Head units with USB input

[katalyst]

Hey people,

Anybody here using a head unit with USB input? I was extremely curious about their compatibility with players.

I have a 100gb portable hdd - and this would enable me to carry my entire collection of music

I was keen on a kenwood so that I can still employ the use of my aging 10cd changer

ciao

[abhibh]

I also had the same query 1 month ago and all guru's said that technically all USB input player should support these portable hdd's but then i read somewhere that most players do not support anything above 4GB.

[navin]

No one has tried this I see 2 issues.

a) finding a particular song or play list in 100Gb of music (>10,000 songs) can be a bit time consuming.

b) How do you control the hard disk (next song, fast forward, etc...).

[angelfire]

hey navin...the kenwood HU with usb interface does come with file scrolling nd playing feature i guess....But like you said scrolling >10000 songs....Can be very time consuming....
One more thing...if you intend to use a 3.5" external HDD....the power supply to the HD is not from the usb..But from an external source..as it requires 2 diffrent voltages...That would be an issue while using it in the car..

[katalyst]

Regarding the power source - the website claims that USB devices can even be charged using the HU's USB interface.

What I am worried about is - will the HU recognize MP3 players connected via the USB interface? (The Creative MuVo and what not)

I was hoping someone already has such a system installed and could share his experience...

A USB enabled HU costs considerably more than a standard HU. The Kenwood HU would cost me about Rs 9,500 and I want to be sure about what I can get out of HU before investing in it. Besides, the HU doesn't look as hot as the other snazzy HUs that come for 6.5k and lesser.

[katalyst]

Ok:

Found the details, after persistant googling. For some reason, the details were hidden on an english page on Kenwood's Japanese site.

Kenwood Corporation/USB device compatibility information

[navin]

Originally Posted by angelfire

One more thing...if you intend to use a 3.5" external HDD..

I would not consider a 3.5" HDD. A 2.5" maybe but the best would be a 1.8" drive.

[speedonline]

I see 2 issues:
Issue 1: It is possible to connect a hard drive to the USB port of the music player however you would need to supply power to your hard drive from an external source as the USB port of the music player is supposed to be a low-power port.

Issue 2: As Navin said it would take you a long time to try and find a particular track that you want to play.

[tsk1979]

From kenwood info a 1.8" drive would perfectly well. 4096 files/folder upto a max of 500 folders and 15000 files, guess thats enough for a huge music collection.
Tracks will be played in the order they are on disk.

[WILDTHING]

hi,
If you need a USB on your head unit , try out the new pioneer 6950,
My friend owns a shop of car accessories and saw him install it in a zen the other day, the 6950 has a usb and also a out put for Aux ,but both are from rear of the HU, You require extended wires to connect your ipod or Some sort of a player,You get usb to Usb extension cords in computer shops,
It plays music crystal clear ,
Sony is also coming up with few models with usb,
although the price of the HU is 12000 approx,I do not find it worth as the previous model 6850has only AUX and is from front on the panel and no complications and is also only for 9000, so paying 3000rs more for a usb i do not think is worth,If you want to check it out call devang on 9869069340 and he will hook you up with any usb HU you need,he has a vast range of verity of Hu's ,Give my name and he will discount it as well,
Cheers,

Gibran.Y.Bharucha

[manveet]

Hey,

I had a conversation with JB (autophile) the other day regarding the same.

Atleast wrt Kenwood USB compatible players, he was very sure that they ONLY recognize tracks in the root directory. That defeated the objective (for me) as I wouldn't be able to manage my music otherwise so I dropped plans of changing to such a device.

Hope that was useful info.

regards

[tsk1979]

Kenwood website says otherwise and explicitly lists that you can go upto depth 8. So better try one out before you make your decision.

[teamxenos]

Hi,

Xenos, a new entrant in the car entertainment systems have introduced an MP3 Player with a front USB input and an MMC Slot at a very affordable price of Rs. 8500/-. Xenos is the marketing arm of PRICOL, an automotive electronic instrument cluster manufacturing co based at Coimbatore.

The audio systems are imported from Hong Kong and quality certified by pricol with a 1 year replacement warranty.

Contact Sudarshan at 93470-29817 in Hyderabd for more details.

Bye

[katalyst]

since this is my first ICE buying expedition - i was wondering - do the dealers demo the units before installation?

[navin]

Originally Posted by WILDTHING

My friend owns a shop of car accessories,,,If you want to check it out call devang on 9869069340 ...Gibran.Y.Bharucha

Hi, I understand that you are only trying to help forum members but TBHP is a non-commerical forum. We are not suppsoed to use this forum to promote ours or our friend's businesses.