Music is a pretty big deal.

[TrailBeast]

My current head unit is playing not so funny games.
One day I noticed a battery drain over the course of 2-3 days and found that the memory function of the unit was causing it.
The memory wire of the unit is supposed to be connected to full time 12v, but it was bleeding power over to the head unit amp causing the units amp to be powered all the time and drawing power.
Also this thing would randomly power up when it was humid out, and start playing on its own.
Without the memory wire connected I always had to reset things like Source , EQ, fade and balance every time I turned it on.

I have a new one on the way being delivered tomorrow.

Now the music part.
Sometimes I would be working on someone's desktop or laptop and notice they collected music like I did.
So for example, if I saw CCR albums I would add the albums they didn’t have and copy albums I didn’t have.
Doing this over the course of my 20 plus years of operating a computer service and repair business I collected quite the pile of music.

I have every album Led Zeppelin ever released, as well as 4 box sets of Crosby Stills Nash and Young, box sets of The Grateful Dead, every album release of the Beetles plus a bunch of never released studio recordings of the Beetles with Tony Sheridan or Elvis.
(Sweet Georgia Brown for example)
Lots of B52’s, Guns and Roses, Alice in Chains, Frank Zappa and the Mothers, Moody Blues, Iron Maiden, Leo Marachiolli, and even EDM and Reggae.
Black Sabbath, ICP, Shaggy, She Wants Revenge, Messer Chups and Queen, Bluegrass,
Probably 3-400 original 50’s and 60’s songs (example, I Got a Brand New Pair of Roller Skates)
Also lots of the original Woodstock songs.
Plus hundreds and hundreds more.
I like about everything but current country.

I mostly use Bluetooth with a music app from my phone in the car, and sometimes USB.
Rarely a CD and never the radio.
Been dealing with the old Pioneer unit for at least a year now.
It will be nice to have a stereo that works right again.
(Got another Pioneer)

 

[YY1]

I use a USB media library, but because I have so much material it is a royal pain to sift through it.
I'm not a fan of "random" or "shuffle" play. I want to hear what I want to hear.
To me, modern audio playback device selection has always been about the interface.
For a retrofit, I've standardized on a particular model group of Pioneer.
The interface is "better" for a single line one but the "co-equal" reason for selecting that unit, is that it has adjustable input levels for the different inputs. I wish more units had this. Typically the USB and/or AUX input is WAY lower than the FM and CD inputs.

Scrolling/dial turning, and turning...and turning...and turning has gotten to be so painful that I have taken to using smaller capacity USB drives and putting fewer folders of band/album collections on them for use in my vehicles that have these head units.

I actually miss thumbing through a stack of CD's to find what I want.
WAY less distracting than scrolling/dial turning, and turning...and turning...and turning.
I've actually contemplated using a USB drive for each artist...but that creates it's own issues such as what to do with "one hit wonder" songs.

My 2015 Renegade "U Connect" 5.5 is one of the best interfaces I've seen in a newer car, however, it is missing what I consider a crucial operation- that is a "back" or "up" function from the "now playing" menu. this causes me to press five buttons and two, potentially three scroll operations to go from a single artist's first album to their second, and so forth. If that back or up was there, it would be "press-scroll-press".

 

[TrailBeast]

Ah, so you have most of the same complaints I have with folders, libraries and volumes.
I wish there was a separate volume control for turn by turn vs music playback.
Turn by turn is always too quiet, or I have to have the music too loud, so I can hear what it says.
Curious to see how the new unit handles Bluetooth and USB folders also.
I think since we can do about everything else via voice it would be nice to be able to voice command the stereo.
“Play Grateful Dead folder”

Whenever the Wife goes anywhere with me she talks constantly about this house color, that tree in someone’s yard, about the old lady on social media who’s disabled and poor, how our screens need replaced, and on and on.
Maybe there’s a volume control for that on the new unit.

 

[TrailBeast]

I use a USB media library, but because I have so much material it is a royal pain to sift through it.
I'm not a fan of "random" or "shuffle" play. I want to hear what I want to hear.
To me, modern audio playback device selection has always been about the interface.
For a retrofit, I've standardized on a particular model group of Pioneer.
The interface is "better" for a single line one but the "co-equal" reason for selecting that unit, is that it has adjustable input levels for the different inputs. I wish more units had this. Typically the USB and/or AUX input is WAY lower than the FM and CD inputs.

Scrolling/dial turning, and turning...and turning...and turning has gotten to be so painful that I have taken to using smaller capacity USB drives and putting fewer folders of band/album collections on them for use in my vehicles that have these head units.

I actually miss thumbing through a stack of CD's to find what I want.
WAY less distracting than scrolling/dial turning, and turning...and turning...and turning.
I've actually contemplated using a USB drive for each artist...but that creates it's own issues such as what to do with "one hit wonder" songs.

My 2015 Renegade "U Connect" 5.5 is one of the best interfaces I've seen in a newer car, however, it is missing what I consider a crucial operation- that is a "back" or "up" function from the "now playing" menu. this causes me to press five buttons and two, potentially three scroll operations to go from a single artist's first album to their second, and so forth. If that back or up was there, it would be "press-scroll-press".

Got it.

 

[YY1]

These are the ones I have-

Circa 2010 5300-6500.

Very similar.

I have four of them. They all have the exact same interface. Most were about $50.

A side bonus is the adjustable lighting gets real close to factory blue/green dash lights and orange gauge needles.

 

[missing linc]

I have a couple of similar Pioneer units and I really like them. I also picked up a really cheap JVC I think it is unit that has USB, Bluetooth, and 1/4 plug inputs. Thing is amazing for 40 bucks! Has decent power output and tuneability. It is currently in my 97 Thunderbird, connected to the factory premium sound amp and works great.

 

[TrailBeast]

These are the ones I have-

Circa 2010 5300-6500.

Very similar.

View attachment 1716245818

I have four of them. They all have the exact same interface. Most were about $50.

A side bonus is the adjustable lighting gets real close to factory blue/green dash lights and orange gauge needles.

Yep, I also like the lighting choices.
It was also pretty cool that the new unit has all the exact same connections.
Just slide the old one out and the new one in.
No redoing any wiring.

 

[YY1]

I've taken to doing my car audio wiring with computer HDD power 4 pin plugs and sockets.

Almost free and makes things real easy.

 

[missing linc]

My mistake, it's not a JVC but a Dual tuner/media player.

I have a couple of similar Pioneer units and I really like them. I also picked up a really cheap JVC I think it is unit that has USB, Bluetooth, and 1/4 plug inputs. Thing is amazing for 40 bucks! Has decent power output and tuneability. It is currently in my 97 Thunderbird, connected to the factory premium sound amp and works great.

 

[CFD244]

 

[CFD244]

Now the music part.
Sometimes I would be working on someone's desktop or laptop and notice they collected music like I did.
So for example, if I saw CCR albums I would add the albums they didn’t have and copy albums I didn’t have.
Doing this over the course of my 20 plus years of operating a computer service and repair business I collected quite the pile of music.

 

[Uncle Bob]

My current head unit is playing not so funny games.
One day I noticed a battery drain over the course of 2-3 days and found that the memory function of the unit was causing it.
The memory wire of the unit is supposed to be connected to full time 12v, but it was bleeding power over to the head unit amp causing the units amp to be powered all the time and drawing power.
Also this thing would randomly power up when it was humid out, and start playing on its own.
Without the memory wire connected I always had to reset things like Source , EQ, fade and balance every time I turned it on.

I have a new one on the way being delivered tomorrow.

Now the music part.
Sometimes I would be working on someone's desktop or laptop and notice they collected music like I did.
So for example, if I saw CCR albums I would add the albums they didn’t have and copy albums I didn’t have.
Doing this over the course of my 20 plus years of operating a computer service and repair business I collected quite the pile of music.

I have every album Led Zeppelin ever released, as well as 4 box sets of Crosby Stills Nash and Young, box sets of The Grateful Dead, every album release of the Beetles plus a bunch of never released studio recordings of the Beetles with Tony Sheridan or Elvis.
(Sweet Georgia Brown for example)
Lots of B52’s, Guns and Roses, Alice in Chains, Frank Zappa and the Mothers, Moody Blues, Iron Maiden, Leo Marachiolli, and even EDM and Reggae.
Black Sabbath, ICP, Shaggy, She Wants Revenge, Messer Chups and Queen, Bluegrass,
Probably 3-400 original 50’s and 60’s songs (example, I Got a Brand New Pair of Roller Skates)
Also lots of the original Woodstock songs.
Plus hundreds and hundreds more.
I like about everything but current country.

I mostly use Bluetooth with a music app from my phone in the car, and sometimes USB.
Rarely a CD and never the radio.
Been dealing with the old Pioneer unit for at least a year now.
It will be nice to have a stereo that works right again.
(Got another Pioneer)

I went crazy back in the file sharing days, so I've got a bunch of stuff, but a lot of it is sort of random. For example I recorded shoutcast (IIRC) blues stations for some reason. I also snagged a copy of St. Anger (filename stanger.mp3) that I swear burrowed itself into my files like a tick. That's why I remember the file name, I'd see it, think, hmm what is this, start playing it, realize what it is, then delete it. Then I'd find it in another place, on another drive, or in a zip file and repeat the process.

I really hadn't considered the positive side effect of being a PC repairman though.

 

[YY1]

So, you're the one Lars was mad at back then?