hi..

if i were to get an mp3 head unit, how much more music could i burn to a single cd as opposed to a non-mp3 cd?

has anyone on here got a budget (<£150) mp3 head unit, and if so, is it any good? or for that budget would i be better off with a standard cd head unit (in which case, is my only option to burn music to a data cd?).

also, will all mp3 head units replace the standard addzest head unit in my my96 wrx and work with my existing components (amp and speakers - all addzest).

thanks!

 

I have just got an MP3 head unit and at a bitrate of 192kbps (which I believe is CD quality), I can get approx. 7 to 8 albums on one 700MB disk.

 

now thats what i was hoping for

which unit did you go for?

 

192kbps is probably good enough for a car, but a long, long way from CD quality (the uncompressed CD audio stram is 1411kbps). Best bet is to burn some of your favourite tracks at different bit-rates and listen. If it sounds ok to you, it's good enough!

 

VBR (variable bit rate) is your friend - you can get almost the quality of 320kbps at the average rate of around 192...

 

Milo,

I went for Pioneer DEH-P77MP

Cost me approx £250 and looks and sounds great IMHO!

 

thanks guys

i was hoping to spend around £100-150. does anyone have any experience with the sony cdx-mp40 mp3 (around £140 i think), or the panasonic cq-rdp383 which is around £100? or similar priced ones?

 

I bought the Sony MP3 one you mentioned. Got it from MCS online, for about £125. Considering I replaced the original stereo unit in the Scooby for this one, it sounds great. Has a detachable facia too.

For the money, I can't fault it. There's even some DSO sound feature that lifts the sound from the front speakers, giving the impression of tweeters higher up in the car.

Has a full set of connections on the back too, should your car be fitted with amps etc., and it can also be connected to a CD auto-changer.