Stereo/CD players--new technology; what's good?

Kings Gambit

Kings Gambit

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Jul 27, 2011
5,002
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
So, my 18-year-old Kenmore KDC-215S stereo receiver/CD needs replacement. But there are many replacement options out there for a "dash" unit that will fit the existing frame. I don't need a lot, but Admirable and I have chatted about adding Sirius XM capability. I also notice some models with USB ports for uploading music files, etc. Bluetooth seems an important feature as well. Any pointers?
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,770
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
KG, I wrote a detailed technical note for Mainsheet magazine last year about my investigation of just the questions you raise. I replaced my decade old CD unit with a new Bluetooth, after spending years burning CDs to my computer every time I bought a CD and brought it to the boat. Beats trying to "catch up." :) PM me and I'd be glad to share it with you.
 
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P

Pizzazz

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Sep 11, 2015
147
Hunter 31 Marina del Rey
Newer units do not have CDs, they are called Digital Media Players. You really do not need the CD. If you have existing CDs that you like, you can rip them to mp3 files very fast (3 min per CD). Then put all your music on a flash disk or on your mobile phone and you are good to go.
 
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capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,772
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
I've switched to an mp3 player that takes mini sd cards and blue tooth speakers. The gear is cheap, so no worries if it gets wet and a 64gb chip can hold a gazillion songs. Used to be an Ipod held several dozen crates of LP's in a player the size of a pack of smokes, but now even more music fits in something smaller than a postage stamp!
 
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ggrizzard

ggrizzard

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May 27, 2004
1,972
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
Well P, How do you "rip CD's to a mp3 file"?
I went to Best Buy, asked the same question and got a bunch of techno jargon
(No "Let me show you what we have for that.") that sent me reeling to the bar.
 
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P

Pizzazz

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Sep 11, 2015
147
Hunter 31 Marina del Rey
ggrizzard said:
Well P, How do you "rip CD's to a mp3 file"?
Click to expand
You need a computer with a CD drive. There is a program called Windows Media Player that comes preinstalled with Windows. Start the program, find a setting that allows it to look up song ID info on the net (this way it will automatically rename your files with the artist/song information), put the CD in the CD drive and when the program asks you to rip it, do so. There is another setting that sets the quality of the mp3 file (192 kbps is enough). Also, make sure you are ripping to mp3's not wma's, as the former are more compatible. Basically, start Windows Media Player and play around with the settings. Once you find the optimal settings (rip speed (usually 24x), format (mp3), bit rate (192 kbps), artist info, etc.) the next CD will take about 3 min. Keep going until you go through your collection.

Another option is to find a fellow sailor who can let you borrow his music/movie hard drive. Long distance cruisers exchange these often. Typically you will have 200-300 movies and 20,000 songs on one hard drive.
 
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Davidasailor26

Davidasailor26

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May 17, 2004
5,069
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
If you have a smartphone then +1 for a unit with Bluetooth. Then you can just stream whatever you want from your phone - stored songs, Sirius XM app, radio station apps, podcasts, etc. If a song comes on that you don't like, or you need to adjust the volume, you can just reach in your pocket to change it on the phone rather than needing to go down to the headunit.
 
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Justin_NSA

Justin_NSA

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Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
"Everything is better with Bluetooth" - Sheldon Cooper
I replaced an old Sony with a wired remote in the cockpit and CD changer with a new Apline that has Bluetooth and a USB port on the front. Also has an RF remote so I don't need line of sight to use it. That was a huge plus if you don't want to have to go below to make changes. It is secured to my pedestal.
 
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Kermit

Kermit

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Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
My system has all the media-playing capability except bluetooth. I bought a Bluetooth sender and receiver to make using my iPod easier. The wires needed for each device make it sorta not nearly as great as straight-up Bluetooth. I would buy a Bluetooth system if my stereo would just haul off and quit working. Even a slight amount of not working correctly is all it would take.
 
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kloudie1

kloudie1

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Nov 6, 2006
9,892
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
I have an ancient (30 years old) Aiwa from back when they were an industry leader.. It is an automobile unit that has a cassette player (!) .. the thing is, it has an auxiliary input jack I hook that to my iPod (old 120gig unit) and can enjoy almost endless music that way.. For a while, I used a portable CD player and when iPods came along, started using that.... AM/FM still works fine, so I have no reason to change (unless it would be to get a remote control).
 
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RoyS

RoyS

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Jun 3, 2012
1,742
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Would be interested in a bluetooth gadget that would send stereo radio output signal to two bluetooth headsets. This for crowded anchorages so as to not disturb my neighbors. Any suggestions?
 
JamesG161

JamesG161

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Feb 14, 2014
7,418
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
ggrizzard said:
Well P, How do you "rip CD's to a mp3 file"?
Click to expand
iTunes does it all the time.
______-
Kings Gambit said:
So, my 18-year-old Kenmore KDC-215S stereo receiver/CD needs replacement
Click to expand
Mine too, but I didn't. Why?

Mine has a AUX input. I plug in a BluTooth Receiver into that.
https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Bluetoo...93&sr=8-5&keywords=bluetooth+receiver+adapter

Now my iTunes links via Bluetooth to the OLD unit.
iTunes reads my old CD's and keeps them even "Shared" on all my iDevices.
_____
Ready for this, my Raymarine MFD links and lets me adjust the volume and selection at the Helm.:clap:

Jim...
 
S

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,069
Currently Boatless Okinawa
As for the original question: because we do not yet have solar, I keep my consumption as low as possible. I put my entire collection on a 128 GB microSD card in my phone. I play it through a $10 Bluetooth speaker off Amazon. I can also connect via cable, but both the sound and dynamic range are better via Bluetooth. If you are an audiophile (which I hope you can overcome) this obviously won't impress.
 
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