I guess listening to led zeppelin in my 69 chevelle is no longer cool

Luckily I drive an 08 pt cruiser yo! Yay for scratched cds on the front seat!

That's okay. I usually just listen to the music in my head. When it's not being interrupted by the damned VOICES ;)

About time.
All I need is a headphone jack to plug ipod touch into car stereo.

cheap_thoughts: I use those fm adapter things and polish my phone in and listen to pandora.

I've tried and tried but I've never found one that worked. I suppose you have to pay more than 10 dollars to find a good one, huh?

reported: I assume the new options still include built-in speakers and amp, but instead of the CD/radio you get a USB interface to your iPod/etc device. Maybe OK for those who are used to the shiatty sound quality of MP3s and other over-compressed formats. And I suppose that's OK for your average crappy music being played in the average crappy acoustic environment of the average crappy car. But dagnabit, I still like to enjoy actual "CD quality" sound for good music with decent equipment.

you wanna buy some gold-plated cables?

KelvinTheClown: cheap_thoughts: I use those fm adapter things and polish my phone in and listen to pandora.

I've tried and tried but I've never found one that worked. I suppose you have to pay more than 10 dollars to find a good one, huh?

yer supposed to polish your phone first, fool

reported: I assume the new options still include built-in speakers and amp, but instead of the CD/radio you get a USB interface to your iPod/etc device. Maybe OK for those who are used to the shiatty sound quality of MP3s and other over-compressed formats.

If you can ABX a 256~320kbps mp3 against a CD source in a car, while the car is running, I will eat my hat. I can't even do it on the best audio equipment I have.

Does it still have a headphone jack? Yes. Cool.

/cd's. What are those?

Despite the fact that the USB connector and associated "thumb drives" have been around for over a decade now, a USB port in a car stereo is still a rare item. I honestly cant understand it.

And cars that do have it make you pay hundreds extra to get it. How much can a USB port really cost? $0.10?

reported: I assume the new options still include built-in speakers and amp, but instead of the CD/radio you get a USB interface to your iPod/etc device. Maybe OK for those who are used to the shiatty sound quality of MP3s and other over-compressed formats. And I suppose that's OK for your average crappy music being played in the average crappy acoustic environment of the average crappy car. But dagnabit, I still like to enjoy actual "CD quality" sound for good music with decent equipment.

Because most of us can tell the difference over all the engine and tire noise. Yes, I know the bass is somewhat absent on a 128kbps .mp3, just use a better encoding - it's worth it to be able to play what you want, where you want without having to deal scratched cds that skip worse than a hyperactive jump-rope crew. I'm surprised you're not advocating the return of the in-car phonograph for the warm tones and organic hiss and crackle.

The bottom line is that if you want to appreciate music rather than just listen to it, pile in to your comfy chair, warm up the valves and hit play on the B&O.

Thanks to mp3 players and smartphones, the cassette player is significantly more useful in a car now than the CD rack. Those casette tape headphone jack adapters are great.

King Keepo: Yes, I know the bass is somewhat absent on a 128kbps .mp3, just use a better encoding - it's worth it to be able to play what you want, where you want without having to deal scratched cds that skip worse than a hyperactive jump-rope crew.

Bass is easy to encode. It's the highs that will really suffer in a low bitrate encode. That and shiat like dropouts and pre-echo will be worse. Of course with road noise, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.

markie_farkie: Also in other news, in 40 years, hipster douchebags will be sitting on their hovercouches, gloating over that vintage Sony 5 disc changer and enormous stack of CDs they scored at your estate sale.

People whining about hipsters has gotten to the point that they are more annoying than actual hipsters.

Have a CD player in my car, but I haven't used it in years; it broke down several years ago, but I haven't fixed it because I just use an iPod with an FM transmitter plugged in for music.

KelvinTheClown: I've tried and tried but I've never found one that worked. I suppose you have to pay more than 10 dollars to find a good one, huh?

If you're using an iPhone, I recommend the Griffin iTrip; it's $50, but if the current model is anything like the one I bought back in 2006, it's definitely worth it. Don't know of any good equivalents for Android phones, unfortunately.

I still buy cds and or vinyl weekly. Call me what you will but much like my reading material I prefer to own a physical copy.

digistil: markie_farkie: Also in other news, in 40 years, hipster douchebags will be sitting on their hovercouches, gloating over that vintage Sony 5 disc changer and enormous stack of CDs they scored at your estate sale.

People whining about hipsters has gotten to the point that they are more annoying than actual hipsters.

I used to hate hipsters ... back before it got mainstream
Now I hate harpsters, I would explain why but you've probably never heard them .

markie_farkie: CSB time.

Back in 1986 during college, I worked at Radio Shack.

I actually sold a guy a portable CD player, a headphone to cassette adapter, and an 8-track to cassette adapter so he could play CDs in his 1970s land yacht Ford LTD.

Total was close to $400 all said and done.

What state was this in? Because if you were in Indiana and it was a 4 door that was either one of these two colors, can't really remember which color she had but it was one of these two, I may know his daughter from college.





She had the exact same hook up in 1993.

"We asked potential Sonic and Spark customers what they were looking for in infotainment," Sara LeBlanc, MyLink's global infotainment program manager, told Automotive News. "They were very worried about cost. They said to us: 'Get rid of the CD player. We don't use it.'"

I have other suggestions to GM to cut costs. Cars don't have to have 20 airbags, air conditioning is not a must, people used to live without power steering, heated seats were once considered a luxury, crank windows and manual locks work and are actually fewer things to break, remote controls are not a must.

Oh, you didn't want to hear that. Thanks for saving $100 by eliminating the cd player.

On CD's, a book of them works well. It is better then having to devote your eyes to a lcd screen to find the right album. How about driving instead of talking on the phone, texting, screwing with an ipod, or whatever it is the driver should not be doing and pay attention to the road and actually drive.

Rant over.

wait, people are getting pissy at a company for listening to customer demands?

Enemabag Jones:
1) Cars don't have to have 20 airbags,
2) air conditioning is not a must,
3) people used to live without power steering,
4) heated seats were once considered a luxury,
5) crank windows and manual locks work and are actually fewer things to break,
6) remote controls are not a must.

1) (Legally?,) yes they do. Cars are safer today than at any point in history, and the 20 airbags are part of it.
2) I'm in Michigan and use it all the time during the summer. Much less people in Florida or Arizona. So yeah, A/C is a must in any car I'm gonna buy.
3) While I've never driven a car w/o power steering, I imagine it's like driving the mowers at work, but proably worse because the mower is only a half ton or so. Good luck Granny trying to turn a wheel that the 250 pound, 6'4" teenager had trouble turning.
4) Ok, yeah. I'll give you this. Admittedly, they're still a luxury in my experience (Seriously, I've only been in one car with heated seats).
5) Ok, fine. It sure is nice to have the automatics though especially when you're driving and just pushing the button instead of turning a crank.
6) Also agreed, but once again AWESOME to have.

So 1 yes, 2 "yeah, but it's sure nice to have"'s, and 3 GTFO's.

simplicimus: Depends on where you live. Here in houston, most of the frequencies are shared with other companies or people, making it mostly useless. I use the headphone cassette for my iPod. Works much better.

They're pretty much worthless on the entire east coast too.

So does that mean the hipsters will have record players installed in their vehicles now?

Barakku: Thanks to mp3 players and smartphones, the cassette player is significantly more useful in a car now than the CD rack. Those casette tape headphone jack adapters are great.

This is my experience as well. Absent a direct 3.5mm stereo connector, the cassette tape adapter gets the job done adequately, even with the top down.

AnEvilGuest: digistil: markie_farkie: Also in other news, in 40 years, hipster douchebags will be sitting on their hovercouches, gloating over that vintage Sony 5 disc changer and enormous stack of CDs they scored at your estate sale.

People whining about hipsters has gotten to the point that they are more annoying than actual hipsters.

I used to hate hipsters ... back before it got mainstream
Now I hate harpsters, I would explain why but you've probably never heard them .

Stop hatin' on me, man.

How about, instead of parading around a (at most) $50 cost savings by removing the cd player, car makers allow buyers to pick and choose options as opposed to having 2 option packages where you have to get a spoiler, leather seats, and sunroof if you want fog lights?

meyerkev,

I want some things too like rear defrost, cruise and automatic too. I am talking about options to have something or not have something. Cars usually have about four packages, and even in the cheapest, add one thing you want, you have to go up to the next 3-4K in the option package.

3) While I've never driven a car w/o power steering, I imagine it's like driving the mowers at work, but proably worse because the mower is only a half ton or so. Good luck Granny trying to turn a wheel that the 250 pound, 6'4" teenager had trouble turning.


I have driven a larger sixties sedan without power steering or power brakes.

I want the power brakes, having to plan it to assert your foot on the drums keeps you sharp, although I would like to see how that has changed with disk brakes as an exercise in reapplying old tech with new tech.

Power steering, you don't have to have it. Put it in a smaller car, it would be no problem. Keep the car moving and you would be suprised how easy it is even in a large car. It might even make it fun when driving, at least in my area has become so controlled and boring.

When did cars stop being things to get from point A to point B and become these things where everything is about boring comfort. How about simplistic fun. I would like to see what could be done with a retro MG short person or truly retro vw beetle.

digistil: markie_farkie: Also in other news, in 40 years, hipster douchebags will be sitting on their hovercouches, gloating over that vintage Sony 5 disc changer and enormous stack of CDs they scored at your estate sale.

People whining about hipsters has gotten to the point that they are more annoying than actual hipsters.

Haven't you heard? Whinging about hipsters is the new hipster thing to do. It's ironic or some shiat like that.

Hawnkee: So does that mean the hipsters will have record players installed in their vehicles now?


It's been done.

Axel_Gear: Despite the fact that the USB connector and associated "thumb drives" have been around for over a decade now, a USB port in a car stereo is still a rare item. I honestly cant understand it.

And cars that do have it make you pay hundreds extra to get it. How much can a USB port really cost? $0.10?

You've not been shopping for a car recently, I see. USB + Aux (plus Sirius) is standard on new Kia and Hyundai models. My new Soul -- base model, no upgrades to the audio system -- has it for under $17k. Hell, I even have on-wheel controls for volume, mode, mute, and track shifting, and those came standard.

Oh, and bluetooth is standard too. So I generally just stream tunes out of my phone :) Pandora + unlimited data + bluetooth = musical driving bliss. If there's an album or track I particularly want to listen to, Google Music is good. The only downside is that the phone controls the music, and the on-wheel controls only work for volume, not for track switching, but that just means that sometimes, if traffic doesn't allow me to safely use my phone, I won't skip a song I don't care to hear. Oh noez!

Enemabag Jones: I want some things too like rear defrost, cruise and automatic too. I am talking about options to have something or not have something. Cars usually have about four packages, and even in the cheapest, add one thing you want, you have to go up to the next 3-4K in the option package.

Ask the dealer to have things installed a la carte. My previous car came with no cruise control, but I had a 30+ mile commute to work and needed it, but didn't want the next trim level (which came with a lot of crap I didn't want, like the "upgraded audio," when I planned on upgrading it myself anyhow); the dealer installing it at cost was a condition of the sale. $100 extra in the down payment, and voila, I had what I wanted. Similarly, with my new car, there is no arm-rest in the front (bad design, KIA! Everything else about the Soul is so nice, why is no armrest standard?), but you can get one from the parts department. Again, at cost, cash on the down payment, and away we go.

profplump:

reproduction of the 2x16-biatchannels.

So, "The View" is on radio now?

/ Filter-pwnage FTW!

As long as they have a jack input and USB then I`m set for a few years. Oh, and the USB has to be able to handle files larger than 4Gb...