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View Full Version : Anybody gone completely digital?

HazMatt24
02-17-2010, 12:08 AM
as in no cd drive on their decks? I've contemplated it, I mean you can plug in an ipod or hard drive and have way more music than on a cd, but there is something comforting about having that slot.

for you that don't know what I mean, here is a deck I'm contemplating:

http://www.alpine-usa.com/product/view/ixa-w407

http://www.alpine-usa.com/data/product_images/415_1lg.jpg

It already has bluetooth, which I like. I don't necessarily need nav, but you can add it on later.

Thoughts?
colonel6632
02-17-2010, 12:09 AM
i like having the cd in my car as a backup if my ipod is not in my car. i live where there is little radio. so the cd is always in my car.

just my opinion. if it's double din, i dont see why not getting a cd player aswell
AbHeLlRaZoR
02-17-2010, 12:14 AM
Digital is cool, but I wouldn't rely entirely on it.
heineck
02-17-2010, 12:21 AM
no way, wat if ur zune (or gaypod) dies on ya. then u got nuthin to listen to
tsmitty025
02-17-2010, 01:01 AM
no way, wat if ur zune (or gaypod) dies on ya. then u got nuthin to listen to

It's not very hard to wire in a charger... I have a Zune :D and you would still have radio.
HazMatt24
02-17-2010, 01:14 AM
well with an Ipod it charges while it's plugged in. You can also add a dvd changer if you have to have a physical drive
Weazel
02-17-2010, 02:20 AM
With steering wheel controls or a big easy touch screen, I'd love to do it. What is there really for affordable aftermarket HDD car audio stations?
cherrington17
02-17-2010, 08:46 AM
i have a cd... never use it. actually... i haven't used a cd in... probably 4 years.

ipod ftw. (charges while playing)

and as for haz's question... if it dies, or locks up. i just pull it out at a stop light and hard reset it. (that sounds absolutely horrible, but i assure you, i'm talking about the ipod)
HazMatt24
02-17-2010, 09:10 AM
i just pull it out at a stop light and hard reset it.

hey as long as the tint is dark, do what you want in your own car :lol:

I have used cds a lot lately, but they've all been mp3's so converting to a hard drive based system seems pretty natural to me. I've seen a lot of head units lately that don't have a physical drive, so I was just curious if anybody had gone this route and had any regrets doing it. I'd assume eventually cd players will go the way of the 8 track and tape deck.
Vella's Alero
02-17-2010, 09:37 AM
so does this have a hard drive in it that you can put music on or just ipod hookups? Sorry i would look it up but im on my phone.
HazMatt24
02-17-2010, 10:09 AM
so does this have a hard drive in it that you can put music on or just ipod hookups? Sorry i would look it up but im on my phone.

no hard drive, just USB input, input for external dvd/cd changer, nav connection and a tuner. You can get a portable USB hard drive with like 320GB for around $50 so that plus this head unit wouldn't be too bad.
JLw7123
02-17-2010, 02:40 PM
I am thinking of it when I get my new system put in.
HazMatt24
02-17-2010, 02:53 PM
If I wasn't buying new tires this weekend I'd definitely be considering going this route a little more
Silentalero
02-17-2010, 02:57 PM
Yea i did,

i had my pioneer z2 and used either the 20gb hd built in, or always had my ipod connected. Never got old and its nice not shuffling through cds
HazMatt24
02-17-2010, 03:10 PM
Yea i did,

i had my pioneer z2 and used either the 20gb hd built in, or always had my ipod connected. Never got old and its nice not shuffling through cds

yeah, but even that still had a dvd drive right? So you could have played cds as a backup if need be
Silentalero
02-17-2010, 03:49 PM
yea if need be but I never did. The hd would record from a cd so i just recorded my cd's to my harddrive and played them off there
HazMatt24
02-17-2010, 04:43 PM
have you hooked up an external HD via USB,? And how were the load times? I know with the Ipod connection to my current deck (Alpine) there is about a half second lag with the controls.

I've also heard that with using an external drive or thumb drive the files have to be organized a certain way, any truth to that?
widbyj
02-18-2010, 01:08 AM
Organizing the files by Album (at the least) makes good sense. Alpine is one of the best in terms of working with external drives... anything my friends have shoved in gets found. Never tried a USB HD yet, will do and let you know....
Silentalero
02-18-2010, 02:27 AM
have you hooked up an external HD via USB,? And how were the load times? I know with the Ipod connection to my current deck (Alpine) there is about a half second lag with the controls.

I've also heard that with using an external drive or thumb drive the files have to be organized a certain way, any truth to that?

Nah, its all internal. I never had load times, the hd read fast and the ipod was ok. The new line of pioneer is a lot faster for ipod
Ryan from Ohio
02-18-2010, 07:07 AM
I just found out that my JVC deck will not only play songs off flash drives, but I can control ipods/generic USB MP3 players as well as charge them. it will also control the device...

Pretty nice.

I just snagged a 20 GB external HDD off www.onesaleaday.com

$25 shipped. Nice and thin.
HazMatt24
02-18-2010, 10:34 AM
Organizing the files by Album (at the least) makes good sense. Alpine is one of the best in terms of working with external drives... anything my friends have shoved in gets found. Never tried a USB HD yet, will do and let you know....

I always keep everything by album. In fact, I got to the point I don't even download individual songs anymore, I get the whole album whether I want it or not. :lol: Isohunt FTW btw. I love Alpine too. Never had any problems with multiple decks in multiple cars. Very bad karma when I've tried any other brand so I will never cheat on Alpine again.


I just found out that my JVC deck will not only play songs off flash drives, but I can control ipods/generic USB MP3 players as well as charge them. it will also control the device...

Pretty nice.

I just snagged a 20 GB external HDD off www.onesaleaday.com

$25 shipped. Nice and thin.

I have a Western Digital 320GB hard drive that is slightly larger than my blackberry. It would be no problem to put it under the deck on a single din chasis (not that I would, just referencing the size). I picked it up at Staples of all places (which means I got raped on the price) about two years ago for $75 and I know I've seen them for around $50 now. I have all my music stored on it and a bunch of movies too, that's why I'm thinking of going all digital, I can just take that thing back and forth between the car and my computer as easy as putting my phone in my pocket.
Ryan from Ohio
02-18-2010, 10:56 AM
The one I listed is about 3/8" x 2 1/4" x 3 3/4"

thats small.
HazMatt24
04-16-2010, 04:25 PM
well, I didn't go completely digital, but I did pick up and Alpine IVA NAV-1 for the car today that I will have in this weekend

Ok, deck is in

crappy cell phone pics
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c265/hazmatt24/deck2.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c265/hazmatt24/deck1.jpg
alerogls001
05-08-2010, 09:27 AM
That looks really nice man.
HazMatt24
05-08-2010, 01:27 PM
it looks a lot better at night
My-Alero_03
05-15-2010, 02:54 PM
I went to the double din after market pt dvd navi system. i got to say it is kinda nice where you dont have to have only cds you have your ipod sd cards or portable hard drive. I have only found one bad thing about the touchscreen is when it is cold the sensors dont like to work right but that may be just the sytem i have i dont know if any one else has cam across this problem