MP3 head unit
15 September 2002, 10:15 PM
#1
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Just wondering what everoynes thoughts are on the hard drive ones? I got 400quid to play around with and lookin for 20gig HDD min. How easy are these to fit, how do u transfer the MP3s over, wot is quality like compared to similar prices CD systems? How easy is it to rig them up? Anyone got any recomendations?
Cheers
Cheers
16 September 2002, 10:56 AM
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Cryptkeeper, @ the mo, 400 GBP ain't gonna get you a HD-based DIN-sized unit. The Sony, Pioneer, etc., are all £1k+ and restrictive in their ability to allow you to easily transfer content to the HD.
For your budget, and now I'm plugging(!), you can either go offboard: Dension DMP3 @ www.In-CarMP3.com or watch this space for something DIN-sized, hard disk based and around your price point.
Cheers
Lee.
For your budget, and now I'm plugging(!), you can either go offboard: Dension DMP3 @ www.In-CarMP3.com or watch this space for something DIN-sized, hard disk based and around your price point.
Cheers
Lee.
16 September 2002, 10:41 PM
#3
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Anyone used one of those DMP3 things? How easy are they to use, what is quality like? and how easy is it if ur driving to select a specific track/playlist u want? (e.g do u have to scroll through all songs etc). Also can u organise it into folders (AKA by artist/genre etc) ?
17 September 2002, 07:38 AM
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Paging Ozzy!
Organisation is up to you. DMP3 supports whatever file hierarchy you want to use.
Browsing to a particular album/song, etc, is a case of navigating using its GUI. Playlist selection (called "MyRadio" on DMP3 - you can control playlist content *and* the playback probability of each playlist element) is a case of selecting the playlist from a submenu.
Cheers
Lee.
Organisation is up to you. DMP3 supports whatever file hierarchy you want to use.
Browsing to a particular album/song, etc, is a case of navigating using its GUI. Playlist selection (called "MyRadio" on DMP3 - you can control playlist content *and* the playback probability of each playlist element) is a case of selecting the playlist from a submenu.
Cheers
Lee.
17 September 2002, 04:31 PM
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We've got a 10 gig mStation that we got new from Halford for £200. Pretty good quality and all that, but it's been a bit of a pain to setup with numerous caddies being tried before we got one that works!
The mp3-on-CD that headunit manuf's seem keen on just haven't got the capacity for a decent in-car collection.
The mp3-on-CD that headunit manuf's seem keen on just haven't got the capacity for a decent in-car collection.
17 September 2002, 04:38 PM
#6
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Neo In Car Audio Jukebox 40Gb HARD DRIVE
vs
Dension Car Juke Box 80Gb HARD DRIVE
Which of these do u recokon is better. I doubt i will ever have more than 40GB of MP3s so ignore the space consideration, but what about everything else. Also, where does the remote thingy for the Neo Fit into?
vs
Dension Car Juke Box 80Gb HARD DRIVE
Which of these do u recokon is better. I doubt i will ever have more than 40GB of MP3s so ignore the space consideration, but what about everything else. Also, where does the remote thingy for the Neo Fit into?
17 September 2002, 04:40 PM
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Given I have a vested interest in DMP3 after experience with NEO/mStation, I can't give a response that will be construed as objective. You're more than welcome to email me off-bbs for my subjective view of each.
Edited coz I sound really arsey and that's not intentional! Basically, we looked into taking on distribution for NEO following the demise of Traxdata and after due consideration, took on distribution for Dension as we felt it was a much better product. You may get a good comparison by speaking with Mike at caraudiodirect.com who has experience with mStation and is now a DMP3 reseller. Similarly, Richard at Procell Media is now a DMP3 reseller as well as (I believe) the only company importing new NEOs to the UK.
[Edited by 12LEE - 9/17/2002 4:45:29 PM]
Edited again to risk the flames of vested interests....
Ok, ok!!! and happy to get into debate!
mStation pros: price of grey market units
mStation cons: support following the demise of the distributor
NEO 35 pros: UK support, new firmware with TTS feature
NEO 35 cons: build quality, size of satellite display
DMP3 pros: build quality, features, small satellite display, head unit integration "real soon now"!
DMP3 cons: price vs. grey market mStation, short bald distributor :-)
Some forums for you:
NEO Car forum at www.funmp3players.com
UK Dension DMP3 forum
and there's a Dension DMP3 Yahoo group.
[Edited by 12LEE - 9/17/2002 4:55:55 PM]
[Edited by 12LEE - 9/17/2002 4:57:23 PM]
Edited coz I sound really arsey and that's not intentional! Basically, we looked into taking on distribution for NEO following the demise of Traxdata and after due consideration, took on distribution for Dension as we felt it was a much better product. You may get a good comparison by speaking with Mike at caraudiodirect.com who has experience with mStation and is now a DMP3 reseller. Similarly, Richard at Procell Media is now a DMP3 reseller as well as (I believe) the only company importing new NEOs to the UK.
[Edited by 12LEE - 9/17/2002 4:45:29 PM]
Edited again to risk the flames of vested interests....
Ok, ok!!! and happy to get into debate!
mStation pros: price of grey market units
mStation cons: support following the demise of the distributor
NEO 35 pros: UK support, new firmware with TTS feature
NEO 35 cons: build quality, size of satellite display
DMP3 pros: build quality, features, small satellite display, head unit integration "real soon now"!
DMP3 cons: price vs. grey market mStation, short bald distributor :-)
Some forums for you:
NEO Car forum at www.funmp3players.com
UK Dension DMP3 forum
and there's a Dension DMP3 Yahoo group.
[Edited by 12LEE - 9/17/2002 4:55:55 PM]
[Edited by 12LEE - 9/17/2002 4:57:23 PM]
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17 September 2002, 07:02 PM
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The Desion one looks the better of the two i think. So if i were to buy one, how easy is it to install it bearing in mind i have never done anything like this before?
17 September 2002, 07:18 PM
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Currently, installation is no more involved than installing an amp, i.e., for power, you need:
permanent 12v
switched 12v
ground
Audio is dependent upon what you're doing head unit-wise.
As standard DMP3 includes an FM modulator which connects to the aerial input on your head unit. The DMP3 RCA outs connect to the FM modulator as does your existing car aerial and the audio output appears on a (user-selected) FM frequency. *This is the lowest common denominator way of getting audio into your head unit*.
If you have a head unit with an aux input (typically JVC, Panasonic, Blaupunkt, Nakamichi) you can take the RCA outs directly to the aux-input of the head unit.
Sony, Alpine, Kenwood and Pioneer all offer aux-input adaptors as accessories for their proprietary CD Changer busses for between £20 (Kenwood, Alpine) and £130 (Sony!).
That's the current state of play....
....in only a matter of weeks we will be offering integration to ~50 OE car radios (possibly the MY01+ double DIN), Sony, Alpine MBUS and Blaupunkt. Basically, this means that installation will be a matter of disconnecting an existing changer (or running a CD bus cable if one isn't installed), adding an adaptor box/cable to the end of the changer cable and plugging the DMP3 into this adaptor. Power and audio will use the existing head unit/CD Changer connections and we'll have keystroke mapping from the head unit to the DMP3.
In each scenario above, you'll also need to install the satellite display - basically an RJ11 (telephone handset cable) from the DMP3 location (boot/underseat) to the satellite display location (dash).
Mid/longer term, we'll be launching DIN-sized units. Price/features/timing undetermined. This will make installation no different to replacing an existing radio.
Cheers
Lee.
Edited to add...
...a decent autoelectrician should be able to install the unit (using aux-in or FM modulator) in 90 minutes tops. We're also launching a mobile fitting service.
[Edited by 12LEE - 9/17/2002 7:20:27 PM]
permanent 12v
switched 12v
ground
Audio is dependent upon what you're doing head unit-wise.
As standard DMP3 includes an FM modulator which connects to the aerial input on your head unit. The DMP3 RCA outs connect to the FM modulator as does your existing car aerial and the audio output appears on a (user-selected) FM frequency. *This is the lowest common denominator way of getting audio into your head unit*.
If you have a head unit with an aux input (typically JVC, Panasonic, Blaupunkt, Nakamichi) you can take the RCA outs directly to the aux-input of the head unit.
Sony, Alpine, Kenwood and Pioneer all offer aux-input adaptors as accessories for their proprietary CD Changer busses for between £20 (Kenwood, Alpine) and £130 (Sony!).
That's the current state of play....
....in only a matter of weeks we will be offering integration to ~50 OE car radios (possibly the MY01+ double DIN), Sony, Alpine MBUS and Blaupunkt. Basically, this means that installation will be a matter of disconnecting an existing changer (or running a CD bus cable if one isn't installed), adding an adaptor box/cable to the end of the changer cable and plugging the DMP3 into this adaptor. Power and audio will use the existing head unit/CD Changer connections and we'll have keystroke mapping from the head unit to the DMP3.
In each scenario above, you'll also need to install the satellite display - basically an RJ11 (telephone handset cable) from the DMP3 location (boot/underseat) to the satellite display location (dash).
Mid/longer term, we'll be launching DIN-sized units. Price/features/timing undetermined. This will make installation no different to replacing an existing radio.
Cheers
Lee.
Edited to add...
...a decent autoelectrician should be able to install the unit (using aux-in or FM modulator) in 90 minutes tops. We're also launching a mobile fitting service.
[Edited by 12LEE - 9/17/2002 7:20:27 PM]
17 September 2002, 09:53 PM
#10
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Hi Guys,
Sorry for not replying sooner, but I've been unwell and off work for the past couple of days, so been keeping a low profile.
I've got one of the DMP3 players myself, although I'm still waiting on the Alpine audio-interrupt device to install it in my car.
The build quality is very good on the DMP3 player itself and the satellite remote. The only criticism is with the PC docking unit as it's a pretty cheap chinese unit from ViPowER. It's unfair to criticise Dension directly as they are just using a ready-made solution rather than reinventing the wheel (so to speak).
Also, the DMP3 player itself isn't the prettiest, so some sort of external docking bay would be much nicer if you decide to use it with a hi-fi. The facia looks cool in silver with the blue LCD, but it would look even nicer with a shiny aluminum case.
Another small worry is the heat produced by the hard disk. It's more of a general worry with any in-car disk-based MP3 player. The disk gets pretty hot and there isn't any fans or heatsinks in the unit to draw it away. My plans are to build an MDF box to hold my Amp, CD Changer and DMP3 in the boot. I think I'll mount some PC fans to the top of the DMP3 car dock to try to keep it as cool as possible. Maybe that's another design suggestion for the Dension guys to consider
I can't fault the MP3 quality at all. I've been ripping all my CD's at the full 320Kbps VBR and I personally can't tell the difference between the ripped stuff and the original CD.
Of course, if I play the original CD through my hi-fi seperates, then you can spot a difference but that's more down to my expensive CD player.
The DMP3 has a quirk with the number of files. Once you get over a certain amount, the unit sorts (and lists) the songs as they are written to the disk and not in alphabetic order. Lee suggested I using something like Windows Commander that copies the MP3's over in a pre-sorted order. I've been doing this and it works a treat. I bought the unit with no hard disk since I've always got spares kicking around at work. Currently I've got a 40GB disk with 300+ CD albums on it. Obviously, I'm ripping them at the best quality, but since I've got plenty of space left I thought it would be worth it.
Browsing the tracks is pretty simple, just like using a cut-down version of explorer where all the tracks can be grouped using folders. If you've got hundreds of folders it could be a bit tiredsome, but that's down to how you group things although the faster you turn the selector the quicker it skips the folders.
Install (when I eventually finish it) is a breeze. I'm installing a new Amp and front speakers, so all I did was run a power cable from the battery to the boot. I then used a power distribution block to feed the DMP3 unit with a +12v supply. I took the switchable 12v from my Alpine Headunit (same supply as the remote turn-on on the Amp). Finally the ground is just connected to a distribution block before going to a common ground on the rear seatbelt bolt.
The RCA outputs will go to an Alpine NVE-200 audio-interrupt unit that adds the signal to my Ai-Net CD Changer feed. So, I just select the changer input on my Headunit and press play on the DMP3 unit.
I've taken loads of pics of the install so far, but without the Alpine unit (been on back order for 9 weeks) the install has hit a brick wall.
Just drop me a mail if you need any questions answered or would like some pics of my install. Once the installs complete, I'll be posting install instructions (with detailed pics) and adding them to Chiarks ICE FAQ (Nick did offer).
Stefan
[Edited by ozzy - 9/17/2002 10:09:51 PM]
Sorry for not replying sooner, but I've been unwell and off work for the past couple of days, so been keeping a low profile.
I've got one of the DMP3 players myself, although I'm still waiting on the Alpine audio-interrupt device to install it in my car.
The build quality is very good on the DMP3 player itself and the satellite remote. The only criticism is with the PC docking unit as it's a pretty cheap chinese unit from ViPowER. It's unfair to criticise Dension directly as they are just using a ready-made solution rather than reinventing the wheel (so to speak).
Also, the DMP3 player itself isn't the prettiest, so some sort of external docking bay would be much nicer if you decide to use it with a hi-fi. The facia looks cool in silver with the blue LCD, but it would look even nicer with a shiny aluminum case.
Another small worry is the heat produced by the hard disk. It's more of a general worry with any in-car disk-based MP3 player. The disk gets pretty hot and there isn't any fans or heatsinks in the unit to draw it away. My plans are to build an MDF box to hold my Amp, CD Changer and DMP3 in the boot. I think I'll mount some PC fans to the top of the DMP3 car dock to try to keep it as cool as possible. Maybe that's another design suggestion for the Dension guys to consider
I can't fault the MP3 quality at all. I've been ripping all my CD's at the full 320Kbps VBR and I personally can't tell the difference between the ripped stuff and the original CD.
Of course, if I play the original CD through my hi-fi seperates, then you can spot a difference but that's more down to my expensive CD player.
The DMP3 has a quirk with the number of files. Once you get over a certain amount, the unit sorts (and lists) the songs as they are written to the disk and not in alphabetic order. Lee suggested I using something like Windows Commander that copies the MP3's over in a pre-sorted order. I've been doing this and it works a treat. I bought the unit with no hard disk since I've always got spares kicking around at work. Currently I've got a 40GB disk with 300+ CD albums on it. Obviously, I'm ripping them at the best quality, but since I've got plenty of space left I thought it would be worth it.
Browsing the tracks is pretty simple, just like using a cut-down version of explorer where all the tracks can be grouped using folders. If you've got hundreds of folders it could be a bit tiredsome, but that's down to how you group things although the faster you turn the selector the quicker it skips the folders.
Install (when I eventually finish it) is a breeze. I'm installing a new Amp and front speakers, so all I did was run a power cable from the battery to the boot. I then used a power distribution block to feed the DMP3 unit with a +12v supply. I took the switchable 12v from my Alpine Headunit (same supply as the remote turn-on on the Amp). Finally the ground is just connected to a distribution block before going to a common ground on the rear seatbelt bolt.
The RCA outputs will go to an Alpine NVE-200 audio-interrupt unit that adds the signal to my Ai-Net CD Changer feed. So, I just select the changer input on my Headunit and press play on the DMP3 unit.
I've taken loads of pics of the install so far, but without the Alpine unit (been on back order for 9 weeks) the install has hit a brick wall.
Just drop me a mail if you need any questions answered or would like some pics of my install. Once the installs complete, I'll be posting install instructions (with detailed pics) and adding them to Chiarks ICE FAQ (Nick did offer).
Stefan
[Edited by ozzy - 9/17/2002 10:09:51 PM]
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