MP3 Player For CarOK, you want to take your MP3 player on the road. There are many ways to use your MP3 player in your car. It's just a matter of budget and preference. Alright, you have all your favorite music loaded on to your MP3 player and you want to listen in your car or other vehicle. No problem, there are ways to connect your MP3 player to any radio system depending on the brand and model features. And you can even get a new unit for your vehicle that automatically hooks up with your player if all else fails. There are basically four different ways to listen to your MP3 player music while you're driving down the road. We've outlined the four methods below. It really depends on your quality requirements, budget, and versatility you desire. Solutions range in cost from $30 to as much as you want to spend. If you have a newer car, the stereo you now have may already have the ability to connect to your MP3 or a factory option may be available. * There is a way to use a cassette player to connect if you have one. Most newer models don't have the cassette option anymore but the converters are still available and are as good as a direct cable connection. FM Transmitters: FM transmitters are the most versital, easy, and cheapest method to play your MP3 music in the car. If you want to take your music while riding in other peoples cars it's a great solution. The low end units start at around $30 and allow you to set the same FM frequency on the adapter and the radio. The draw backs are that you often have to change frequencies (to keep away from local broadcasts), the music quality is not as good as a direct cable connection, and you will need to use the controls on your MP3 player rather than the radio. Stereo Cable Connection: If your current radio has RCA jacks, you can use the stereo headphones connection on your MP3 player and connect with a cable that splits to RCA. Or if the current radio has a headphone jack, you can connect with 1/8 inch jack to 1/8 inch jack. The music quality is much higher with a direct cable connection but many older radios don't have RCA or headphone connections. And in most cases you may still need to use your MP3 plaer controls rather than the radio controls. Cables for either setup start at around $15. Docking Slot: If you have a newer vehicle, many of the standard radios come with a docking option. You can plug directly into the radio through the docking connection on your MP3. This is the best option since your radio controls work, the music quality is the best, and it's quick. Some of the newer car stereos also let you upload music from your MP3 player so you can do it once and forget it, no need to bring the MP3 player since the music is already in the car. Install New Radio: If you are a real music fanatic, you might want to consider getting a new third party car stereo that has the docking option or hard drive access features. The entry level units from Sony start as low as $100 and of course you can spend as much as you want. There are many high end units that have stereo, docking slot, GPS, and hard drive options. It's just depends on your music quality requirements and budget. |
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