Portable CD player for the car ?

[Ali Gator]

Hey everyone, I recently leased a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, and its my first time without a CD player in the car. I know I can stream music, but I really like playing my collection of CDs (and I've never streamed music before). I saw on Amazon they do sell portable CD players that you can plug into your car and play your CDs (so I'm not the only one who misses playing CDs in the car). 

Any suggestions on which ones are better / best ? They range in price from $25 and up - $50- 60 seems the average.  Any recommendations ? 

[+ jeezopete]

Don't know about those, but here's another thought. I've imported a lot of my CDs into my iTunes library and I play them from my phone through the car stereo system. I can play each CD all the way through or play specific songs I want to hear. That eliminates the hassle of organizing and handling CDs in the car.

[Luv2play]

On 10/5/2024 at 8:18 PM, Ali Gator said:

Hey everyone, I recently leased a 2024 Subaru Crosstrek, and its my first time without a CD player in the car. I know I can stream music, but I really like playing my collection of CDs (and I've never streamed music before). I saw on Amazon they do sell portable CD players that you can plug into your car and play your CDs (so I'm not the only one who misses playing CDs in the car). 

Any suggestions on which ones are better / best ? They range in price from $25 and up - $50- 60 seems the average.  Any recommendations ? 

I too have just got a new 2024 vehicle and the first in years without a CD player. I have a huge CD collection and was wonder what to do. I’m going to look into the portable player. I had one 25 years ago but it wasn’t that great to play. Then they cost about $120 as I recall. 

[+ JamesB]

I’d suggest ripping your CD collection. That way, you’ll have a digital copy you can play on any of your devices: car, phone, tablet, or computer.

[Luv2play]

10 hours ago, JamesB said:

I’d suggest ripping your CD collection. That way, you’ll have a digital copy you can play on any of your devices: car, phone, tablet, or computer.

How much work is that? I mostly only listen to music when I’m driving.

[+ JamesB]

7 hours ago, Luv2play said:

How much work is that? I mostly only listen to music when I’m driving.

 

Ripping CDs isn’t particularly difficult, but it can be time-consuming. The amount of time needed will depend on how many CDs you have, the software you use, and the speed of your computer.

[MikeBiDude]

6 hours ago, JamesB said:

 

Ripping CDs isn’t particularly difficult, but it can be time-consuming. The amount of time needed will depend on how many CDs you have, the software you use, and the speed of your computer.

My ex had HUNDREDS when we met. Spent hours (days/weeks) ripping for use in our whole house Sonos music system. Was worth the effort, especially as technology moved on I had all the music already ripped for other libraries.

[+ JamesB]

2 hours ago, MikeBiDude said:

My ex had HUNDREDS when we met. Spent hours (days/weeks) ripping for use in our whole house Sonos music system. Was worth the effort, especially as technology moved on I had all the music already ripped for other libraries.

 

Another benefit of going digital is that CDs can sometimes get damaged. Once you have everything in digital format, you can create multiple copies, ensuring you have a backup in case of data corruption or loss. In my opinion, any inconvenience from switching to digital is far outweighed by the benefits.