[OT] which music device in car??

[Donwill]

The wife wants to buy me (impending birthday) a small music player (MP3?)to plug into the car radio. The car radio has a 3.5mm jack socket and a power socket close to. Carrying many CD's in the car is a pain, so I would like a device that I can record my collection of CDs on to it, how difficult would that be? I assume they have a large memory? how many CDs will they hold? Would a so called MP3 player be suitable? can you select a specific tune from them as you drive? Any other recommendation? Don

[Tim Watts]

Donwill ( [e-mail]) wibbled on Tuesday 04 January 2011

11:06:

MP3 player would be very suitable - you should be able to find one that has a wireless remote that can be stuck on the dash or steering wheel for safer and easier track shifting.

[Tabby]

MP3 player is ok if you only have a small amount of music. Beware of tiny displays.

NT

[Vortex7]

My old car (Volvo V70) had a really neat after market IPOD interface which presented the contents of the IPOD in a way that could be searched and selected through the car ICE. It was very neat and the fidelity was fantastic.

My current car has no such option, just has a 3.5mm input jack but to me the sound quality is so shitty it's unusable.

Out of interest have you tried inserting a data (not audio) disk with CD tracks "ripped" to MP3? If this works, you can get 10 or so CD's onto a data CD and no hassle at all.

If you are inclined towards an MP3 player of some kind borrow one and test the quality first, bear in mind that MP3 functionality exists in most newer mobile phones for free....it may be that a nice phone and suitable car holder will be a more elegant solution....plus bring bonus brownie points.

[airsmoothed]

Agreed, I gave up trying this method as it was too darned dangerous messing about with an MP3 player whilst driving. A phone with a big display could be a better bet; personally I went for a cheapo car stereo with USB stick playback functionality. Not perfect but easier to navigate.

[Donwill]

Aren't there any devices with Flash memory cards like a camera?

[chris French]

I've not found navigating it a problem, even on one with a smallish display, depends on the interface though. Though something with a nice big display can be easier. Though not while driving but then I'm more likely to just set off a playlist and leave it too it.

most annoying thing using an MP3 player is that it doesn't stop when the radio/CD player turns off. OK with music, annoying with an audiobook when you forget to stop it.

[AlanD]

Ipod with Harman/Kardon car interface works well for me:

can be found much cheaper with a bit of searching, I paid about £50 on ebay a few years back).

Solves the issue of navigating the ipod easily, and stops the ipod when you turn off the ignition.

Some aftermarket head-units have reasonable ipod control functionality also.

[JMB]

Not many (although recent Audis allow you to use an SD card).

For Christmas I got a Sony CDX-GT35U which plays CDs loaded with MP3s and also allows you to plug in a usb device. I now need a tiny usb stick to go into it - the Lacie Moskeyto seems to fit the bill. This means I can have loads of music without having to mess about with CDs. I also got an adapter that allows the Renault steering wheel controls to control it.

I'm less keen on using a MP3 player via the AUX-IN because (as someone else pointed out) you need to change the album by fiddling with the player and it doesn't stop when you stop the car. I think more expensive units can control the Ipod for you.

JB.

[geraldthehamster]

Most decent car radio/CDs now seem to have a USB port, so if you already have mp3 music on your computer, it's simple to transfer it to a data stick and plug that in. No need for an mp3 player as such.

Cheers Richard

[Mike Barnes]

Vortex7 :

I'll second that suggestion.

My Audi even shows the names of the artist, album, and track on the radio display. Navigation is a doddle.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

My Blaupunkt DAB radio has one. You can record to it too. Handy if you're in the middle of listening to a play etc when you get to your destination.

[Dr Hfuhruhurr]

Any MP3 player would suffice, from iPod touch to Bush. The Sandisk Sansa (from Amazon for example) accepts Micro/mini sd cards and has quite a clear display. I'm fortunate that my in car system plays MP3s off CDs and all 6 of them in my CD changer do so. That's nearly 10 times the capacity per CD :)

[Dr Hfuhruhurr]

Oh and as per capacity? 2Gb could fit say 200-300 songs depending on the 'bit rate' of the MP3s.

[Steve Walker]

Sansa Fuze takes micro-SD Cards

[Skipweasel]

Yes.

To be honest, not safely.

[Skipweasel]

Mine will take zillions via a USB stick.

[Skipweasel]

Very dependent on model. My JVC KD-G731 stops the mp3 when you change to a different and restarts from where you left off when you resume. Same when you switch off. Had it not been so, I shouldn't have bought it; mostly all it gets used for is audiobooks.

[Skipweasel]

Aldi had one last week. They're quite common - just look for car+mp3+sd.

[Scott M]

Third it. E46 BMW 3 series onwards does it too.