New FM/AM radio for the boat - will it recognise the 10 CD Changer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter RIN
  • Start date Start date
RIN

RIN

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 Mar 2003
Messages
3,236
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
Hi all

Need to upgrade the FM/AM radio on the boat, but we have a Sony CDX-656 10 CD changer which we would like to re-use. Will this changer work with any radio or is there a particular protocol or specification that I should look for? Ideally looking for something plug and play i.e. reuse all the existing wiring and connectors etc.

Cheers
 
I think the need for an upgrade gives the opportunity to rethink the whole system inline with a more wireless way of looking at things.
I'd be looking at a Bluetooth enabled radio so your iphone (or similar) with your music on can talk to it. Chuck the CD's and subscribe to Spotify so you can listen to mostly everything
 
Last edited:
You will almost certainly be tied to Sony, and most likely an old Sony at that.

DavidJ has hit the nail on the head. Move on from CDs!

Bluetooth streaming, or even storing tunes on a USB drive ( you can rip your CDs to MP3 and probably store your whole collection on a single drive).

We have Fusion stuff and it is in my view very good. If you don't need waterproof kit then most car hifi will be OK, just make sure it has built in bluetooth.
 
The cd changer connectivity is almost certainly proprietary to Sony. Your issue will be finding a current Sony model that even supports cd changers - possibly the only way to get this answer is to go and talk to a car audio shop.

DavidJ's recommendation is the correct one - which is to let go of the changer, and move up to current technology. Have a search on the forum - somebody's (oGaryo perhaps?) recently done this and written about it.
 
+1 on what the others' have said.

All members of the family have sony xperia mobiles with NFC, so I'm getting a Sony MEX-N5000BT receiver 4X50W (for what it's worth...) but will run and play for hours our mobile's music by just touching the back of the phone onto the volume knob. Bluetooth means you don't need any wires to connect to the system ;)

cheers

V.
 
Think carefully
Bluetooth may not be the complete answer.
Have a look at Airplay devices.
Airplay is an Apple concept.
Most on here will know my view of iPod/iPhone/iPad kit but the Airplay concept seems to work well.
Air play runs over a LAN (WiFi) so wider bandwidth means better quality than Bluetooth.
My challenge was to build a system WITHOUT using any Apple kit.
I think I've succeeded.
I've just finished setting up 3 zones - Saloon/Flybridge/Cockpit.
All controlled (volume and music) from tablets/PC.
Just finished installing the cockpit zone and I'm really pleased with it.

My system can also handle Bluetooth - through the PC using Airfoil software.

My idea is that friends can bring their own iPods/iPhones etc and play their music through my system.
I've not got the best taste in music!!

Only one small problem left - the original flybridge system that Princess installed was a low cost import.
I now need to get a better quality audio amp for the flybridge.
Fusion speakers will be replacing the cheap import ones - next visit.

If anyone is interested in the kit I used, I can post a full report.
 
+1 on Fusion

Here is ours playing from an iTunes library on a iphone via Bluetooth. Note that it offers full control of the device via Bluetooth so the iphone is safe and dry in the cabin. (Music not my taste!)

2e1ax_bubbles_entry_regal_2250_IMG_20150118_145249.jpg
 
Hurricane said:
If anyone is interested in the kit I used, I can post a full report.
Click to expand...

Mike,

obviously interested!
please explain (in a separate thread if you wish) what you've done

I currently only have the speakers (and a sub I bought off JTB) in need of head units. Mind the Sony I'm after is 110euro, so interested on what you've done

cheers

V.
 
Last edited:
vas said:
Mike,

obviously interested!
please explain (in a separate thread if you wish) what you've done

I currently only have the speakers (and a sub I bought of JTB) in need of head units. Mind the Sony I'm after is 110euro, so interested on what you've done

cheers

V.
Click to expand...

OK

I'm on the boat at the moment.
Going home tomorrow.
I'll post something later in the week.
 
Dammit - it looks like I will have to get rid of the changer then. Shame as I was suckered into iTunes so all the music is in their ridiculous format and I can only burn discs which circulate around our cars and our boat.

Is there a way to break this dependency on iTunes and have everything as MP3 files? That way all I need is a good radio that plays from a USB port.
 
Alternatively you can upload your whole ITunes Library to Google Play Music . It takes a while but costs nothing, and after that you can access your tunes from any Android device (or PC) over the air - and store as many tracks as you want locally on the devices.

But the easiest solution is just buy a large Capacity IPod, sync with ITunes, and plug into your new stereo's USB socket. The quality of Ipod support varies a good deal between devices, Alpine seem to work OK. If your stereo is dumb you could use the aux socket.
 
We use iPods on a Bose sound dock that we can take anywhere with us, and get reasonable sound quality without having to subject the rest of the marina or the Bristol Channel to my eclectic music taste.
 
sailorman said:
An ipod transmitter is much cheaper
Click to expand...
I bought a perfectly good FM transmitter at Asda for £6. Plugs into the headphone socket on my £40 Samsung Galaxy Pocket Neo phone, containing all my tunes on a 16GB microSD card. Plays through my top-of-the-range Pioneer car stereo on the boat, nice and loud.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top