mrk45

My 2016 3LZ, with the high dollar Bose system, doesn't have a CD player. Any suggestions relative to what brand of player to look into and best method for hooking it up?

thanks

stepheng

Why not convert the CDs into high quality MP3 files and put them on an SD card that you plug into the car? You can effectively have a library of hundreds of CDs always available to play in the car (without having to swap discs)

BWFitz

It's called an i-pod. Plugs right into the USB port.

mrk45

I don't have the manual handy....where do you plug the SD card in? Only slot I am aware of is the one for the PDR system.

Joy c7

You have to use the USB port. They took the SD card slot out of 16s

3 Z06ZR1

It also called your I phone which picks up anytime in the car, no cord needed. Although better sound with the cord. Why have an I pod when it's is built in to the phone?

Frnk4tr

Take advantage of the Apple Car Play that comes standard on the 2016 3LZ.

Download any music you want to your iPhone, plug your iPhone into the USB port (much better sound quality than using Bluetooth), then you can use voice commands to listen to whatever you feel like listening to.

Don't bother putting in a CD player, that went the way of the 8-track tape player!

Jpjr2016

This thread is what is so great about message boards.

Overwhelming, borderling condascending, posts recommending an inferior sound medium.

Let's be honest, most of you guys ain't talkin about flac files.

In the 2016 CTS-V, there is an option to install a CD player in the glove box. In time I will look into something similar.

HalfMoon

The lower level of sound insulation and the fact that the stereo is at Bose "standards" already means you won't be able to tell the difference in a FLAC or 128kbit MP3 if the car is moving.

If you really want quality though, you would install an isolated platform with a turntable in the rear and be glad you don't have a lowly CD player.

davepl

A turntable. Next you'll be talking manual transmissions and drum brakes and why they're all better than the modern variants.

First thing I did on mine was make three presets (RTFM): LO BASS, MID BASS, HI BASS. The "loudness" function on this stereo is so wacky that at low volumes all you hear is bass and then it fades out to nothing at reasonable volume, so I'm constantly hitting one of those presets each time I make a significant volume change. Handy though.

Jpjr2016

I appreciate the mention of a turntable, although the drum brake reference was a little ridiculous. Kidding aside, CD quality is much better than compressed MP3s. There is a reason why a CD player is being offerred in the Cadillac... and it's not because the drivers are less sophisticated. The day that even moderately good quality files are available on a widespread basis will be the point where CD players become drum brakes. We just aren't there yet IMO.

davepl

Drum brakes is a stretch, but it ranks up there with turntable technology and some manual transmissions. Just pushing back on the "older is better" vibe.

Agree almost entirely, depending on the compression rate. Though I'll never buy the 'albums better than CD' arguments, that's for somewhere else.

I can't tolerate lower than 192k, but probably can't hear the difference between lossless and 320kbps.

In the car environment Pandora seems to have very good quality; close enough for me to CD. It might vary depending on the quality of your cel connection (5 bars LTE might get you a better bitrate than 2 bars GSM, for example).

I can't take XM/Sirius, it sounds like nonsense. I don't mean in a snobby way, I mean in a "styrofoam rubbing balloon makes sounds I can't tolerate" way.

Can you detect a 1-bit error on the DAC? No. But there's some error rate at which you can. So it'd be erroneous to say that any lossly compression/error whatsoever can be detected, but there is a number, and I imagine it's different for everyone.

The Cadillac was a GMC reference, not a CD player thing. Like GMCs used to cost more than Chevrolets, as did Cadillacs, but not necessarily so today 40 years later.

Jpjr2016

Great, insightful response from my perspective. I agree with this, except ironically I am anti "old is better" and simply "better is better". I ditched Mustangs when they went retro and got into Vettes when they went modern. My only point here is that Chevy decided to drop CDs because for most buyers music 'access' trumps 'quality' at a certain point and MP3s are at that point. But there should be no debate that CD quality is better, so people who desire the highest quality should not be critisized per se. That said, I will be the first to admit once high quality files are available on a widespread basis, anyone who prefers CDs really is in the stubborn "older is better" camp.

davepl

I think we agree, except I maintain a high bitrate digital track is indistinguishable from an original CD track in a car. It'll have to remain opinion though as I have no easy way to test it!

BWFitz

Better sound.

jvp

Emphasis added by me. I don't think anyone is questioning whether a FLAC sounds better than a high bit-rate MP3, or whether a CD sounds better than either. The issue isn't which format sounds better, it's the equipment being used and the sound stage it's in.

GM's car stereos have never been audiophile quality. Even in the higher priced models. They just aren't, haven't been, and probably never will be. For crying out loud: they still use BOSE! Worst. Speakers and amps. Ever! Really. Bose. Bleah. So there's that.

But the sound stage in the case of the Corvette isn't a particularly good one as far as audiophile environments. There's too much other noise in the car. The engine in front of you and the exhaust behind you. Your rear tires are literally right behind you. You're almost sitting on them. The noise they produce is epic. Wind noise. The car is well sealed, but there are still bits of wind noise to be heard. The heater and/or AC fans. And all the little electrical relays that are used in various places clicking open and closed as needed.

I can hear all of those things. If you can't hear them, then you can't hear the difference between a high bit-rate MP3 and a CD in that environment. I assure you. And even if you can hear them all, they'll work in concert (see what I did there) to drown out the differences.

Muscles

I hear if you have the Chrome wheel option that a CD Player is standard.

TA

MSG C5

Zing!

I also enjoy the warm sound of vinyl and the clean, wider sound of CDs vs. compressed MP3 files in my iTunes library. However, I also agree that since we're talking about a Z06 sports car that will generate its own performance-based sound, most of any subtle improvement in sound a CD would provide would be minimal. That's why I think the convenience factor of a 6000+ iTunes library connected through a USB port wins.

Besides, listening to the engine and exhaust is half the fun!

Jpjr2016

So MP3s are inferior to CDs, but you shouldn't care.

Sounds sort of like, "You'll never need the LT4 on the street, so who cares if you drive a Stingray."

Everybody's right.