I've read that the stock unit in the EX models will play CDs burned in MP3 format. I tried it for the first time last night and.....nothing. :cry: Played the same CD on my computer and it's OK. Regular CDs are no problem and jacking my iPod into the aux jack is terrific. But I'd like to take advantage of the reported capability of this unit to play MP3 CDs. Anyone know what's up with this? Thanks in advance.

According the the Honda web site the 04 element does not come with a MP3 reader.
Honda is selling the aux jack as “MP3/Digital Media Auxiliary Jack ” You may have been reading this and misapplied it to the stock radio.
There is an MP3 player (in dash, DX only I think) which Honda is selling as an accessory.

If I were you, I would stick to my iPod. It will hold more MP3s then a CD-R anyway.

Good Luck. 8)

Sorry - there was more than one review that got the "availability of an MP3 CD player" for the DX confused with the "full audio system" capabilities of the EX and stated that the EX can play MP3CDs. It cannot.

I found out about the error in the reviews during research and sighed. I bet it's more disappointing to find out after purchase. :(

If you have a DX, you can buy a Honda head unit and then buy a 2nd Honda unit that sits underneath that plays mp3 CDs. That just seemed sort of dumb to me. Why would you want two CD players in the dash?

In the end, I replaced my EX head unit with a 3rd party CD player that also plays MP3 CDs (and an empeg as well...)

-brendan

Only a minor disappointment, since the iPod hook up works great. Other than that, this thing is great. Thanks for clearing up the misconception.

Hi,
i searched through the forums and found this topic. I didn't want to start a new topic on this question since its a minor one. My question is what is the jack called that you plug into the element for the ipod? I just need the exact name or a place online to find it. i searched radioshack.com and couldn't find it. I just got my E 2 days ago and love it! thanks for the help guys!
KVN

If you mean what kind of cable you should get - get a 1/8" mini-plug on the end that goes into the dash... and whatever your device on the other end takes... usually also a 1/8" mini-plug. Headphone jacks usually come in two sizes, 1/4" and 1/8" with 1/8" being the most popular for smaller compoents such as mp3 players. You'll see 1/4" jacks in home stereo equipment and on electric guitars.

-CRC

Why Honda is selling a vehicle in 2003-04 to the surfer/biker/camper crowd and fails to have a CD player that plays MP3s is one of the more stupid mistakes they've made.

I bought a $60 Panasonic CD/MP3 player at Costco that plugs into the jack. Working well so far, mainly listening to books on CD.