Aiwa CDC-MP3 Car CD Player

*******UPDATE*******
03/23/01
Just to let you know, I still love my Aiwa unit, but in the interest of science I just purchased the Kenwood KDC-MP8017. I will be putting it through the paces over the next couple of weeks. Since the Aiwa unit now has some serious competition, my opinion on it may change. Before there was really nothing to compare it against. You can find out more at my site www.highwaymp3.com .
As soon as Epinions adds the Kenwood unit, I will of course put a full write-up here as well.
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All I can say is that this thing is great. I replaced my stock Nissan Xterra head unit with this one. I did not realize just how cruddy it sounded (the stock unit) until I fired up my CDC-MP3 for the first time. FM reception and CD playback are excellent.

I have recorded a CD-R with 141 songs on it in various directories and a CD-RW with 650MB of MP3's. Both discs played flawlessly. One thing to remember is that you need to record CD-RW's using the same procedure as you do when burning a CD-R. Many people are confusing Adaptecs DirectCD packetwriting software as being the only way to get data onto a CD-RW. DirectCD writes using a technique called "Packet Writing" which is not recognized by this player.

While there are numerous reports of problems on the web about this unit, I have experienced none of them. To be safe I would suggest that buyers only purchase their units from reputable merchants with very clear return policies.

I have set-up a user support page for owners and potential buyers here:

http://www.cdc-mp3.com/

My unit was ordered from Crutchfield. They are a very reputable retailer and included an install kit, OEM integration adapter and vehicle specific installation instructions for FREE. The total cost was $299 - a $25 new customer discount (visit my page for details) + shipping for a total price of $283.95. I chose Crutchfield for their reputation and they will pay for return shipping.

Skipping seems to be a major complaint with this unit. It apparently does not have any Electronic Skip Protection. Most people who are complaining of skipping are in vehicles that ride overly rough. My unit is installed in an SUV with a fairly soft ride. This may account for the fact that my unit has skipped only once. Also it seems that proper installation is a key to skip prevention with the CDC-MP3. Users who did not use the included back strap during the initial install have seen improvements after putting it in.

I would only recommend this unit for people who are fairly computer savvy, comfortable with MP3 ripping and CD burning. Since the primary function of this unit is playing MP3 CD's, it is imperative that you have a high quality CD-RW drive for burning your disc's.

A nice alternative to this unit might be the Neo-25, Neo-35 and the Creative Nomad Jukebox. I would suggest that anyone interested in the CDC-MP3 also check out these units here at Epinions and MP3.com.

I would also suggest you visit my page mentioned above for more info on the CDC-MP3 before buying one...