CD Player

[RedlandRanger]

I understand your situation. I have a rather large library of CDs as well (not nearly as large as yours maybe 500 or so) because in the 90's I collected a lot of them. I still have them but they are boxed up now. It does take some time to convert them to digital, but I just did a few of my favorites at a time. Or when I planned on a road trip picked several I thought I would want to listen to I had not converted yet and did so.

I'm a Mac user so it is a fairly simple process to add them to my iTunes library and then copy the songs I want on a USB thumb drive. I tend to agree with the others on this as far as going digital but I understand a collection as large as yours would take an extremely long time.

I'm no engineer but I can see where an external CD drive might skip more as opposed to a CD drive installed in the console. Placing it on the seat, dash or wherever you put it probably bounces around more while driving. As a high speed spinning disk I think any extra jarring would make it more prone to skipping. I remember my first portable CD player many years ago. A little shake and it would skip.

But as stated things have changed. I also have a large collection of music on cassette tapes form the 80's. No way to play them in a car now. I guess we just have to adapt. But I hope you find a way to enjoy the music you love in your Ranger and make it work for you.

Idea to convert large libraries - hire a teenager to do it and pay them $x per CD they convert. They might even find some music they've never heard before and actually like it!

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[ch47dmechanic]

I don't experience the delay you talk of. Actually, I think if I did have a CD player it would still be faster playing with my USB stick. Make sure you are using a high quality flash drive is all I can think of.

Define "high quality". I believe the one I have is made by Samsung. ?‍

I've noticed on startup it takes a while to be able to use the steering wheel buttons, voice commands, etc. no matter what source. Hopefully Sync 3.4 will help.

Mine starts playing from the flash drive pretty quickly, but not much control available for 30 seconds or so.

Mine only does that with a flash drive inserted and it's much longer than 30 seconds. More like 2-3 minutes.

 

[TrebMaxx]

Define "high quality". I believe the one I have is made by Samsung. ?‍


Mine only does that with a flash drive inserted and it's much longer than 30 seconds. More like 2-3 minutes.

I have had mine for few years but it is a Sandisk Ultra low profile. Just google high speed flash drives and if you can find a low profile. I thought mine was a 64GB but it is a 32GB but that is plenty of music and I switch it up now and then to keep things fresh. Maybe if you have too large of drive it takes longer to show up. ?‍

 

[ch47dmechanic]

I have had mine for few years but it is a Sandisk Ultra low profile. Just google high speed flash drives and if you can find a low profile. I thought mine was a 64GB but it is a 32GB but that is plenty of music and I switch it up now and then to keep things fresh. Maybe if you have too large of drive it takes longer to show up. ?‍

Yeah mine is a 64GB and it's almost full already...

 

[Motorpsychology]

I NEED a CD player in my Truck. It‘s a 2019 Ranger Lariat. Has anyone had any luck with a portable Bluetooth CD player that works? I tried one of those CD players that goes through the USB port and it was very unreliable. It did show up in Sync 3 but locked up and skipped tracks constantly. I know you can put music on a hard drive and I’ve done that, but I have a 4000+ CD collection and digitizing just takes too long. If anyone has had luck with getting a CD player to work with Sync 3 via Bluetooth or the two usb ports, PLEASE let me know what Specific equipment you used (model numbers would be great). I REALLY appreciate any help you can provide. THANK YOU!

I'll gladly trade you my 2009 Mercury Mariner which has a working 6-cd changer and Sync 1 even up for your Ranger!

Seriously, I started buying songs and albums individually on iTunes about 15 years ago. Some in that library are duplicates of CDs, but, it was worth it to me to have all the music in one place.
Now, for the last ~two years, I have a $8.99/mo subscription to Apple Music. Over 64 million songs plus my existing iTunes Library available on all my devices including my vehicles thru Apple CarPlay or connecting my iPhone as a USB device in the Mariner. I don't have to buy the music, but I can if I want it in my library permanently. just call up unlimited times any song, artist, album or cover of a song through Siri. Build custom playlists or a "radio station."
All my old 8-track favorites on demand, and music I was too poor in high school to buy, just a sentence away..."Hey, Siri! Play 'You Better Run' by the Young Rascals."

 

[PAUL J CAIN]

I use a 512 GB micro card and the low profile usb adapter for the 20697 songs I have( search replay music) . I have never experienced a delay or steering wheel control problem . In fact I'm so happy it's all I use now and have cancelled my XM. But if you still prefer something else Sony still makes a Walkman that marries well with the Sync system .

P.S. I use the Walkman for my bluetooth speakers in my motorcycle helmet

 

[Clump]

Somebody asked a similar question over on Mustang6G and this was suggested - https://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Integr...d-Mustang-with-8-SYNC-3-0-Radio-/362599094274

Specifically says "USB Integrated Add-On CD Player for 2019 Ford Mustang with 8" SYNC 3.0 Radio", but is just shows a regular USB connector.

Pricey ($329), but if you really need a CD player it's worth asking about.

 

[ROBERTECOX]

I used itunes to rip all my cds and then moved the music to my iPhone...over 600 songs

 

[mtbikernate]

I ripped my collection to digital YEARS ago. and yeah, I still get physical discs from time to time, but it's not a problem to digitize any new ones I might get.

I realize my collection isn't quite OP's, but I have an old ipod touch 64GB that I store all my music on. If it dies, I'll probably go to a USB stick of some sort, even though that won't play so easily on my portable speaker. I use my music collection on long road trips, or when I go deep into the mtns and reception for other music becomes trash.

And yeah, gonna have to digitize all that music eventually if you want it in your vehicle, because physical media playback options are fading quickly.

 

[r1ch999999]

I ripped mine to mp3 and put them on my pc. I run a Plex server and can access them from my phone anywhere.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

If you find a viable solution, I sure would like to know. I also have a large number of CDs.

Hey, same here. I have thousands of CDs, and I have ripped hundreds of them and found on iTunes hundreds of others, and I have experienced no problems in listening to them on USB, plugged-in iPhone, or iPhone via Bluetooth in my Ranger Lariat's B&O, but would still love to have an aftermarket CD player in the center console, either hardwired or via Bluetooth so that I could enjoy my CD collection during my DD of c. 30 minutes. Has anybody tried these solutions successfully? Or any others that work? Ford could make a ton of money offering a CD player as an accessory system, as some competitors do....

 

[PAUL J CAIN]

haven't use this but cheap enough for someone to try.
https://www.ebay.com/i/324015107434...2vzCRQGcUph3AmzKCO4KOnpE4OIrVnsgaArYxEALw_wcB

and a video

 

[BobDP]

Most of the portable CD players are built to be used unless stationary. They can't handle the vibration and will skip like a old record player. I copied all my CEs on the computer and then put them on USB drives as needed

 

[Clump]

It's pretty interesting how these automotive add-on players work. They rip the CD and then feed the data through the USB port the way a flash drive or ipod would. Apparently there's a delay when it's fed a CD while it rips at least the first song, then it starts to play. I guess that's why they're so pricey.

There is a unit on Amazon that claims to be compatible with our Rangers - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product...&pf_rd_p=edaba0ee-c2fe-4124-9f5d-b31d6b1bfbee
It's $213.28. They have a picture of the directions that describes how it works and the delay.

Based on the way they work and the cost you have to REALLY want to play CDs for this to work. The effort to rip your collection seems like a better solution.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

Hey, music fans!

Even though I have been enjoying listening to music on the Lariat's B&O from day one with my iPhone or USB sticks, I have literally thousands of CDs, and do not want to rip all of them. Besides, for me, there is something special about popping a CD in, setting it for "shuffle," and taking off, and I did miss that in the Ranger. So, after reading all the comments and recommendations above, and doing my own research on the web, I decided to plunk the c. 200.00 U.S.D. for this aftermarket player: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DHXY5X3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It arrived yesterday evening, and I tried it out this morning during about half an hour's total driving time. It really is "plug and play," like the manufacturer claims, works through the Ranger's existing sound system, and it absolutely sounds great! It is small enough to fit easily in the center console, with room left over for a dozen or so disks. (There is just enough space under the closed console door for the wire to fit, and, with the extension cables that come with it, reach the Ranger's front USB ports. It comes with double-sided tape to fix the player to a hard surface if desired, but I just leave it freestanding and keep it in the console while driving and for storage. I have not played it while driving off-road, but took the truck over some poorly maintained mountain roads this morning at a speed that was, shall we say, slightly in excess of the posted limits, and did not notice any perceptible skipping. The only downside that I can see is that it does not list the track titles (just the numbers), but I already know those anyway! For members who really miss playing CD music in their Rangers, this will do the job. Just be sure you get the version 1, which is compatible with the new Rangers (and many other late model Fords). Yeah, two hundred bucks is a lot for an aftermarket CD-player, but music is priceless....

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