Does anyone use their MP3 jack? My husband and I went and got what we thought we needed to use this and we were wrong. It seems as though we need a cd player with MP3 capabilities, and not the little MP3 thing that you load songs to from your PC's AUX port. Anyone else run into this?

My rio works great. Anything with a headphone jack works. You need a patch cable Check the trading post forum for suggestions.

Both my Nex II MP3 player and my wife's Axim PDA work great! Give us some details of the problem, KD, and maybe we can collectively solve the problem.

I LOVE the mp3 jack. Immediately went out and bought a Creative Nomad Jukebox III (20 gig version) and an $8 cord from Radio Shack. I now have 3,000+ songs at my disposal. It works great - connects from the "line out" on the Nomad.

Do you have the Radio Shack part #? Is it the shielded one with the RFI choke?

Iskie

The what with the who? That's wayyyy too technical for a layperson like me. I forget what it's called...it's a simple cord with what looks like a standard 1/8" headphone jack on each end. Plug it into the Nomad, plug it into the MP3 jack, and I'm good to go. Sorry I don't have much more info...

By the way, I can't say enough good things about the Nomad Jukebox 3. It's worked beautifully so far, holds more than the iPod, has way more features (recording, line-in, 2 line-outs, all sorts of audio controls) and has easily-replaced batteries (which I guess the iPod doesn't). Oh, and bonus - it's silver and blue, so it matches my Element's interior perfectly.

We bought the wrong MP3 player. We need the one that looks more a discman. We bought the little tiny one that plugs into the back of your cpu to download the music. My husband was so convinced that was the one. Tonight we're going to exchange it for the right one. I saw that jukebox one, it looks great, but that's too high priced for me.

Your mp3 player will work. As I said anything with a head phone jack works. CD player, cassette walkman etc. The mp3 player you discribe sounds like mine and it works just fine. Check your cord and that it is plugged into the aux jack right.

Well, it took long enough, but I finally got my MP3 player into our Element. It works great. All I had to plug in the right cord, and it played great.

Remember to plug in connector well. Sometimes you have to twist it a little in there,

also, turn up your volume and make certain you select the aux option on your stereo. Another gottcha' is to make certain when your MP3 player is on, that you push the start button on that also.

I don't mean to talk down, these are the ID 10 T errors that can get us all. :D

Our problem seems to be that the MP3 player is not reading the disc. The cd is a CDR with MP3 files on it. I got a RIO too. I think I give up and I'll just listen to regular cd's.

[quote:48c36d1242="kdianes"]Our problem seems to be that the MP3 player is not reading the disc. The cd is a CDR with MP3 files on it. I got a RIO too. I think I give up and I'll just listen to regular cd's.[/quote:48c36d1242]

Thats right, "Buy it, don't burn it."

I buy them, then play the copies. Saves money to replace a scratched up disk and it's perfectly legal.

Iskie

[quote:09daa243ab="kdianes"]Our problem seems to be that the MP3 player is not reading the disc. The cd is a CDR with MP3 files on it. I got a RIO too. I think I give up and I'll just listen to regular cd's.[/quote:09daa243ab]

The stereo does not read cdr with mp3s. You can only play mp3s through the aux jack. If you want to play burned cds you need to use a converter like windows media player to convert to wave before burning

By the way, I can't say enough good things about the Nomad Jukebox 3. It's worked beautifully so far, holds more than the iPod, has way more features (recording, line-in, 2 line-outs, all sorts of audio controls) and has easily-replaced batteries (which I guess the iPod doesn't). Oh, and bonus - it's silver and blue, so it matches my Element's interior perfectly.

We have one small thing in common, I can't say enough good things about my mp3 player. Only mine is an iPod, which by the way does have a 20gb model and was the first company to go that big. I am happy for you though, I wish my batteries were replaceable too so I could spend tons of money on batteries. But I guess I'll just have to live with my 10 hour lithium polymer rechargeable battery. I can't remeber the last time I listened to music for 10 hours in one day or even in several consecutive days. Even still it plugs right into the 12v. Plus I can roll down a mountain with my 20 min skip protection. If you are a pc user :roll: ........ :roll: I understand it may not be as convenient a product as it is when used on Apple's system (I really don't even have to think). It just syncs with my songs on my comp and I go. :lol: (do I sound like one of the mac "switcher ads")

Honestly if I didn't own a mac I wouldn't have had a real reason to go with the iPod. You don't gain anything over the Jukebox, except size.

Both are great units if you're in the market for a serious mp3 unit!
I just thought I'd have fun with the pc vs. mac rivalry :wink: :!:

With that said,
..Buying a Mac is a lot like buying a Honda: you're buying a reputable piece of equipment that is well built.
..Buying a PC is a lot like getting a mutt. First of all who's is it (there's part from 50 different "parents")? Secondly, it's more likely to get sick. And last of all it's just plain ugly.

Microsloth Winblows sucks! Mac rules! :wink:

Okay, I was going to let it go, but I've got to clarify something here...when I said my Nomad Jukebox had replaceable batteries, I didn't mean alkalines like Duracells or Energizers. I'm not quite that dumb. It's got a rechargeable lithium/ion/whatever, too. What I meant was that I've read on CNET and some other sites that once that rechargeable dies in an iPod (you know how cordless phone batteries eventually need to be replaced?), you're out of luck - there's no way of replacing it. You basically have to junk the iPod. On the Nomads, you can slide the old one out easily and put a new one in. At least, that's what a bunch of iPod users wrote in their reviews...

As for the Windows/Mac rivalry, I use a Mac at work and Windows at home. And my Mac crashes at least twice a day. Windows, maybe once a month. :)

Hey, I thought this was an Element board :wink:

boneheadz, my husband burned them to the cd in MP3 format, that's not correct? I'm not too good with this stuff.

Your burning software should allow you to convert to wave format. wave is what can be played in any cd player. windows media player will automatically convert if you select the "burn disc" option. Check the help files in your software it should give you step by step instructions.

I know it's rehashing but maybe I can explain all at once.

:idea: To play in the Honda's cdplayer it must be a standard CD or CDR and should for best results burned at a slow speed. (I prefer 1x for my cars) Average cd players, like those in vehicles, really only will read redbook 1x or 2x speeds. Of course you don't have to burn at that speed and can burn them at a higher speed (I've had good results even at 40x) but the results will be inconsistant.

:idea: The songs must be in *.wav format, if you have them in *.mp3, or *.wma the car's cd player cannot translate them.

:idea: You must close the session when it is burned. You probably will not be able to play them if the files were dragged and dropped after you used a disk mounting format instead of just a creation format.

:idea: Change the brand of CD you are using. Some cd players are more finicky than others.

If this still doesn't help - let me know. :D

Don't forget Linux! Phooey on MAC and PC!

one thing about cables... i did notice that radio shack has mono cables right next to the stereo cables. make sure you get the stereo cable (it has two black bands on the mini-jack input). the mono cable will probably sound like garbage if you use it.

second, i generally use a mac and i have a 10GB ipod (as does my wife), but i think you're doing us all a disservice, mfpar35 and smobbinsi, by being condescending and rude. why would people even consider switching computers when users of the alternate brand go out of their way to be elitist and downright rude? we all want apple to do well, so we can continue to use their excellent products long into the future. try to be more polite when introducing people to their benefits, such as the amazing ipod. and yes, i realize that you said you were "just having fun with it", but your tone was really uncalled for. anyhow, the ipod really is an awesome piece of technology and you can even get them for windows-based pc's. you just have to buy a $35 firewire PCI card to link up, which is pretty easy to install. you have to try the ipod to understand. navigating the menus and picking songs is really easy, quick, and intuitive.

third, for space e - mac os x is pretty cool because it is unix based, so you can just crack open a terminal window and use all the unix commands that you ever wanted. so, it's actually a rock solid os (no more bomb icons) and can be more intuitive for unix users like yourself.

sorry for the long post.
shawn

ps - the element is a great car. my wife, dog, and i love it.

second, i generally use a mac and i have a 10GB ipod (as does my wife), but i think you're doing us all a disservice, mfpar35 and smobbinsi, by being condescending and rude. why would people even consider switching computers when users of the alternate brand go out of their way to be elitist and downright rude? we all want apple to do well, so we can continue to use their excellent products long into the future. try to be more polite when introducing people to their benefits, such as the amazing ipod. and yes, i realize that you said you were "just having fun with it", but your tone was really uncalled for.

Excuse me for having some fun...I retract my elitist remark :oops:

Really, I mean no offense to anybody, and hope that nobody got hurt from my statements. I will now go do a good deed for the day to make up for my behavior, and report back with the results.

No harm taken here. And I know this is an Element forum, but to me, the MP3 jack, as small as it is, is the perfect example of the "little touches" that make the Element so great. My sister has an iPod and she had to buy one of those awful cassette-adapter things to play it through her Jetta's stereo. She's totally jealous of my MP3 jack. Whatever you use to plug into it, it's all good!

Quote from shawns:
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third, for space e - mac os x is pretty cool because it is unix based, so you can just crack open a terminal window and use all the unix commands that you ever wanted. so, it's actually a rock solid os (no more bomb icons) and can be more intuitive for unix users like yourself.
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Too true - but you must admit that the new MACS are priced out of many peoples pocketbook. Linux is more adaptable to many more systems.

I wish I could get a new MAC!

Get to work or buy a new MAC? Decisions, decisions. ...Can play my MP3 on both ....

i won't deny that macs are more expensive, but i still generally like them better and i'm lucky to be able to afford them. not that i have a super-dual processor G4 with 24" monitor or anything. the ibook suits us just fine, which can be had for $1500 with more power than the average user needs.

of course, nothing beats free (ie - linux).
shawn

I really like the wired remote feature of the iPod, specifically for changing tunes while driving.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think the Nomad (even the latest model) has a remote like the ipod. I am worroied that this would make driving and tuning more dangerous.
Where can you put the Nomad that allows the easy access of the ipod?
thanks

For all PC users, here is a great alternative to the VERY expensive 20 GB ipod.

http://www.nomadworld.com/products/jukebox_zen/

Similar to the ipod in many respects, most importantly storage capacity and size, it goes for about half the price!!! You can also get a wired remote with built in FM tuner for about $60. The USB 2.0 model is great because it's backwards compatible with USB 1.1 (which most newer computers have) effictively resolving the more elusive firewire issues and 2.0 is just a bit faster than firewire.

IMHO, Honda's are not like Apples. I think one of the biggest, if not the biggest, reasons people get Honda's is the fact that they are reasonably priced. As much as I like Apple, you cannot say that about them.

I know this thread is now off the subject of MP3, but here's my 2 cents.

I've been a long-time Windows software developer ever since version 3.1. I must say that I'm now considering porting some my "skills" to Linux/Unix after recent developments I'm seeing in both Linux and Max OS X. Not that I'm anti-Microsoft, but I see real potential with these new systems.

What does this have to with the Element? Well, a while back I went to our local Mac store to see what this OS X is all about. And I was REALLY impressed! I felt almost the same way I did about test driving my E. I think Apple has done a fine job of making the computer "fun" to use, not just "useful". The same goes with the Element; its "fun" to use and not just another "me too" UTE.

Godspeed,
-Droidian

not to split the hairs too much, but i think that the format space e is talking about is not wave (.wav ) but cd audio (,cda)...

audio cds have music in what is called a 'red book' format. the newer standard is now CD Digital Audio ( cd-da ). while a few of us ole-timers will remember that we used the earlier win3.1 with MM Ext to copy cds to .wav files but they are typicaly HUGE ( 20-30 Meg per song ) and all of the translating from one digital format to another results in degradation ( yes virginia, there is degradation when varying digital formats are copied )

a good utility o create cd's for your element is Nero....

*.wav's are translated by the device to be read in cda format. But just try to copy in cda. If you try to copy in cda format - you may just find a bunch of 1kb files on your disk. The wav format (very large) will be read by most standard red book CD players but only store the same amount of data, there is not very much compression but is susceptible to distortion. And yes, Nero is very good.