Any tips on what I should be looking for? When I last looked at these in 2006, they were upwards of £300+ but now they're a more respectable price.
I guess I need a head unit to replace my existing Renault-fit radio/cassette thing (linked to a CD unit in the boot, btw (which I never use now)). Are they pretty much universal?
I like the idea of it running from a USB stick so I don't have to piss about loading it from a laptop etc. Will song titles get read from the Windows file name or must the MP3s be ID3 tagged?
Budget is around £100 ish (don't want budget/cheap though i.e. a £29.99 Argos job) :o
:D
Most will allow you to choose whether to display the mp3 filename or from ID3 tags, my one best piece of advice would be just buy a decent brand and don't choose their bottom rung. You can sometimes find that the cheapies refuse to play high bitrate files like 320kbps well or have poor buffers which makes them prone to skipping.
Went to Halfords.com, clicked their first bargain link advertised:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_801713_langId_-1_categoryId_165474 (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_801713_langId_-1_categoryId_165474)
Job done IMO. Edit: ahh that one doesn't have USB. But you get the idea, Halfords always have offers on :)
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&cm_cr=No+Campaign-_-Web+Activity-_-C222732-_-PRODHOME_ESPOTCAROUSEL-_-Sony+CDX-GT35U+CD+Radio+with+MP3+%26+USB+Connectivity&productId=774697&msg=&langId=-1&catalogId=10151 (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&cm_cr=No+Campaign-_-Web+Activity-_-C222732-_-PRODHOME_ESPOTCAROUSEL-_-Sony+CDX-GT35U+CD+Radio+with+MP3+%26+USB+Connectivity&productId=774697&msg=&langId=-1&catalogId=10151)
This is the same or next model up from one I had, Ronseal performance
Cheers - that Sony was one of the ones I was looking at. :thumbup:
FWIW, I currently mount my iPhone to a holder on the dash then plug that in via a cassette adaptor. :o A bit "steampunk" but it works. Sound quality can't be all that good though...
Cheers. :)
I used to have one of those casette adapters, they are horrible and really ruin the music quality. Best upgrade you could make!
not sure if this will help but i thought i would suggest what i have setup
My setup is quiet cheap and works well, i'll explain.
I bought like a cheap car radio that took headphone jack in front, cost me around 20-30 at the time, which you can get on ebay.
I use a program called audiogalaxy which streams over 3g, all my music over the web, but u do require to have your pc on at home all times, http://www.audiogalaxy.com/
I like this program because i dont have to upload or download any music onto my iphone and my collection of music is huge.
but you can also use this service which amazon offers, but you would need to stream the music
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=200593730
There is a another service you can use when it comes out in the UK, which is google music
http://music.google.com
Not sure we're ready for streaming music in the UK just yet, purely because of how expensive our mobile data tarrifs can be :o
I totally agree with muks (and welcome to the forums btw :ptu:) about getting a headunit with an Aux in. I bought a Pioneer MP3 CD headunit a few years ago and it'd still be brilliant if only I'd paid the bit extra for the 3.5mm jack in :/ I now find myself using a FM transmitter plugged in to the cigarette lighter and my mobile phone when I want to listen to something that I've not yet dropped onto a CD.
Welcome to the forums muks, that's a nifty suggestion there. Does the music quality not suffer what with having to be transmitted over 3G? I thought 3G was very low bandwidth
Quote from: muks on August 15, 2011, 14:33:43 PM
I use a program called audiogalaxy which streams over 3g, all my music over the web, but u do require to have your pc on at home all times, http://www.audiogalaxy.com/
I like this program because i dont have to upload or download any music onto my iphone and my collection of music is huge.
Hey - thats the same AudioGalaxy that pretty much took over from Napster way back in the early 2000's isn't it? They had a p2p client called the 'satellite' that used to just sit open and download from a list of stuff you asked it to. It used to auto resume and all sorts it was awesome until they got sued left right and center and had to start blocking copyrighted songs. I remember people starting changing the names of songs slightly to bypass the filter - 'Noasis' was a popular one :) Great little app that was.
EDIT:
(http://www.terra.com.br/informatica/fotos/audiogalaxy_grande.gif)
Anyone else remember this?
I remember that, it was good but a bit of a lottery too! If this is the successor to that then they've made the right move clearly, its going to be a big market I expect.
Thanks all. Will probably go for the Sony CDX-GT35U. I'm assuming they're pretty easy to fit, including the stalk controller thang [sold separately]?
I note on the Halfords site, there's a Multistalk adapter for Renault (4.99) then a Multistalk adaptor for Sony (£29.99)... :o Which The F*Ck?!
;D
You will need to get both, one part is for the car, and then the other bit for the headunit, and they plug together, this is assuming you already have a stalk in the car. If you need an actual stalk (sold separately) then I don't think Halfords sell them and they will be much more expensive
You'll also need to make sure your current radio is the standard 1 din size (you should be able to tell by looking at it) otherwise you will need to buy a facia.
And you'll need to get an adapter for renault wiring to standard ISO... however if you have an after market radio already in there then I expect it will already have this.
Ah, fek that then. Too 'spensive. :( I'll stick to the iPhone solution. :)
Cheers.
I expect you only need the head unit and ISO adapter (if you just ignore the whole stalk idea?)
ISO cable adapter will be no more than a tenner
Yes, I already have the stalk (Renault fit) - so, just the adapter then?
I Still think that these are a really good deal, one gets a lot of sound for a low price.
http://alatest.co.nz/reviews/car-cd-mp3-player-reviews/c3-136/?brand=DENVER (the 420) I have the 415 and am really pleased with it
but the 420 gets a better rating !!!
I put a CDX-GT25 in my Clio yesterday, but it doesn't have the option to connect the stalk to it.
Quote from: soopahfly on August 16, 2011, 13:14:54 PM
I put a CDX-GT25 in my Clio yesterday, but it doesn't have the option to connect the stalk to it.
It says you can if you get the 4S adapter, however who know WTF that is, sony seem to be quite secretive about what it is!
Went for this bad boy in the end:
Pioneer DEH-4300UB (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_807505_langId_-1_categoryId_165474)
...but the f**ktards at halfords gave me the wrong leads/looms etc. Even the aerial cable didn't fit. :disappointed:
So, free fitting on Thursday it is, then!!! :cheers:
...or a complete refund; up to them.
Nice how much did the lot set you back and are they installing the stalk adapter as well?
It was £109 plus £20-odd for the looms. The clincher on this model was that I can change the LED colours to suit the dash (orange)! :thumbup: That and it's Pioneer and slightly more powerful than the Sony one.
I bought leads for the whole shebang so they'd better fit it on Thursday or it's refund time - and I'll go to a specialist. I'm hoping the aerial has an adaptor available. Don't mind paying for that too but the buggers are fitting it free or else...
:D
I can't see that cost including the stalk adapter though? The aerial is literally a plug, also did you not need a facia so it would fit in the dash?
This one is everything apart form the stalk/harness adapter.. and I think that's another 40 quid ish for both parts?
http://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/renault-megane-coupe-grey-stereo-fitting-with-sony-cdmp3usb-player-p-24268.html (http://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/renault-megane-coupe-grey-stereo-fitting-with-sony-cdmp3usb-player-p-24268.html)
I've got a Pioneer a model or so below that at the moment, it's a lovely unit but the jog dial isn't as nice to use as Sony's offering. Other than that though, it's a bit better in all other respects! Yours should be arse kicking.
Also you might find your ISO block from your previous one carries straight across? I used to know about the wires and plugs and then forgot it all, I've asked knighty to change my head units over the last couple of times I've needed it doing :ptu:
I did get electrocuted hacking out the old aerial from the BMW for my Skoda, that was fun ;D
Quote from: XEntity on August 16, 2011, 21:06:53 PM
I can't see that cost including the stalk adapter though?
Well, that's what they provided. Just the wrong fittings.
QuoteThe aerial is literally a plug, also did you not need a facia so it would fit in the dash?
Evidently, will need an adaptor for that, too.
No biggie - just annoying. It's like visiting PC World... I shouldn't have been surprised. :disappointed:
Quote from: Clock'd 0Ne on August 16, 2011, 21:09:13 PM
Also you might find your ISO block from your previous one carries straight across?
The 'big block' fitted ok (to the adaptor supplied with the unit) but there were two 'spare' blocks (blue and yellow, FWIW) from the car now just floating around redundant... I just boxed everything back up as it was clear it wasn't going to work!
Switched to plan B (read the instructions) and it all fitted together nicely. It even worked, too! :-[ :-[ :-[
The structions said to ignore the 'spare ISO blocks'. Ahem. Oh well. RTFM strikes again! Sorry Halfords.
not.
One other problem I encountered was that the unit lost all its settings every time it was turned off. A quick Google revealed that if I switched round the 'red and yellow' wires, it would be permanently powered. Yes, the red and yellow wires - how stupid of me not to know that! ::)
I'm now looking for a good ID3 renaming software - one that'll populate the ID3 tags from the Windows files name (not all of my files have ID3 tags).
Any suggestions?
Thanks for the help so far. :thumbup:
Quote from: Eagle on August 17, 2011, 21:30:03 PM
Yes, the red and yellow wires - how stupid of me not to know that!
I'm surprised that wasn't mentioned TBH, and I'm also surprised on how many cars they need swapping, why dont the just make the block correct in the first place!?!
Weird, innit? Why would anyone want to set the thing up every time!
Very happy with it, by the way. Learning curve a little steep but I'll get the hang of it. Must be an option somewhere to read the windows file names instead of the ID3...
Not really noticing a massive difference in sound quality vs that cassete adaptor I had - but mind you; my MP3s are only encoded at 128k! :o ;D
I'd expect you to notice the difference between a cassette adapter VS 128k MP3, that bit rate is still pretty good TBH..
Maybe you need some new speakers :P
Glad the players working well though, control stalk ok as well?
Fair one; I'm probably 'subconsciously' deliberately not hearing the difference because I don't want to believe I used a cassette adaptor for 10 years! :-[ :o
And I've maybe just been too busy pissin' around with the controls to notice! It'll happen. :muttley:
Stalk's working just fine, cheers. :thumbup:
Cool turned out to be quite a bargain then.... also do you have music on your iPhone?
Would you not be better just linking your iphone, you can still use the headunit to control it?
I think you can just plug it in via USB, or at least you can on the Kenwood?
That was really what I was trying to avoid - every time I got in the car it was:
• Take iphone out of pocket
• Take iPhone out of case
• Place iPhone in dash holder
• Plug in cable
• Turn on iPhone
• Switch input source
• 'Slide to unlock'
• Tap iPod app
• navigate....
You get the idea. Now I just plug in a USB stick and voila! :D
lol I see what you mean, but you wouldn't have to do half that though, all you would need to do is plug the iphone in, the rest you should be able to do from the headunit?
If you didn't even want to take it out of your pocket, you should have got a bluetooth headunit :P heheh!
Hahah, no worries. Happy bunny for now. :)
Quote from: Eagle on August 17, 2011, 22:43:33 PM
Weird, innit? Why would anyone want to set the thing up every time!
Very happy with it, by the way. Learning curve a little steep but I'll get the hang of it. Must be an option somewhere to read the windows file names instead of the ID3...
Not really noticing a massive difference in sound quality vs that cassete adaptor I had - but mind you; my MP3s are only encoded at 128k! :o ;D
On my Pioneer you just press the 'disp' button a few times and it changes between filename/ID3/whatever but yours is new fangled and doesn't seem to have such a button from the photo. RTFM again?
As for tagging software, I use Tag&Rename (http://www.softpointer.com/tr.htm) and have meticulously tagged/renamed most of music collection with it (about 140Gb). It's
that good. :thumbup:
Cheers. Beena fiddlin' with WinAmp and it seems to do a good job of renaming. :thumbup:
Bluetooh Head Units are not cheap but the one I got is USB for now so doing the doc thing at the moment but it has a bluetooth socket at the back and you can buy the adapter seperate when you want that.
I have heard a lot about the quality of the old bluetooth being fair to crap for most in car products though.
if you use bluetooth, you better plug your phone/car charger in too.... bluetooth kills the battery pretty quick !
Your not wrong about the bluetooth quality, I don't think it's specific to car audio, it just wasn't designed for hifi audio.
But it's not that bad though, my house mate uses the bluetooth in his car for music, I just use it for the phone stuff and USB for audio
Update: Currently lovin' the new set up so thanks again for all y'alls advices. :thumbup:
Quote from: Eagle on August 17, 2011, 22:43:33 PM
Weird, innit? Why would anyone want to set the thing up every time!
Very happy with it, by the way. Learning curve a little steep but I'll get the hang of it. Must be an option somewhere to read the windows file names instead of the ID3...
Not really noticing a massive difference in sound quality vs that cassete adaptor I had - but mind you; my MP3s are only encoded at 128k! :o ;D
I am running my MP3s at 320 cbr on my cheepo Denver (I am using SD) wonder wich sounds best your more expensive setup with 128 cbr MP3s or mine :)