Poll: CD Player - ever use it ?

[D1JL]

I should warn that hard drives while running, are susceptible to damage from shock and vibration. Drop it, running or not, and kiss your drive good by.

As this may be true, my HD is mounted inside the center consol.
I have very stiff springs and have never had any incident in over 3 years now.
With regards to impact or drop damage, I would think that the HD would be the least of my problems.





Dave

 

[Intuit]

As this may be true, my HD is mounted inside the center consol.
I have very stiff springs and have never had any incident in over 3 years now.
With regards to impact or drop damage, I would think that the HD would be the least of my problems. Dave

The benefit is that you're not writing to the drive otherwise there would be problems. Such a mistrack while writing would potentially corrupt data. If it mistracks while reading you merely suffer a lower transfer rate. But the circumstances of it's use render transfer rate irrelevant. It likely spends much less than 1% of it's operating time being accessed. As long as there aren't any head-slaps (r/w head makes contact with spinning platter) from strong bumps and vibrations you're good.

Out of curiosity, is yours mounted to the side wall of the console, top, or bottom ?

ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME FLAGS VALUE WORST THRESH FAIL RAW_VALUE
1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate POSR-- 117 099 006 - 119247312
3 Spin_Up_Time PO---- 098 098 085 - 0
4 Start_Stop_Count -O--CK 097 097 020 - 3158
5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct PO--CK 100 100 010 - 0
7 Seek_Error_Rate POSR-- 073 060 030 - 21301191
9 Power_On_Hours -O--CK 099 099 000 - 1017
10 Spin_Retry_Count PO--C- 100 100 097 - 0
12 Power_Cycle_Count -O--CK 099 099 020 - 1259
184 End-to-End_Error -O--CK 100 100 099 - 0
187 Reported_Uncorrect -O--CK 100 100 000 - 0
188 Command_Timeout -O--CK 100 100 000 - 0
189 High_Fly_Writes -O-RCK 100 100 000 - 0
190 Airflow_Temperature_Cel -O---K 064 052 045 - 36 (Min/Max 24/36)
191 G-Sense_Error_Rate -O--CK 100 100 000 - 0
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count -O--CK 100 100 000 - 2
193 Load_Cycle_Count -O--CK 097 097 000 - 7189
194 Temperature_Celsius -O---K 036 048 000 - 36 (0 11 0 0 0)
197 Current_Pending_Sector -O--C- 100 100 000 - 0
198 Offline_Uncorrectable ----C- 100 100 000 - 0
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count -OSRCK 200 200 000 - 0
240 Head_Flying_Hours ------ 100 253 000 - 277819959543388
241 Total_LBAs_Written ------ 100 253 000 - 6745778096
242 Total_LBAs_Read ------ 100 253 000 - 35713062484
254 Free_Fall_Sensor -O--CK 001 001 000 - 9
​

When I look at drive health, the parameters I tend to key-in on are Pending, Uncorrectable and Reallocated sector counts. With comparative historical data I'll look at Raw Read Error and Seek Error rates. Yours I'd expect will have an unusually high seek error rate. But like some other stats, it's really more of a change compared to history, that you're looking for. Even if you have an unusually high rate for the make/model/firmware, it may be normal considering it's operating environment.

 

[neeqness]

This doesn't really count, but I have cellphone mount that uses the CD slots. So in a way, I am using it; all the time.

Which cellphone mount are you using? How do you like it so far and has there been any issues with i?

I actually do use my CD player occassionally. I can hear the difference in the sound when I use it compared to bluetooth or the aux input. It does sound better on mine and the clarity is detectable (I can even sense the clarity of the HD radio stations but I have some very slight mods. I agree it sounded pretty horrible before but now it sounds FAIRLY decent. I'm happy for now since it sounds better than I thought it would and I have other things higher up on my priority list.

Sent using Tapatalk

 

[D1JL]

Out of curiosity, is yours mounted to the side wall of the console, top, or bottom ?

On side.
If you check out my mod list with photos (link below) you will see.




Dave

 

[imhenry66]

Which cellphone mount are you using? How do you like it so far and has there been any issues with i?

I actually do use my CD player occassionally. I can hear the difference in the sound when I use it compared to bluetooth or the aux input. It does sound better on mine and the clarity is detectable (I can even sense the clarity of the HD radio stations but I have some very slight mods. I agree it sounded pretty horrible before but now it sounds FAIRLY decent. I'm happy for now since it sounds better than I thought it would and I have other things higher up on my priority list.

I have to agree that CD quality music still has advantage over mp3 and it's more apparent when it's played directly as opposed to tethered.

Here's the mount I bought that mounts into the CD slot:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012NA9KMI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I do have an iPhone 6 Plus with a card holder case, so the bottom clamp doesn't hook around completely. But with the side bolsters, the phone sit very secure. The downside is that it makes the door lock button harder to reach, for obvious reasons.

 

[neeqness]

I have to agree that CD quality music still has advantage over mp3 and it's more apparent when it's played directly as opposed to tethered.

Here's the mount I bought that mounts into the CD slot:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012NA9KMI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I do have an iPhone 6 Plus with a card holder case, so the bottom clamp doesn't hook around completely. But with the side bolsters, the phone sit very secure. The downside is that it makes the door lock button harder to reach, for obvious reasons.

Thanks! Any pics of the phone in the mount?

Sent using Tapatalk

 

[imhenry66]

Thanks! Any pics of the phone in the mount?

Well, I thought about using, instead of my phone, the DSLR shooting my phone in the mount, then grab the SD card, get the photo out into the PC, color correct and resize it smaller with Photoshop, save and upload it to a photo album somewhere... Then I shot the mount with the phone, upload it to instagram, and link it from there. A lot of time to just prove a point on a forum if I were to want to shoot it not using my cellphone.

Let me ask my roommate to borrow her cellphone when she comes home. Haha.

 

[neeqness]

Well, I thought about using, instead of my phone, the DSLR shooting my phone in the mount, then grab the SD card, get the photo out into the PC, color correct and resize it smaller with Photoshop, save and upload it to a photo album somewhere... Then I shot the mount with the phone, upload it to instagram, and link it from there. A lot of time to just prove a point on a forum if I were to want to shoot it not using my cellphone.

Let me ask my roommate to borrow her cellphone when she comes home. Haha.

It's cool. Didn't want to put you through any extra trouble. I was only asking in case you had them on hand or could snap one real quick, but no worries. [emoji2]

Sent using Tapatalk

 

[jazz]

I honestly had to think about whether mine had one XD Haven't used it since I've got the car.

 

[Melstin]

I've only used it once during a roadtrip. Haven't used it ever since....

 

[Intuit]

D1JL, I believe anyone who uses the much nuch higher capacity HD option should to side-mount.

NO, it does NOT.

But, most of the current, over-compressed, sources are SOOO BAD that even my destroyed stereocilia/hair cells in my inner ear can tell just how HORRID they sound, as even compared to garbage CDs.

I used to be a not maniacal, slightly lower than top 'esoteric grade audiophile', in both my car systems, and a full Linn home stereo system, back when vinyl was more than just the retro novelty it is today.

There are a ton of factors when it comes to MP3/WMA/AAC/etc sound quality. On playback and depending on the equipment, sound source, you may not hear any difference between the "lossless" AAC format and MP3, or will hear a TON of difference between two identical bit/sample rate MP3 files.

The A/D and D/D conversion plays a large, very large part in quality. For example the freeware "LAME" MP3 encoder sounded absolutely terrible versus that which you'd purchase from Fraunhofer. Many people don't know this (or care) and use the freeware versions, then condemn all compressed audio formats as "horrible". I've encoded the same tracks using different encoders on the same software, bit/sample rate, and played it back using the same program. While one encoder indeed sounded (no exaggeration) horrible no matter the bit and sample rate, the others sounded anywhere from decent to fantastic. The main difference between the "decent" and "fantastic," was in the dynamic range and "masking." There was some decrease in dynamic range and subtle background detail may be cut-off by the "masking" filter, but these are details you'd mostly only pickup on headphones or in a quiet environment. Driving in a noisy car you're not going to notice the difference.

The D/A conversion also plays a large part. Whether the power source is limited (battery) or dirty (A/C - DC conversion) they can cut into the dynamic range. Quality D/A conversion and post-processing, oversampling/anti-aliasing along with a well programmed DSP can compensate for some of the "pixelation" and bring out most of the background detail within the audio stream. You're not going to get out more than was put in, but imagine how visual filters can smooth out rough edges, sharpen a blurry image or accentuate subtle details within an image.

Some folks I've notice also go back to an era where we had trained musicians and lots of live instruments. Now amateurs rule and live instruments are a minority. There is a monstrous difference in sound quality between live performances using "real" instruments and live bands as opposed to the pieces that are composed from a zillion different compressed sample reproduction/simulations of live instruments from untrained artists; and of course some genres enjoy 100% synthesized sounds not recorded from any instrument.

Ford should dump Sony and go with a North American based manufacturer, Alpine, along with SRS programming for DSP processing. The SRS component that was added to the old Windows Media Player that ran under Vista is absolutely phenomenal. But I know Sony and they undoubtedly convinced Ford to be 100% exclusive to them for the next 360 years or get sued for everything they're worth. They're also probably behind the decision to keep the late 1980s slot-wart / cell phone mount holder on the dash too.

 

[imhenry66]

When you stated "NA-based manufacturer" referring to Alpine, did you mean their assembly line being out here? Just curious, because I've shot marketing videos for them at their California-based office, and my understanding is that Alpine is Japanese as well.

 

[AzNightmare]

It's called backward compatibility. Sort of like how cars in the early 2000's still had a cassette slot even though everyone used CDs by then.

I don't understand the complaint of this thread though... You make it sound like a CD slot takes up an abundant amount of space...

 

[Racer83L]

Well, I thought about using, instead of my phone, the DSLR shooting my phone in the mount, then grab the SD card, get the photo out into the PC, color correct and resize it smaller with Photoshop, save and upload it to a photo album somewhere... Then I shot the mount with the phone, upload it to instagram, and link it from there. A lot of time to just prove a point on a forum if I were to want to shoot it not using my cellphone.

Let me ask my roommate to borrow her cellphone when she comes home. Haha.

or you could use a mirror

 

[M-Sport fan]

I don't understand the complaint of this thread though... You make it sound like a CD slot takes up an abundant amount of space...

+1!

Or is it just the 'embarrassment' of having a seemingly "low tech/'80s era" device's loading port in plain view in the dash (or the weight of the laser/drive mechanism, which I could understand more than the disparaging 'tech snobbery')?

 

[vikster101]

I never used the CD player in my previous two cars until the Fiesta. Then I found a record store that sells CDs for $1.

 

[M-Sport fan]

D1JL, I believe anyone who uses the much nuch higher capacity HD option should to side-mount.




There are a ton of factors when it comes to MP3/WMA/AAC/etc sound quality. On playback and depending on the equipment, sound source, you may not hear any difference between the "lossless" AAC format and MP3, or will hear a TON of difference between two identical bit/sample rate MP3 files.

The A/D and D/D conversion plays a large, very large part in quality. For example the freeware "LAME" MP3 encoder sounded absolutely terrible versus that which you'd purchase from Fraunhofer. Many people don't know this (or care) and use the freeware versions, then condemn all compressed audio formats as "horrible". I've encoded the same tracks using different encoders on the same software, bit/sample rate, and played it back using the same program. While one encoder indeed sounded (no exaggeration) horrible no matter the bit and sample rate, the others sounded anywhere from decent to fantastic. The main difference between the "decent" and "fantastic," was in the dynamic range and "masking." There was some decrease in dynamic range and subtle background detail may be cut-off by the "masking" filter, but these are details you'd mostly only pickup on headphones or in a quiet environment. Driving in a noisy car you're not going to notice the difference.

The D/A conversion also plays a large part. Whether the power source is limited (battery) or dirty (A/C - DC conversion) they can cut into the dynamic range. Quality D/A conversion and post-processing, oversampling/anti-aliasing along with a well programmed DSP can compensate for some of the "pixelation" and bring out most of the background detail within the audio stream. You're not going to get out more than was put in, but imagine how visual filters can smooth out rough edges, sharpen a blurry image or accentuate subtle details within an image.

Some folks I've notice also go back to an era where we had trained musicians and lots of live instruments. Now amateurs rule and live instruments are a minority. There is a monstrous difference in sound quality between live performances using "real" instruments and live bands as opposed to the pieces that are composed from a zillion different compressed sample reproduction/simulations of live instruments from untrained artists; and of course some genres enjoy 100% synthesized sounds not recorded from any instrument.

Ford should dump Sony and go with a North American based manufacturer, Alpine, along with SRS programming for DSP processing. The SRS component that was added to the old Windows Media Player that ran under Vista is absolutely phenomenal. But I know Sony and they undoubtedly convinced Ford to be 100% exclusive to them for the next 360 years or get sued for everything they're worth. They're also probably behind the decision to keep the late 1980s slot-wart / cell phone mount holder on the dash too.

Thank you for the above explanation, as yes, I will admit I AM lacking knowledge in this specific area, and yes, DO prefer the "warm" dynamic range of the old, classic, less compressed sources, DESPITE their flaws (pops, scratches, skips, etc. for vinyl).

I will admit that the type of music I listen to IS effected negatively much more by compression than what (probably) most on here like, or listen to being modern folk/singer-songwriter, 'alt-country', various blues, and bluegrass, etc., vs. (and YES, I'm guessing here) techno, dance, trance, prance whatever, or all out 'screamo' head bangin' death metal and such.
(So accurate, and 'warmer' dynamic ranges in the mids/mid highs especially, mean MUCH more to even my destroyed ears, even in a less than ideal car environment, than does; capacity, 'convenience', tech snootiness, etc., since the artists I listen to DO play their own instruments, and use their own voices quite expertly. )

I will agree with you on the whole Alpine thing as those are the ONLY aftermarket head units I have EVER allowed in any of my rides for the past 35 years or so, but, IF Ford (or anyone for that matter) ever did contract with them, it would add significantly to the price of the car I fear.

 

[Zissou]

I format the cd to be an mp3 which the car can read, so you can fit 700 mb of music on there. Most of the time I stream from Google Play or Spotify or Podcasts, but it's good to have a back up library of music.

 

[Intuit]

It's called backward compatibility. Sort of like how cars in the early 2000's still had a cassette slot even though everyone used CDs by then.

I don't understand the complaint of this thread though... You make it sound like a CD slot takes up an abundant amount of space...

It's called an observation, not a complaint. The tech is nearly 30 years old and supplanted by MiniDisc, DVD, and successive forms of Flash media ranging from Memory Cards to USB Flash drives.

Who said it takes up a lot of space? Where did you read that [smile] ?
I said it "seems like a waste of space". Setup a straw man argument with someone else.

The purpose of the poll was to help ascertain whether that was really the case; which is why I used the phrase, "SEEMS LIKE" versus an absolute like, "IT IS".

The fact that you decided to reinterpret things this way says that you were likely offended by the post.

+1!

Or is it just the 'embarrassment' of having a seemingly "low tech/'80s era" device's loading port in plain view in the dash (or the weight of the laser/drive mechanism, which I could understand more than the disparaging 'tech snobbery')?

Hehehe "snobs"? Just have'n a little discussion M-Sport. Inserting ridiculous notions like "the weight of the laser/drive mechanism" is well, ridiculous. [smile]

 

[AzNightmare]

It's called an observation, not a complaint. The tech is nearly 30 years old and supplanted by MiniDisc, DVD, and successive forms of Flash media ranging from Memory Cards to USB Flash drives.

Great observation. Backward compatibility though, that's why it's there.