Which MP3 player?

[fgaffney]

I'm currently looking at MP3 players for the car and can't decide whether to go for a motorised front panel model or standard model? I've narrowed it down to 2 units based on budget and asthetics, one is a standard looking head unit (Sony CDXF7500) and the other has the motorised head which hides all the operating buttons (Sony CDXM8800). I quite like the motorised model however I also like to be able to access the basic functions of the player quickly.

I was wondering if anyone has experience of using the motorised unit and can comment on how quick and easy it is to adjust volume and skip tracks etc? I take it this can only be done by the Remote Control when the front panel is closed? Is the RC a good way of operating the unit or does it become a pain after a while? Do you find yourself opening the panel to adjust settings regularly and is the large screen on the motorised unit worth it?

Prices on E-bay for the two units are pretty similar however I'd hate to go 'bling' with the motorised unit only to find it's a real pain in the back side to use!!!

 

[mercmanuk]

mp3

far better buying an ipod then using an itrip fm transmitter.that way you can store upto 10000 songs and its totally portable aswell

 

[C240Sport97]

but the quality of the sound from the iTrip is rubbish

far better buying an ipod then using an itrip fm transmitter.that way you can store upto 10000 songs and its totally portable aswell

 

[mercmanuk]

never had a problem with mine ,tune it into 88.4 fm

 

[mapleleaf]

never had a problem with mine ,tune it into 88.4 fm

thats radio 2 isnt it ? 88 to 91 fm . I had a problem with my first attempt at fitting a tv tuner - it used an fm modulator but it also clashed with radio 2 which was totally irritating.

does the itrip thingy phsically switch out the main Fm antenna to ensure a clean ipod signal into the head unit to overcome conflicting stations?

 

[Plodd]

Mp3/cd

I recently bought a Sony F5700. This plays MP3's burnt onto CD. Not as many tracks as the HDD players but I can fit around 150 tracks onto a CD.
I was looking at the ones with the motorised front panel but the major drawback is they dont have a removable front panel and could be a target.

 

[Aswall]

Alpine will start selling an adapter in Sept that will make their headunits fully compatible with the ipod, displaying track names, play lists etc on the screen

 

[Paul Grainger]

I had a Sony unit with a motorised front panel - the front panel was also removable on the unit for security. I suspect that all sony motorised front panel units have this feature.

I got rid of it though in favour of Comand, and have never looked back. I subsequently mounted a DVD player under the drivers seat, this also plays MP3's burnt onto a DVD-R. My entire MP3 collection doesn't come anywhere near filling a DVD! The good thing about this installation is that you get the track info displayed on the Comand screen.

Paul G

 

[Plodd]

My entire MP3 collection doesn't come anywhere near filling a DVD!
Paul G

You need some more tracks Paul.

At the last check my MP3 folder was well over 7gig

 

[fgaffney]

It has to be a dedicated in-car MP3 CD player for me...

The Mini-Ipod doesn't interest me at present as I already have a portable MP3 player which still serves me well and I wish I could afford to install Command but it's just silly money for me and simply not an option

In addition to my Hard Drive and DVD backups I have some 70 Gig's worth of MP3 files already backed up onto CD (I've been at this larky quite a while now!!!) so it makes sense for me to go for a car MP3 disc player. It's also easy enough to create future 'dedicated car MP3 discs' with 700mb or approx 10 hours worth of music per disc being ample storage for my MP3 motoring needs.

To be honest I'm purely wondering how the motorised head units perform??? I don't think the Sony motorised head is removable and that's a bit worrying for security reasons. I can also see it becoming a bit of a nuisance over time as I like to be able to reach over and 'spin' the volume control up or down rather than press a + or - button or hunt about for a remote control!!!

The more I think about it the more I'm being drawn to the 'standard looking' unit (CDXF7500). It's finished nicely in aluminium with a smart but not too glitzy screen and it shouldn't look out of place surrounded by my carbon fibre dash

I'd still like to hear anyone's experiences of using a motorised head though as I'm not yet 100% decided and won't be buying for another couple of weeks.

 

[bob mushroom]

been using my IPOD with an FM Transmitter and it works fine (87.9) - thought about getting dedicated but couldn't justify the cost and messing about burning discs etc.

I looked at the CDXF7500 and was impressed with the look, though it wasn't riggged for demo at that time so I don't know about performance.

Sorry I didn't ans question in full but thought I'd throw my 2p in

 

[Aswall]

I couldn't be bothered with transferring all my stuff onto several dvds, I only want one mp3 player and the iPod holds everything easily so the prospect of getting a cheap interface that will give full facilities and excellent sound quality has finally encouraged me to ditch the awful MB stereo and get an Alpine. I had also been waiting to see what to replace my car with but I am hanging on to it until I get my Boxster GTS coupe next year, I'm number 2 on my dealers list and hopeful for a May 05 delivery.

By the way I wouldn't touch Sony stuff with a bargepole (except for PS2 ) Generally overpriced and underquality stuff for the consumer who doesn't know what they're buying and goes for the name

 

[Mad-max]

I had a Sony unit with a motorised front panel - the front panel was also removable on the unit for security. I suspect that all sony motorised front panel units have this feature.

I got rid of it though in favour of Comand, and have never looked back. I subsequently mounted a DVD player under the drivers seat, this also plays MP3's burnt onto a DVD-R. My entire MP3 collection doesn't come anywhere near filling a DVD! The good thing about this installation is that you get the track info displayed on the Comand screen.

Paul G

Paul,
How did you install the DVD Player with Comand and display the MP3 info. Also will this installation also work on a US (non TV) Comand

Thanks
C

 

[fgaffney]

By the way I wouldn't touch Sony stuff with a bargepole (except for PS2 ) Generally overpriced and underquality stuff for the consumer who doesn't know what they're buying and goes for the name

I'm gonna have to disagree with you here... I've had quite a bit of Sony gear over the years including my large screen TV which after 11 years still performs outstandingly and I'm also onto my 3rd in-car Sony CD Tuner. None of my Sony kit has ever failed or required any kind of repair and they've certainly not disappointed me.

I agree that Sony isn't 'Asda Price' but I'm a great believer in getting what you pay for and depite the CDXF7500 having an RRP of £300 you can pick them up for between £170 & £200 if you look hard enough... quite a reasonable price for a quality in-car MP3 player.

Finally to suggest that every consumer who buys an overpriced, underquality Sony does so because they don't know what they're buying and only knows the name is a bit of a sweeping statement.

You could say the same about those of us who choose to buy BMW or Mercedes... could you not???

 

[Aswall]

I meant that much Sony kit is not in the same league as much of the other stuff that they price themselves against but people buy it because of the name. Much the same as Bose for home stereo stuff

Mind you I certainly agree about Mercedes, from experience