[Zoom]

I know that most people want to just connect and control their iPod from their car deck, and I can appreciate that need. However, I would actually like to be able to play CD-R's with my AAC files on them. (Yes, I know - you can't play iTMS tracks.) I don't want to have to have my iPod with me, for many reasons, though having that as an option would be cool.

I've been looking for this off and on for years now (originally MP3 compatible), and all I can find is tricked out crap aimed at teenage boys. I don't need big video displays with screensavers that pop out of my dash like some Inspector Gadget thing. I don't need multicolor buttons. I don't need a bazillion pre-amp outputs, multi-channel surround, remote controls, DVD playback, etc, etc. I just want something simple that will play CD-R's containing AAC files (and MP3, of course). It needs to have a clear, bright display for ID3 info (or whatever the AAC data format equivalent is) and preferably a slot-loading drive without wacky motorized face plates.

Does such a device exist?

I looked at hard-drive based units a while back, too... maybe I need to check on those again. But they were very expensive last I checked, and most of them used a generic (ie, limited) CD changer interface and needed a separate little display thingie for track info.

[tooki]

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/P...;s=0&cc=01 (dunno if that link will rot or not; it's part of the search results for "AAC" on Crutchfield)

If they make it, Crutchfield likely carries it. There aren't many options for AAC playback, so you will probably have to put up with "teenage" features. It's not as if most of those features actually harm anything, or can't be disabled. Also note that nearly no CD players these days don't have motorized (or other flip-down) faceplates. Just about all midrange and better head units use motorized faceplates in order to provide a larger area for displays and controls.

tooki

[Zoom]

I took a quick look - I sorta like the Kenwood X689 and the X790 models. Not too flashy, but all the features I want (with lots of extras, unfortunately).

I'll scope these out, maybe one of them will work for me. Thanks for the tip!

Man... they really rape you on those iPod connectors, don't they?

[Zoom]

Oops... big strike for both: neither can display AAC ID3 tag info. How dumb is that?

[mduell]

As someone said earlier today, most of the aftermarket headunits look like angry fruit salad.

[tooki]

LOL!

Perhaps one of the Pioneer models can actually display AAC metadata? (Maybe somebody knows: do AAC files actually have a full complement of ID3-like metadata? I vaguely remember them not having that early on, at least.)

tooki