CD Players....

[xxjas12xx]

I have just now found that i can burn audio cds with 150+ songs on an 80 minute 700 mb cd, only problem is your cd player has to be able to read Mp3 encoded cds. Besides my computer, the only thing i have that i can play these Mp3 coded cd's is my dvd player. Now to my question, can anyone recommend a car cd player that reads these Mp3 encoded cds? I have read some reviews on the Kenwood Z828 and they are not so good, considering the price is $700. I dont mind spending $700 on one as long as its reliable. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Joopin]

I bought a clarion db625mp and i love it. cd, cdr, mp3, detachable face... great all around head. I got it for just under 300, but at the time it was on sale to make room for the new models. I would try to do that if I were you, look for what you want in last years model... they usually come out with new stuff in march, thats when I got mine.

Oh and Clarion is a great company too, they deal ONLY in car audio, which means they got to be good at it, unlike sony who has their fingers in so many things that when it comes to car audio they produce crap.

Another way you can save money is buying floor models, I got a sub and amp for dirt cheap at the same place cause they were floor models...

 

[LGR]

Looking for a certain cherokee...

I have an Alpine head unit..out of all my old ones this one is the best. it plays CDs, MP3, WMA CD-R/RW playback too. Its good and for the price 250.00 its been worth it. 50X4 watts, 3 preamp outs, MOSFET internal amp, detachable face..not to mention XM radio controls if you like that sort of thing and a remote. Take a look at some alpine units

 

[geopig]

I have a Sony CDX-MP40 that will play CD's and MP3's burned on a variety of disc formats (CD-R, CD-RW). 52 X 4 Watts, CD-changer control, XM ready, all that jazz. Great little unit. You can find these units at most major stores (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.) for around $150-175. Also the nice thing about this unit is that it has a flip-down face that detaches. If you spend much time with the top off your jeep, the flip down feature is nice because when it is up there is no CD slot showing, thus keeping alot of dust out.

 

[Craig]

I have an Alpine head unit that plays MP3's as well. An MP3 player is nice because you don't really need a changer or need to pack a lot of expensive CD's in your vehicle since you can fit close to 200 songs on one disc. In the 14 years I've been driving, I've owned just about every kind of name brand head unit out there. There's no need to spend $700 on one unless you're planning on installing a really good system. Seems so many of the high end units out there have more functions than you'll ever need or use. I spent a little more on a good high powered head unit ($400 Canadian) so I wouldn't have to put any amplifiers in my jeep and rish getting them wet when off roading through a river or something. Haven't had any problems with my Alpine so far.

 

[Sacredgroove]

4wd.com catalog has an in dash mp3 player that also has sirius satellite along with standard fm/am. it has dvd playback controls also i believe,just have to add a monitor of course. price was in the 200-250 range. it also plays at an angle,which alot of players wont,if you wanted to mount it in say a tuffy console.

 

[TwistedCU]

Clarion, Pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine. Those brands will give you the best FM sensitiviy (should be 12 or lower for excellent reception - the lower the better) and CD signal to noise ratio (Should be at least over 100 - the higher the better). You should be able to find a good AM/FM/CD/MP3 receiver for under $250. You'll pay more for Alpine. I would agree that Clarion is a good product and would be my first choice. Hope I don't offend anybopdy here, but stay away from Sony. Although they are leaders in many electronics areas, car audio is definately NOT one of them. Check the specs before you buy! Crutchfield is an excellent website to compare products and get specs, as well as a good reference for pricing! www.crutchfield.com

 

[jay79cj7]

I bought a used pioneer off ebay for cheap. I say go for the cheapest unit you can find that does the mp3s. You drive a jeep and live in the south, so the top should be down and sound quality won't matter that much anyway. Plus your stereo will get stolen , so why get a nice one?

 

[Snitty]

about anything you buy new these days will play mp3.... you do NOT need to spend 700 on a head unit.... go on ebay and look for deals there

 

[jps4jeep]

I have found that pioneer makes the best mp3 cd player for your car. the only problem is that the display (at least on mine) is difficult to make out (cluttered). I have a pioneer premier deh-P 940. the major difference is that the pioneer not only de-codes the mp3's but also run on a windows format that enhances the overall sound. unless just released sony does not use this technology and the alpine models list into the $1000 range.

My particular model lists for about $800 but the newer deh 6500 lists at best buy for about $250

 

[88WRANGRED]

i've got the deh6500 in my p/u and it work awesome paid 290 w/ warranty from best buy the only bad thing is that it doesn't read mp3, but i don't download a lot of music. you need to get the deh7500 its about 60-75 bucks more and reads mp3.

 

[osito129]

I am running the DEh7500 in my wifes GC and couldn't be happier, pioneer makes a great deck. Well worth the money. Also I just bought a new Aiwa CD/MP3 player for my wrangler for 150 shipped from this site www2.dealtime.com. I have had Aiwa decks in the past and have been really happy with them, so you might want to look at that site, they have some great prices and a good selection.

Just my .02 - Chris

 

[Sound_Man]

This may sound a little odd but here goes.

I am looking for a head unit that has a video screen that pulls out. That isn't a big deal but I need one that comes out and then goes down not up out of the head unit. In the older XJ's like mine the head unit is recesed under the dash about 3 inches and one that goes up would be pointed at the shifter.
I also need a video in on the head unit for my GPS/laptop/pda/on-board pc, a generic video in or s-video in would work. I have seen some people mod out a lcd display into their console but I really don't want to go that route if I dont have to. I have looked at the ones that mount in a headliner and I know that with the way I hit the trails it would hit my head.
If anyone knows of a unit like this please let me know.

 

[jps4jeep]

As far as I know, no such head unit exhists, they are all flip up units. another idea which would be a bit more inexpensive in the long run, and I have done this. You can buy "naked" 5" LCD screans for a little over $80, fiberglass them into your rear view visors. they only have three wires, ignition, ground, video in. Put a deck into your dash that has the option of audio in. I know any kenwood and pioneer that can recieve a IP bus input from a cd changer or XM reciever can accept a apadter that is a audio input.

The beauty is that the screan is right in front of your face, when you done, flip up the visor and they are out of the way!!