Need info on car stereos

Chicken Man

Chicken Man

Kick Henry Jackassowski
I'm car shopping to replace an over 10yo hatchback. It dawned on me while test driving that cars don't really have stereos anymore--just touch screens. My current car has both a touch screen and a CD player, and losing the CD player will be devastating to me. Streaming is incompatible with my obsessiveness.
I don't think I could actually get a new stereo with a CD player put in, given everything else the screen controls. Is there an equivalent to the old tape converter you'd plug a discman into? Something that pairs via blue tooth?
 
You'll have at least one available USB connector in the new vehicle, so you can hard connect a CD player to the car stereo with a USB cable and select that input on the screen...


...or you can get one that connects via BlueTooth but the USB would be a better choice...


I have my whole collection digitized and load lengthy playlists onto USB thumb drives and play through them...a 16GB drive lasts me weeks...
 
The thumb drive wouldn't work, as most of my new music listening is library CDs, but I totally forgot about the USB. I have two in my 2015 current ride--i couldn't get my phone to work through it, but I never really messed with it as the Bluetooth was good enough. I'm sure that'll work.
 
Switching to streaming with a voice assistant sounds awful but once you get used to it it’s amazing. I can just tell Siri to play anything, and it usually does it, without me even having to look away from the road. Unless the volume is up so high that I have to pause the music so Siri can actually hear me. And I can create playlists without burning CDs. Which is handy for playing whatever songs The Boy is learning lyrics to on the way to and from school.
 
jp_nyc said:
Switching to streaming with a voice assistant sounds awful but once you get used to it it’s amazing. I can just tell Siri to play anything, and it usually does it, without me even having to look away from the road. Unless the volume is up so high that I have to pause the music so Siri can actually hear me. And I can create playlists without burning CDs. Which is handy for playing whatever songs The Boy is learning lyrics to on the way to and from school.
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My obsessiveness and a bottomless catalog just means I endlessly search for the next thing and never actually listen to anything. It's annoying and unsatisfying at home, life threatening behind the wheel. I need blinders.
 
Chicken Man said:
My obsessiveness and a bottomless catalog just means I endlessly search for the next thing and never actually listen to anything. It's annoying and unsatisfying at home, life threatening behind the wheel. I need blinders.
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I think you and I are fairly similar. I’ve learned to really enjoy streaming for discovering new stuff though. I don’t use all the functions available though. The secret for me is to intentionally limit the capabilities and focus on full albums instead of one song after another.

Typical process for me to discover something new is to do a playlist based off a song I like and let that go until something peaks my interest. Once it does switch over to that album and listen to the whole thing. I’ve discovered lots of cool new to me stuff tha way.

I do miss having a cd player in my car though, because that was almost exclusively used for other bands that I traded cds with. I still press cds and sell them. I’m not convinced that people even listen to them.
 
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I don’t miss 8 track players in autos. I don’t miss car cassette decks. I don’t miss in dash CD players, or multi-disc players in the middle console, nor tucked under the seat. I went through my satellite radio period for a few years. I don’t miss that either.

I love playing music from my smartphone via Bluetooth through an auto sound system. As soon as I start my vehicle with my phone in my pocket, the music starts playing where it last left off. I press a button on the steering wheel, and via voice command, I request a specific album, or a certain artist. Sometimes, I let the algorithms feed me music it thinks I might like. I can press the touch screen, or buttons on the steering wheel, to skip, pause, rewind, or accomplish the same thing via voice command. Album art and titles show up on the vehicle screen.

No CD player overheating on a hot day. No scratches that the laser can’t read through. No distracted driving while I fumble through my CD case for different music.

I enjoy playing tapes, vinyl and CD’s at home from time to time. There’s a certain nostalgia factor. But, smartphone music is the best thing to happen to auto sound.
 
Stuff like this is why my next "new" car is going to be older than I am. I'm cool plugging in a USB thumb drive with an assortment of songs, but I do miss having a functional CD player in the car (the one in my 2009 CRV is, umm, less than reliable lately). I see nothing wrong with having the ability to play physical media as well as stream via bluetooth or play from USB. Hell, my new laptop doesn't even have a cd/dvd drive, so I have to buy an external drive to get my most recent physical media purchases into my library as it is.

What are we going to do when the internet really and truly goes to shit?
 
Punchy said:
Stuff like this is why my next "new" car is going to be older than I am. I'm cool plugging in a USB thumb drive with an assortment of songs, but I do miss having a functional CD player in the car (the one in my 2009 CRV is, umm, less than reliable lately). I see nothing wrong with having the ability to play physical media as well as stream via bluetooth or play from USB. Hell, my new laptop doesn't even have a cd/dvd drive, so I have to buy an external drive to get my most recent physical media purchases into my library as it is.

What are we going to do when the internet really and truly goes to shit?
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My work van has an am/fm cd player. Also has a usb thing I never use. But my dream van or car would have that plus a seat I can put in the upright position without the headrest pushing my chin into my chest. They just don't make em like they used to.
 
In our old van, we just ripped out the broken old built in radio, replaced it with a wooden panel we made with a slot for a small bluetooth speaker and hooked up a USB thingy to power it.

Having a cd player would be cool, but this is way more convenient, especially on holidays.
 
If you want individual CDs without a CD player, do this:
1. Rip your CD collection to high bit rate MP3 or WAV files
2. Buy a bunch of cheap USB thumb drives.
3. Copy each CD onto its own thumb drive.
4. Enjoy.
 
When my cars lost their cd players I started listing to albums on Apple music. Not a physical cd but it plays my albums just the same without interruption.
 
I have Sirius radio. It's okay. I like it for the sports coverage. They list the score on the display. Most of the time, I have an AM sports talk station on. I miss the in-dash, 5 cd player. I have no music library on my phone.
 
When I want to listen to music I use a flash drive loaded with wave and flac files that I play through the AudioWagon app on my car. The sound quality of those files is superior to any mp3 or "over the air" music.
 
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@Chicken Man

There are a few portable CD players that feature a Bluetooth Transmitter (TX) capability. This will allow you to pair the CD player with a modern automobile Bluetooth audio system. Don’t assume that any portable CD player with a Bluetooth feature will transmit (TX) in Bluetooth because most of them will only receive a Bluetooth signal.

There are also CD players that will transmit a low level FM signal. They typically allow you to adjust the transmitter frequency to find a spot that doesn’t interfere with FM radio stations. I used a similar technology with a device that plugged into the cigarette lighter in an old work truck which allowed me to pair my smartphone via Bluetooth and play audio through the FM radio. The sound quality is not great, but it was better than nothing. That type of tech will work with any Auto FM radio, but it’s aimed at older vehicles that don’t have Bluetooth or an Aux Input.

There are also Bluetooth transmitter devices that will convert a typical headphone jack output from a portable CD player and then transmit the audio as Bluetooth which can be paired with a modern Bluetooth car audio system.

Here is one option $159 (portable CD transmits Bluetooth audio)….

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Walmart carries this affordable model which transmits FM signal (Not sure if it transmits Bluetooth)…

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This device will plug into a mini headphone jack from any portable CD player and transmit the signal as Bluetooth which can be paired with an automobile Bluetooth audio system….

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@Chicken Man

If you go to a store that sells car stereos, they will have CD players that can be installed somewhere, in dash, under dash, in glove box, or under the seat.

Where I live it would be Drive In Autosound, Car Toys, or Best Buy. You are probably looking at a minimum of $250 installed. Best Buy claims to have some install as cheap as $99.

Here is one example from Best Buy (Pioneer single CD player $149 + install)…..

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