CD player or not?

I was looking at the CD player in the Miata and wondered: Do people still buy CD players these days? I can totally see installing a media player, but do we need the CD function? 

I'm usually streaming music, I think CDs are on the way out, if they aren't already. 

Sad, the physical connection to music is lost, although album art still shows play lists.  What an odd juxtaposition. 

I usually don't use CDs in the car and just use the media player functionality. That said, I still buy CDs...

For sure, not anymore.  

I'm still wondering what to do with the head unit in my Miata so that I can BT stuff.

Yes!  Period modifications ftw.

Cds were replaced by mp3 discs in 2004, and completely replaced by streaming in 2010. 

Mp3 discs were awesome though, why limit yourself to 74 minutes max, when 750MB of mp3s can be 10-12 hours.

It's still cheaper, usually, to buy a CD player with Bluetooth, but I'm probably just going bt receiver and amp for any future vehicles.

I know a few people that still buy CDs.  I don't, I transferred to a bluetooth capable headunit a year or two back and have been loving it since.

Yes, CD still has a place in my world. Mostly because I like to check out audio books from the Library on CD for my commute. I suppose I could just use audile or such, but Luddite.

Oh and I have a couple hundred CD's that are not represented in my digital music collection... once again Luddite.

My disco still has it's tape player in the dash and the disc changer under the seat.  They are going away soon.

Mine has a CD player (along with seemingly every other app on the planet).  I used SiriusXM a lot until they screwed me one too many times.  Now I listen to FM mostly, but sometimes I'll stream Spotify via bluetooth.

In the 6 years I've owned that stereo, I think it has had one CD in it.  I tried an audio book someone gave me for a roadtrip.  That CD is probably still in it.

In my Land Cruiser I have a tape adapter that I have hooked up to an Echo Auto for all the alexa goodness.  I don't think I own any cds at all anymore.

Still using a tape deck, and CD's.

I buy CDs and put the ripped files on my phone, so I can stream whatever service or play my own music without a CD player.

I don't care about having or not having a CD player much, but I certainly wouldn't install a CD player that wasn't also bluetooth capable.

The MG may skip the faceplate-having "stereo" entirely and just be tucked away like some folks have been doing with BT-adapter and amp.

The last car I had where I specifically enjoyed physical media was the Rabbit that came with a tape deck, in which I listened to much Oingo Boingo and the few other tapes I still have in functioning condition.

My 2014 Jeep came with a SD card reader, bluetooth connection, and Aux 3.5mm input. No CDs.

My Ranger needs a replacement AM/FM/Cassette (sound is very low when it is cold outside). If I can’t fix it (likely) I’m going dinosaur and get a used AM/FM (no CD). All the various media stuff doesn’t interest me. It will be simple and when the next owner gets it they can go all crazy with the sounds.  

I got a few CDs from my dad's collection when he passed.  I've been meaning to rip them, but I don't have a cd reader that I can rip them from 

Haven't actually purposefully listened to a cd in years. Almost everything is BT streamed off my phone, 98% of the time it's spotify. I usually keep about 4-5 hours off stuff on spotify saved for offline listening if I lose signal. I have a usb thumb drive with 64gb of music I usually also never use. With single DINs, losing the cd slot also usually makes room for bigger buttons. 

Not to hijack, but what head units do we like for 80s/90s stuff that doesn't look like an Ibiza night club? I know blaupunkt has a cool, but very expensive one. VDO/Contintenal sell a stealthy looking one in BT and BT/CD versions. Evidently no sub out though, which is very not RADwood. 

I have a 6(?) disc changer in the center console of the truck which is full, but I can't recall the last time I turned that function on.  I only have one bluetooth-to-FM adaptater that I move between the Miata and the truck so if I manage to drive off without it, I'll use the CD changer.

On the Miata, I removed the trunk-mounted changer when I made the trek to the $2000 Challenge last year.  There's not much room in the trunk and I didn't want to have to choose between taking beer or bourbon with me.

The upside to CDs is that you'll always have them and they'll always work.  And these days I can't imagine you have to worry too much about someone breaking in to your car and stealing them.  So keeping the CD player is the right choice if you don't want to do any work other than carrying CDs with you.  Assuming you can still get those cases to carry CDs around in the car.

Modern players can accept a burned disc full of .mp3 files so if you want to have a large library in a small format, that can work.  That would require ripping CDs from your computer or purchasing digital music.  Or doing things that don't perfectly align with copyright laws as they're generally understood.

But you can get even more mp3 files on an SD card and those are even more compact.  Plus, with no moving parts seeking between tracks would be faster and you don't have to worry about scratches, skipping, or the motor failing.

I still buy CDs, but I rip them and put it away for archival storage.

fatallightning said:

Not to hijack, but what head units do we like for 80s/90s stuff that doesn't look like an Ibiza night club?

 What style of car?  There are some good options here if you have something domestic:  https://www.retromanufacturing.com/collections/radios

Still have an 8 track in the Fossil and a Linda Ronstadt and a bluegrass tape and my family hates hearing them but we gotta listen to both before the holiday is real. After that though, Spotify all the way.

scardeal said:

I still buy CDs, but I rip them and put it away for archival storage.

Same here. I like having the physical backup to protect against major data loss events or misbehaving DRM or format changes. 

But in a car, CDs are too prone to damage. I used to carry books of them around with my and some of my CDs have suffered too much from the little scuffing that happened over a long period. I prefer an iPod Classic full of music or audiobooks and a patch cord into an aux port. No futzing around with bluetooth, an interface that can be controlled without looking, battery life of 24h or so, no subscription fees or requirement for network access, a library full of stuff that isn't available on whatever streaming service you subscribe to.

Once I starting paying for Spotify in college and got a car with Bluetooth/Android Auto, I've never looked back. For a period-correct look, though, CD might be the way to go.

Also, I've heard that head units meant for marine use don't look too gaudy.

ProDarwin said:

I got a few CDs from my dad's collection when he passed.  I've been meaning to rip them, but I don't have a cd reader that I can rip them from 

Same boat... I had to get an external CD drive for my laptop

Colin Wood said:

Once I starting paying for Spotify in college and got a car with Bluetooth/Android Auto, I've never looked back. For a period-correct look, though, CD might be the way to go.

Also, I've heard that head units meant for marine use don't look too gaudy.

I did that as well.  Spotify is wicked awesome for me.  Years ago I did the free account and it let me synch my iTunes playlists with it.  Since dropping SiriusXM, I pay for spotify now and I think it's better.  I get to choose the music, not a pre-programmed list from space.