Car CD Player - need suggestions

chepsk8 · Jan 6, 2006

Putting in a very specific radio in the Cobra. I am getting a hidden audio system from Jay, which has Tuner & amp, and making custom speakers for the seats like a Miata. Radio is in the trunk.

I am looking for just a CD player I can lay on the front seat that transmits the output signal on a FM frequency. Power is no issue, I have terminals by the seat. I cannot use a permanent CD player, as the car has competition suspension, and would kill any mounted CD player quickly, and all I would hear is skips anyway. At least by keeping it on a seat, with a towel or pad under, it has a chance of playing.

Any ideas?

65up2d8 · Jan 6, 2006

chepsk8 said:
Putting in a very specific radio in the Cobra. I am getting a hidden audio system from Jay, which has Tuner & amp, and making custom speakers for the seats like a Miata. Radio is in the trunk.

I am looking for just a CD player I can lay on the front seat that transmits the output signal on a FM frequency. Power is no issue, I have terminals by the seat. I cannot use a permanent CD player, as the car has competition suspension, and would kill any mounted CD player quickly, and all I would hear is skips anyway. At least by keeping it on a seat, with a towel or pad under, it has a chance of playing.

Any ideas?

The only RF CD players I'm aware of are CD changers. I can't believe, however, that your car rides so rough that a mounted CD player wouldn't work. I'd have believed that 10-15 years ago when CD players hadn't been around that long because the first ones did skip badly, but in my experience, a quality new CD player should not skip unless you're jumping that thing like the friggin Dukes of Hazzard!
If you're convinced a CD player won't work, though, I'd suggest you just buy yourself a nice Ipod, which will not skip and will work on a RF signal. The Ipod also has the added bonus of not having to fumble around with CD's while you're launching the Cobra over a barn and reaching for your Dixie horn button!!!

1320stang · Jan 6, 2006

Well, if the unit had inputs on it, I'd think you could use any portable CD player with it. I know of no CD players that transmit an FM signal

krash kendall · Jan 6, 2006

1320stang said:
Well, if the unit had inputs on it, I'd think you could use any portable CD player with it. I know of no CD players that transmit an FM signal

Otherwise I'm sure they would have done away those crappy cassette adaptors that have the cord running out of the front of your deck into your diskman headphone jack long ago. That and the power cord to the cig lighter really clutter up the front seat.

I too, think an Ipod with a dock would be the way to go for the 20th century.

chepsk8 · Jan 6, 2006

The reason I am afraid of the bouncing is that everything will be mounted on the frame directly above the rear suspension. The car rides like a tank, and you feel every bump. I would think it would kill a CD player.

I have considered the Ipod idea, but still am leaning to CD's still. I would use a changer, no problem there. Know of one?

The unit may have RCA jacks, but not sure.

krash kendall · Jan 6, 2006

If the radio and amp are in the trunk, how are you going to control it? I would think you are going to need a head unit, most of which have RCAs on the back.

chepsk8 · Jan 6, 2006

The unit has both a remote panel and a hand-held remote.

Here's the unit - http://www.customautosound.com/SecretAudio.htm

krash kendall · Jan 6, 2006

It says you can get a 15' cable to the CD changer. I'll bet it terminates at one end or the other with RCAs or a phono jack. I'm not saying to get that cord though, as it is long enough to wrap around your car twice! I'm sure when you recieve it you will find inputs on it.

65up2d8 · Jan 6, 2006

The problem I see with a portable CD player hooked up to your RCA's is that portable CD players don't normally have as much anti-skip technology as automotive CD players. You should be able to use an automotive CD changer unmounted with the remote if it is a wire type remote. I don't think a wireless remote would work with the head unit being in the trunk. Pioneer, Kenwood, etc. all make CD changers that are RF compatible. Look at Crutchfield or your local Best Buy, etc.
I don't know how familiar you are with Ipod's, but that still gets my vote. You can get models that hold over 10,000 songs for probably about the same price of the changer, and you don't have to worry about scratched and broken CD's. Not to mention, you can also use it in your house or carry it with you anywhere. Just my $.02.

1320stang · Jan 6, 2006

Man, I've heard lots of bad stuff about Custom Autosound's head units. Any other options?

krash kendall · Jan 6, 2006

Actually 65up2d8, my RCA unit came as an automotive kit with all the cords and everything. Besides, I've seen people jogging with these things in the park, that's what they are meant for. The cheap drug store variety on the other hand will never put up that though, but cheap ain't good and good ain't cheap (except for chepsk8!).

Platonic Solid · Jan 6, 2006

Skip the iPod and forget the CD player. Check this MP3 player out. I Just got one last week. Haven't installed it yet, but it's essentially a 20Gig hard-drive. You can plug the removable drive into your PC via USB or (here's the really geeky cool part) you can send your MP3 files to the hard-drive wirelessly via WiFi. Plus it comes with a unit to attach to your home stereo too, so you can wirelessly play MP3s and WMAs on your stereo from your PC. The only extra thing you have to get is a WiFi card for your PC.

zookeeper · Jan 6, 2006

Personally, I would just buy a nasty motor, loud, unmuffled side exhaust and forget the CD player! Isn't that what Cobras are supposed to sound like?

65up2d8 · Jan 7, 2006

Platonic Solid said:
Skip the iPod and forget the CD player. Check this MP3 player out. I Just got one last week. Haven't installed it yet, but it's essentially a 20Gig hard-drive. You can plug the removable drive into your PC via USB or (here's the really geeky cool part) you can send your MP3 files to the hard-drive wirelessly via WiFi. Plus it comes with a unit to attach to your home stereo too, so you can wirelessly play MP3s and WMAs on your stereo from your PC. The only extra thing you have to get is a WiFi card for your PC.

Uh, an ipod is an MP3 player, the only difference being that its the most widely supported, most advanced MP3 player in the World today. It will do everything your MP3 player will do, only better.

65up2d8 · Jan 7, 2006

Rather than take the gutless way out with an edit, I would like to apologize to you Platonic. I guess I got a little overzealous without checking your link first. After further review, the Rockford MP3 unit is very cool and offers some unique features. It would likely serve Cheapsk8 well as I have always been pleased with the performance of Rockford Fosgate audio equipment.
However, even though I hate the monopoly Apple has in this field, I still think the ipod is the most highly supported and versatile product in this genre. I can provide examples if Cheapsk8 is interested in an MP3 player.

65up2d8 · Jan 7, 2006

zookeeper said:
Personally, I would just buy a nasty motor, loud, unmuffled side exhaust and forget the CD player! Isn't that what Cobras are supposed to sound like?

Hell, Zookeeper's right. Forget the permanently mounted ****nit or whatever and just get you a portable CD player or an ipod with headphones. Enjoy either devices during rest breaks, but the sweet sound of highly efficient valvetrain and open exhaust should be plenty entertaining in the interim.

bnickel · Jan 7, 2006

65up2d8 said:
The only RF CD players I'm aware of are CD changers. I can't believe, however, that your car rides so rough that a mounted CD player wouldn't work. I'd have believed that 10-15 years ago when CD players hadn't been around that long because the first ones did skip badly, but in my experience, a quality new CD player should not skip unless you're jumping that thing like the friggin Dukes of Hazzard!
If you're convinced a CD player won't work, though, I'd suggest you just buy yourself a nice Ipod, which will not skip and will work on a RF signal. The Ipod also has the added bonus of not having to fumble around with CD's while you're launching the Cobra over a barn and reaching for your Dixie horn button!!!

not sure about non skipping cd players. i drive a bone stock 93 jeep cherokee everyday and i have yet to find a cd player that doesn't skip when i hit a bump in this thing i've had a kenwood, sony and currently a pioneer in it and every damn one of them has skipped like a b***h. granted the suspension on my chero is 200,000 miles old and in need of springs front and rear but it's not near as harsh as my old mitsubishi pickup (yes, it was lowered) and i still have probs with it skipping

Platonic Solid · Jan 7, 2006

65up2d8

I have a portable CD player that plays MP3s, but was sick of the various wires all over the place. One for the tape adaptor - One for the control - One for the lighter power adaptor. I considered the iPod route, but it didn't fit my criteria of being permanently attached, (though they admittedly have some snazzy cradle adaptors). Plus, partly due to the iPod’s popularity, I knew I'd have to hide it whenever I left the car to avoid theft and possible damage to the car as a result. This led me to search for a HU (head unit) that could play MP3 CDs, but was sold on the price, large display, and (the completely unnecessary, but really cool) wireless interface of the Omnifi DMP1.

Route666 · Jan 7, 2006

65up2d8 said:
Uh, an ipod is an MP3 player, the only difference being that its the most widely supported, most advanced MP3 player in the World today. It will do everything your MP3 player will do, only better.

You should get an MP3 player without a HDD too, like the smaller ipods, as a HDD is similar to a CD, it has discs and reading heads, and under the same conditions that make a CD player skip, may not make the MP3 HDD skip, but can jolt the head hard enough to hit the disc and damage it or itself.

StangDreamin' · Jan 7, 2006

Route666 has it right; I was going to post the exact same response but he beat me to it. If you hit a pothole while listening to the Guess Who (or whomever); the jolt could easily crash the hard drive head into the disc platter, creating the computer equivalent of the Grand Canyon in the middle of the media

Yes, hard drives have changed over the years so that the read/write heads "park" in an area not over the "data" portion of the platter so they can't scratch it; but that's only when they're not in use! While you're grabbing 3rd gear in a corner and listening to your music, that hard drive is gonna be spining furiously away, with the head flying back and forth reading the digital data that gets converted to your tunes. So, you're listening to "American Woman" when you drop a wheel into a hole that might swallow a Volkswagen; and, instead of a nasty skip as a CD laser head wiggles around, youve got an HD read head going "SMACK!!!" against your HDD platter - that's a scratch boys and girls, and those are usually fatal to the drive.

Now Rockford-Fosgate does build some awfully good audio equipment, so they've probably got a very effective cushioning system for the hard drive; but is it good enough protection when the stiff suspension in Cobrask8 meets up with the mother of all potholes???

Car CD Player - need suggestions

chepsk8

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