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How do you listen to your music while you drive

Started by roadman65, August 04, 2018, 11:27:02 AM

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Just how do you obtain your music while you drive

From your phone via Aux Port/Bluetooth/USB (CarPlay/Android Auto) into your car's speaker system
15 (28.8%)
CD/Cassettes
7 (13.5%)
Typical Radio
15 (28.8%)
Satellite Radio (Sirius XM)
12 (23.1%)
Like AM Talk or other
3 (5.8%)

Total Members Voted: 52

TheStranger

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 01:30:24 PM


Incidentally who else despises touch screens?  The older radio sets in cars had easy to use buttons that were intuitive and didn't require looking over away from the road to press.

While there were pop-out touchscreen options (single DIN!) that I could have used for the Tbird, I opted to do a traditional single DIN faceplate with buttons and actually picked the head unit I have now based on how much I liked the button ergonomics.  Only thing I don't like about it is how unlike the old OEM head unit, it only has one group of FM button presets as opposed to the FM1/FM2 many 90s and 2000s cars have - but with oldies disappearing from the Bay Area plus classic rock stations no longer focusing on 70s music as much as they did in my younger years, and the soft rock stations also shedding their 70s song selections as well, it all just leads me to more Bluetooth/personal collection listening anyway. (For that matter, in 2014 there was a weekly kpop radio show on 92.3 but it disappeared when the station changed owners)
Chris Sampang


jakeroot

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 08:02:13 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 04, 2018, 02:33:29 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 01:30:24 PMIncidentally who else despises touch screens?  The older radio sets in cars had easy to use buttons that were intuitive and didn't require looking over away from the road to press.  One of the best things about getting Enclave as rental recently was that it had not only a touch screen but actually buttons as well.  Maybe that's just me getting old but I can't get used to touch screens at all.  I even use a standard Desktop and Lap Top since I can't get used to tablets either.

Regarding touch screens in cars, other than feeling like it's one more thing to break and be really expensive to fix or replace, I think they're fine. My car has knobs for volume controls and tuning the radio; I just had a rental car that did not, and trying to set the presets for the XM was a giant pain as a result.

The problem I noticed with the Chevy MyLink system is that essentially every function of the radio is only available on the touch screen.  The button and knob layout for the AC is pretty traditional below the touch screen.  Comparing it to the other two cars it definitely is a poorer design but I get the feeling it was meant to attract younger buyers.  The menus selection is vertical and to the left were as the Challenger and Forest both have it on the bottom of the screen more where you'd expect it to be.

Touchscreen systems are typically more intuitive than controller systems (like those in MB's and BMW's), so they're a bit more popular in mainstream, all-age vehicles (especially those popular in rental fleets -- Toyota, Chevy, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, et al). You do see controller systems in vehicles that are more popular in the old-age, more-money-to-spend age groups (luxury brands), although touchscreen interfaces have started to show up in BMW's, Audi's, and Tesla's. Audi and Tesla in particular have really embraced the touchscreen, with recent Audi models switching to all-touchscreens for all controls (except the digital dials, which are controlled via the steering wheel -- same for Tesla since you can't touch the dials, obviously).

My preference, in order from most preferred to least, is controller based (BMW, Mercedes), touch screen (VW and Fiat/Chrysler do great touchscreens), then old-fashioned low-tech systems. The old-fashioned systems are easy to use but have the least amount of capability. I prefer controller systems so I can keep my hand nearest the gear lever. If I drove an auto, I probably wouldn't mind a touchscreen.

oscar

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 01:30:24 PM
Incidentally who else despises touch screens?  The older radio sets in cars had easy to use buttons that were intuitive and didn't require looking over away from the road to press.  One of the best things about getting Enclave as rental recently was that it had not only a touch screen but actually buttons as well.  Maybe that's just me getting old but I can't get used to touch screens at all.  I even use a standard Desktop and Lap Top since I can't get used to tablets either.

I don't hate the touch screens, but have experienced one of their disadvantages -- if the touch screen fails, most radio controls, as well as anything else controlled by the touch screen (such as, on my elderly Prius, climate), will go kaput.

My Prius had to have its touch screen replaced with a $1600 reconditioned unit. A new one would have cost more than the car was worth.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
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jeffandnicole


US71

I rotate between satellite radio and my mp3's.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

vdeane

I have a system of preset FM stations for traveling around much of NY (it started as covering my Rochester-Albany trips, though it's expanded to include a couple stations not in that range, most notably one in Buffalo; part of me wonders if I should add one for the Hudson Valley, since I seem to pass through there quite often, though my reception issues in Catskill make me wonder if it would even work).  When not in range of those, I usually just go silent with only the sound of the road.  If I were to decide to listen to music when out of range, it would be through my phone connected with an aux cable.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Max Rockatansky

#31
Quote from: oscar on August 04, 2018, 09:07:07 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 01:30:24 PM
Incidentally who else despises touch screens?  The older radio sets in cars had easy to use buttons that were intuitive and didn't require looking over away from the road to press.  One of the best things about getting Enclave as rental recently was that it had not only a touch screen but actually buttons as well.  Maybe that's just me getting old but I can't get used to touch screens at all.  I even use a standard Desktop and Lap Top since I can't get used to tablets either.

I don't hate the touch screens, but have experienced one of their disadvantages -- if the touch screen fails, most radio controls, as well as anything else controlled by the touch screen (such as, on my elderly Prius, climate), will go kaput.

My Prius had to have its touch screen replaced with a $1600 reconditioned unit. A new one would have cost more than the car was worth.

The trouble I'm having with mine now is that the clock is almost constantly off.  For whatever reason it will correct itself after about 20 minutes but it hasn't stayed fixed after three software reboots.  Now I'm concerned that I'll have to replace the infotainment system if the symptoms get worse.

Quote from: jakeroot on August 04, 2018, 08:54:29 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 08:02:13 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 04, 2018, 02:33:29 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 01:30:24 PMIncidentally who else despises touch screens?  The older radio sets in cars had easy to use buttons that were intuitive and didn't require looking over away from the road to press.  One of the best things about getting Enclave as rental recently was that it had not only a touch screen but actually buttons as well.  Maybe that's just me getting old but I can't get used to touch screens at all.  I even use a standard Desktop and Lap Top since I can't get used to tablets either.

Regarding touch screens in cars, other than feeling like it's one more thing to break and be really expensive to fix or replace, I think they're fine. My car has knobs for volume controls and tuning the radio; I just had a rental car that did not, and trying to set the presets for the XM was a giant pain as a result.

The problem I noticed with the Chevy MyLink system is that essentially every function of the radio is only available on the touch screen.  The button and knob layout for the AC is pretty traditional below the touch screen.  Comparing it to the other two cars it definitely is a poorer design but I get the feeling it was meant to attract younger buyers.  The menus selection is vertical and to the left were as the Challenger and Forest both have it on the bottom of the screen more where you'd expect it to be.

Touchscreen systems are typically more intuitive than controller systems (like those in MB's and BMW's), so they're a bit more popular in mainstream, all-age vehicles (especially those popular in rental fleets -- Toyota, Chevy, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, et al). You do see controller systems in vehicles that are more popular in the old-age, more-money-to-spend age groups (luxury brands), although touchscreen interfaces have started to show up in BMW's, Audi's, and Tesla's. Audi and Tesla in particular have really embraced the touchscreen, with recent Audi models switching to all-touchscreens for all controls (except the digital dials, which are controlled via the steering wheel -- same for Tesla since you can't touch the dials, obviously).

My preference, in order from most preferred to least, is controller based (BMW, Mercedes), touch screen (VW and Fiat/Chrysler do great touchscreens), then old-fashioned low-tech systems. The old-fashioned systems are easy to use but have the least amount of capability. I prefer controller systems so I can keep my hand nearest the gear lever. If I drove an auto, I probably wouldn't mind a touchscreen.

Heh....you just reminded me of how awful iDrive was to try to control in early 2000s BMW models.  My brother had a 6 Series around that time, that thing was a pain in the ass to do much of anything. 

Quote from: TheStranger on August 04, 2018, 08:19:42 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 01:30:24 PM


Incidentally who else despises touch screens?  The older radio sets in cars had easy to use buttons that were intuitive and didn't require looking over away from the road to press.

While there were pop-out touchscreen options (single DIN!) that I could have used for the Tbird, I opted to do a traditional single DIN faceplate with buttons and actually picked the head unit I have now based on how much I liked the button ergonomics.  Only thing I don't like about it is how unlike the old OEM head unit, it only has one group of FM button presets as opposed to the FM1/FM2 many 90s and 2000s cars have - but with oldies disappearing from the Bay Area plus classic rock stations no longer focusing on 70s music as much as they did in my younger years, and the soft rock stations also shedding their 70s song selections as well, it all just leads me to more Bluetooth/personal collection listening anyway. (For that matter, in 2014 there was a weekly kpop radio show on 92.3 but it disappeared when the station changed owners)

I had a similar setup in my 1997 Silverado and 2002 Mustang.  Back then the aftermarket stuff was actually a pretty nice way to go and you generally could remove things fairly easily.  I even had an XM Receiver mounted on the bottom of the dash on the Silverado, it was in perfect position for an extra accessory to be mounted.

abefroman329

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 08:02:13 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 04, 2018, 02:33:29 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 01:30:24 PMIncidentally who else despises touch screens?  The older radio sets in cars had easy to use buttons that were intuitive and didn't require looking over away from the road to press.  One of the best things about getting Enclave as rental recently was that it had not only a touch screen but actually buttons as well.  Maybe that's just me getting old but I can't get used to touch screens at all.  I even use a standard Desktop and Lap Top since I can't get used to tablets either.
Regarding touch screens in cars, other than feeling like it's one more thing to break and be really expensive to fix or replace, I think they're fine. My car has knobs for volume controls and tuning the radio; I just had a rental car that did not, and trying to set the presets for the XM was a giant pain as a result.

I own a tablet and it works fine 90% of the time, and I also have a Chromebook for the 10% if the time when my tablet won't cut it.

The problem I noticed with the Chevy MyLink system is that essentially every function of the radio is only available on the touch screen.  The button and knob layout for the AC is pretty traditional below the touch screen.  Comparing it to the other two cars it definitely is a poorer design but I get the feeling it was meant to attract younger buyers.  The menus selection is vertical and to the left were as the Challenger and Forest both have it on the bottom of the screen more where you'd expect it to be. 

As for PC versus tablet that might be just a age preference thing.  I used DOS based PCs growing up and anything that requires me to not use proper typing position generally isn't my speed.
I'm 39, and typing posts on this forum is about my limit for what I can type on a tablet screen. If it's longer than that, I need my Chromebook.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: abefroman329 on August 04, 2018, 11:53:28 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 08:02:13 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 04, 2018, 02:33:29 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 01:30:24 PMIncidentally who else despises touch screens?  The older radio sets in cars had easy to use buttons that were intuitive and didn't require looking over away from the road to press.  One of the best things about getting Enclave as rental recently was that it had not only a touch screen but actually buttons as well.  Maybe that's just me getting old but I can't get used to touch screens at all.  I even use a standard Desktop and Lap Top since I can't get used to tablets either.
Regarding touch screens in cars, other than feeling like it's one more thing to break and be really expensive to fix or replace, I think they're fine. My car has knobs for volume controls and tuning the radio; I just had a rental car that did not, and trying to set the presets for the XM was a giant pain as a result.

I own a tablet and it works fine 90% of the time, and I also have a Chromebook for the 10% if the time when my tablet won't cut it.

The problem I noticed with the Chevy MyLink system is that essentially every function of the radio is only available on the touch screen.  The button and knob layout for the AC is pretty traditional below the touch screen.  Comparing it to the other two cars it definitely is a poorer design but I get the feeling it was meant to attract younger buyers.  The menus selection is vertical and to the left were as the Challenger and Forest both have it on the bottom of the screen more where you'd expect it to be. 

As for PC versus tablet that might be just a age preference thing.  I used DOS based PCs growing up and anything that requires me to not use proper typing position generally isn't my speed.
I'm 39, and typing posts on this forum is about my limit for what I can type on a tablet screen. If it's longer than that, I need my Chromebook.

I have a couple older ASUS lap tops that I mainly use for typing due to the large keyboard.  I'm 36 but I've been typing since I was 7, so its way easier for me to just speed through messages on a lap top than struggle on a tablet.  I do use my iPhone when I'm not home but I usually refrain from longer posts, I never found TapTalk all that helpful.

abefroman329

I downloaded the TapTalk app because I also belong to another forum that subscribes to it, but I couldn't figure out how to use it when you already have an account on that forum.

yand

Earphones provide superior audio in states where its legal to drive wearing earphones. Of course, you lose some situational awareness but the same can be said of high quality sound insulation or just by turning up the system really loudly.
I make videos for Full Length Interstates. FullLengthInterstates.com redirects to my channel at youtube.com/FullLengthInterstates

D-Dey65

In my previous car, I had a cheap Kenwood stereo system that replaced a Rockford Fosgate that wasn't working. I plugged either my iPod classic, or a flash drive or even a card reader, and sometimes listened to my CD's. I even listened to the radio occasionally.

On my current car, I have the factory stereo, which has AM/FM, cassette and CD. More often than not, I would just grab a cassette adapter, and plug it into my iPod classic, wishing there was also a way I could've used my flash drives and/or card readers.  I was even planning to get an adapter that I could have drilled into my dashboard.

Then roughly several months ago, my cassette deck and CD player wore themselves out. Now I've got to get my hands on a double DIN that does the same things as my previous stereo.


abefroman329

Quote from: yand on August 05, 2018, 12:04:04 AM
Earphones provide superior audio in states where its legal to drive wearing earphones. Of course, you lose some situational awareness but the same can be said of high quality sound insulation or just by turning up the system really loudly.
I would never drive while listening to music with earbuds, even if it was legal.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: abefroman329 on August 05, 2018, 08:49:44 AM
Quote from: yand on August 05, 2018, 12:04:04 AM
Earphones provide superior audio in states where its legal to drive wearing earphones. Of course, you lose some situational awareness but the same can be said of high quality sound insulation or just by turning up the system really loudly.
I would never drive while listening to music with earbuds, even if it was legal.

I do it on the way to/from the gym just so I don't have to fumble around in the car getting stuff ready.  It's only a two mile drive in a straight line.  The only place I've ever caught grief for the practice was on military bases where it is illegal to do.  Even then it was a "sir, place take those off while you're driving."

SSOWorld

Poll fixes: Many ways to connect a phone to car these days, also Sirius XM (Not FM)

Last two cars: I employed an iPod in the first as Hyundai provides a direct connection for one to use.  Now using the Phone via CarPlay with either a lengthy playlist or with Pandora.  The car has SiriusXM - but I unsubscribed (Much to their insistence that I keep it) as I'm done forking 600 every 2 years for stations I never use (It's radio's equivalent to Cable/Satellite TV).
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

Rothman

I am inefficient data-wise:  I use YouTube to bring up music I like; I have serendipitously somehow have YouTube compiling "My Mixes" that do indeed mix up music that I like.  If I get bored with it, it is back to FM radio for me.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

LM117

Quote from: cjk374 on August 04, 2018, 07:03:42 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on August 04, 2018, 01:48:53 PM
Quote from: LM117 on August 04, 2018, 01:39:52 PM
I still use CD's, though I don't turn the stereo on as much anymore these days. I did all the time in my teens and early 20's, but as each year passes, the less tolerant I get. I guess it's nature's way of preparing me for turning the 3-0 next year.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Wait til you start looking the big 5-0 in the face like me, 1995hoo, and others. You have lots of tolerance now. LOL!

Oh dear. :-D
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

wanderer2575

i picked "from your phone" because it was closest of the available choices, but I actually still use an iPod.  I have no need for a smartphone and refuse to get one.

abefroman329

Quote from: wanderer2575 on August 05, 2018, 11:21:19 AM
i picked "from your phone" because it was closest of the available choices, but I actually still use an iPod.  I have no need for a smartphone and refuse to get one.
Make sure you buy all the music you need/want from iTunes before they stop selling it (I believe) in the summer of 2019.

Duke87

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 04, 2018, 01:30:24 PM
Incidentally who else despises touch screens?  The older radio sets in cars had easy to use buttons that were intuitive and didn't require looking over away from the road to press.

I do think they present a not insignificant distracted driving risk, which is certainly a concern. But then they also become necessary as entertainment systems in the car become more complex. Radio, CDs, and cassettes can all be controlled from buttons and dials just fine, but when you have a large library of music on your phone or a thumb drive, you need a screen to be able to browse it.

I have a touch screen in my car which most of the time I leave displaying the nav map. Fortunately for music purposes, I can use voice commands to tell the car to play something in particular, so I'm not fiddling with the screen browsing while driving.


And yes, I am also among the people whose choice is not represented in the poll: I have a copy of my music library on a 64 GB flash drive, which my Ford Focus is capable of handling without issue. I have found through rental vehicles, though, that the effectiveness of this method varies between vehicles makes. It works in Ford, Volkswagen, and Jeep vehicles. It mostly works in Toyota vehicles but there are a few random things in my library they can't play for reasons I can't figure out. Meanwhile Nissan and Kia have total shit for entertainment systems that have indexes too small to handle my library and are incapable of playing albums in order by track number.

Now, even the three makes which I say it "works" in still can't play the .wav and .midi files in my library, but I don't reasonably expect compatibility for those. :P
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

abefroman329

.midi files?  Why in the world would you want to listen to .midi files?!

hotdogPi

Quote from: abefroman329 on August 05, 2018, 12:17:08 PM
.midi files?  Why in the world would you want to listen to .midi files?!

If you wrote the music yourself.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

DTComposer

I'd say it's something like this:

50% Sirius XM music stations (nine in heavy rotation, but I enjoy skipping around genres as well)
15% Sirius XM talk stations (five in heavy rotation, three in light rotation)
20% Music from phone
10% Podcasts from phone
5% Local AM stations (mostly for sports and traffic) - although I'll get the FM simulcast if it exists.

Something I've wondered about: the number of presets on the radio. I am locked into 12 from Sirius XM, 12 on FM, and 6 on AM. I was in someone's car recently and they had 24 presets, and you could assign any of them to anywhere. 24 AM presets? Done. 20 Sirius XM, 3 FM, 1 AM? Done? Why haven't more manufacturers adopted this? As listed above, I rarely if ever listen to terrestrial FM radio, and so I have 12 presets just gathering dust, when I could easily assign them to more satellite stations.

Conversely, if someone doesn't use the satellite option in their car, why not let them use those slots for terrestrial radio? Doesn't seem like it would be that big a deal to program that way.

Duke87

Quote from: 1 on August 05, 2018, 12:17:42 PM
Quote from: abefroman329 on August 05, 2018, 12:17:08 PM
.midi files?  Why in the world would you want to listen to .midi files?!

If you wrote the music yourself.

In my case it is because those .midi files are soundtracks from video games released in the 1990s, which are in .midi format because that is the original format they came in in the game's files. Same reason I have .wav files - it's all video game music.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

D-Dey65

Quote from: abefroman329 on August 05, 2018, 11:41:17 AM
Make sure you buy all the music you need/want from iTunes before they stop selling it (I believe) in the summer of 2019.
Wait a minute; Apple is killing off iTunes in 2019?
:crazy: :confused:



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