stereo usb question?

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stereo usb question? - 10/21/2007 8:04:32 PM    davtak Site Moderator Posts: 1466 Joined: 5/1/2006 Status: offline Some of my music that I have is downloaded off the internet and stored on a flash drive. A freind of mine has a fm modulator that plugs into the cig lighter and you can plug in a flash drive or a sandisk memory card and play your music through a fm station. For those who haven't seen my center console yet, I made a custom switch panel in place of the cd holder. What I am looking to do now is to put another panel in place of the change holder. I know there are some stereo guys on here, and my question is for you. What I want to do, is to put a usb plug into that panel, along with a amp kill switch for when I get a system. But what I want help on is the usb for now. I am going to look around to see if I can find anything, but does anyone know if there is something I can plug into the rca's of my deck and route to the inside of the center console, then run a usb plug to the panel so I can plug my flash drive into and play my music through my stereo. Maybe possibly even show the title of the song that is playing on my stereo. If not, then I am going to rerout the wiring for a cig lighter to the center console and buy a cig lighter fm modulator. Any help is welcome and I thank you in advance. _____________________________ http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2373050 http://www.myspace.com/davtak Post #: 1

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/21/2007 8:15:36 PM    otnietdehoooo The Chop Shop Moderator Posts: 1669 Joined: 5/25/2007 From: Ft. Worth, TX Status: offline ive never seen a usb/rca adapter...  id say get one of the modulators and plug it in and wire it under the console and run a usb extension to your switchplate. i dont know if you will be able to see the song title or not... unless you already have subs and amp in mind, i have 2 12" subs with an enclosure and an amp that im trying to sell. _____________________________ Matt - 98 4DR 4WD click me! (in reply to davtak) Post #: 2

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/21/2007 8:20:41 PM    bobditts Posts: 719 Joined: 10/16/2007 Status: online also keep in mind that the quality of the file is going to be crap unless it is lossless. (in reply to otnietdehoooo) Post #: 3

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/21/2007 8:36:00 PM    otnietdehoooo The Chop Shop Moderator Posts: 1669 Joined: 5/25/2007 From: Ft. Worth, TX Status: offline after googling "usb rca adapter" and following a few links through a few more website, i found THIS. its kind of expensive but i think it would sound a lot better than an fm modulator. it looks like it has a usb male connected to rca in and rca out. i think you could just cut off the usb male end in splice on the female end and run that through the center console to the switches you have and then plug it in there. you could also buy a new headunit. i have seen quite a few that have usb ports built in _____________________________ Matt - 98 4DR 4WD click me! (in reply to bobditts) Post #: 4

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/21/2007 8:42:36 PM    swartlkk Posts: 15280 Joined: 5/1/2005 From: Waterloo, NY Status: online quote: ORIGINAL: bobditts also keep in mind that the quality of the file is going to be crap unless it is lossless. I would like for you to explain how the *average* human ear can hear the difference between 192kpbs MP3 or 320kbps MP3 and lossless files on the *average* car or home stereo system.  If you are working from digital files, losses are already there. < Message edited by swartlkk -- 10/21/2007 8:45:40 PM > _____________________________ Kyle- 04 Rainier My Restoration Projects Please Do Not PM for Tech Help (in reply to bobditts) Post #: 5

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/21/2007 8:51:24 PM    otnietdehoooo The Chop Shop Moderator Posts: 1669 Joined: 5/25/2007 From: Ft. Worth, TX Status: offline well from my experience, ive noticed that, regardless of bitrate or filetype, anything sounds bad on an fm modulator. but i live with lots of traffic and lots of powerlines and an enormous amount of interference so that could also be the reason _____________________________ Matt - 98 4DR 4WD click me! (in reply to swartlkk) Post #: 6

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/21/2007 9:45:54 PM    drperry Posts: 3926 Joined: 1/12/2007 From: GP AB CA Status: offline FM modulators bite... Might as well listen to the radio, lol, that's the quality of sound you get... Well, actually, most real radio stations are better quality anyway... I know they sell decks that have USB ports built in to them... My brother has one, and you can stick a USB stick in there, or an external USB harddrive, and all the titles and such show up with no problems or issues... I'll go find out the model brand and model number if you want... There's not really anything for converting USB to RCA as per-say, because you have to power the USB device, and transfer the information and such... The thing that otnietdehoooo found is more of a USB soundcard than anything else... You'll have to run 5 volt power to the flash drive for it to turn on, then you'll have to design a circuit board that'll decode the data transferred from the device... All in all... Not an easy task by any means, lol. < Message edited by drperry -- 10/21/2007 10:00:39 PM > _____________________________ (in reply to otnietdehoooo) Post #: 7

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 6:07:01 AM    otnietdehoooo The Chop Shop Moderator Posts: 1669 Joined: 5/25/2007 From: Ft. Worth, TX Status: offline lol i didnt realize that there was no power source on that thing...   from some of the few webpages i went through to find that thing, most people said its not very easy to do b/c usb is a digital protocol and its quite difficult to convert it to an analog signal. i really wish my deck had the usb port...  back when i bought mine, they were just coming out and they were a little too expensive. _____________________________ Matt - 98 4DR 4WD click me! (in reply to drperry) Post #: 8

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 8:03:52 AM    Blaze GM4 Posts: 24 Joined: 10/18/2007 Status: offline The USB decks are a lot more affordable now.  I have a Clarion DXZ775USB that i picked up for $350 and there are two sub-models that have USB ports.  The thing i love about this deck is that it plays Window's Media files via flash drive (doesn't do  USB MP3 players)  So no more skipping scratched CD's for me! There are add ons for i-Pod, Sirius, XM satellite and Bluetooth for hands free cell phone calls. (in reply to otnietdehoooo) Post #: 9

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 8:16:00 AM    otnietdehoooo The Chop Shop Moderator Posts: 1669 Joined: 5/25/2007 From: Ft. Worth, TX Status: offline can you control which songs it plays, through the headunit? i bought an adapter so i can hook up anything with a 3.5mm output to my headunit but it doesnt allow me to control songs and skip through. i have to use my zen to select song and fast-forward which seems a little dangerous to me _____________________________ Matt - 98 4DR 4WD click me! (in reply to Blaze GM4) Post #: 10

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 8:28:21 AM    drperry Posts: 3926 Joined: 1/12/2007 From: GP AB CA Status: offline My MP3 player is mounted right beside my stereo, all you need to do is memorize where the button is, and it's no different than seeking with the stereo, lol. Most USB capable decks, treat the flash drive, or whatever you use, pretty much the same as an MP3 cd... The exception being the Alpine USB block, which from what I've read, is only good for displaying a small portion of the songs on your storage device... and/or doesn't work with USB harddrives... Theoretically speaking, you should be able to use an MP3 player with your deck, if you have the USB port... I know my Gigabeat, when connected to USB, and you turn it on, it goes into "drive mode" and you can either copy stuff to and from, with a PC, or, at least with my Xbox 360, use it for music playback. _____________________________ (in reply to otnietdehoooo) Post #: 11

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 9:03:59 AM    Blaze GM4 Posts: 24 Joined: 10/18/2007 Status: offline Yes, you choose what song you can play.  It's divided into "folders" and "song titles" which you can configure on your flash drive through Windows Media.  The only thing i dont like is you can't change to a different folder by using the remote control... i have the older interior in my fullsize and i have to reach halfway across the truck to do that .  Also if you have a regular mp3 player you can buy an RCA to HPJ adaptor and use the "auxillary input" and listen to music that way too.  the model i have plays DVD's too but that's overkill i thinks. Clarion decks aren't compadible with MP3 players via USB because they dont recognize other software or harddrives, shows up as "error 6".  I know this because i spoke to them directly since this was the entire reason why i bought the deck.  You can buy the extra hardware to interface your i-pod to the deck, also Sirius/XM satellite which are kept out of view and controlled by the deck, which is nice for a clean look but they don't have as many options as the higher end sirius units such as rewind. < Message edited by Blaze GM4 -- 10/22/2007 9:15:20 AM > (in reply to otnietdehoooo) Post #: 12

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 9:08:43 AM    otnietdehoooo The Chop Shop Moderator Posts: 1669 Joined: 5/25/2007 From: Ft. Worth, TX Status: offline like music files on a dvd? thats 5.4 GB of music....   that would be awesome _____________________________ Matt - 98 4DR 4WD click me! (in reply to Blaze GM4) Post #: 13

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 9:18:20 AM    hillbillyinOhio Posts: 2887 Status: offline yep, some of the newer decks are dvd audio playable as well.  i have a 60 gig portable usb harddrive on my KDADV38 in my honda.  and it also plays dvd audio. I have lots of music at my fingertips!!! _____________________________ MECP Master Installer 2007 Chevy Silverado Ext cab system to be determined 155.6 Best on the TermLab (in reply to otnietdehoooo) Post #: 14

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 9:22:03 AM    otnietdehoooo The Chop Shop Moderator Posts: 1669 Joined: 5/25/2007 From: Ft. Worth, TX Status: offline i should have waited when i bought my deck. theres so many that are way cooler or better than mine mine says MP3/WMA on it. does that mean i can just burn the mp3 to the disc directly? can i fill up all 700MB or will i still have the 80min limit cd's have _____________________________ Matt - 98 4DR 4WD click me! (in reply to hillbillyinOhio) Post #: 15

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 9:23:04 AM    Blaze GM4 Posts: 24 Joined: 10/18/2007 Status: offline That's a lot of music! But like i said, you can use the USB input and play your music through your flashdrive (i personally use a 4GB drive)  The nice thing is your music can't be spoiled by scratching your flashdrive, this is such an awesome feature because i never took good care of my CD's.  Plus, you can rip all your CD's and tranfer your entire library to a 4GB flash drive, well...i can anyway. (in reply to otnietdehoooo) Post #: 16

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 9:27:56 AM    Blaze GM4 Posts: 24 Joined: 10/18/2007 Status: offline Sounds like you can.  Windows media will tell you how much you can burn onto your disc, or whatever software you use. (in reply to otnietdehoooo) Post #: 17

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 9:47:07 AM    drperry Posts: 3926 Joined: 1/12/2007 From: GP AB CA Status: offline To make an MP3/WMA disc, you burn the files as you would if you were backing them up for PC use... Instead of 82 minutes and 30 seconds of music, you get 700MB of MP3 storage... _____________________________ (in reply to Blaze GM4) Post #: 18

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 9:55:22 AM    otnietdehoooo The Chop Shop Moderator Posts: 1669 Joined: 5/25/2007 From: Ft. Worth, TX Status: offline ok thanks, i just burned a disc and im gonna go see if it works. _____________________________ Matt - 98 4DR 4WD click me! (in reply to drperry) Post #: 19

RE: stereo usb question? - 10/22/2007 10:10:18 AM    Blaze GM4 Posts: 24 Joined: 10/18/2007 Status: offline Oh, so you're in Grande Prairie, that's only 2.5 hours away from where i  live, i'm in Chetwynd, B.C. (in reply to drperry) Post #: 20

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