Thrush

iTrader: (1)

In a bit of a dilema, so looking for info/advice/whatever

Right, I have been using Minidisc now for absolutely ages, nearly a decade I think! And have had an incar MD headunit for as long as I have been driving (6 years or so)....

But whilst MD is cool and easy to use, I have naturally "progressed" onto using MP3, and nowadays use MP3 for virtually everything music.... My CD/MD hifi is virtually redundant and pretty much serves only as an amp, to which my PC is connected to via optical cable and I have ripped nearly all the CD's I own (and some I don't lol) to my HDD, and my PC is now my "jukebox" as finding and playing music is far easier this way than with CD's....

So the next progression is to move MP3 into the car.... But there's two things...

1) I don't really want to use MP3 CD's - CD's take up space, get scratched/lost/etc and one of the main reasons I prefer MD over CD-R is that you wan add to an MD or erase single racks any time you like, unlike CD's that need all the tracks erasing and reburning etc.....

2) I don't think I am ready to lose my MD format! Whilst most of my MD's are made from CD's I own, some are made from other sources, and I don't have either an MP3 or CD copy of some of my MD stuff...

Lastly, I don't want to use an ipod in the car (as I know a lot of headunits have Ipod connections).

Any idea's folks?

mcrmatt1983

Kenwood do/did a music keg which was an external hard drive you hooked up to your h/u. Maybe have a gander on ebay for one of them?

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

Any part number's chap?

mcrmatt1983

Model Number is khd c710

And here's an ebay listing with larger hd

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/kenwood-music-...QQcmdZViewItem

Had a look on web and it seems like they dont make it anymore

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

Looks pretty cool.....

Open to more idea's tho

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

Also, whilst on my mind - how do most MP3 HU's show the tracks?

I mean say I have a CD with 700mb of music on it, say 8 albums, which could be 100songs or more... I REALLY don't want to have to scroll thru ALL the tracks one by one to find the one I want to play! It'd be cool to be able to scroll by artist, then select album, then select the song - kinda like how an ipod works But I don't want an ipod as I don't like iTunes

mcrmatt1983

This also looks pretty good.

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/prod...8d0e21b9d1e36e

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

Not seen that before! Looks a bit good - shame the sotrage size is n't bigger tho

I just found this on fleabay - looks good;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CAR-60gb-HARD-...QQcmdZViewItem

But I also just found this;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

If I buy that, I should be able to plug a 20gb mp3 player into the audio inputs of my current Sony MD headunit (even tho my hu has audio inputs, it only works when a CD or MD changer is plugged in and working, and the idea of this is that it fools the HU so that is can play the audio from another device)

I'm thinking Ł28 for that, and a 20gb HDD based MP3 player can be had for sub-Ł50 these days.... Cheaper than a new HU (probably), and it can be dual purpous (HU will play my MD's and MP3's from mp3 player, and I can use MP3 player when on planes, trains and buses etc)

Only thing is it means I would have to take MP3 playe out every day and charge it.....

mcrmatt1983

Wouldn't touch the ebay hdd head unit you posted up. I'd stick to brands you've heard of.

I've also found this. Has a usb attachment so you can put a memory stick into it..

http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/pro...s_id/4710.html

phil4x4saph

http://www.incarexpress.co.uk/view_p...?partno=MEX1GP

Try this one. dont know if 1gig is enough for you.

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

I like the look and features of the HDD one from ebay tho, but after reading the manual sent to me from the seller, it looks like it needs a screen to plug into so as to be able to navigate the menu's and find music to play tho.... So could end up being espensive, and I don't have room for even a little TFT in my van

mcrmatt1983

Thats a shitter..... Have a look at that usb one.... Looks pretty good.

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

I had thought of that (JVC do one aswell) but I would lose the ability for MD's that way (tho I would also lose this with the HDD loader mind)

THink I might try the plug in thing you can get for my Sony (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1) which should let me play music from an MP3 player through my HU, which means I can keep my MD's and have MP3 from a portable MP3 player (20gb should be fine)

I like the look of the Sony GigaPanel one, but 1gb isn't gonna be enough really..... I'd have to really compress the MP3 files to stupidly low bit rates in order to get the file sizes low enough to fit enough music on it for driving around.....

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

Right, just been out playing with my HU. Plugged my MD changer into it (so it activated the AUX IN - changer has to have a disc in it and be playing in order for sound to work) but plugged an MP3 player into the audio inputs instead of the changer

Works

Must admit, it isn't quite as loud as the radio or MD in the HU, but it does work, and maybe with a decnet pair of speakers I can push the volume up a tad to compensate....

So think I will buy the unilink plug in for Ł28, and get a 20 or 40gb MP3 player and do it that way

Zetec Andy

Ive got one of these.....

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/prod...oducts_id=4765

Can get about 8 albums on a CD, thats plenty enough for me, i think the same CD has been in from day one!

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

I have found that AAC files ripped at the same bit rate as MP3's aren't smaller in size - so not sure why Apple makes a big thing about .M4A's anyway...

But that aside - what I don't want it to keep fooking around with CD-R's... They get lost, broken, scratched etc, and you can't really add to them as you go along (in the same way you can with MD's) so I think a digital music player is a better bet, where I can copy music from my PC to the player, and then plug it into the car HU to play as I drive...

Only thing that puts me off it, is that it is a seperate unit, so it's yet something else that needs turning on - and more importantly you need to remember to turn it off!!!! - and needs to be recharged every so often (as unless it has an AC port, there isn't gonna be a way to run it from a 12v cigerette lighter socket....

Which is what attracted me to the HDD loader HU, but that appears to need a screen to plug into which I don't really want to have to get into, as this is for a work van, not a fooking ICE install

So it's either a new HU and loads of MP3 CD's all over the shop, or stick my old HU and add a portable digital music player which is re-useable media)

haz87

Nobody could ever get tired of the spice girls album

Thrush

iTrader: (1)

Hmmm, JVC do one that charges your portable MP3 player when it is connected to the USB slot......

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/prod...oducts_id=4816