadget and be able to carry it out of my car whenever I wanted. And you wouldn't have to worry about CD-R quality/compatibility. The cost doesn't seem so bad when considering what people are paying for an MP3 head unit. Any drawbacks to my approach?

 

[David Susilo]

or you can use one of those Omega FM transmitter (if you have a CD-Only deck)

MP3 player --> Omega FM transmitter -(picked up via FM)-> head unit

 

[Thom B]

Denward,

Shouldn't be any problems other than the various wires etc. One thing you might consider is getting one of the mp3 discman style players and hook it up the same way you would the ipod. This was the solution my SO used 'til I got her the z828.

I had a rio player for awhile, and I found that having to re-download music to it everytime I wanted to change rather annoying, and stopped using it after awhile. This might not be as much of an issue with the ipod and it's greater capacity. I like the convenience of popping a cd in to match my mood, but that's me.

Best of luck.

T

 

[Denward]

Thom,

I should have added that my head unit doesn't have a CD slot. I only have the changer in my trunk.

 

[Thom B]

You shouldn't need a cd head unit. The tape adapter solution will work fine. In fact many of the units come with all the accessories you need to get up and running.
Here's a link to amazon's page of portable mp3 cd players.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...017411-8485632
T