Good USB CD player?

[ZDan]

About to go on a road trip, wanna be able to play CDs...
Curious if anyone has a recommendation for a good reasonably-priced USB CD player. TIA!

[steved]

Can you rip the CDs to a USB key? Seems the head unit supports lossless compression codecs: www.gr86. org/threads/music-in-the-22-brz.1733/

[FR-S2GT86]

Originally Posted by ZDan

About to go on a road trip, wanna be able to play CDs...
Curious if anyone has a recommendation for a good reasonably-priced USB CD player. TIA!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09F6...b_b_asin_title




Not sure exactly what you're meaning by USB, but this one has an internal battery that is charged via USB, and it can either transmit it's signal via Bluetooth or you can connect it to the head unit via the AUX input.

However, it does NOT transmit it's signal through the USB port....and personally I have never heard of any CD player that can.

The quality is fair for a Chinese brand that you get on Amazon.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by FR-S2GT86

Not sure exactly what you're meaning by USB, but this one has an internal battery that is charged via USB, and it can either transmit it's signal via Bluetooth or you can connect it to the head unit via the AUX input.

However, it does NOT transmit it's signal through the USB port....and personally I have never heard of any CD player that can.

The quality is fair for a Chinese brand that you get on Amazon.

Seems like USB is preferred, I am finding some that transmit audio via USB.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-GxfaH6...ic-player.html
Aux vs USB inputs
It would seem that auxiliary and USB inputs should deliver the same quality of sound, but frequently, they don't. One reason is the difference between the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in your stereo compared to the converter in your music player. When you use your music player's headphone jack to connect to your stereo that means you're using the music player's DAC.

Unless you're using a high-resolution portable audio player or an add-on DAC for your phone, the DAC in the stereo is going to be superior to the one in the music player because car stereos have the power required for bigger, better sound over car speakers, so the DAC has to be able to reproduce a high-quality signal. Smartphones and older portable music players on the other hand, like the iPod®, were originally designed only to make small earphones sound pretty good.

[FR-S2GT86]

Originally Posted by ZDan

Seems like USB is preferred, I am finding some that transmit audio via USB.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-GxfaH6...ic-player.html
Aux vs USB inputs
It would seem that auxiliary and USB inputs should deliver the same quality of sound, but frequently, they don't. One reason is the difference between the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in your stereo compared to the converter in your music player. When you use your music player's headphone jack to connect to your stereo that means you're using the music player's DAC.

Unless you're using a high-resolution portable audio player or an add-on DAC for your phone, the DAC in the stereo is going to be superior to the one in the music player because car stereos have the power required for bigger, better sound over car speakers, so the DAC has to be able to reproduce a high-quality signal. Smartphones and older portable music players on the other hand, like the iPod®, were originally designed only to make small earphones sound pretty good.

I'm confused. The Crutchfield article that you linked is about aftermarket head units that can receive Bluetooth or have a USB port built in. Are you looking for an aftermarket head unit to replace your factory head unit or a portable CD player like I linked in my previous post? Have you found any portable CD players that can connect the signal via USB? If you have, can you post a link?

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by FR-S2GT86

I'm confused. The Crutchfield article that you linked is about aftermarket head units that can receive Bluetooth or have a USB port built in. Are you looking for an aftermarket head unit to replace your factory head unit or a portable CD player like I linked in my previous post? Have you found any portable CD players that can connect the signal via USB? If you have, can you post a link?

It's about playing music from other devices, not aftermarket head units. From Crutchfield link:
In this article, we'll discuss the best options for playing music from your phone or other device in the car. Hint: USB connection provides the best sound while Bluetooth streaming is the most convenient. Get the details below.

Here's a link to a CD player that uses USB:
https://www.amazon.com/CD-DVD-Player...29&sr=1-5&th=1

[FR-S2GT86]

As an alternative, manufacturers are also making android-powered tablets with built-in DVD players now. I have one but I find the transition to the DVD app very slow. I haven't tried a regular CD in the drive yet, it may be quicker to respond. You may be able to use Android Auto with one of these players and link it to the head unit to get WiFi-quality sound, which is even better than a Bluetooth connection. Does your head unit support Android Auto?

[OkieSnuffBox]

Interesting question. Never even thought about it. I've had Spotify Premium for as long as it's been available. Great to be able to download massive, multiple playlists and be able to play them without using data.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by FR-S2GT86

As an alternative, manufacturers are also making android-powered tablets with built-in DVD players now. I have one but I find the transition to the DVD app very slow. I haven't tried a regular CD in the drive yet, it may be quicker to respond. You may be able to use Android Auto with one of these players and link it to the head unit to get WiFi-quality sound, which is even better than a Bluetooth connection. Does your head unit support Android Auto?

Apple Car Play and Android Auto are standard in '22+ I believe..

[FR-S2GT86]

Originally Posted by ZDan

It's about playing music from other devices, not aftermarket head units. From Crutchfield link:
In this article, we'll discuss the best options for playing music from your phone or other device in the car. Hint: USB connection provides the best sound while Bluetooth streaming is the most convenient. Get the details below.

Here's a link to a CD player that uses USB:
https://www.amazon.com/CD-DVD-Player...29&sr=1-5&th=1

Interesting, that is considered an external CD/DVD drive, not a portable player like I was describing. According to the description, as long as your head unit can play WAV files it may work. Do you know if the head unit in your car can play WAV files?

One thing you should make sure of though is that the unit has an internal battery that does not attempt to charge at the same time it's trying to send a music signal. Most head units can do one or the other, but not both at the same time. Especially while trying to spin a drive motor. It depends on the current capacity of the USB port.

You may luck out though. Is your head unit factory or aftermarket?

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by FR-S2GT86

Interesting, that is considered an external CD/DVD drive, not a portable player like I was describing. According to the description, as long as your head unit can play WAV files it may work. Do you know if the head unit in your car can play WAV files?

One thing you should make sure of though is that the unit has an internal battery that does not attempt to charge at the same time it's trying to send a music signal. Most head units can do one or the other, but not both at the same time. Especially while trying to spin a drive motor. It depends on the current capacity of the USB port.

You may luck out though. Is your head unit factory or aftermarket?

Factory '23 BRZ, just bought the car last Thursday!

[FR-S2GT86]

Originally Posted by ZDan

Factory '23 BRZ, just bought the car last Thursday!

I couldn't find any questions/answers to whether it would work on a 2nd gen BRZ or GR86. You may want to contact the manufacturers' tech support before ordering. You'll probably get the general response that I was seeing in the Q/A section, but it does look promising.

I might even order one for my old lady's RAV4.

[Racecomp Engineering]

What's a CD?






jk

- Andrew

[tiger1964]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

What's a CD?

Hey, at least I finally threw away my 8-track tapes!

...and my cassettes, and my reel-to-reel tapes, and my movies on Betamax, and on VHS; I have a long history of being behind the curve and loading up on content in technologies that become obsolete. I'm hanging on the CD as long as I can.

We'll probably turn to Crutchfield (been buying from them of, hmm, 40 years?) and get a quality unit and whatever it takes to get hooked up.