How To Install An MP3 Player Car Radio

Updating your old FM radio to a brand new mp3 player car radio is a lot easier than you would think. You will however have to buy some additional equipment to install your mp3 player car radio, but generally speaking these will not break the bank. Before you get started installing your mp3 player car radio, read the entire article and make sure you have everything you need and are prepared to do you mp3 player car radio install.

Installing Your MP3 Player Car Radio

The first thing you need to do is get a dash install kit and a wire harness for your mp3 player car radio. Usually this will be car model specific, but generally speaking you can the parts at any local electronics store. These parts will usually cost less than $30 total, so like I said not too expensive. You do need to make sure get the exact right ones for your car because if you do not you will have a very difficult time installing your mp3 player car radio. The dash kit will mount the new mp3 player car radio where the old one was and the wire harness adapter will wire the unit into your current speakers and power.

First step is to remove your current stereo. Do this very carefully and be absolutely sure to no cute the factory dash plug as this will connect up to your new mp3 player car radio and allow it have power and play out through your speakers. If you do this correctly you should be able to simply plug your new mp3 player car radio into the old connection and have it power on work no problem.

Next, fix your new mp3 player car radio into the dash adapter and make sure that it lines up and fits snugly with the molding. If you did the firs part right you should only have to plug your MP3 player into the current wiring and away you go. You will need the wiring harness to tie the two units together but its installation should be self explanatory. Make sure the plugs fit snuggly and are fully plugged in. Once you have completed this, put the unit fully into the dash and make sure all the finishing is smooth and clean.

And that is it. The only other thing you have to do now is get your mp3 car radio configured up how you like it. Just use the manual that came with the unit and get all the settings and features programmed in properly.

I hope this helped and you are able to enjoy you new mp3 car radio without any hassles.

The Best Car DVD MP3 Player On The Market Today

The newest high end addition to car sound is the car DVD MP3 player. These devices are mini computers capable of playing back DVDs, CD-R’s, and just about any other digital media that you can plug in. Most have similar features to lower end basic MP3 players with a whole lot more bells and whistles. Finding the best car DVD MP3 player can be difficult if you do not know what to look for. This article is going to look at one car DVD MP3 player so that you can see the features in it that make it one of the best available.

The Sony XAV-W1 – Best Car DVD MP3 Player For The Money

Sony is the undisputed champion of electronic devices. They have been making electronic gadgets that have been improving lives around the world for over half a decade. The Sony XAV-W1 is the culmination of all this research and development and takes advantage of Sony incredible depth and diversity. Using technology advancements in disc reading, digital playback, LCD screens and a host of other areas this device combines that into a feature packed unit that does it all.

The first thing you notice when looking at the XAV-W1 is the bright, crisp and clear display screen. This screen has stunning visual reproduction that easily displays the well designed menu structures. In addition to this the XAV-W1 car DVD MP3 player supports many different types of media structures with many expandability options to cover even more media. The unit has a very simple faceplate design with five buttons along the bezel it has the most screen size in the double DIN category. For most functions the system relies on the touch screen for their execution. This touch screen is highly intuitive and makes it simple for the driver to get through the screens and find what they need.

The XAV-W1 car DVD MP3 player has a robust set of audio features that allow play back of CDs, MP3’s, WMA’s, and Sony’s Super Audio CDs. All of these can be played back from either DVD-R or CD-R’s, whichever you happen to have your media copied onto. There is also a radio tuner for making your unit a MP3 player car radio, satellite tuner, the disc function, and an aux line for hook up to a CD changer or iPod. Unfortunately the device does not come with a generic line auxiliary input jack or USB port, but this is a minor concern.

As you can see the robust features of the Sony unit make it the best car DVD MP3 player in its price range. For around $550 you can pick up this unit and have a true media center right in your car.

Finding The Best Car MP3 Player

There are many things that you need to look for if you truly want to get the best car MP3 player. The first thing you need to understand is that the best car MP3 player to you may not be the best car MP3 player to someone else. In order to find the right one for you need to have an idea of two things, one is you need to know how you want to spend and two is you need to know what features you want. Like anything else, the more you spend the more features you will be able to get. The less you spend the fewer features you will see.

Setting Up Your Budget for The Best Car MP3 Player

Depending on what you need the budget for your MP3 player will vary widely. Basic units can start as cheap as $50, whereas high end one can be upwards of $1000. If you are expecting to get a basic player with very little in the feature department, I would say expect to spend around $100. If you are looking for a feature packed, integrated car DVD MP3 player you can probably expect to pay around $500. Once you have that general budget set, finding the best car MP3 player should be much easier.

Next you need to start looking at features. There are some basic ones that every player should have no matter what the cost. First up is the ability to play any and all CD-R’s and CD-RW’s. Next is the power for the unit. I would look at units that put out at least 20 watts RMS per channel with a peak of 50 watts per channel. This is a comfortable listening level and will make you system sound good no matter what the volume is set at.

Some of the more advanced features you can look for are having XM and Satellite Radio access and recording with playback ability. These two features will generally kick the price of the unit up a bit, but not too much. Satellite Radios main expense will be in the monthly subscription fee. While it may not seem like much, when you look at it in context the amount you spend on the subscription fee over the course of the year can be many more times the cost of the actual unit. You have to be careful when signing up for these things, especially when you are on a budget.

Hopefully you have a better idea of what you are looking for when shopping for the best car MP3 player. The key is doing the research and only get what you need. There can be a dizzying amount of features that are offered and for the most part many of them are not needed, so find a unit that has what you need and nothing that you do not.

Choosing The Right Car MP3 Player

If you are in the market for a new car mp3 player but can not decide which one to get, read on to take a look at three different models from three of the biggest names in electronics. It may seem that there is very little difference in separate models of car mp3 player but if you look deep enough you will be able to see what the major differences are to determine which model is right for you.

The JVC KDS890 – A Solid All Around Car MP3 Player

The first model to look at is the KDS890 from JVC. JVC has been a major manufacturer of electronics for many years. They are known for the high quality of their products and in general most of what they make, including their car mp3 players, are underrated in the field. Usually their products are not cutting edge, nor do they have any of the bells and whistles of the higher and more expensive products out there. However, they usually are very affordable and priced very well for what they do. The KDS890 has all the features you would expect from a quality car mp3 player. It is capable of putting out 200 watts of power through 4 channels, which should be more than enough to power your car audio. It is fully compatible with CD-R so that you can burn your favorite songs for playback in the car. This unit has all the basic features you need and at around $100 is great buy.

The Kenwood KDCMP522 – A High Audiophiles Dream

The next model to consider is the KDCMP522 from Kenwood. Kenwood is known for making extremely high quality audio equipment for the discerning audiophile. Their equipment will almost always test very high in sound quality and performance, and everything in their product line strives to outperform the competition in this area. While Kenwood has primarily been focused in home audio equipment, this car mp3 player carries those qualities to your vehicle. It has all the features you would expect from a high quality MP3 player and compares very well to the JVC model. In addition it has many features that the JVC model does not. You do have to pay for this as the Kenwood model is around $200.

Sony XPlod MP40 – An All Around Great Car MP3 Player

The Sony XPlod is a well rounded high quality car audio mp3 player from the biggest name in electronics over the last 50 years. Sony does what the have done for many years, put out an electronic device with the features and quality that customers around the world demand at a price that anyone can afford. At $115 this unit is slightly more expensive then the JVC, but has a several more features and has the well recognized and sought after Sony name.

As you can see each of the different units falls into a different price range and feature category. If you are looking for a no frills, solid MP3 player that will not cost you a bunch, the JVC model is the one for you. Looking for something higher end with great sound and every feature you can think of, the Kenwood model is the one for you. If you need a little of both and want the most recognized name in electronics worldwide, Sony has what you need.

Features To Look For In Your Car Stereo MP3 Player

If you are thinking about purchasing a car stereo mp3 player but have no idea where to start then read on to get the information you need. Getting a car stereo mp3 player that does everything you want at a price you can afford is not an impossible mission; you just need to know what to look for. By understanding this, you will be able to get the best car MP3 player based on your current needs.

Features To Look For In Your Car Stereo MP3 Player

The first thing you want to find out is what kind of media the car stereo mp3 player will play. It is important that the unit will play most if not all types of CD-R and CD-RW discs. This is because you are going to want to take your MP3’s from your player or computer and copy them to CD so the unit will need to play these discs. Most units will play both kinds, but do a quick check before you buy just to be absolutely sure.

Next up is the audio quality. You are going to want to first off see how much power the unit has. I would recommend a unit that puts out at least 20 watts per channel with a peak of around 50 watts per channel. This will ensure that you can listen to your music at a reasonable volume and that you can have some headroom when listening to music at a lower volume. You also are going to want to see what features the unit has as far as equalizing the sound is concerned. Many units will offer some kind of sculpting to the sound. You want to find a unit that not only does this but has customer settings as well. I would recommend finding a unit with around 6 presets and then a seventh option to do your own customer equalizer. This way you can have one for music, then another for music on the radio, then all the others for whatever situations might come up.

This also brings up the next feature that you want to look for – the radio options. If you can, I would highly recommend finding a unit that can connect up with either Sirius or XM Radio. While you will have to pay for the service, having XM or Sirius gives you over 200 channels to choose from. If you are any kind of sports fan it is a must have because in addition to the talk radio they have every game is broadcast via the satellite radio. This means you never have to miss a moment of the action.

Those should be the main features you look for when shopping for a car stereo mp3 player. If the unit is lacking in any of these areas, I would recommend finding one that has them.