Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thinking about a new Toyota sometime this year. The stock audio systems are described as
"AM/FM CD with MP3/WMA playback capability"
In the past, I've opted for the upgrade to a six-disc in-dash CD changer. However, I've noticed recently that it's getting hard to find blank CD-R music discs to record on, so I'm wondering if that technology is being phased out.
The demand for multiple CD car stereo has gone down with the increased use of cell phones as personal music devices. You can copy your favorite CDs onto your cellphone or MP3 player (they're very cheap now with off brands) and play them in your car with the cable connection.
I think CD's are going the way of cassettes and 8 tracks. Anymore you buy an iPod for about what a CD changer used to cost, and it will store hours and hours of music non stop, provided you get something like a 160 gig version.
Sadly I have a really nice Pioneer CD burner for a home stereo that I paid $330 for brand new in 2001....now I'd be lucky to get $30 for it. And there's nothing wrong with it either.
I've even seen new after market car stereos that allow you to insert your iPhone or iPod into the stereo and it'll be hidden inside behind the faceplate.
I think CD's are going the way of cassettes and 8 tracks. Anymore you buy an iPod for about what a CD changer used to cost, and it will store hours and hours of music non stop, provided you get something like a 160 gig version.
Sadly I have a really nice Pioneer CD burner for a home stereo that I paid $330 for brand new in 2001....now I'd be lucky to get $30 for it. And there's nothing wrong with it either.
The difference, FWIW, is that those other formats were phased out by something that sounded better. CDs still sound better than 99.9% of the MP3s that can be bought, and I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't compress for higher capacity on their MP3 player.
I don't think CD players will go obsolete from vehicles anytime soon (especially since the drive will probably be there in most for the optional DVD players anyway), but MP3 players are quickly making them the less practical (and therefore less used) option. They're more convenient, take up less space, and are much more portable. Of course, cell phones with internet capabilities are quickly replacing those just as fast.
But yeah, the days of having to carry around the giant book of CDs is over, thankfully.
Vinyl still outdoes CDs as far as sound quality goes dynamically.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
