Hard Drive MP3 players.

[Paul_P1]

Has anyone fitted a hard-drive MP3 player in their car, something like one of the Dension models?

Would like to know how easy it was to fit and what the sound quality and usability is like!

Paul

 

[sn00p]

...I own an empeg (which Ive just removed from my car and gone back to the stock unit - cars going soonish) which is still the best mp3 head unit around, and its been out for 4 or so years (3 revisions). Unfortuanately theyre not made any more (They were independant, got bought by rio and renamed the played to riocar, then went bankrupt and got bought by denon and marantz)...

Considering the fact that they stopped selling the players in 2001, theyre still developing the software in the background, a couple of months ago they released a new version of software.

The head unit was developed by techies, so it has the ultimate quality in dacs, it has the ultimate in quality option fm/am radio (inc. rds text). It runs linux and you can run other programs on it, for example there is a gps navigation program available, it has a very bright vfd graphic display - oh and space for 2 laptop harddrives. It plays mp3 & wma & wav, theyve promised a new version of firmware which includes ogg, flac etc. Upload/Download by USB or ethernet.

Only thing is...

1) Not made any more, expect to pay between £350 and £600 quid for the base 10 gig model second hand - usually youd have to import from the US - ive only ever seen 2 or 3 for sale in the UK)

2) You need an external amplifier, this thing only has line outs.

3) You need to remove it from the car each time you leave, no removable face, only the whole unit is removable.

Check out http://www.riocar.orgwww.riocar.org for a bit more info if youre interested. I know of at least one other empeg user on this board.

Adrian

 

[sn00p]

..ooops, and to answer your original question the denisons are supposed to be pretty bad...

Adrian

 

[andrewm]

Quote: Originally posted by sn00p on 25 August 2003


I know of at least one other empeg user on this board.

Whos that then? Its not me is it?

 

[sn00p]

yeah...assuming youre who I think you are!

Adrian

 

[KDF]

Err.. I had an xbox as an mp3 player in my car with a 120Gig hard drive..

 

[sn00p]

dark...that must be quite an effort, I bet its not easy to skip tracks while driving either?!

Adrian

 

[KDF]

Heh, I only use it when I am going on long trips.. so passengers can play games, movies etc.. plus you can setup playlists so you dont have to skip tracks

 

[sn00p]

..cool..you really look after your passengers! Dont suppose you pass through drinks and a duty free trolley too???!! ;P

Adrian

 

[andrewm]

Yeah, Id definately second the empeg, so good Ive got two of them! When people on the empeg forum say its the best car stereo ever made, they really arent kidding!

I think the standard stereo will be in for all of a day!

 

[Pete]

Check out http://www.mini-itx.comwww.mini-itx.com and http://www.linitx.orgwww.linitx.org

Theres a couple of car mp3 projects somewhere on these two.