Recommend a pen drive based head unit

Run_to_da_hills

Im sick of CD's now, getting damaged, skip, etc Looking into USB pen drive based car stereos that will transfer MP3's / I tunes across to a HDD based in the head unit. Can anyone recommend?

woody33

Can't help you with hard drive based headunits, but I like the idea of ones that take an SD card.

L-M

I've a Sony Xplod head unit, with a wire on the back for the Ipod which I have linked into the glove box. Has the usb option on the front as well.

Fantastic radio, couldn't reccoment it more.

positron

Not exactly what you are looking for, but I doubt if there's a cheaper and more flexible solution than this!

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10130

About five euro and free shipping..!

CyberGhost

Limerick man wrote: »

I've a Sony Xplod head unit, with a wire on the back for the Ipod which I have linked into the glove box. Has the usb option on the front as well.

Fantastic radio, couldn't reccoment it more.

+1 for Sony.

JHMEG

positron wrote: »

Not exactly what you are looking for, but I doubt if there's a cheaper and more flexible solution than this!

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10130

About five euro and free shipping..!

I have one of these for when I'm not in my own car (I have a HDD based headunit that can't be gotten any more).

Anyway, that yoke above is fantastic for the money. Sound quality is pretty good. The only slight drawback is that you can only go next and prev using the buttons on it, so navigation if you have a lot of songs isn't the easiest. But it's perfect for a 2GB USB drive.

colm_mcm

I had a HDD in my last car, was a bit of a pain to be honest, have an intergrated ipod headunit now, much better for uploading music to it and much easier to control etc.

Alpine and Sony ones are easy to use.

JHMEG

colm_mcm wrote: »

I had a HDD in my last car,

What make/model was that?

MrAbc

How about the newer Parrot car kits... they have SD slot and USB cable inputs and mp3 playlist usage.

http://www.parrot.ie/index.php?target=categories&category_id=3

You could add a simple USB stick, or maybe (personal plan) a USB 2.5" HDD enclosure powered(if needed) from 12V(loom) DC adaptor or cigarette lighter socket, etc, etc for the flexibility of the HDD capacity.

An integrated solution (headunit) might be cheaper tbh, but in my case I'd primarily like to get the Parrot phone functions... and the USB HDD capability is then covered nicely too[I hope ].

colm_mcm

JHMEG wrote: »

What make/model was that?

Can't remember TBH. wasn't a major brand anyhow. was in it when you drove it I think (you drove the blue car right?)

Graham_B18C

Keep an eye out in Lidl or Aldi if you're looking to go fairly cheap, grand radios and they all have CD, SSD card slot and my one has a usb connection at the front for the i Pod, its a grand oul yoke! If yer looking to go posh, a friend of mine has an Alpine one exactly like the one LM described, really good and great sound too. Think his was around 200 quids

colm_mcm

Grahamo999 wrote: »

K my one has a usb connection at the front for the i Pod,

Will the USB take a proper ipod? or just a memory stick?

Graham_B18C

colm_mcm wrote: »

Will the USB take a proper ipod? or just a memory stick?

Haven't actually tried yet...tell ya in a sec...

Done it there, recognised it and all but didn't play, there's stuff about it in the instructions but im not bothered setting it up now, the car belonged to the GF's brother and he had his iPod touch connected with it so it deffo works, I'll have to get him to show me how to do it, its a Silvercrest Radio, think he picked it up for 60 quid and had to pay a tenner to get the connector block for it

L-M

Grahamo999 wrote: »

Think his was around 200 quids

Aye mine was 170 with Halfords discounts. Does the job very well.

Graham_B18C

Limerick man wrote: »

Aye mine was 170 with Halfords discounts. Does the job very well.

Halfords discount? Is that a trade discount? Are the iPod radios handy to install? Like is there just a cable sticking out the back that you just have to fish through to the Glove box?

L-M

Grahamo999 wrote: »

Halfords discount? Is that a trade discount? Are the iPod radios handy to install? Like is there just a cable sticking out the back that you just have to fish through to the Glove box?

No it's a card that the Father has with his Axa insurance. 10-15% discount. The ipod radios are as easy as any, and yes it's just the cable sticking out the back and fished through to the glovebox.

Works a treat, the Ipod never need be seen again Charges itself too.

Graham_B18C

Limerick man wrote: »

No it's a card that the Father has with his Axa insurance. 10-15% discount. The ipod radios are as easy as any, and yes it's just the cable sticking out the back and fished through to the glovebox.

Works a treat, the Ipod never need be seen again Charges itself too.

Yeah they're cool alright, I like being ablr to actually go through the iPod on the radio screen. Might invest in one when I invest in a better car!!!

L-M

Grahamo999 wrote: »

Yeah they're cool alright, I like being ablr to actually go through the iPod on the radio screen. Might invest in one when I invest in a better car!!!

Actually, that's the only pain. To go through the artists you have to hold 2, and it slowly skips through them one by one. My last radio you could twist the volume button and it would fly through them.

For that reasons, it's nearly always on shuffle. And the fact I have mostly single songs.