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CD/MP3/WMA Receiver with CD Changer Controls
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The advent of digital music formats like MP3 and WMA has revolutionized car audio. Now, you can pack 10 or even 12 albums worth of songs onto a single CD-R or CD-RW — we're talking 250+ songs in a single shot! If you're tired of loading up your CD changer cartridge or fumbling through your jewel cases to find something to listen to, an in-dash CD/MP3/WMA receiver could be just what you need.
So, in the spirit of passing on some hard-earned experience to those of you still cursing because you loaded your changer cartridge the wrong way (been there, done that), here's a look at three in-dash CD receivers that'll play your MP3 and WMA files right from your dash. And lest you balk at spending big bucks on a replacement head unit, I've picked three that'll cost you less than $300.
What to look for in an MP3/WMA in-dash receiver
The most important features of an MP3/WMA-capable head unit have to do with how to navigate through the digital files you've got on a CD. With up to 250+ songs on any one disc, it's crucial to be able to jump quickly and intuitively from one folder to the next to find what it is you want to hear. Likewise, it's nice to have a large display that'll read out the name of the folder, the track, the artist, and the album, so you can quickly see what you're listening to.
It's important to make sure the receiver will mesh well with your digital music library and the media player you use to encode and organize your music. I had some trouble displaying ID3 tag information (the artist, album, and song information embedded in MP3 files) on some players due to versioning requirements. Digital music formats are changing on an almost daily basis, so it can be challenging to pick just one format to use for all your songs. The best advice I can give is to be sure you're using an up-to-date digital media player that allows you to convert files into MP3 and WMA formats and to edit ID3 tag information.
Finally, due to the "lossy" nature of the compressed format of MP3 and WMA audio files (which results in the omission of certain audio information deemed unimportant or inaudible), the sound-shaping capabilities of your in-dash receiver can play a big role in getting the best sound from your files. As is always the case, the more control you have over the sound of your music, the more you'll pay. But for less than $300, you can get an impressive array of sound enhancement features that can make even poorly encoded files sound decent.
Panasonic CQ-DP383U CD/MP3/WMA Receiver
Panasonic's CQ-DP383U gives you high-quality CD, MP3, and WMA playback, a powerful MOSFET50 internal amplifier that cranks out 25 watts RMS x 4 RMS, a convenient rotary volume knob, a top-notch AM/FM tuner, and SIRIUS satellite radio controls built-in, all for one low price ($179.99 MSRP).
As you would expect with a lower-end receiver, the CQ-DP383U offers basic MP3/WMA display information — you can scroll through "folder/file number", "playing time," "folder name," "file name," as well as view clock readout information with each press of the DISP button. You can also switch the "Tag" setting on to display basic ID3 tag information — instead of "folder name," the album title will be displayed; likewise, the "file name" switches to a readout of the song title and artist name.
For a slot-faced receiver (with the CD opening integrated onto the front of the faceplate), the display is particularly large and easy to read, a big plus when you're trying find one song on a disc packed full of files. The crisp blue and white color scheme ensures that even in direct sunlight, you'll be able to read MP3/WMA information without worrying about washout.
A nice feature on this Panasonic unit is Direct Track Selection. Using the 10-key remote, you can choose a specific folder or file to jump to. This is a handy convenience if you've loaded a disc with multiple albums each in their own folders; otherwise you have to use the folder/disc buttons on the receiver to jump from folder to folder. I did note that the Panasonic was slower at changing folders than other receivers — it seemed to take an extra second or two to read each folder before moving on to the next, even after repeated jumps.
Standard CD, MP3, and WMA functions are accessed through the radio preset keys. You can choose to repeat, scan, or randomly play an entire folder or individual tracks. Another button lets you activate or deactivate the scroll function.
There are a few limitations to the CQ-DP383U's MP3/WMA playback: you won't be able to play any WMA files that have been encoded with copyright control. While this might not be a big deal to you if you're simply making mixes from your own CDs, it does mean that any WMA files you download from fee-based music services (such as BuyMusic.com or pressplay) will not play on the CQ-DP383U — a big bummer if that's your bag.
You will also have a hard time playing mixed media discs — discs that contain regular CD-DA files (CD-Digital Audio files are standard .WAV files) and MP3/WMA files. As the manual somewhat humorously states: "You are recommended to minimize the chances of making a disc that contains both CD-DA files and MP3/WMA files....some songs may not play at all."
The upshot
The Panasonic is a good value for someone looking to add MP3/WMA playback to his or her system at a reasonable price. It's got all the basic functions and features you need to enjoy digital music on the road. The internal MOSFET50 amp punches out enough power to keep 2 sets of coaxial speakers satisfied, and you may add external amps through the 2 sets of preamp outputs. I'd prefer to have more than the standard bass and treble adjustments, but at $179.99 (MSRP), this head unit is a good deal.
Panasonic's CQ-DP383U gives you high-quality CD, MP3, and WMA playback, a powerful MOSFET50 internal amplifier that cranks out 25 watts RMS x 4 RMS, a convenient rotary volume knob, a top-notch AM/FM tuner, and SIRIUS satellite radio controls built-in, all for one low price ($179.99 MSRP).
 The CQ-DP383U displays basic MP3/WMA information, including album title, song, and artist name. Here it displays MixMaster Mike's Spin Psycle. |
As you would expect with a lower-end receiver, the CQ-DP383U offers basic MP3/WMA display information — you can scroll through "folder/file number", "playing time," "folder name," "file name," as well as view clock readout information with each press of the DISP button. You can also switch the "Tag" setting on to display basic ID3 tag information — instead of "folder name," the album title will be displayed; likewise, the "file name" switches to a readout of the song title and artist name.
For a slot-faced receiver (with the CD opening integrated onto the front of the faceplate), the display is particularly large and easy to read, a big plus when you're trying find one song on a disc packed full of files. The crisp blue and white color scheme ensures that even in direct sunlight, you'll be able to read MP3/WMA information without worrying about washout.
A nice feature on this Panasonic unit is Direct Track Selection. Using the 10-key remote, you can choose a specific folder or file to jump to. This is a handy convenience if you've loaded a disc with multiple albums each in their own folders; otherwise you have to use the folder/disc buttons on the receiver to jump from folder to folder. I did note that the Panasonic was slower at changing folders than other receivers — it seemed to take an extra second or two to read each folder before moving on to the next, even after repeated jumps.
 You can use the CQ-DP383U's wireless remote to key in specific folders and files — just press the "#" button and use the keypad to enter the folder or file number you want. |
Standard CD, MP3, and WMA functions are accessed through the radio preset keys. You can choose to repeat, scan, or randomly play an entire folder or individual tracks. Another button lets you activate or deactivate the scroll function.
There are a few limitations to the CQ-DP383U's MP3/WMA playback: you won't be able to play any WMA files that have been encoded with copyright control. While this might not be a big deal to you if you're simply making mixes from your own CDs, it does mean that any WMA files you download from fee-based music services (such as BuyMusic.com or pressplay) will not play on the CQ-DP383U — a big bummer if that's your bag.
You will also have a hard time playing mixed media discs — discs that contain regular CD-DA files (CD-Digital Audio files are standard .WAV files) and MP3/WMA files. As the manual somewhat humorously states: "You are recommended to minimize the chances of making a disc that contains both CD-DA files and MP3/WMA files....some songs may not play at all."
The upshot
The Panasonic is a good value for someone looking to add MP3/WMA playback to his or her system at a reasonable price. It's got all the basic functions and features you need to enjoy digital music on the road. The internal MOSFET50 amp punches out enough power to keep 2 sets of coaxial speakers satisfied, and you may add external amps through the 2 sets of preamp outputs. I'd prefer to have more than the standard bass and treble adjustments, but at $179.99 (MSRP), this head unit is a good deal.
Pioneer DEH-P5500MP
The DEH-P5500MP is Pioneer's lowest priced CD/MP3/WMA receiver (the DEH-P4500MP plays MP3s, but not WMAs). For $270 (MSRP) you get an impressive list of features to complement the digital music playback: a bright multicolor display, a flip-down face, the digital AM/FM Supertuner IIID, a MOSFET50 amplifier (22 watts RMS x 4), XM Satellite Radio and CD changer controls, and a ton of sound-shaping controls including Sound Focus EQ, EQ-EX, and high- and low-pass crossovers. That's a lot of firepower for a mid-priced receiver!
The attractive scrolling display provides a wealth of information about your MP3/WMA files. You can tab through "folder name," "file name," "artist," "track," "album," "comments," and even view the bit rate at which you encoded the file. However, in order to view the ID3 tag information, the tags must be version 1.0 or 1.1 — the disc I'd burned would not display the tag information. Upon reviewing the encoding, I realized I'd encoded the tags in version 2.3, the default ID3 version on my digital media player (iTunes 2 on Mac OS 9.2.1). Most digital media players should allow you to convert your ID3 tags (as iTunes 2 did), but it's definitely something to be aware of.
A toggle knob on the right side of the unit handles navigation of folders and files — up/down arrows change the folder, while the right/left arrows change the tracks. A single FUNC button lets you access the repeat (folder, track, or entire disc), random play (folder or disc), scan (folder or disc), and pause functions. Pioneer added 2 types of MP3/WMA search capability in addition to the scan function: using the FUNC button, you can choose either FF/REV or "Rough." FF/REV lets you fast forward or reverse through a track; "Rough" search stops every 10 tracks to let you get your bearings within a folder containing many tracks. There is no direct track selection, but you can access all of these MP3/WMA functions using the wireless remote. The DEH-P5500MP can play discs that contain both MP3/WMA and CD-DA files, though you must toggle back and forth between modes using the Band button.
There's a wealth of audio adjustments you can use to enhance the sound of your music. You can choose one of five preset EQ curves or create your own "Custom" curve using the built-in 3-band parametric equalizer controls. You can even store a separate custom EQ curve for each source, perhaps boosting the high end to brighten up your FM reception or maybe kicking up the mids and lows to add some punch and detail to your digital music files. EQ-EX boosts the current EQ setting for even more powerful sound.
When I used the DEH-P5500MP to listen to digital music, I found the Sound Focus EQ to be extremely useful. This features enables you to adjust the tone of the front and rear speakers independently. The FRT2-H setting, which boosts the treble and bass on the front speakers and the bass on the rear speakers, significantly focused the soundstage and made my MP3s sound cleaner and fuller. I didn't have a subwoofer hooked up for my evaluation, so I didn't take advantage of the high-pass and low-pass crossovers, but these are excellent features to have for system expansion.
The upshot
The DEH-P5500MP has intuitive controls and a clean, attractive design. It adds good MP3/WMA functionality with features like the "Rough" search feature, increased display information that enhances digital music navigation, and the ability to play mixed media discs containing both MP3/WMA and CD-DA files. The biggest feature upgrade from the Panasonic is the enhanced sound shaping-functionality that allows you to contour the sound to your personal tastes — a great benefit when you're playing a lot of digitally compressed music. The fold-down faceplate allows for a cleaner layout of buttons too. The Easy EQ and SFEQ, EQ-EX, and audio settings have dedicated buttons that save you from having to drill deeply into menus from a single button.
While the unit only supports ID3 tag versions 1.0 and 1.1, most popular digital media players allow you to convert the tags so you can take advantage of the artist, track, album, and comments information. For $270, the Pioneer is a solid value.
The DEH-P5500MP is Pioneer's lowest priced CD/MP3/WMA receiver (the DEH-P4500MP plays MP3s, but not WMAs). For $270 (MSRP) you get an impressive list of features to complement the digital music playback: a bright multicolor display, a flip-down face, the digital AM/FM Supertuner IIID, a MOSFET50 amplifier (22 watts RMS x 4), XM Satellite Radio and CD changer controls, and a ton of sound-shaping controls including Sound Focus EQ, EQ-EX, and high- and low-pass crossovers. That's a lot of firepower for a mid-priced receiver!
 Pioneer's DEH-P5500MP displays all the MP3/WMA file information you'd want, including the bit rate of individual files. |
The attractive scrolling display provides a wealth of information about your MP3/WMA files. You can tab through "folder name," "file name," "artist," "track," "album," "comments," and even view the bit rate at which you encoded the file. However, in order to view the ID3 tag information, the tags must be version 1.0 or 1.1 — the disc I'd burned would not display the tag information. Upon reviewing the encoding, I realized I'd encoded the tags in version 2.3, the default ID3 version on my digital media player (iTunes 2 on Mac OS 9.2.1). Most digital media players should allow you to convert your ID3 tags (as iTunes 2 did), but it's definitely something to be aware of.
A toggle knob on the right side of the unit handles navigation of folders and files — up/down arrows change the folder, while the right/left arrows change the tracks. A single FUNC button lets you access the repeat (folder, track, or entire disc), random play (folder or disc), scan (folder or disc), and pause functions. Pioneer added 2 types of MP3/WMA search capability in addition to the scan function: using the FUNC button, you can choose either FF/REV or "Rough." FF/REV lets you fast forward or reverse through a track; "Rough" search stops every 10 tracks to let you get your bearings within a folder containing many tracks. There is no direct track selection, but you can access all of these MP3/WMA functions using the wireless remote. The DEH-P5500MP can play discs that contain both MP3/WMA and CD-DA files, though you must toggle back and forth between modes using the Band button.
 Use the "Rough" search feature to skip to every tenth song in a folder. |
There's a wealth of audio adjustments you can use to enhance the sound of your music. You can choose one of five preset EQ curves or create your own "Custom" curve using the built-in 3-band parametric equalizer controls. You can even store a separate custom EQ curve for each source, perhaps boosting the high end to brighten up your FM reception or maybe kicking up the mids and lows to add some punch and detail to your digital music files. EQ-EX boosts the current EQ setting for even more powerful sound.
When I used the DEH-P5500MP to listen to digital music, I found the Sound Focus EQ to be extremely useful. This features enables you to adjust the tone of the front and rear speakers independently. The FRT2-H setting, which boosts the treble and bass on the front speakers and the bass on the rear speakers, significantly focused the soundstage and made my MP3s sound cleaner and fuller. I didn't have a subwoofer hooked up for my evaluation, so I didn't take advantage of the high-pass and low-pass crossovers, but these are excellent features to have for system expansion.
The upshot
The DEH-P5500MP has intuitive controls and a clean, attractive design. It adds good MP3/WMA functionality with features like the "Rough" search feature, increased display information that enhances digital music navigation, and the ability to play mixed media discs containing both MP3/WMA and CD-DA files. The biggest feature upgrade from the Panasonic is the enhanced sound shaping-functionality that allows you to contour the sound to your personal tastes — a great benefit when you're playing a lot of digitally compressed music. The fold-down faceplate allows for a cleaner layout of buttons too. The Easy EQ and SFEQ, EQ-EX, and audio settings have dedicated buttons that save you from having to drill deeply into menus from a single button.
While the unit only supports ID3 tag versions 1.0 and 1.1, most popular digital media players allow you to convert the tags so you can take advantage of the artist, track, album, and comments information. For $270, the Pioneer is a solid value.
Alpine CDA-9807
Rounding out the top of our list of affordable CD/MP3/WMA receivers is Alpine's CDA-9807. This feature-packed receiver ($299.99 MSRP) offers some significant MP3/WMA navigation and display enhancements, excellent sound-shaping features, and added system expansion capability. If you plan on listening predominantly to compressed digital music in your car and demand powerful, vibrant sound at a reasonable price, this might be the receiver for you.
The sleek, silver faceplate sports bright blue buttons that are intelligently spaced around a blue and white LED display. A large blue DISP/TITLE button accesses 9 different scrolling readouts for MP3/WMA files: "file/elapsed time," "folder number/file number," "clock," "folder name," "file name," "track," "artist," "album," "sampling rate/bit rate." Curiously, there is no "comments" field. A smaller line of icons to the right of the alphanumeric text field is highlighted when different tags are displayed. (Although Alpine's manual states that the CDA-9807 is compatible with ID3 tags in versions 1 and 2, I did have problems getting ID3 tags in version 1 to display all file information. After speaking with Alpine technical support, it appeared that some of the tags on my files contained characters not supported by the CDA-9807. Once I converted the tags to version 2, they displayed fine.) You can set the unit to handle discs with both MP3/WMA and CD-DA files or to play just CD-DA — no toggling back and forth is necessary.
The Alpine really shines in its handling of MP3/WMA navigation. An ingenious Quick Search button located to the right of the rotary volume knob allows you to search through folders and files to preview tracks without changing the song that's playing. The folder and file names appear on the display though they do not scroll in search mode, which can be frustrating. Once you find the specific song you're looking for, a click of the rotary knob cues up the track almost instantly. This is an easy, quick, and convenient way to comb through hundreds of songs on an MP3/WMA disc. Additional functions like repeat (track, folder, disc), M.I.X. random play (folder, disc), and scan are accessed through the radio preset keys. Unfortunately, you cannot use the Quick Search or additional MP3/WMA functions with the wireless remote.
The CDA-9807 boasts impressive sound-shaping controls. Alpine's exclusive MediaXpander™ function restores audio information lost in the recording and compression processes. Each internal source (CD, FM, MP3/WMA, XM) has three expansion modes. I chose MX-3 for my MP3s and the difference was huge. The music became more spacious and textured, and the soundstage seemed tighter and more focused — definitely a nice benefit for digital music lovers. Alpine's Bass Engine® lets you adjust the bass and treble center frequencies, choose the width of the bass boost, and adjust the level of the subwoofer.
These features alone make the CDA-9807 an appealing MP3/WMA option, but there's a lot more to this head unit. In addition to built-in XM Satellite Radio controls and CD changer controls, you get 3 sets of 4-volt preamp outputs for connecting multiple amplifiers. The MOSFET amplifier pumps out 23 watts RMS x 4 of robust power. And the MobileHub™ Link means you can connect an optional junction box that allows you to control incoming and outgoing calls on your Nokia cell phone (6310i tri-band GSM). You can even search your phone's address book using the CDA-9807's Quick Search functions.
The upshot
With the CDA-9807, you pay for what you get. Yes, it's the most expensive of the three MP3/WMA head units reviewed in this article, but you gain real benefits. The Quick Search function and MediaXpander™ feature will enhance your digital music enjoyment. System expansion capabilities are built-in, so you won't have to worry about needing to replace your head unit as your system grows.
I would prefer a fold-down face to allow for a larger display and cleaner appearance. I would also prefer that you could use the remote to take advantage of the Quick Search functionality. But neither of these concerns prevents me from recommending the CDA-9807.
Rounding out the top of our list of affordable CD/MP3/WMA receivers is Alpine's CDA-9807. This feature-packed receiver ($299.99 MSRP) offers some significant MP3/WMA navigation and display enhancements, excellent sound-shaping features, and added system expansion capability. If you plan on listening predominantly to compressed digital music in your car and demand powerful, vibrant sound at a reasonable price, this might be the receiver for you.
 You can set the CDA-9807 to play discs containing regular CD-DA songs as well as MP3/WMA files. |
The sleek, silver faceplate sports bright blue buttons that are intelligently spaced around a blue and white LED display. A large blue DISP/TITLE button accesses 9 different scrolling readouts for MP3/WMA files: "file/elapsed time," "folder number/file number," "clock," "folder name," "file name," "track," "artist," "album," "sampling rate/bit rate." Curiously, there is no "comments" field. A smaller line of icons to the right of the alphanumeric text field is highlighted when different tags are displayed. (Although Alpine's manual states that the CDA-9807 is compatible with ID3 tags in versions 1 and 2, I did have problems getting ID3 tags in version 1 to display all file information. After speaking with Alpine technical support, it appeared that some of the tags on my files contained characters not supported by the CDA-9807. Once I converted the tags to version 2, they displayed fine.) You can set the unit to handle discs with both MP3/WMA and CD-DA files or to play just CD-DA — no toggling back and forth is necessary.
 The CDA-9807 displays "NO SUPRT" when it cannot read ID3 tag information. |
The Alpine really shines in its handling of MP3/WMA navigation. An ingenious Quick Search button located to the right of the rotary volume knob allows you to search through folders and files to preview tracks without changing the song that's playing. The folder and file names appear on the display though they do not scroll in search mode, which can be frustrating. Once you find the specific song you're looking for, a click of the rotary knob cues up the track almost instantly. This is an easy, quick, and convenient way to comb through hundreds of songs on an MP3/WMA disc. Additional functions like repeat (track, folder, disc), M.I.X. random play (folder, disc), and scan are accessed through the radio preset keys. Unfortunately, you cannot use the Quick Search or additional MP3/WMA functions with the wireless remote.
 Alpine's MediaXpander™ function helps make MP3 and WMA files sound fuller and richer. |
The CDA-9807 boasts impressive sound-shaping controls. Alpine's exclusive MediaXpander™ function restores audio information lost in the recording and compression processes. Each internal source (CD, FM, MP3/WMA, XM) has three expansion modes. I chose MX-3 for my MP3s and the difference was huge. The music became more spacious and textured, and the soundstage seemed tighter and more focused — definitely a nice benefit for digital music lovers. Alpine's Bass Engine® lets you adjust the bass and treble center frequencies, choose the width of the bass boost, and adjust the level of the subwoofer.
These features alone make the CDA-9807 an appealing MP3/WMA option, but there's a lot more to this head unit. In addition to built-in XM Satellite Radio controls and CD changer controls, you get 3 sets of 4-volt preamp outputs for connecting multiple amplifiers. The MOSFET amplifier pumps out 23 watts RMS x 4 of robust power. And the MobileHub™ Link means you can connect an optional junction box that allows you to control incoming and outgoing calls on your Nokia cell phone (6310i tri-band GSM). You can even search your phone's address book using the CDA-9807's Quick Search functions.
The upshot
With the CDA-9807, you pay for what you get. Yes, it's the most expensive of the three MP3/WMA head units reviewed in this article, but you gain real benefits. The Quick Search function and MediaXpander™ feature will enhance your digital music enjoyment. System expansion capabilities are built-in, so you won't have to worry about needing to replace your head unit as your system grows.
I would prefer a fold-down face to allow for a larger display and cleaner appearance. I would also prefer that you could use the remote to take advantage of the Quick Search functionality. But neither of these concerns prevents me from recommending the CDA-9807.
Which unit is best for you?
That depends on your budget, your feature requirements, and your taste. Keep in mind that I've highlighted just three representative MP3/WMA in-dash receivers out of a big and ever-growing field (Crutchfield carries 16 CD/MP3/WMA models, and 52 CD/MP3-only models).
The 3 MP3/WMA in-dash receiver buying guidelines identified earlier are good things to keep in mind when you go shopping. Look for receivers that offer:
That depends on your budget, your feature requirements, and your taste. Keep in mind that I've highlighted just three representative MP3/WMA in-dash receivers out of a big and ever-growing field (Crutchfield carries 16 CD/MP3/WMA models, and 52 CD/MP3-only models).
The 3 MP3/WMA in-dash receiver buying guidelines identified earlier are good things to keep in mind when you go shopping. Look for receivers that offer:
- Ease of navigation of MP3 and WMA folders and files,
- A large, easy-to-read display that will read out all the information you want from ID3 and WMA tags, and
- Enough sound-shaping capability to be able to help compensate for audio losses in compressed music files.