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Music Media

Head Units for Car MP3 Players? 43

Posted by Cliff from the cool-conversation-pieces-for-the-dashboard dept.
dotcomian asks: "The idea of hooking our iPod to our car's audio system so far is our best shot for musics on the go in cars, however, it requires a double investment to the head unit. I'm wondering if someone has a better way to replace cd-changers with MP3 jukeboxes, the head units would be the controller and/or a CD player. I've found several websites from google's search result, but nothing is close to what I have in mind. Any ideas?"
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Head Units for Car MP3 Players? More

Head Units for Car MP3 Players?

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  • Good deals (Score:2, Informative)

    by linzeal ( 197905 )
    By far the best bang for the buck. [caraudiovideosystems.com]. I have this, 4 6.5" blaupunkt [epinions.com] and a sealed Kappa Perfect subwoofer enclosure [epinions.com]. Best 600 dollars I've ever spent on a car stereo. I suggest only downloading 192k bit sampling though as with more powerful systems you can totally hear q loss with 128k.

  • Aiwa Line-in (Score:2, Informative)

    by druzicka ( 314802 )
    I kicked the MP3 jukebox idea around for a while last time I installed a car stereo. The best solution I could find were the Aiwa [crutchfield.com] car stereos that provide a mini stereo line in jack. I think that the input on these head units were unique in the low- to mid-price range. Another alternative is the MP3-CD [crutchfield.com] players, which also feature a line in.

  • I recently upgraded my audio-free car (built in 1962, gimme a break) with an iPod. I installed speakers and an amplifier. All amps take RCA plugs for audio input, so all I needed to connect the iPod was a $3 radio shack mini plug to RCA adapter.

  • i know that tapes seem like an outdated technology, but there are some very nice advantages to using a tape adapter in your car.

    one reason is that you won't limit yourself to just one of mp3/minidisc/hybrid cd/your friend's new player. plus, since you spend more time with your handheld than your in-dash stereo (hopefully!), messing with the handheld while driving will be less distracting than messing with the in-dash.

    the other big advantage of a tape player over something like a line-in is that the tape adapter is (electrically) isolated from the amplifier circuit. just about everyone who does custom car stereo stuff themselves has probably had to deal with one ground fault or another - it can range from hearing the engine buzz on the speakers to widely fluctuating signal levels.

    i'm arguing for tape decks. who'd have thought.

  • phatbox (Score:3, Informative)

    by ikeleib ( 125180 ) on Thursday June 13, 2002 @08:06AM (#3692742) Homepage
    Go to http://www.phatnoise.com It's a hardrive mp3 jukebox that goes in your trunk. Hooks up to the head unit through the CD changer interface. Extra hack value: runs Linux
    • You hit the question on the head. Most people are suggesting inputs but no controls. This looks exactly like what I've been looking for. I bought a car for commuting that has CD-changer controls in it. I keep looking at it wondering how hard it would be to make an adapter to connect to a com port on an mp3 box. I have an old laptop with a broken screen that I was going to mess with. I need to get to it.
    • Yup, I think it would be something like this, let me check out the rest of the site...

  • JVC KD-SH99 (Score:2, Informative)

    by admiral2001 ( 518452 )
    My recommendation is the JVC KD-SH99. I bought this head unit last November and it's been great to me.
    The JVC site is pretty weak on a description, but I found mine from Yahoo! Shopping by searching for "SH99" for about $300 then. I'm sure it's cheaper now.
    The SH99 plays MP3 CDs and I've had NO problems with and CDRs. It has a RCA inputs on the back for hooking up something more significant (DVD-player, Playstation2). But by far, the best feature that this head unit has is a minijack external input on the front of the head unit. This makes it easy to plug in any other equipment (walkman, MD player, IPod, Rio, etc..).
    The only thing this unit is lacking is a good way to browse through a CDR full of MP3s. But there isn't one head unit that I've seen (that doesn't have a huge LCD screen) that is any better.
    It does read CD-Text and ID3 tags, but if you don't have the ID3 tags on the file it has the mangled Windows filenames (PINKF~23.MP3).
    I've recommended this unit to 4 of my friends, all of whom bought it, and all are extremely happy, as i am.
    • I second that comment.

      I also purchased this unit around November for around $280 (was $400 list at the time -- is now lower) I did quite a bit of reading and evaluation, and my two biggest concerns were MP3 Playback and an easily accessible Aux-in jack (Specificaly thinking of having a portable MP3 player like a Rio or iPod)

      The reason for using choosing this unit was it's price, the fact that it had a mini-plug aux-in that was easily accessible on the front, and that it played MP3's better than any of the other units at the time.

      For checking MP3 playback I specifically hauled in a CD of MP3's to various electronics stores around my area and tried out all of the MP3 units. The most common problems with other units were seek time, and the initial directory read on the disk. This unit was by far the fastest of all of the others I tested. I love it. (and have recomended it to other friends who now feel the same way)

      Try looking around for a good deal, I picked mine up at Etronics (they currently list at $270)

      http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?stk_code=jvc kd sh99
    • I'll second that. Fantastic unit.
      Detachable face, parametric EQ (24-bit DSP), 24-bit DAC...
      Best feature IMHO is that it's nowhere near as distracting as, say, a Sony or Pioneer - nice toned-down display without all those fancy animations etc...
      Does also support ISO Level 2 so you can have "full" 32 character filenames, if your burning software supports it...
      Also plays back CD-RW and youcan name folders on the disk with 01, 02, 03 etc and use the track-access buttons (1-12) to directly select a folder full of music.
      -- k

  • iPod to FM!!! (Score:2, Interesting)

    by GreenKiwi ( 221281 )
    I have been trying to figure out what to do. I got given a head unit that doesn't have an aux input. (which if you have, you can hook your iPod up directly) At any rate, I found a great solution to my problem. A little FM transmitter. There are a number of these things on the market, I chose the one from iRock [myirock.com]. It has been working extremely well.
  • Get a kenwood with cd-changer controll and for $20 or bucks you can get a adapter that lets you hook RCA ins to the changer controler. works great and sounds great to my friend has one and we use it for MP3s and MiniDiscs.
  • I'm working on an interface to do a VW RioVolt250 interface. When I'm done, the HU controls will run the RioVolt and the RioVolt's time display will be sent up to the HU. Unfortunately, the HU can't handle any kind of text, so ID3 is out... but it does have a couple of toggle switches - one for random and one for scan. I expect I'll set up random to do the normal function on the Riovolt. The "Scan" button will be modified slightly. Under normal situations, I'll have the forward/reverse track move forward and backwards in whatever you're currently playing. With Scan, I think I'll have it move forward and backwards through play lists (the RioVolt is capable of reading WinAmp created play lists). The Disk selector buttons are also an option for this.. but on the VW Head Unit there are only six buttons.

    I wouldn't mind modifying the adapter for other radio/MP3 player combinations. It seems like the IPod would be ideal, but I think its only external interface is FireWire. A FireWire driver isn't something that can be put into your average tiny-little microcontroller without some serious work. Are there any other controls on the IPod? IR maybe?

    What other headunits would be ideal to support? Is there any particular CD-Changer that works with _A Lot_ of headunits? My system emulates a Panasonic CD changer... but that's just because it's what I had around.

    The other difficulty is getting the various automotive connectors needed. Anyone know of a good source for them?

    I don't have any information up yet, but look for updates about this project at:
    http://orn.madison-expat.net/tech/hu_interface/ [madison-expat.net]


    Rudy
  • Take the iPod, put the headphones in your ears and ignore her.

    Disclaimer: It's a joke.
  • I bought this head unit a couple of *years* ago, and it's wonderful.
    Features:
    - Plays MP3s off cdrs, about 10 albums per cdr at 192k. 10 albums / $.50 per cd = $.05 per album.
    - organized by directory
    - reads id3 tags
    - interface treats each directory like a cd in a cd changer, so interface is dead simple
    - regular cd player means you don't lose backwards compatibility with 'older' formats, like cds
    - cd changer control (no, there are no mp3 cd changers, yet)
    - killer for you iPod people: has a aux line in jack on the front, so you can plug in if you want with just a $5 cable (headphone male to headphone male)
    - carry your *entire* music collection in a cd wallet type case, and be able to use it at home, in the car, at work, or from any laptop.

    minuses:
    - random play is only per directory, so for real mixes, just reburn w/out directories, or organize by just file instead of folder + file

    This is several years old, so there *should* be lots of similar models out there... I know Aiwa has a newer model, too. Was $300 then, probably $200-$250 now.
  • I just got this a couple weeks ago. Not cheap, but tons of music! The Alpine 7894 is a spectacular head unit with 60x4 power and remarkable Alpine quality, plays mp3s on CDR or CDRW, supports ID3 tags, and has an intelligent navigation system.

    The Alpine CHA-S634 is a six-disc changer supports CD audio, of course, and mp3s on CDR or CDRW media. The head unit and changer work together perfectly. All told, seven discs full of 192kbps equals over 60 hours of music!

  • I'm happy with my Alpine so far. (Score:3, Informative)

    by Wakko Warner ( 324 ) on Thursday June 13, 2002 @08:17PM (#3698155) Homepage Journal
    Here's the one I got [alpine-usa.com]. Cost about $500 (with installation and everything), and it plays any kind of MP3 I've got (up to the limit, 320K/sec, including VBR stuff). Handles ID3 tags, sounds fine, and lets me take a few hundred hours' worth of music with me in a little folder full of CDs. Doesn't get too much easier than that...

    - A.P.
    • I've got the same one and am *very* happy with it. It'll load an mp3 cd in a few seconds and navigates through folders quickly.

      Circuit City pays $240 for them, but marks them up to something like $399, ouch! It helps to have a friend working somewhere that sells one of these things so you can get a good price. :)

  • Pioneer 7400 (Score:3, Informative)

    by KurdtX ( 207196 ) on Friday June 14, 2002 @12:27AM (#3699116)
    The extremely popular Pioneer 7400 [pioneerelectronics.com] kicks ass. Redbook/mp3 CD/CD-RW + killer adjustments & looks. Oh, and I got mine for $300 installed (incl. wires & bezel). Pop an mp3 CD in, and I can put it on random and by the the time I hear a song again, I've forgotten I'd already heard it. Problems: no crossfade (1-3 second seek time) and no auxiliary in - not that I'm complaining!
    • Sorry, the point of that rant was that for < $300 + a few CDs you can have a system equivalent to the hard-drive based ones ($700+). And if you're worried about variety, you should be able to get 10-13 hours of music onto a disk; far longer than you'll be able to even drive in your car without stopping for gas. I'm not $400 lazy.
  • I've personally (off-topic) been looking for something that would play MP3 discs and hold about 50 or so CD's at once.

    I've seen 150+ CD Players for as low as $99, how much for the same thing which will decode MP3 data discs?

    It sure would be nice to have that library of MP3 discs (around 200, that is ~7 albums per CD (1400 CD's-all mine)) play... on random.

    If this is a good question mod it up... it's only karma
  • I was going to get an in-car MP3-CD player (actually now going for the IBM 1GB microdrive solution) but need to save some cash (about $500) first. So in the meantime I got a goodman's portable CD-MP3 player for around $70 and a car cassette adaptor [graffitiaudio.com] (about $10). The adaptor is a standard audio cassette size and shape with a lead that plugs into the headphone socket on the player. Slip the cassette into the car's tape player, turn it on and press play on the MP3-CD player. Great. The player uses rechargeable batteries (about 5 hours on two AAs) and has a built in charger. I get about 12 albums on each CD at 96kbps. Not perfect but a lot kinder on the wallet and I can take it out the car and wander about with it :-)

  • JVC KD-SH99 (Score:2, Informative)

    by PhunkySchtuff ( 208108 )
    Brilliant. Got mine for 800 Aussie Dollars, which is about 28c US =) Plays Red Book, CD-R CD-RW, supports ID3 tags, and/or ISO Level2 filenames (32 char aplhanumeric, upper case, lower case and some foreign characters)
    Has seperate AUX and Line IN(3.5mm headphone jack on front, RCAs on the back) and a nice parametric EQ.
    Comes with credit-card sized remote (IR) which is actually handier than it sounds.
    Nice rotary volume dial with a positive feel to it that can also pop back into the unit.
    Fairly ricey but the best sounding unit i've come across
    Has a detachable face with a metal plate that sits over the front of the unit in the dash so not even a single slot is visible
    Only gripe: 0.5-1 sec gap between tracks while it caches the next track.
  • The solution: wait for Bluetooth to really take off.

    From Apple's Bluetooth website: [apple.com] "In a nutshell, Bluetooth unplugs your digital peripherals and makes cable clutter a thing of the past."

    Hopefully after it does take off, the car audio district will get a clue and jump on the bandwagon...

    Just imagine, you've got your iPod (with a Bluetooth chip or card installed/attached) with your car stereo (which is Bluetooth enabled). You can move the iPod anywhere in the car without the cable clutter... It has a 10hr battery life, so you're pretty safe there, too.

    * Psst, is anyone at Apple listening? WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO HOOK OUR IPOD UP VIA BLUETOOTH!

    Think of the possibilities: home stereo system with Bluetooth - use your iPod in your living room without a stupid adapter!

    Now, if only Bluetooth would take off...

  • ... is 1 old laptop with
    - hard disk 4GB (1000 songs) or above
    - 802.11b wireless network card
    - custom interface hardware to consumer radios mimicking a CD changer
    - 12V power conversion to whatever the laptop requires, controlled by the CD changer interface
    - a non crashing OS with an SMB server and some custom player software talking to the interface hardware
    - a broken display (you don't need it)

    Then, drive your car into your garage and maintain your music wirelessly... No CD/CDRs to swap...

    All of the above exist, save for the CD changer interface/power supply.
    • I have been looking to do this for quite a while. Anyone with more interest in this project please contact me as I have not been able to find much information on it. However, I have accumulated a PIC programmer, a working knowledge of PIC assembly, some circuit design / soldering skills, and a will to complete the project.

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