CD players for car

TheDuke

Hi guys,

I dunno if this is the right place for the question but I’m sure some one will let me know if not….

I am looking to put a CD player into my car (VB Passat 99) and was wondering if there is anything I need to keep a look out for. I listen to allot of R&B, gangsta rap, as well as metal… allot of stuff with a heavy base…

I want to spend as little a possible (obviously )…

What is a good buy and where would I look for it and what sort if questions do I need to ask myself (a total novice in this field… for those that haven’t guessed yet )

Thanks in advance for any advice,

The Duke : ))

Eurorunner

If you are serious about your sounds this may not be the right option for me but if your a cheapskate like me you could do the following:

pickup a cheap cd-rw mp3 player/walkman...(i picked one up for 50 euro) then get one of those little convert kits from argos...its a tape you put into your standard cassette stereo with a cable that connects to the portable player.
Costs about 10 euro.

and then you can play cds, burn mp3s to disk and play em, etc.


Its the ghetto way of doing things and its not for the 'sounds purest'.

TheDuke

I thought about that option as I am "a tight sheit"... but it's just the mess of having the portable CD player swaying around the gear stick that put me off the idea.

I'm not a total sound freak... the only think I can't stand is if the base is thin/crap... me bones need to vibrate... I think I damaged so much of my hearing through hears of abuse from Metalica, Mega death, etc.... that the only way I can actually hear anything is through scull bone vibration

The Duke : ))

mooman_00

if you want good (bone shaking)base then you need to get good speakers and maybe even an sub. Then you'll have to get an amp and a head unit that can take 4+ channels.

however if you want to avoid spending quite a lot of money and effort, buying and installing all of the above, and your not arsed about sound quality/ build quality/ bass or functionality. Then i suggest going to one of those european wholesaler type crowds who, either have a topbrandalike( somy or something just as imiginative) cheapo product, or they have their own brand cheapo product.

Col_Loki

Believe it or not Argos have some really good prices on all the car sterio's, the fitting part isint going to be a problem for you - have a golf 99 myself and its just a matter of pluggin out 3 wires and then slappin them into the new system (the Vw's have standard ISO connectors - sony etc either have ISO conn's or come with an adapter to suit ).

Sony have some pretty well prices systems and their 4x50w rating is pretty decent. Is there only front speakers fitted in your car (there pretty crap)? there should be a space in the doors for rear speakers & AFAIK they have the wires pretty much there ready for connection. 2 new rear speakers & a decent output head unit and it should make a big difference.

Best of luck, LOKI

TheDuke

I dunno... good question - I've got two in the front doors - I'll need to do a crawl arround and see... the sound is quite good though...

mooman_00, that sounds like way too much work and money... I'll start simple - getting CD into the car will be enough of a leap to keep me smiling for a bit...

So, take something standard off the shelf... smack it in... and no more fuss... I'll go for that.

Any tips on managing the CD mess in the car... anything I have a rented car with a CD player the passanger seat becomes a strorage facility...

The Duke : ))

Kali

probably better off in Motors.. moved.

Quigs Snr

http://www.incarexpress.co.uk/focus.php3?partno=CQRDP383


166 Euro including delivery to Ireland. Plays MP3/WMA and CD. 4X50W output.Good for the price.

Have ordered one myself.

TheDuke

that does look good .... and what a price....

50w output seems quite good.

The Duke : ))

Turner

To get delivery to Ireland did you have to ring them up ?? Thats about 35 Euro cheaper than you will get it in ireland btw.

Quigs Snr

You don't have to call them, just email sales, they will get back to you straight away. I mailed them twice and they responded within an hour both times.

When you order it will force you to put down the country as UK, but just stick Ireland in there in the address a couple of times and email sales to let them know you're ordering and they'll look out for it. Mine was dispatched within an hour of ordering. Don't have it yet though because it's royal mail, not a courier, takes 5-7 days apparently.

If you wanted to pick it up in Dublin, I think Louie (thats his user name) from Besecure2000.ie does them for 206 Euro.

sirlinux

Argos also do them for 200 even (500/3772), they are a great radio had one now for a few months, mp3/wma playback is perfect no gaps or anything just takes a few seconds to load the disc. The RDS tuner is also spot on you rarely hear the changeover. It's a damn good radio, it has pre-outs to, the sound of it is excellent.

Turner

Argos it is for me so.

TheDuke

why Argos if its cheaper form the other spot?

The Duke : ))

sirlinux

Bet you it's to get it working tonight!!

Turner

Its cheaper from england... Argos is like 2 mins drive away.

whosurpaddy

from argos...its a tape you put into your standard cassette stereo with a cable that connects to the portable player.

if the tape deck in the car is a bit dodgy with audio tapes (it makes them change sides every couple of minutes) will that still work? The deck is probably just dusty but if its banjaxed just wondering if there's any point in buying one.

And are there ones that you just plug straight into the cigarette lighter or do they all hook up by a tape?

Quigs Snr

My stereo arrived this morning.

It doesn't fit direct into the Volvo, the connections are completley different. I wonder would I be better off calling the main dealer, or the local stero shop for a harness adapter. ANy idea's ?

sceptre

Originally posted by whosurpaddy
if the tape deck in the car is a bit dodgy with audio tapes (it makes them change sides every couple of minutes) will that still work? The deck is probably just dusty but if its banjaxed just wondering if there's any point in buying one.

Won't work if it changes sides every few minutes - the device essentially pretends to be a tape with only one side so it'll be cutting out on you.

And are there ones that you just plug straight into the cigarette lighter or do they all hook up by a tape?

Lighter socket supplies power only. it's not connected to the sound system in any way so that's a non-starter.

The_Bullman

I am also thinking of going for this panasonic cd player.

I have noticed thought that it is two different models that you are discussing. The argos one is the Panasonic CQRDP388 MP3 CD/Radio, while the other is the Panasonic CQ-RDP383 MP3/WMA CD Tuner.

Small difference but the argos one has got 4 x 22watt RMS, and the incarexpress one has 4 x 50w Max.

I am thinking of putting this into a Rover 400 and connecting it to the existing speakers. So, my question is will the difference in wattage in the speakers make much difference in the car? Is bigger better, or could I blow up my existing speakers..?

LoneGunM@n

I bought my system from Telas [greenhills industrial estate]. They used to do the fitting for Argos [not sure if they still do].

My system consists of:

Kenwood KDC - MP6090R [MP3 Headunit]
Kenwood KAC - 959 [800 watt 5 Channel Amp]
Kenwood KFC - 6907 [200 watt 6x9s]
Kenwood KFC - 1368s [110 watt]
Kenwood KFC - WS302 [750 watt subwoofer]

Cost me a bomb [€1,150.00]. He wanted a further €300 just to fit it. I told him to go fcuk!! It's still in my room [except the head unit which I fitted myself].

Any1 know of some1 who'll fix it reasonably??

sirlinux

That is actually a mistake in the argos catalogue it is the 383, there isnt a panasonic 388 as far as i can tell, i got mine in argos and it was a 383. I would be suprised if the speakers in your car werent rated as far as 50w, there is very little chance of you blowing the speakers anyway unless you plan to go full volume all the time.

Quigs Snr

Installed mine yesterday. Delighted with it. My car has standard Volvo speakers and they sound crisp and clear even at high volumes (much better than they did with the generic volvo stereo).

It was simple to fit, the MP3 playback is brilliant, and it has not skipped once despite the stiff suspension on my T4 and the crap country roads here. Best 166 Euro (including delivery !) I have spent this year !

Best of all, I ordered it at 5 O'Clock last friday and it arrived via SDS on wednesday morning, not bad considering the weekend has to be taken into account.