>
>I'm in the market for a new(ish ;) car stereo system.
>My radio still works just fine, but my tape deck -
>yep! - conked out on me some weeks back. I was told
>that it would be very expensive to take out and
>replace, and that it would be more worthwhile to
>simply get a CD player installed. So, that is what I
>am going to do.
>
>However, I don't want to get one of those
>front-loading CD players in the body of the car, as
>they have a tendency to scratch the CDs, or so I have
>heard. I would prefer one of those 10-disc changer
>things that are installed in your trunk space, with
>the control up in the dashboard area. Right now I am
>in the $300-400 range, so nothing super-fantabulous
>and wildly expensive, please, but any
>recommendations/tips would be appreciated, course.
>
>I know nothing about this topic, so feel free to
>educate me!
>
I have a Sony 10-disc changer from about 6 years ago. It cost
around $300 then but would be less now. I've never had it skip. I think
that many CD players now come with buffer memory to prevent skipping --
I'd recommend getting that. It broadcasts the CD on an FM band so you
would choose the frequency (eg. 88.5) and then tune your radio to it.
It sounds good, though not quite what you could get out of a CD player
directly connected to your stereo system (depending on how good your
system is). I've been very happy with it. You wouldn't even necessarily
have to get a new in-dash radio. I kept the factory-installed radio
in my car. They had to run a wire up to the dash and attach a small
control pad on the dash to provide the play/stop/etc buttons. A lot of
the changers today come with wireless remotes in addition to the wired
control pad that attaches to your dash.
The only disadvantage of the 10-disc changer in the trunk is that
it's not quite as easy to change CDs. So, if you want to change to a
CD that's not in the 10-disc changer already you have to stop the car,
open the trunk, take out the cartridge, and change disks (and have the
jewel case for the old one on hand). But really that's not so bad and you
don't have the CDs scattered around your back seat. I ended up buying
one of those 10-disc CD holders that holds 10 CD jewel cases. That way
I can keep the CD jewel cases in my car more easily if I want to look
at the liners (or just to remember what is actually in the CD-changer).
The changer I have doesn't take up much trunk space, fitting
nicely into one corner. The only complaint I have is that the little
door that protects the CD cartridge is rather flimsy.
I'd recommend the 10- or 12-disc changers rather than the 6-
disc changer since I've found that you can go through 10 CDs pretty
quickly, especially when driving to work every day.
Looking at Crutchfield.com, it appears that the prices range
from about $199 to $240 (plus installing + shipping) for the FM
broadcasting ones. The ones for which you'd have to buy a new in-dash
radio can be slightly less expensive not counting the cost of the new
radio. A few of the newer drives even support the CD-RW format if you
use that a lot (most if not all already support the CD-R format for
standard home-burned audio discs). Mine works fine with CD-Rs.
As others have said, keep an eye out for a local shop with a
good price that will give free installation if you buy it there.
Steve
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Apr 01 2004 - 19:13:32 EST