Which stereo?

[BLKSVX92]

First off how can MP3s encoded at 256 sound bad???
CDs are encoded at 144bps

Soooo if anything, it is phycically impossible for it to sound worse

Next you have to suscribe to XM broadcasts...which start at roughly $10 a month

Whos to say that if one makes a mp3 CD, they would always want to shuffle....many people like the order in which they choose to put the songs in...thats why we can choose the order of the songs on the cd. And if you are taking the time to make a cd...you arent going to put bad songs on it.


My 2 cents

[phoenix96]

Punisher:
I can honestly say that the Kenwood MP8017 CD/MP3 player was the best thing I ever bought for my Outback. I never had any problem with sound quality (and files ranged from 128kbps to 320kbps depending on the source). As a matter of fact, I have become so dependent on MP3 CDs that I already put a Kenwood Z828 CD/MP3 player in my new SVX.

mp3's can sound bad. it all depends on how the are ripped. All my mp3's are in 128/kb sterio and sound great! I've heard sweet systems running off a mp3 head unit and they sounds sweet playing the mp3's. Granted if they are a bad rip they sound horrible. Mp3's can also be ripped though a crossover, distorting the sound, then distorting the sound even more when your crossover alters the sound.

As for the XM, I love the idea! And my friends that have the radio love it. I just dont want to go spend $300 on the tunner and $10 a month on the service. Granted the stations are sweet, and you get so much out of it. I'll wait till they come down in price a little bit.

Yep, I was talking about encoding the MP3's myself from my CD collection. I agree 100% that the 128 and 160kbps files you find for download are nasty. 256 is pretty much the minimum for decent quality, methinks.

As for finding them, that's a good point. The radio supports ISO directory architecture, so I was thinking I'd put the tracks I wanted from each CD in its own named folder. It's still some digging to get from the top to the bottom of the directory tree, so I guess I'll have to see how much of an operational nuisance it is.

I may get the XM tuner and antenna and give the service a shot, but probably not for a few weeks yet. After spending roughly $2k on bearings, A/C work, tires and stereo this week, my toy budget is feeling the stress.. ;-)

--jim