Play CDs in your Genesis!

[Suburbazine]

I used to only play CDs due to the higher bit rate until streaming music unlimited choices won me over even if the bit-rates are pretty low akin to mp3. Apple iTunes mp4 bit-rates has pretty good quality, however I got tired of burning my iTunes playlist to CDs.

Steaming services are just too convenience with unlimited songs to choose from on the fly. However, over the air HD radio stations in Atlanta sound as good as CDs on my Genesis radio I have learned recently when I tested the FM radio after my 13.5 update. Surprised me on how clear the Lexicon 17 speaker system sounds with a good sound source. I am sure CD and DVD music sources will sound as good or better than HD radio for anyone willing to create dedicated playlist or play specific albums.

HD radio is the dialup equivalent of music quality. A decent station broadcasts at 96kbps, but if they have sub channels then that is shared 2 or even 3 ways.

Compare to a CD at around 1400Kbps.

The closest codec equivalent would be 320Kbps “lossless” formats.

This is why people gravitate towards high sample rate FLAC or super high speed single-bit formats like DSD.

 

[Suburbazine]

I dont know anything about the converters and adapters you guys speak of! That being said ,does it affect the longevity of head unit?All the things that are being done with the head unit, like using converters and other gizmos just to play music. Sounds to me like it would hurt it over time? Yes, no, maybe ,kind of so!

none of this stuff affects the electronics in the car. Unless you make a habit of playing at full volume.

 

[Kraig Wilkinson]

none of this stuff affects the electronics in the car. Unless you make a habit of playing at full volume.

Ok nice to know. I am not very educated on these electronic matters, that is why I asked . Thanks for the info and education on this matter.

 

[SuperKing]

Even then, it still doesn't sound the same as a CD. I took a CD, ripped it to 320kbps MP3. I've played the CD, the MP3s off a USB drive, through bluetooth off my phone and the AUX in through my phone. Same songs, same files all sounded different.

Bluetooth sounded "best" for some reason. Probably because of the processing on the phone.
CD sounded the most "correct"

 

[Kraig Wilkinson]

Even then, it still doesn't sound the same as a CD. I took a CD, ripped it to 320kbps MP3. I've played the CD, the MP3s off a USB drive, through bluetooth off my phone and the AUX in through my phone. Same songs, same files all sounded different.

Bluetooth sounded "best" for some reason. Probably because of the processing on the phone.
CD sounded the most "correct"

When you say ripped ,I assume it to be the same as copping it or transfer it to other device?

 

[Suburbazine]

Even then, it still doesn't sound the same as a CD. I took a CD, ripped it to 320kbps MP3. I've played the CD, the MP3s off a USB drive, through bluetooth off my phone and the AUX in through my phone. Same songs, same files all sounded different.

Bluetooth sounded "best" for some reason. Probably because of the processing on the phone.
CD sounded the most "correct"

MP3 is a trash codec. It doesn’t have a reproducible lossless function. It was great when phones had 128mb of storage though.

 

[carguy75]

HD radio is the dialup equivalent of music quality. A decent station broadcasts at 96kbps, but if they have sub channels then that is shared 2 or even 3 ways.

Compare to a CD at around 1400Kbps.

The closest codec equivalent would be 320Kbps “lossless” formats.

This is why people gravitate towards high sample rate FLAC or super high speed single-bit formats like DSD.

All I know is that local HD radio sounds good to me on my Genesis radio compared to the streaming Bluetooth clarity. Did I use a use CD to compare the difference? No. To be honest, I never used a CD or DVD is about 5 years except to install printer drivers for my PC. I download or stream all my media. However, I am not an audiophile even though I enjoy nice sounding audio equipment.

 

[SuperKing]

When you say ripped ,I assume it to be the same as copping it or transfer it to other device?

Correct, I started off with the original retail CD. I ripped it to the highest MP3 bitrate the car/phone can play. The file being played through USB, Bluetooth and AUX is the exact same file that I created for consistency.

 

[Kraig Wilkinson]

Correct, I started off with the original retail CD. I ripped it to the highest MP3 bitrate the car/phone can play. The file being played through USB, Bluetooth and AUX is the exact same file that I created for consistency.

Thanks for the tutorial. I have be trying to become more tech savvy, but I have old school ways so I find it kind of hard for me to pick up. Thanks !!

 

[SuperKing]

Oh, and don't use the Jukebox... for some reason it sounds the worst. I don't know if it's reencoding the files in a lower bitrate or what but it loses detail.

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[Kraig Wilkinson]

Oh, and don't use the Jukebox... for some reason it sounds the worst. I don't know if it's reencoding the files in a lower bitrate or what but it loses detail.

Very good to know. This car has so much tech. Thanks once again, I have been really well informed about the Genesis just by joining this forum . I am awaiting my upgrade sdcard from mapnsoft , I am anxious.
Hope it works after upgrade.

 

[UberGen]

CD player? What is that? Is that like a an 8-Track device??

Seriously though, I haven't used a CD player be it home or in my car in probably a decade. No desire at all to deal with storage of, or buy of old tech. I'm 100% BT streaming now. My CD slot is now used for a phone mag mount.

It’s my understanding that streamed music is compressed by nature, which impacts the dynamic range during playback. CDs, on the other hand, offer relatively lossless sound quality.

I’m no audiophile, yet I believe that you can definitely hear the difference while listening to a higher-end sound system.

 

[EdP]

Correct, I started off with the original retail CD. I ripped it to the highest MP3 bitrate the car/phone can play. The file being played through USB, Bluetooth and AUX is the exact same file that I created for consistency.

Sometimes I think it is a benefit that my hearing is not that good. I just enjoy the music playing no matter the source. OTOH, it is not all that bad, I can't stand listening to myself singing along.

 

[skipgen]

Carrying cd's around in my car with the heat/cold let alone having to find a place to store them, oh and having to constantly swap them out (I rarely if ever listen to just one album) is too much of a PITA to stick to the whole "it's nostalgic!" talk.

True.

 

[Rmsanger]

I source all my music from CD then RIP to lossless then I use my Fiio M11 as my DAP source. With expansion slots up to 2TB it literally will take my entire music collection on the go and play CD quality or better sound anywhere. it has all the bluetooth goodies as well as traditional ports. It is a hifi audiophile's dream.

Product:
https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Android-Resolution-Lossless-Bluetooth/dp/B07PLN4FF1

Thread with tons more deets:
FiiO M11-Android 7.0, 2.5/3.5/4.4 Powerful Output, Exynos 7872, Dual AK4493 DAC chips, 3GB RAM, WiFi, Two-way LDAC

It's life changing, you're welcome!

/thread

 

[SuperKing]

If anyone would like to experience 5.1 in their car, shoot me a PM. I can setup a sampler ISO that you can burn to a DVD. It should play in the Ultimate, not sure about other trims.

 

[SupRCRuZn]

it has all the bluetooth goodies as well as traditional ports. It is a hifi audiophile's dream.

Very NICE! Looks like a superb little black box of goodness but the weakness of the Genesis is how you interface this to the amplified section. What cables and ports are best ? We don’t have a true line in interface anywhere on the 17 speaker preamp side. I think the smaller system may though...IIRC.

 

[Suburbazine]

Very NICE! Looks like a superb little black box of goodness but the weakness of the Genesis is how you interface this to the amplified section. What cables and ports are best ? We don’t have a true line in interface anywhere on the 17 speaker preamp side. I think the smaller system may though...IIRC.

Aux input 3.5mm is your line in. Unfortunately it’s not balanced so you lose some quality right away.

 

[kaigoss69]

If anyone would like to experience 5.1 in their car, shoot me a PM. I can setup a sampler ISO that you can burn to a DVD. It should play in the Ultimate, not sure about other trims.

Sign me up please!

 

[16UltV6Guy]

Sign me up please!

Ditto.

What's the procedure to make this happen?