I recall years ago, you could buy a device that plugged into any car
radio that played cassettes. The thing was pushed into the casette
opening, and a wire which is part of it, could be connected to any other
audio source.

But what about car radios that have a CD player. Is there a similar
device that can be pushed into the CD opening to allow another audio
source to be played, such as a MP3 player?

PaintedCow:


No cassette deck? No aux jack? No Blue Tooth?

http://www.sears.com/insten-universa...A&gclsrc=aw.ds

Good luck! I've had less than stellar performance with the
many I have tried. One suggestion, have the player(iPod or
smart phone) and transmitter in the area of the cabin closest
to your car antenna. Since this is typically the rear roof
or built in to rear window, you'll need that transmitter
in the back seat.


Even with these measures, if you live in a crowded market,
the best you'll get is staticy sound in mono.

Cow,

Many auto CD players accept line-in signals. Check your manual. If yours
does not, it may be modifiable but space is usually really limited in car
radios. It may be quite hard to do.

Dave M.

David L. Martel:

Does it involve opening up the head unit
and looking for place to solder a line input
to?

On Friday, September 23, 2016 at 7:20:53 AM UTC-4, wrote:
David L. Martel:

Does it involve opening up the head unit
and looking for place to solder a line input
to?

It may depend on the vehicle/head unit.

My Honda Odyssey did not have an AUX port, but the head unit was set up
to accept an XM Radio receiver. There is an XM connector built into the
harness near the driver's side fuse panel.

I was able to add an Aux jack to my Honda Odyssey by plugging this adapter
into the XM Radio connector. By choosing the CD4 mode on the head unit I can
listen to whatever is connected to the AUX adapter. (You can get it for much
cheaper than the price shown here)

https://www.blitzsafe.com/catalog/ho...-dmx-v-2x.html

I then added a Bluetooth adapter that plugs into any vehicle's AUX port.

https://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450.../dp/B009NLTW60

The Bluetooth adapter is "permanently" plugged into my AUX adapter since I
don't need the AUX adapter for anything other than the Bluetooth adapter.
All wires and components are neatly hidden within the dashboard.

I did this a while back but now I understand that there are single devices
that add both the AUX port and the Bluetooth in one shot. Neater and cheaper.

On 9/23/16 9:47 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Friday, September 23, 2016 at 7:20:53 AM UTC-4, wrote:
David L. Martel:

Does it involve opening up the head unit
and looking for place to solder a line input
to?

It may depend on the vehicle/head unit.

My Honda Odyssey did not have an AUX port, but the head unit was set up
to accept an XM Radio receiver. There is an XM connector built into the
harness near the driver's side fuse panel.

I was able to add an Aux jack to my Honda Odyssey by plugging this adapter
into the XM Radio connector. By choosing the CD4 mode on the head unit I can
listen to whatever is connected to the AUX adapter. (You can get it for much
cheaper than the price shown here)

https://www.blitzsafe.com/catalog/ho...-dmx-v-2x.html

I then added a Bluetooth adapter that plugs into any vehicle's AUX port.

https://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450.../dp/B009NLTW60

The Bluetooth adapter is "permanently" plugged into my AUX adapter since I
don't need the AUX adapter for anything other than the Bluetooth adapter.
All wires and components are neatly hidden within the dashboard.

I did this a while back but now I understand that there are single devices
that add both the AUX port and the Bluetooth in one shot. Neater and cheaper.



IIRC there are some that can be plugged into the MP3 player and then
play through an unused FM channel

On Friday, September 23, 2016 at 10:56:04 AM UTC-4, Kurt V. Ullman wrote:
On 9/23/16 9:47 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Friday, September 23, 2016 at 7:20:53 AM UTC-4, wrote:
David L. Martel:

Does it involve opening up the head unit
and looking for place to solder a line input
to?

It may depend on the vehicle/head unit.

My Honda Odyssey did not have an AUX port, but the head unit was set up
to accept an XM Radio receiver. There is an XM connector built into the
harness near the driver's side fuse panel.

I was able to add an Aux jack to my Honda Odyssey by plugging this adapter
into the XM Radio connector. By choosing the CD4 mode on the head unit I can
listen to whatever is connected to the AUX adapter. (You can get it for much
cheaper than the price shown here)

https://www.blitzsafe.com/catalog/ho...-dmx-v-2x.html

I then added a Bluetooth adapter that plugs into any vehicle's AUX port.

https://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450.../dp/B009NLTW60

The Bluetooth adapter is "permanently" plugged into my AUX adapter since I
don't need the AUX adapter for anything other than the Bluetooth adapter.
All wires and components are neatly hidden within the dashboard.

I did this a while back but now I understand that there are single devices
that add both the AUX port and the Bluetooth in one shot. Neater and cheaper.



IIRC there are some that can be plugged into the MP3 player and then
play through an unused FM channel

True, but as mentioned earlier by "thekma" they usually sound like crap,
even in the best of situations. For long road trips, you have to keep
finding an unused channels to avoid interference.

Years ago I set up a list using a website like this one, but it still
didn't work out very well. Sometimes even their "best" vacant channels
sucked.

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/vacant

wrote in message
...
I recall years ago, you could buy a device that plugged into any car
radio that played cassettes. The thing was pushed into the casette
opening, and a wire which is part of it, could be connected to any other
audio source.

But what about car radios that have a CD player. Is there a similar
device that can be pushed into the CD opening to allow another audio
source to be played, such as a MP3 player?

Will the CD player play MP3 CDs? If so, burn the MP3s to data CDs; if not,
replace it with one that will.

On 9/23/2016 9:47 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Friday, September 23, 2016 at 7:20:53 AM UTC-4, wrote:
David L. Martel:

Does it involve opening up the head unit
and looking for place to solder a line input
to?

It may depend on the vehicle/head unit.

My Honda Odyssey did not have an AUX port, but the head unit was set up
to accept an XM Radio receiver. There is an XM connector built into the
harness near the driver's side fuse panel.

I was able to add an Aux jack to my Honda Odyssey by plugging this adapter
into the XM Radio connector. By choosing the CD4 mode on the head unit I can
listen to whatever is connected to the AUX adapter. (You can get it for much
cheaper than the price shown here)

https://www.blitzsafe.com/catalog/ho...-dmx-v-2x.html

I then added a Bluetooth adapter that plugs into any vehicle's AUX port.

https://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450.../dp/B009NLTW60

The Bluetooth adapter is "permanently" plugged into my AUX adapter since I
don't need the AUX adapter for anything other than the Bluetooth adapter.
All wires and components are neatly hidden within the dashboard.

I did this a while back but now I understand that there are single devices
that add both the AUX port and the Bluetooth in one shot. Neater and cheaper.



I think all new cars are coming with Bluetooth and will take all kinds
of devices. I just learned it this year having to trade in my old and
leaky car for a new one and had the experience of syncing cell phones
with it. Also learned that a lot of older drivers are clueless on how
to use it. My brother also bought a new car and went back to the dealer
to ask the salesman how to use it and he was clueless and had to get
another to help.

On Friday, September 23, 2016 at 12:09:23 PM UTC-4, dadiOH wrote:
wrote in message
...
I recall years ago, you could buy a device that plugged into any car
radio that played cassettes. The thing was pushed into the casette
opening, and a wire which is part of it, could be connected to any other
audio source.

But what about car radios that have a CD player. Is there a similar
device that can be pushed into the CD opening to allow another audio
source to be played, such as a MP3 player?

Will the CD player play MP3 CDs? If so, burn the MP3s to data CDs; if not,
replace it with one that will.

Note his last line, with my emphasis added:

"allow *another audio source* to be played, such as a MP3 player?"

I take that to mean that the mp3 player is just an example. "another
audio source" these days often means a smartphone used for Pandora,
podcasts, streaming internet radio, etc.

Those are things that can't be burnt to a CD.

kman,

That'a a possibilty, but you'd need to find a line-level part of the
pre-amp or amp circuit. Then you'd need to find somewhere to put the input
jacks and space is rather limited. Can't really say without seeing the
radio.
My trusty radio/cassette will accept line-level. I'd bet that most car
radios will, now a days.

Dave M.

David. A. Martel wrote:

" That'a a possibilty, but you'd need to find a line-level part of the
pre-amp or amp circuit. Then you'd need to find somewhere to put the input
jacks and space is rather limited. Can't really say without seeing the
radio.
My trusty radio/cassette will accept line-level. I'd bet that most car
radios will, now"

With a mini to cassette adaptor, yes.



Again, to get the CD & Radio only unit in my wife's 04 Corolla to accept
line- or any - level external input signal, HOW would I connect it? My
instinct is I would have to remove the unit from the dash, take the cover
off, and with the aid of some schematics, find some way to tap in.

Unless you know of some other way the rest of us here don't.

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Friday, September 23, 2016 at 12:09:23 PM UTC-4, dadiOH wrote:
wrote in message
...
I recall years ago, you could buy a device that plugged into any car
radio that played cassettes. The thing was pushed into the casette
opening, and a wire which is part of it, could be connected to any
other
audio source.

But what about car radios that have a CD player. Is there a similar
device that can be pushed into the CD opening to allow another audio
source to be played, such as a MP3 player?

Will the CD player play MP3 CDs? If so, burn the MP3s to data CDs; if
not,
replace it with one that will.

Note his last line, with my emphasis added:

"allow *another audio source* to be played, such as a MP3 player?"

I take that to mean that the mp3 player is just an example. "another
audio source" these days often means a smartphone used for Pandora,
podcasts, streaming internet radio, etc.

Those are things that can't be burnt to a CD.

MP3s are better

formulated on Friday :
David. A. Martel wrote:

" That'a a possibilty, but you'd need to find a line-level part of the
pre-amp or amp circuit. Then you'd need to find somewhere to put the input
jacks and space is rather limited. Can't really say without seeing the
radio.
My trusty radio/cassette will accept line-level. I'd bet that most car
radios will, now"

With a mini to cassette adaptor, yes.



Again, to get the CD & Radio only unit in my wife's 04 Corolla to accept
line- or any - level external input signal, HOW would I connect it? My
instinct is I would have to remove the unit from the dash, take the cover
off, and with the aid of some schematics, find some way to tap in.

Unless you know of some other way the rest of us here don't.

IMO, that's the easiest way.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2016 04:20:44 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

David L. Martel:

Does it involve opening up the head unit
and looking for place to solder a line input
to?
Generally yes. The problem is you need a way to "turn on" the new AUX
input. I have done it by inseerting a closed circuit jack between the
CD DAC output and the amplifier, and putting a CD in the player.
Plugging in the MP3 player disconnects theCD and connects theplayer.
You WILL have to change the volume settings pretty drastically in many
cases.

Putting in the disc activates the input.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2016 18:59:08 -0400, "David L. Martel"
wrote:

kman,

That'a a possibilty, but you'd need to find a line-level part of the
pre-amp or amp circuit. Then you'd need to find somewhere to put the input
jacks and space is rather limited. Can't really say without seeing the
radio.
My trusty radio/cassette will accept line-level. I'd bet that most car
radios will, now a days.

Dave M.

he jack can be remote mounted. On my PT Cruiser I had installed a
Neon CD Changer underthe seat, and I put the t jack in line with the
wire from the radio to the CD player. Turn on the CD, plug in the
player, and perfect sound output from the MP3 player through the radio
speakers. Total cost of the modification was under $10, the jack was
in the storage compartment in the console.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2016 16:08:34 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

David. A. Martel wrote:

" That'a a possibilty, but you'd need to find a line-level part of the
pre-amp or amp circuit. Then you'd need to find somewhere to put the input
jacks and space is rather limited. Can't really say without seeing the
radio.
My trusty radio/cassette will accept line-level. I'd bet that most car
radios will, now"

With a mini to cassette adaptor, yes.



Again, to get the CD & Radio only unit in my wife's 04 Corolla to accept
line- or any - level external input signal, HOW would I connect it? My
instinct is I would have to remove the unit from the dash, take the cover
off, and with the aid of some schematics, find some way to tap in.

Unless you know of some other way the rest of us here don't.
Is there an external cd changer available for the 04 corolla? The
cheapest and simplest fix is likely to replace the factory radio with
a current aftermarket DIN mount stereo head. I did that in my Ranger.
I paid $49 for the dual branded radio locally and $10 for the mounting
kit/wiring adapter from Walmart on a trip south of the border to the
USA. Less than half an hour to install (allow a little longer if you
have not done this several times before)

I have sinse picked up several head units with AUX inputs at garage
sales etc- never paying more than $10 - for a brand name unit some
"tuner" pulled out of his ricer to put in something with "more street
cred"

On 9/23/16 5:51 AM, wrote:
But what about car radios that have a CD player. Is there a similar
device that can be pushed into the CD opening to allow another audio
source to be played, such as a MP3 player?

Depends on the vehicle, but most newer cars have at least
one of the following:
- Auxilliary input jack
- Bluetooth
- USB port.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2016 23:09:29 -0400, John Albert
wrote:

On 9/23/16 5:51 AM, wrote:
But what about car radios that have a CD player. Is there a similar
device that can be pushed into the CD opening to allow another audio
source to be played, such as a MP3 player?

Depends on the vehicle, but most newer cars have at least
one of the following:
- Auxilliary input jack
- Bluetooth
- USB port.

My 97 Honda did not have the aux jack so I used a cassette adapter or
an FM modulator. (Tried both). It was OK but eventually I just bought
another radio with the jack. Same with 2002 Ford truck.
There was a hack around for the Honda using the DIN plug for the CD
changer but I did not try it.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2016 23:09:29 -0400, John Albert
wrote:

On 9/23/16 5:51 AM, wrote:
But what about car radios that have a CD player. Is there a similar
device that can be pushed into the CD opening to allow another audio
source to be played, such as a MP3 player?

Depends on the vehicle, but most newer cars have at least
one of the following:
- Auxilliary input jack
- Bluetooth
- USB port.

This is not a newer car. 96 Plymouth Voyager, with factory radio. This
was their better option back then, some came with only an AM FM radio,
and I believe they could still get a cassette tape model too, so thi CD
model was top of the line back then. I dont think bluetooth even existed
at that time. It would be nice if it had come with an AUX jack though.

The CD player is nice compared to cassette, or just plain radio, but
changing CDs while driving is a pain, and keeping them in the car gets
messy. MP3 solves all of that. Rather than a CD with 10 or 20 songs, a
MP3 player can have hundreds of songs, and in a much smaller package.
Also, the car CD player is real touchy. It will ERROR out or "skip" on a
CD that has one tiny scratch or dirt. That same CD plays fine in my home
CD player or the one on my computers.

On Friday, September 23, 2016 at 11:46:16 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Fri, 23 Sep 2016 23:09:29 -0400, John Albert
wrote:

On 9/23/16 5:51 AM, wrote:
But what about car radios that have a CD player. Is there a similar
device that can be pushed into the CD opening to allow another audio
source to be played, such as a MP3 player?

Depends on the vehicle, but most newer cars have at least
one of the following:
- Auxilliary input jack
- Bluetooth
- USB port.

My 97 Honda did not have the aux jack so I used a cassette adapter or
an FM modulator. (Tried both). It was OK but eventually I just bought
another radio with the jack. Same with 2002 Ford truck.
There was a hack around for the Honda using the DIN plug for the CD
changer but I did not try it.

That hack now uses the XM Radio DIN connector. BTDT

This is not a newer car. 96 Plymouth Voyager, with factory radio. This
was their better option back then, some came with only an AM FM radio,
and I believe they could still get a cassette tape model too, so thi CD
model was top of the line back then. I dont think bluetooth even existed
at that time. It would be nice if it had come with an AUX jack though.
The CD player is nice compared to cassette, or just plain radio, but
changing CDs while driving is a pain, and keeping them in the car gets
messy. MP3 solves all of that. Rather than a CD with 10 or 20 songs, a
MP3 player can have hundreds of songs, and in a much smaller package.

Can your CD player play MP3's burned to a standard data CD? I know some can
which would allow you to fit close to 100 songs or more on a single CD
(depending on the MP3 bitrate).

Otherwise, have you considered getting a new stereo for your car? There are
adapters for most cars that let you replace a factory radio with a standard
DIN style stereo. I used a Scoche adapter plate to put a standard AM/FM/CD
with USB port in my daughters old Taurus.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 14:31:45 -0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

This is not a newer car. 96 Plymouth Voyager, with factory radio. This
was their better option back then, some came with only an AM FM radio,
and I believe they could still get a cassette tape model too, so thi CD
model was top of the line back then. I dont think bluetooth even existed
at that time. It would be nice if it had come with an AUX jack though.
The CD player is nice compared to cassette, or just plain radio, but
changing CDs while driving is a pain, and keeping them in the car gets
messy. MP3 solves all of that. Rather than a CD with 10 or 20 songs, a
MP3 player can have hundreds of songs, and in a much smaller package.

Can your CD player play MP3's burned to a standard data CD? I know some can
which would allow you to fit close to 100 songs or more on a single CD
(depending on the MP3 bitrate).

MP3s were virtually unknown in 1996 and not available in any CD player
I have ever heard of until almost a decade later. I was a fairly early
adopter, having a MP3 player in my car in 1999 but it was a DOS PC on
an inverter, playing through a cassette adapter.

HerHusband writes:

This is not a newer car. 96 Plymouth Voyager, with factory radio. This
was their better option back then, some came with only an AM FM radio,
and I believe they could still get a cassette tape model too, so thi CD
model was top of the line back then. I dont think bluetooth even existed
at that time. It would be nice if it had come with an AUX jack though.
The CD player is nice compared to cassette, or just plain radio, but
changing CDs while driving is a pain, and keeping them in the car gets
messy. MP3 solves all of that. Rather than a CD with 10 or 20 songs, a
MP3 player can have hundreds of songs, and in a much smaller package.

Can your CD player play MP3's burned to a standard data CD? I know some can
which would allow you to fit close to 100 songs or more on a single CD
(depending on the MP3 bitrate).

I have a 2006 Scion Xb. The CD player also does MP3s.
Physically, the CD can hold upward of 700 MP3 tracks at the default bit rate.

Unfortunately, the CD player must have an 8Bit CPU poorly programmed,
because the player only recognizes the first 255 tracks on the CD.

Still, 250 tracks per CD is quite a lot and I no longer suffer through
radio commercials.

Otherwise, have you considered getting a new stereo for your car? There are
adapters for most cars that let you replace a factory radio with a standard
DIN style stereo. I used a Scoche adapter plate to put a standard AM/FM/CD
with USB port in my daughters old Taurus.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

I'm surprised at the number of high end cars I've been in that
can't handle data CDs (MP3s). Congrats to Toyota for the player
in the Scion. The car also has IPOD and AUX ports but the MP3
CDs do the job just fine.

--
Dan Espen

On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 14:31:45 -0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

This is not a newer car. 96 Plymouth Voyager, with factory radio. This
was their better option back then, some came with only an AM FM radio,
and I believe they could still get a cassette tape model too, so thi CD
model was top of the line back then. I dont think bluetooth even existed
at that time. It would be nice if it had come with an AUX jack though.
The CD player is nice compared to cassette, or just plain radio, but
changing CDs while driving is a pain, and keeping them in the car gets
messy. MP3 solves all of that. Rather than a CD with 10 or 20 songs, a
MP3 player can have hundreds of songs, and in a much smaller package.

Can your CD player play MP3's burned to a standard data CD? I know some can
which would allow you to fit close to 100 songs or more on a single CD
(depending on the MP3 bitrate).

I have my doubts that it will play a CD with MP3s. But I could give it a
try.

Otherwise, have you considered getting a new stereo for your car? There are
adapters for most cars that let you replace a factory radio with a standard
DIN style stereo. I used a Scoche adapter plate to put a standard AM/FM/CD
with USB port in my daughters old Taurus.


Yea, a new stereo is something I have considered.
What does "DIN" mean?

One reason I try to avoid replacing the factory stereos, is because they
wont fit the faceplate hole, dont mount to the same screw holes, and
require a dozen or more wires to be traced and spliced. -OR- an
expensive wiring adaptor, and that still dont eliminate the faceplate
and mounting screw issues.

On top of that, will the new one have a clock? My factory one does, and
I nearly demand a clock in my vehicles.

Back in the 70's I installed a lot of aftermarket stereos. But back
then, it was usually 7 wires.
POS - GND - Left Spkr + & - Right spkr + & - and one wire for a light.

And back then, if they did not fit in the dash where the factory radio
went, they had brackets to mount under the dash. (Back then there was a
lot of room under the dash). And in those older cars, the clock was
usually NOT part of the radio.

Another thing is that they often lower the value of the car for resale,
if the dash is hacked up to make the thing fit.

However, in this case, if I can find something that will at least mount
properly and not leave a hole in the dash, or require hacking/cutting
the dash, I would not mind changing it as long as it also has a clock.
The reason I'd do it, is mostly because this radio has extremely poor FM
reception. I googled this, and found this was a common problem on this
vehicle. It's not the antenna or antenna connections either. I did
remove the stereo to make sure the antenna was properly connected and
plugged in another antenna to make sure the antenna itself was not at
fault. The google results said that the front end circuitry for FM was
known to fail. (and mine apparently has). I am lucky if I can get the
local FM station, and that is the only one I get.

I really dont much care about the radio though. I find radio these days
to be lousy, mostly commercials, repeated 10 songs, and the station
drift when I travel makes me quickly turn the radio off.

So, just having a CD player is a big PLUS. All my older cars had radio
only, or a cassette player, and casettes were always troublesome, and no
one even uses them anymore. Of course it seems that most stores no
longer sell CDs either. But since I like oldies music, I find lots of
CDs at resale stores and rummage sales for a buck or less. So, this CD
player is a big improvement over anything else I had in former vehicles.
But keeping the CDs in the car seems to be messy, since there is no
place to store them. I finally bought a rubbermaid tub for them, but it
stays in the rear seat area, so I end up listening to the same CD over
and over, until I stop driving.... Yet, this is still better than the
crap on the radio !!!!

On Fri, 23 Sep 2016 23:09:29 -0400, John Albert
wrote:

On 9/23/16 5:51 AM, wrote:
But what about car radios that have a CD player. Is there a similar
device that can be pushed into the CD opening to allow another audio
source to be played, such as a MP3 player?

Depends on the vehicle, but most newer cars have at least
one of the following:
- Auxilliary input jack
- Bluetooth
- USB port.
It is a 2004 Corolla which had neither on the base system

On 9/24/2016 10:31 AM, HerHusband wrote:
This is not a newer car. 96 Plymouth Voyager, with factory radio. This
was their better option back then, some came with only an AM FM radio,
and I believe they could still get a cassette tape model too, so thi CD
model was top of the line back then. I dont think bluetooth even existed
at that time. It would be nice if it had come with an AUX jack though.
The CD player is nice compared to cassette, or just plain radio, but
changing CDs while driving is a pain, and keeping them in the car gets
messy. MP3 solves all of that. Rather than a CD with 10 or 20 songs, a
MP3 player can have hundreds of songs, and in a much smaller package.

Can your CD player play MP3's burned to a standard data CD? I know some can
which would allow you to fit close to 100 songs or more on a single CD
(depending on the MP3 bitrate).

Otherwise, have you considered getting a new stereo for your car? There are
adapters for most cars that let you replace a factory radio with a standard
DIN style stereo. I used a Scoche adapter plate to put a standard AM/FM/CD
with USB port in my daughters old Taurus.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com


Nearly 20 years ago I had an 10 year old car stolen and stripped. It
was found up on blocks, all the tires and rims including spare were
stolen. Under the hood, it looked like everything was scooped out,
engine, transmission etc. The only thing the thieves left was the
radio. It occurs to me that if a 20 year old car is stolen, maybe the
only things the thieves would take is the new radio

On Saturday, September 24, 2016 at 2:53:18 PM UTC-4, Frank wrote:
On 9/24/2016 10:31 AM, HerHusband wrote:
This is not a newer car. 96 Plymouth Voyager, with factory radio. This
was their better option back then, some came with only an AM FM radio,
and I believe they could still get a cassette tape model too, so thi CD
model was top of the line back then. I dont think bluetooth even existed
at that time. It would be nice if it had come with an AUX jack though.
The CD player is nice compared to cassette, or just plain radio, but
changing CDs while driving is a pain, and keeping them in the car gets
messy. MP3 solves all of that. Rather than a CD with 10 or 20 songs, a
MP3 player can have hundreds of songs, and in a much smaller package.

Can your CD player play MP3's burned to a standard data CD? I know some can
which would allow you to fit close to 100 songs or more on a single CD
(depending on the MP3 bitrate).

Otherwise, have you considered getting a new stereo for your car? There are
adapters for most cars that let you replace a factory radio with a standard
DIN style stereo. I used a Scoche adapter plate to put a standard AM/FM/CD
with USB port in my daughters old Taurus.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com


Nearly 20 years ago I had an 10 year old car stolen and stripped. It
was found up on blocks, all the tires and rims including spare were
stolen. Under the hood, it looked like everything was scooped out,
engine, transmission etc. The only thing the thieves left was the
radio. It occurs to me that if a 20 year old car is stolen, maybe the
only things the thieves would take is the new radio

"The only thing the thieves left was the radio."

For a brief second I pictured a radio sitting on the street up on blocks.

Now that would be a funny thing for some creative thieves to do. :-)

"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...

I have a 2006 Scion Xb. The CD player also does MP3s.
Physically, the CD can hold upward of 700 MP3 tracks at the default bit
rate.

That would be either a very, very low bit rate or very very short MP3s.

At 128 kbps an MP3 will require a bit more than 1/12 the space it would if
not compressed; i.e, if a fully filled 700 MB CD has 10 tracks, and if
tracks of the same lengths were compressed to MP3 at 128 kbps, a 700 MB CD
would hold 110-120 MP3s.

Personally, I find 128 kbps acceptable - many do not - but I wouldn't want
to go much lower.

On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 16:31:56 -0400, "dadiOH" wrote:


"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...

I have a 2006 Scion Xb. The CD player also does MP3s.
Physically, the CD can hold upward of 700 MP3 tracks at the default bit
rate.

That would be either a very, very low bit rate or very very short MP3s.

At 128 kbps an MP3 will require a bit more than 1/12 the space it would if
not compressed; i.e, if a fully filled 700 MB CD has 10 tracks, and if
tracks of the same lengths were compressed to MP3 at 128 kbps, a 700 MB CD
would hold 110-120 MP3s.

Personally, I find 128 kbps acceptable - many do not - but I wouldn't want
to go much lower.

I agree, a 700 MB CD will hold more like 150-175. I am running one in
my car as we speak.

On 09/24/2016 11:59 AM, wrote:

[snip]

Yea, a new stereo is something I have considered.
What does "DIN" mean?

I don't know all of it, but I think the D is Deutsche (German).

My father listened to classical music a lot, and one of the things I
heard a lot was "Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft" (German Record Company).

[snip]

--
92 days until the winter celebration (Sunday December 25, 2016 12:00:00
AM for 1 day).

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"When I was a child there were many witches, and they bewitched both
cattle and men, especially children." [Martin Luther]

DadiOH wrote: "Personally, I find 128 kbps acceptable - many do not - but I
wouldn't want to go much lower. "


Seriously???

I use 192kbps MINIMUM for MP3 export - even for
spoken word projects.

On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 20:51:48 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On 09/24/2016 11:59 AM, wrote:

[snip]

Yea, a new stereo is something I have considered.
What does "DIN" mean?

I don't know all of it, but I think the D is Deutsche (German).

My father listened to classical music a lot, and one of the things I
heard a lot was "Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft" (German Record Company).

[snip]

Deutsches Institut für Normung

On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 20:51:48 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On 09/24/2016 11:59 AM, wrote:

[snip]

Yea, a new stereo is something I have considered.
What does "DIN" mean?

I don't know all of it, but I think the D is Deutsche (German).

My father listened to classical music a lot, and one of the things I
heard a lot was "Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft" (German Record Company).

[snip]
When referring to a stereo head, it is a specific size configuration
- there are single din, half din, 1 1/2 din and double din devices.
The standard is set by Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (German
Institute for Standardization).

Din standard connectors are generally round multi-pin connectors like
the old keyboard plugs

This is not a newer car. 96 Plymouth Voyager, with factory radio.
MP3s were virtually unknown in 1996

Hmm... I didn't consider that. My oldest MP3's are from 2007, so you're
probably right.

You're probably looking at a new stereo.

Or, connect your smart phone/MP3 player to a portable speaker in the car.


Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

a new stereo is something I have considered.
What does "DIN" mean?

I don't know what the actual acronym stands for, but it's basically just
the standard rectangular size for most car stereos.

Double DIN is common in newer cars and is twice the height of the
standard single DIN.

One reason I try to avoid replacing the factory stereos, is because
they wont fit the faceplate hole, dont mount to the same screw holes,
and require a dozen or more wires to be traced and spliced. -OR- an
expensive wiring adaptor, and that still dont eliminate the faceplate
and mounting screw issues.

You can find install adapters for most cars. You simply remove the
factory radio, install the new adapter plate that fits like the factory
radio, then install your new stereo in the adapter plate. Here's one
example for the 96 Plymouth Voyager:

https://www.amazon.com/Stereo-Install-Plymouth-Voyager-
installation/dp/B000KL4IYS

The end result looks like a factory installation. No cutting the dash,
fabricating brackets, or any of that kind of thing.

You can also get wiring adapters that will let you plug your new stereo
into the existing wiring so you don't have to cut any wires in the
vehicle. This will let you easily reinstall the factory radio if you
decide to sell the car.

On top of that, will the new one have a clock? My factory one does,
and I nearly demand a clock in my vehicles.

Yes, I think every aftermarket stereo has a clock built in.

Another thing is that they often lower the value of the car for
resale, if the dash is hacked up to make the thing fit.

These days most people would prefer a nice AM/FM/CD stereo over a factory
AM radio.

The reason I'd do it, is mostly because this radio has extremely
poor FM reception.

Most modern stereos have decent tuners. My wife's car is missing an
antenna and still pulls in FM stations easily. AM is another matter, but
who listens to AM anymore?

So, just having a CD player is a big PLUS.

I have a CD player in my car, but all I ever listen to is the radio. I
don't drive much anymore so it's not worth the hassle taking a CD in and
out of the car. Besides, I haven't bought a CD in years, and download
most of my music off of iTunes or similar sources.

If I was buying a new stereo I would look for a USB or SD card interface
and skip the CD player. My wife and daughter both have USB drives filled
with hundreds of MP3 songs in their cars.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

At 128 kbps an MP3 will require a bit more than 1/12 the space it
would if not compressed; i.e, if a fully filled 700 MB CD has 10
tracks, and if tracks of the same lengths were compressed to MP3 at
128 kbps, a 700 MB CD would hold 110-120 MP3s.
Personally, I find 128 kbps acceptable - many do not - but I wouldn't
want to go much lower.

Many of my older MP3's are encoded at 128 kbps, but I can definitely hear
the quality difference compared to 256 kbps or 320 kbps MP3's.

Storage space isn't much of an issue anymore, so I use 320 kbps for
everything now.

A 7MB MP3 is nothing compared to a 50GB video file.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

On Sun, 25 Sep 2016 05:20:25 -0000 (UTC), HerHusband
wrote:

This is not a newer car. 96 Plymouth Voyager, with factory radio.
MP3s were virtually unknown in 1996

Hmm... I didn't consider that. My oldest MP3's are from 2007, so you're
probably right.

You're probably looking at a new stereo.

Or, connect your smart phone/MP3 player to a portable speaker in the car.



I still think the best MP3 player anywhere is a PC running DOS and
MPXPLAY. (what I ran in my cars from 1999 to a couple years ago).The
problem is the last machine I had that will suffer the heat of a car
in the summer is socket 7 board based and finding a good one is pretty
hard to do. I have given up on PC based car players.
MPXPLAY allows selecting songs by number from a numeric pad and I
still have not seen that from any other player, stand alone or PC
based. You can run a 10 key without taking your eyes off the road. Try
that with a factory MP3 player.
Set up with fast boot in the BIOS, running DOS and it will go from
"key on" to music faster that any dash mounted player I have seen.
There is a W/XP version and that is the player in the house.

wrote in message
...
DadiOH wrote: "Personally, I find 128 kbps acceptable - many do not - but
I
wouldn't want to go much lower. "


Seriously???

I use 192kbps MINIMUM for MP3 export - even for
spoken word projects.

You are certainly free to do use whatever bit rate you want but 192 is WAY
overkill for voice. For music, it depends on several factors...

a) what encoder is used and how

b) what equipment you are using. High end ear phones or tinny built in PC
speakers.

c) how you are listening. That is, are you listening intently while you sip
a nice single malt scotch or are you listening in a noisy environment - like
a car - or elsewhere while you are doing something else. If the former you
might like FLAC or similar better than 192.

writes:

On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 16:31:56 -0400, "dadiOH" wrote:


"Dan Espen" wrote in message
...

I have a 2006 Scion Xb. The CD player also does MP3s.
Physically, the CD can hold upward of 700 MP3 tracks at the default bit
rate.

That would be either a very, very low bit rate or very very short MP3s.

At 128 kbps an MP3 will require a bit more than 1/12 the space it would if
not compressed; i.e, if a fully filled 700 MB CD has 10 tracks, and if
tracks of the same lengths were compressed to MP3 at 128 kbps, a 700 MB CD
would hold 110-120 MP3s.

Personally, I find 128 kbps acceptable - many do not - but I wouldn't want
to go much lower.

I agree, a 700 MB CD will hold more like 150-175. I am running one in
my car as we speak.

All this talk led me to examine the CDs I've been creating.
Looks like I've been creating Monaural CDs without knowing it.
Maybe that explains why I'm getting 250+ tracks per CD:

Audio file with ID3 version 2.3.0, contains: MPEG ADTS, layer III, v1, 64 kbps, 44.1 kHz, Monaural

--
Dan Espen