What's the scoop on hooking up an mp3 player to the stereo in the higher-end sound system? Is there a USB port available up front to plug in your portable mp3 player? If so, I'm *really* digging that....

an auxiliary input jack is located on the dashboard next to the accessory poer socket. your audio system will accept auxiliary inputs from a portable cassette player, cd changer, mp3 player. to use the jack just plug in a mini-jack cable and press aux button on audio unit.
to answer your question, no no usb plug.
gary

Does anyone have a suggestion as to what is a good MP3 player to buy. I would perfer on that uses compaq memory cars or some flash mem cards like that. Also how do you know it will work with the aux jack. is there just a small cable that replaces the headphones and goes to the aux jack?

Thanks
Scott

as far as what mp3 to buy that depends on alot.. do you have a PC or a Mac,? if a PC does it have a firewire connection or USB?

how much are you willing to invest in an MP3, and how much do you want to store on it.

If you want a lot of storage, but not a big price you might want to find a refurbished one or hit the online auctions.

There are so many variable to consider with buying an MP3 anymore.

I use PCs. I want one that takes flash media so I can upgrade at my own pace. Most flash media is very cheap these days and should only go down. I have a digital camera that uses Compact Flash so I already have several cards I could use. I also want to make sure all I need is a simple cable with a headphone connection at both ends to connect it to the stereo system or is there more to it than that.

Thanks again
Scott

the MP3 jack looks like the same as a headphone jack if that helps you..
it states in the manual "it will accept auxilliary imuts from a portable cassette player, CD changer, MP3 player, etc"... "To use the jack turn down the volumn of the audio and portable unit. Pivot the cover up, plug in the mini-jack cable between the portable unit & the jack, press the AUX button on the audio"...
So simple as plug in with the mini-jack.

as far as choices just make sure the mp3 you choose has a decent battery life average is 8 hours, so make sure it has more umph that that. Some units can have the memory expanded, so check for that. see that it accepts other formats like WMA & ATrac.. so you have more flexibility.

Since you have a PC do you have a USB, if you do not you willneed to get an external one or make sure the unit you find that you like has simply firewire.

Archos Jukebox
Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox
SonicBlue Rio Riot

All Three of these players have hard drives ranging from 6gig to 40gig. Prices range from $124 to $399.
All have car addapter kits, which include cassette addapter (a little device that pretends to be a cassette tape), a power adapter to plug into the aux power out (you can forget the battery play time issue). You can plug from headphone jack to the aux input on EX models with the right cable. (see messages above). They all work with PC computers, USB or Firewire, I don't know a bout Macs.

I don't have any experience with any of these devices although I plan to buy one. Online Reviews I've read are mixed depending on the source. All the bad reviews I've read come from individuals who claim horrible experiences, but these may competitors razing each others device. The only good reviews I've seen from individuals uses were on the Creative Labs Nomad.

If anybody out there has any experience with any of these players or other brands please let us know.

One of the best reviewed portable MP3 players I've found is the Creative MuVo (http://www.muvo.com/products/MuVo/) it's a tiny device, the memory card pops out of the muvo and plugs straight into a USB port and becomes a removeable HD. Just drag and drop the songs you want and you're good to go.

No moving parts, so no skipping from hitting bumps either. That's always a problem for me with CD based MP3 players.

Another pro of the Muvo is it's a portable drive, so you could put jpgs or exe's or programs or anything you want in it, take it to a friends house and copy the files off of your muvo, it's good portable storage.

The main problem with it is you can't get more memory cards for it yet I don't think. The 128 meg MuVo can hold approximately 30 mp3's. It also only runs on batteries (1 AAA battery) and will run for 12 hours on 1 battery.

Mulvo does sound great, but yeah I will wait for it to add more memory upgrades.. very cool though Thank you!

I just got my new Dell PDA (pocket pc $224) which I bought since my old palm died and I wanted a MP3 player for my E. It works great and I would suggest it for anyone how wants to kill two birds with one gadget. It can use compact flash and secure flash to hold music. Since I have a digi cam that uses compact flash I have several 256MB cards already. I have about 70 songs on a card and it still has about 25% of space left. I drove to work this morning listening to my MP3s thanks to the E AUX port. Sweet!

My ex is supposed to be buying me a CD/MP3 player. I can put more than enough MP3s on a cd to satisfy my need to randomize the music. I am anticipating that it should work quite well as the anti-skip will buffer the MP3 data and probably close to a full song.

Iskie

It matches the car (if you have the black/grey interior), it's 20Gb, and it's only 179!

Just wanted people interested in adding a plug-in MP3 player that I've got a Creative Nomad Jukebox III and it works great with the AUX jack in the Element. It's got 20GB of storage, which basically means 4,000 or so songs if they're ripped at 160kps. Careful of iPods or the Creative Zen (an iPod lookalike). According to reviews on CNET, they use rechargeable batteries that wear out after a year or two - and you can't replace them! The Nomad Jukebox III has a replaceable battery.

Sorry if my very first post resembles a flame, but don't go bad-mouthing iPods so quickly. The batteries don't "wear out", and they can have their memories reset with or without voiding the factory warranty, your choice. The question really is, if you're so smart as to have chosen the quality of the Honda brand and the versatile, unique, beyond-practical, ahead-of-its-time (and everybody else's) Element, how can you possibly settle for "dumb and cheap" on your music device? If anything, I consider my Element (to-be) an accessory to my Mac and iPod; not the other way around! If you bother to look closely, you'll see that Honda wisely chose an iPod in the literature illustration! Duh! Does an iPod cost more than the alternatives? Yup. Would an Element cost more than its alternatives (if any real ones existed)? Yup. And you can even buy an iPod for a MicroSnot computer cheaper than one for an Apple! Let's not even get into why the speed of FireWire is so much better than USB on this thread, but do you want to wait all night to load your music or ten minutes? The hookup? One male mini - male mini stereo cord. Under $10.00 at the local Radio Shack. But why not splurge and go for the $15.00 gold-plated ones? Or are you going to really insist on being cheap?

[quote:8665ea96a6="szacherau"]Does anyone have a suggestion as to what is a good MP3 player to buy. I would perfer on that uses compaq memory cars or some flash mem cards like that. Also how do you know it will work with the aux jack. is there just a small cable that replaces the headphones and goes to the aux jack?[/quote:8665ea96a6]

Scott, I've owned a Frontier Labs' Nex II for almost two years now and I absolutely love it. It uses standard compact flash memory cards - like those used in digital cameras and PDAs - even those ultra-svelt IBM 1GB Microdrives!! And the Nex II is very reasonably priced - about $100 without memory. Wanna know more?

http://www.frontierlabs.com/IIe.html

And as far as the cabling thing is concerned, you need a standard male-to-male patch cable. But not all cables are created equal - be sure to look for one that offers some form of shielding to reduce interference. I might be so bold as to suggest this one:

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=712

Rob

Another vote for the iPod. I plug my 10 GIG into the dash and it cranks. Put it on random and you could drive for days with the tunes, you'll have.

it works on either PC or MAC, so don't think about it being an Apple product, except when considering the well thought out design. Though I wouldn't offically do it, you can change playlists with one thumb while driving your E :)

Recent firmware releases (can other makes upgrade firmware?) address low voltage issues where the ipod is tricked into thinking its dead,... battery life is great!

add the fact that you can add all your VCF;s on it so you have your phonebook in your element,... damn you just gotta get one!!

Hey, I have been thinking of getting an Ipod, but I have some questions. Can it be used for windows and Mac? Does it have aftermarket mounts for mounting in the Element? Can I power it from 12V car battery so I dont have to keep replacing batteries? I like the looks of the Ipod and I think this is probibly the best on the market. But I don't know weather to buy now or wait for somthing better a couple months down the road. Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks, Brian
SLM 5-speed

Yes the iPod is sold as either a Win or Mac compatible item

You can get adapters. Like the Element, the iPod inspires cool after market stuff.
Try http://www.ipodlounge.com as a good place to start

[/url]

I bought the Archos recorder 20 gig for mine.
www.archos.com
The reason is because it is the only one found that has open source for their firmware. There are firmware upgrades daily by hackers adding new features.
Just check out the aftermarket Rockbox firmware site.
http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/features.html

Nikki the Beautiful

[quote:340f197571="Nikki"]I bought the Archos recorder 20 gig for mine.
www.archos.com
The reason is because it is the only one found that has open source for their firmware. There are firmware upgrades daily by hackers adding new features.
Just check out the aftermarket Rockbox firmware site.
http://rockbox.haxx.se/docs/features.html

Nikki the Beautiful[/quote:340f197571]

The Archos is a very good MP3 player - I'd rate it #2 after the iPod - but I don't think they give them out to people who aren't as beautifu as Nikki (who I haven't seen a picture of yet) so be prepared to be disappointed if you have any flaws at all.

Nikki - when do we get to see proof of your beauty claims? O yeah - and when you post it - it'd be great if you could be holding up your license in the picture as proof (just blur out the license or social numbers). We don't want anyone posting pics of little known B rated actresses and posing as them now do we? :wink:

Maybe we can have a poll - our own little "Are you hot or not" - and in to be fair I'll post a pic of myself - hehe.

As a Mac owner, I was seriously considering an iPod, but even the used ones on eBay are still $200 or more (and that's just the 5GB!). I'm thinking I might grab an MP3 CD-walkman at Target for $60 instead. They read CD-RWs, and the amount you can store is only limited by how many discs you want to bring in the car. :)

Drew

drew - then you should getting installing a CD-MP3 player in the dash. i'm pretty sure i saw it on teh accesories list.

but, i vote iPod. it's got a great user interface and when you use it as a stand alone walkman, the sound is terrific and loud enough to split your eardrums. plus it fits in your pocket.

[quote:55c17ecbbe="isketerol"]My ex is supposed to be buying me a CD/MP3 player. I can put more than enough MP3s on a cd to satisfy my need to randomize the music. I am anticipating that it should work quite well as the anti-skip will buffer the MP3 data and probably close to a full song.

Iskie[/quote:55c17ecbbe]

Where do you get your ex's iskie? I wish i had an "ex" that would keep buying stuff for me.

I agree that the Ipod does have a nicer "look" and function. It still misses a few features that the Archos has. The Archos also has better firmware support! It is also less than half the price of the Ipod and a much better buy for a 20 gig Player at $230. Since the Ipod is $499. I had an extra $270 to spend on clothes :idea:

Nikki the Beautiful

You folks really should give the Frontier Labs' Nex II a look. I've had mine for almost two years now and I absolutely love it. It shares the same compact flash memory that we use in our Canon DigitalElph camera and my wife's Dell Axim PocketPC. Since it supports any standard compact flash cards, the Nex II can even be paired with an IBM 1GB Microdrive - and a gig of storage for just under $200 bucks ain't too shabby.

http://www.upgradenation.com/ibm1gbmicwit.html

The Nex II is very reasonably priced - about $100 without memory. Wanna know more?

www.frontierlabs.com/IIe.html

OK, first off I picked up my Black Y-Pkg on Thursday the 3rd and I am THRILLED with it! Now for my question. I received a Samsung Yepp Digital Audio Player as a "Congratulations on your Element" gift from my boss. I have no clue how to use it (don't worry, that's not my question!) LOL! I don't see any jacks on this except for where the USB port cable connects and the headphones of course.

What do I use to plug this into my Element and where on the player do I plug it in? (the headphone jack?) I'm confused... sorry!

Thanks in advance!

Anna

Anna,

First of all, congrats on your new E and the mp3 player.

Secondly, yours is not a stupid question (and despite what you're told, there definitely *are* stupid questions).

You need a stereo mini cable (get @ Radio Shack, Best Buy, etc., there are even some for sale in the Trading Post Forum on this list and on EBay), then you use the headphone jack to connect to the Aux port on the passenger side dash. Make sure the volume is turned up on the mp3 player and select the 'aux' button on the stereo and you should be greeted with whatever tunes you have stored on your mp3 player.

hope this helps.

peace,

-jdef

Using a patch cable you plug one end into the headphone jack and the other into the Element.

Thank you so much!!! (and for reassuring me that it wasn't a stupid question!)

:D :D :D

Anna, you must be a super hot chick too. I get so many gifts from my co-workers. Its great. I look forward to work everyday to see who is going to shower me with gifts that day. Life Is Good!

Nikki The Beautiful

Nikki,

Thanks for the picture of yourself - finally! :D I'm posting it below so others can see what you look like as well.

I gotta tell you Nikki - and I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder - but I think you may have left your beauty back in 1947.

You're a little old to be my type but I'm sure that there are many "distinguished" gentlemen out there that would find you irresistable.

Take care Nikki,
eMass.

http://www.nwgapdx.org/Images/Pictures/NIKKI.JPG

E-Mass,

Thanks for sharing...that explains a lot...

Like where the $270 in clothes went instead of the iPod...

rotflmao :twisted:

peace,
-jdef

That IS a dude, right?

[quote:54537bef79="Sunstoke"]That IS a dude, right?[/quote:54537bef79]

No sir, she's 100% pure woman.

ignore this.....figure out the quote thing a little late! derrrrrr

[quote:9de69573f0="Nikki"]Anna, you must be a super hot chick too. I get so many gifts from my co-workers. Its great. I look forward to work everyday to see who is going to shower me with gifts that day. Life Is Good!

Nikki The Beautiful[/quote:9de69573f0]

Oh yer darn straight... I'm a super DUPER hot chick...especially in my new veehickle. They just can't get enough of me! LOL!!

Lol >Emass :)

Nikki the Beautiful

Nikki....love the rags, dear. I'd like to aquire the same if you'll help.

Looks like they'll sew up into great seat covers for an SOP E.