mp3 head unit

[flat spot]

Has anyone bought a mp3 playing head unit for their car?? I'm looking into buying one but they seem quite dear at the moment.
Only want average quality I guess. :rolleyes: Any recommendations?

[Fairzo]

Have a look at the Blaupunkt Woodstock. Bit pricey because it's got DAB as well but it seems OK to me.

[Jason S]

Yep, just bought a sony cdx mp40 for £150 for the new motor.

http://www.incardiscount.co.uk/acatalog/Shop_Sony_MP3_Players_28.html

You've got to put the MP3's onto a CD, but that's not exactly a problem as they're coming via my PC anyway, and I was about to spend that on a CD head unit alone.

I guess if you want a player with a hard drive, you're going to be looking at big bucks.

I'm just waiting for the antenna adaptor to turn up at Halfords tomorrow so I can fit it.

[flat spot]

Certainly looks 'flash' that one. One for the thievin' gypsy barstools that one.:eek:

[neilo]

bought one last week too...its really good

[Jason S]

Originally posted by flat spot
Certainly looks 'flash' that one. One for the thievin' gypsy barstools that one.:eek:

More worried about them nicking the motor, not got 500 miles on the clock yet, and they'd probably grab the radar detector & geodesy too :god:

The face is removable and I'm in the habit of taking it out anyway, as all my previous head units have had removable faces.

Hopefully it'll be going in tonight when I get back from work, I'll let you know the result soon.......

[Jason S]

OK, it's in the Cooper (BMW wiring is a pain), and I've just done a 300+ mile roundtrip Birmingham and back to give a 30 min presentation :rolleyes: So plenty of time to try it out.

Threw every mp3 I have onto a couple of cd-r and it played through all of them, took a few seconds to initialise but once in played spot on.

Switching back to the tuner occasionally then back to MP3's the player cut in exactly where I'd left the track. I'd expected to be booted to the beginning of the track, but it went straight back to where I'd left it.

There's a whole bunch of options & features I've not even started to look at, but the MP3 playback is excellent.

For the price I'm very impressed and very pleased with the player. Whilst picking up the cables to install it someone was buying the exact same player in Halfords for £50 more :smashin:

[flat spot]

Thx jason I'll consider that then......:rolleyes: :smashin:

[dts_boy]

i have an apline CDA-7893R, and its fantastic with mp3 cds. thats pretty much all i use in the car nowadays, the quality (dwon to the ripping process as well) is excellent and cds are marginally better, but you can get an entire back catalogue of an artist on one disc! although theres no flashy lights on it and it doesn't do screensavers adn stuff, the sound quality is suberb - all for just around £250:clap:
coupled to an alpine MRV-T420 amp and a jl audio 12" sub, it can really kick if you want it to as well:devil:

[obrother]

I just got a CDX MP40 from www.mcs-direct.co.uk, delivered next day for £135 (very nice it is, too).

[hornydragon]

Oooh looking at one of these for the missus anyone tried connecting it too a Vauxhall OEM display? £135 is a good price cheapest i found it was Hiway for £140 + del
Ps link doesn't work for mcs but a google for "mcs-direct" gets it straight away.

[tonyb]

I've got a Pioneer 7400, which I picked up for £300. Very pleased with it, has the colour display with screensavers etc, and the sound quality is good. Haven't used the mp3 features that much yet, but I intend to start doing this soon. Some test files that I tried with it sounded pretty good though - files encoded at 128K I think (or was it 192K?)

[hornydragon]

Can a Sony MP40 owner let me hnow how it has performed now its benn a few weeks and what rate are you using for MP3 and can you reconmend some MP3 ripping software please. How easy is it to navigate the Mp3 traks and does it display track name artist or just the number i am an MP3 newbie so please go easy on me!

[Jason S]

Mine's performed flawlessly, and I'm very please with it. It's like having a 15 disc CD changer in the dash :grin:

Plays both cheap R's & RW's without a hiccup. When you first insert a Disc it takes a minute to initially browse the disc, but after that as long as the disc's in the player it starts up first time.

I just wish it had an orange display to match the interior of the MINI, but you can't have everything :(

I'd like to get the wheel mount for the remote, but can't find one (probably have to visit the Sony shop)

Navigating MP3's is easy with the Album (folder) name being displayed, then the track / file name. You can cycle through albums / folders with one set of buttons and tracks with another.

I've got mine setup to use the ID3 tag and scroll it across the screen once, but there's a bunch of different options for this

For MP3 ripping I use Alto MP3 Maker. Got it via Download.com, I just let it query the online cddb and create the ID3 tag itself.

I use 128bit for the sample rate, but the MP40 player will play some I've got with lower bit rates (unlike my DVD Player)

Err, that's about it.

[Mahtey]

Hey,

Have a look here....

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/shop/acatalog/CAD_Under__300_539.html

Personally I'd say steer clear of Sony car audio products - they've really let their standards slip in that area over the last few years.

Cheers,

Matthew

[neilo]

I love my sony ..i use music match jukebox to ID tag my mp3's..only one complaint i wish the track display would always scroll and not stop after on scroll..but thats minor.I think for £150 you cant go wrong

[hornydragon]

Well it has to be sony or Kenwood and i cant afford kenwood.
Thanks Jason we i need to find out more about MP3 Ripping. I need to put about 3-5 Albums on to an R or RW Disc so i was hoping to use a higher rate to keep quality Up. I really want a system that will let me put CD> MP3 automatically and Tag it all and then rip it quick. I want as leave and forget system but as It will done on a laptop i am going to have to keep swapping disks. Really i want an MP3 Jukebox program that i can then transfer to CD for use in the car.

[neilo]

look around at the various jukebox programmes there are and find the one that suits you best ..you will have t record the cds to mp3s at wotever bit rate you desire then tag them then record to the cd you want to play in the car

[hornydragon]

Ok mate thanks

[neilo]

have a look at musicmatch it lets you pick your bitrate

[RobertP]

I have a Kenwood mp3 headunit. I've been making mp3 cd's up for a while now.
Once you have your mp3's you may find the volume varies from track to track on a compilation or album to album. I use the free mp3gain (http://www.geocities.com/mp3gain/) to make them all similar. All it does is change the bit in the mp3 that sets the volume - it does not re encode.
The kenwood is awsome at playing mp3's but poor at sorting files. I have to have the start of the file name as a number or it will play them out of order. The cheap Tag&Rename (http://www.softpointer.com/tr.htm) is a wonderful tool for naming and auto tagging albums using the internet.

[Jason S]

One of the good things about the encoder I use (Alto) is that it adds the track number to the beginning of the file (If you tick that box of course) So they play in order (I use folders for each album)

Max setting for min bit rate is 320 Kbits/second (but I leave it at 128Kbits/sec)

It interrogates freeDB for the track names etc, and creates the ID3 tag from that.

It's simple and works, nothing too taxing, which is why I like it. I just stick a disc in the drive, launch the app, click 2 buttons and it does the rest. The trial version allows you to rip the first 12 tracks of a disc too ;)

I've not tried Music Match, but it'd have to offer something special for me to switch now.......

[neilo]

i d/l that one ..put in the 1st cd i had to hand "abbey road" and it couldnt find a match

[Jason S]

bizzare, as it had marilyn mansons golden age of grotesque before it was officially released on there?

It must be missing from the freedb online database it queries...

[ahenry]

Originally posted by hornydragon
Well it has to be sony or Kenwood and i cant afford kenwood.


You can get a 2003 Kenwood KDC-M4524G for £134.95 plus £7 postage from http://www.incardiscount.co.uk/acatalog/Shop_SPECIAL_OFFERS_21.html

I've seen a few comments from people who have bought these and they have all been positive.

[hornydragon]

Thanks for the Tip ahenry but thats lower spec than the sony and more, Good price though!
I cant cope with try to show the missus any more HU's!!!!It was the 6024G i was looking at i think. Needs to have the OEM display interface.
I prefer the Sony CDXMP40 and have had some very good reviews.

[bobbles]

Sony CDX-MP40 MP3 (Explód Design) # 2003 MODEL RANGE #
CD/MP3/RDS Tuner * FM/MW/LW * 4 x 50 watts * CD, CD-R, CD-RW & CD-MP3 Compatible * CD/MiniDisc Changer Control * Full UK Warranty

what does it mean by CD/MiniDisc Changer Control?

are any of these mp3 jukebox software (Alto/music match) available free?

EDIT - actually does it mean you can attach a changer

[bobbles]

Is there any point in the remote if you already have the joystick?

[hornydragon]

Originally posted by bobbles
Is there any point in the remote if you already have the joystick?
Change track from the back seat!

Yes you can attach a CD or minidisc changer and it will control it!

Try searching for the programs some have 30 free trial etc.

[bobbles]

I am interested in getting one of these

anyone know how easy it would be to swap the CD player over from the CDX-L450 I have?

Also how much do you think I could get for the CDX-L450?

[hornydragon]

A swop should be straight in out as you should have sony wiring in place. Ebay the best bet for your L450 or on here no idea on price though!
LEt me know if you order one Bob as the missus is now not sure she it wants IT NOW ARGH!!!!

[bobbles]

ah **** it

I've ordered myself one

[hornydragon]

:clap:
Let me know how you get on mate did you use mcs direct???

[bobbles]

yes used them

right I have downloaded music match

inserted CD and it recorded it in MP3 format

all the track names appeared ok

now, for the track names to appear on the CD player do I need to Tag them?

to do that requires me to register

[hornydragon]

Not sure matey neilo is the man to ask i think i am waiting for the missus to decide on what she actually wants!!!
PS are you selling the 450???

[bobbles]

registered it

in for a penny and all that

I expect so

[neilo]

you paid for it ?
you need to id tag the tracks record them in mp3 format and when you play it in the car the track names will come up

[bobbles]

had mp40 installed today

highly recommended

it is quality

i put 17 albums on one CD, how much would a 17disc changer cost??

[hornydragon]

What do you tink of the sound quality from MP3??? As good as CD or noticably lower?? And are you using the standard speakers?

[bobbles]

yeah standard installed speakers

i have used the volume levelling software with music match so I don't know if that makes a difference, all recorded at 128

i noticed a tiny! background hiss with the mp3 player on a couple tracks but other than that i can not notice any difference. It probably is due to how i've set it up

works a dream with the joystick changing albums is as easy as skipping tracks. It is a pain in the arse on my MD player.

[hornydragon]

Bobbles still looking at one of these any tips for the SONY CDXMP40 or using MusicMatch. Thinking of getting a protable MP3 player anyone know if the SONY would work with the 8cm CD-r/RW used buy a beatman?

I will eventually get one of these!!!!

[bobbles]

well I do not know if there have been any new ones out since I got mine but I think it is a fantastic head unit.

my only real complaint is the tags only scroll once

I would strongly recomend the joystick the little remote that comes with the unit is a bit pants too be honest

I am using Music Match 8 which is outstanding IMO especially if you have broadband access :smoke:

you can pick up a portable CD player which is capable of playing MP3 CD-R CD-RW etc panasonic do one for around 30 but there are clearly better ones around. I would get one myself but I still have my MD player.

Music Match offers an option to download straight to a portable player if you prefer that method

I fit around 17 albums on a CD. However, if you select a lower quality record rate you can double this. How much would a 17 album CD changer for a car cost??? You can also select a variety of random selection options disc or album

hope this helps

by the way saturday night some F***** put several dents in that car I got trying to set the alarm off

[Ayub]

i have the Pioneer kmp7400 ( i think thats the model number) its the best unit i have bought appart from the alpine 7909.

[hornydragon]

Downloading Music match now as i have just boght a an MP3 player think i will get the unit for the missus first then me my car electronics are on their way out so a new stereo aint agood idea speakers are all dodgy! What model joy stick do you use mate? are you still lovin the car ??? Sorry bout dents some C**T ripped my wing mirror off last week had to get a new one luckily got one at a scrappy for £25 but ****** me off royally!
When you say scroll once is that at the start of each track?
What do you think of the quality compared to a proper CD? Does the Bass etc sound better than the factory fit unit?

[bobbles]

car going well apart from the dents. I have unlimited no claims but it still is £100 down the tube.

Sound quality sounds fine to me I can not really tell any difference from that to a pre-recorded CD

There are lots of different options for what appears on the display.

I choose the track then artist then album tag which scrolls through then stays on track.

It is just annoying if the track title doesn't fit it doesn't auto scroll

can not remember which joystick it is the sony one not the IR one just the normal. I think i got it from halfords for £20 it was much more expensive online if you include p&p

[hornydragon]

Cool mate thanks for the reply I may be ordfering one very soon.

[hornydragon]

Ok bought it fitted it now it wont store radio stations when face is removed.... Any one help please????

[Mylo]

Usually happens if the Permanent Live and Switched Live wires are the wrong way round.

Cheers, Mylo

[hornydragon]

Bugger does that mean the £12 adapter i took back to halfords is actually needed???

[kdodd]

just got a nice kenwood kdc m7024
from wwwcaraudiosecurity.com for 214.99
get piece of kit
just gotta wire the bugger in now :)

[lynx]

Originally posted by hornydragon
Bugger does that mean the £12 adapter i took back to halfords is actually needed???

No! Does the head unit loom have two cables which split in the middle by means of a bullet type connector thus enabling the swapping of ? If not cut the two cables leaving enough tail to crimp on a bullet conector (X4) to each tail and swap over the permenant and switched +12v.

[hornydragon]

Cheers Lynx will be ripping it out tomorrow, one defo has bullet (yellow how do i find out which ones are needed? 99T Corsa 1.2 16V

[lynx]

Vauxhall is definately different from the industry norm. If memory serves, you swap the yellow with red *although please check with a meter before doing so - i'm 99.99% sure that it's the red and yellow which swap over.

Edit: From an online guide, ''Some cars and headunits have slightly different power wiring connectors, most notably Vauxhall. This will not damage your headunit, but will mean that it loses all of its settings once it has been switched off. If this happens to you, there should be some bullet connectors on the yellow and red wires of the headunit. Swap them over and your problems should be solved''.

[hornydragon]

got a link mate? Thanx for the help, gonna be a busy day tommorrow!

[lynx]

Originally posted by hornydragon
got a link mate? Thanx for the help, gonna be a busy day tommorrow!

If it's a link to the quote:http://www.saxomotorsport.co.uk/ice.html , however it won't give you further help on this matter, it was only to confirm my advice. This will only take a few moments - withdraw the head, the bullets will be instantly recognisable (if not,they aint there and it's back to plan 'A' and fit your own) - and swap over the red and yellow, so you now end up with a wire which is red-yellow and the other is yellow-red :)

[dolph]

Great thread here... for my experiences see

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=120821

[Julie Winston]

Sony MP40 seems to have gone obselete, where can I buy one?

[hornydragon]

Try mcs-direct if they have none try dabs and also shop around local independants. Great HU and I didnt even need the adapter leads i bought from Halfords all i needed was in the box! Faceplate is a bit fiddley to get on or off but my girlfriend is well pleased with it.

[Julie Winston]

Got the Sony MP40 fitted at the weekend. Sounds great, fascia not a good fit though. Will have to go back to Halfords for a tweak

[problrm1]

i wanna get this for my corsa (L reg 93) but donno whether it'll fit. any help??? guess it should do but wanna check b 4 i spend 200.

[dolph]

I'd guess on a car that old you'll need an adapter for the leads,

check out autoleads.co.uk

[pinkprobegt]

Anyone know if they work properly with variable bit rate MP3s now ?? I have an Aiwa CDC-MP3 (first MP3 deck here I think) but the time goes nuts on VBR !

For ripping use EAC and Lame (with --r3mix switch), no comparison really :) Good enough to use on a decent stereo as well !

[Kronenbourg]

Anyone know if it (the mp40) works with downloaded mp3's? (Not condoning piracy but some of the b***dy cd's I have bought wont allow me to rip them to mp3 so have had to go online and download them just so I can add them to my mp3 collection - nice eh).

Also, what does it feature security wise? Does it have a removable facia etc?

[Jason S]

Yes, it works fine with downloaded MP3's and has a removable fascia.

[Kronenbourg]

Oooh sweet - seen one for sale in my local halfords (think they have been discontinued) for 149 with free fitting - may well have to purchase myself one.

Thanks for the fast response :)

[dolph]

Err, £149 for the MP40 is a terrible price.

[Kronenbourg]

Cheapest I have seen elsewhere is 120 quid, then add another 10 quid for delivery and I figured I would rather actually pay 150 to a) get it fitted and b) have bought it from somewhere just down the road where I can bitch if there is a problem.

If you have seen it elsewhere for any less then by all means please link it as would definately have a look.

[dolph]

Sorry, didn't realise that Halfords fitted for free. Personally I'd rather fit it myself.

Think I did see it somewhere for £125 delivered but if you want it fitted then you're right to go through Halfords at that price.

[hornydragon]

for anyone else looking the CDX-R3300 seems to be the replacement for the MP40 and is £105 at MCS-direct. I am still looking although the missus bought an MPO40 and loves it!!! Now just need to sort out speakers!

[A.Russell]

Bought Excellent car CD / MP3 for £80 from http://pemberton-electronics.co.uk
Strange brand name "PEMBY" but found it to be a good headunit.
Even has ID tags etc, plays CD-r etc no problem.
Worth a look.