Основная страница по AIWA CDC-MP3

The popularity of the mp3 format has continued to grow significantly over the past two years, bringing about a deluge of MP3 compatible players to the marketplace. After many years of cult popularity, the big-time sound product manufacturers are finally accepting MP3, with products being introduced by Sony, Samsung, and others. From a consumer standpoint this development can only be seen as a good thing, as we get mp3 capable devices with improved features and lower prices.

Back when the first portable audio mp3-capable devices came on the market, they were fairly clunky, sparse in features and bearing high price tags. This was especially true with those units designed for car audio. These devices were generally based on a portable hard drive concept, in which you would store all your music on, and were offered by small-time manufacturers. However, because of the burgeoning popularity in the mp3 format, major car audio manufacturers have started to offer mp3 functionality by modifying some of their existing head units. So far, Kenwood and Aiwa are the first companies to offer products on the market, which can read mp3 files off standard data compact discs.

Today we're taking a look at Aiwa's CDC-MP3 head unit, which was provided to us by Crutchfield Electronics, a premier car audio supply company. The Aiwa CDC-MP3 plays mp3 files off standard data CD's that you can burn on your PC. In our opinion, this is definitely a better approach than using a single hard drive to store all mp3 data. With CD's you can burn as many as you want, cramming between 650-700MB of mp3 onto a single disc - making it possible to stick each album for a particular artist onto a single CD. This also allows you to transfer mp3s between your computer and car without the need of removing the audio unit itself, a plus when compared to the hard drive based products. Before we dive into the specific benefits of the CDC-MP3 over other car-audio products, let's run down the features list real quick like.

Features

Below are the features of the impressive Aiwa CDC-MP3 unit:

Off the bat, the biggest feature of the CDC-MP3 is the ability to read data CD's of both CD-R and CD-RW format, which have mp3 files stored on them. The ability to read the CD-RW format is a tremendous feature, and one which not even standard head units support, so kudos to Aiwa. CD-RW capability is perfect for the times when you want to make a specific mix or group MP3s for a trip - for instance, perhaps you'd put 175 copies of Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas" on a disc, so you could jam to it the whole drive to Vegas, but maybe that's just us. The way that MP3 CD's are read needs a bit of explanation, which we'll cover in just a bit.

The Aiwa CDC-MP3 Face & Carrying Case

The next prominent feature is the 45W peak (22W RMS) x 4 channels that the CDC-MP3 supports. This is one of the highest power ratings you'll see for an integrated amp inside a head unit, especially at this price point. This is really good news for those of us that like to drop in a pair of hefty 6x9's, but are too cheap to properly amp them. We tested our unit on a pair of Infinity 693.1i Kappa's, which are fairly decent 6x9's, and the CDC-MP3 drove those just fine.

One big difference between the CDC-MP3 and other head units is the inclusion of a steering wheel remote, which straps onto the inner portion of your steering wheel. Most other head units on the market come with a remote control, which does seem a bit ludicrous considering the unit is right next to the driver. The steering wheel remote does make sense however, because it allows you to never take your attention from the road while cranking up the volume and bass. It only comes with five buttons though, allowing you to control: Volume up & down, track up & down, and change the source.

The signal to noise ratio on the CDC-MP3 is a scant 85dB, which pales in comparison to some other offerings on the market. Most head units in this price range sport a higher signal to noise ratio, between 90-105dB. However, unless you're a really big audiophile, standard car/road noise while driving will eliminate this difference.

The last grouping of features are all standard issue for any head unit on the market, and Aiwa hasn't added anything earth shattering. 30 radio presets can be saved, in groupings of six presets per group (FM gets 3 such groups, and AM gets 2). The 1/8" stereo auxiliary input is intended for use with other audio devices, such as CD-players, tape players, and the like. Two sets of 2.2v preouts are included (front and rear) to allow people to circumvent the integrated amp of the CDC-MP3, and amp the signal themselves.

The last feature of the CDC-MP3 is the detachable face, which is also standard issue on any head unit today. However, some units sport a mechanized face, which locks the face inside the unit when the car is shut-off. We prefer the security of removing the faceplate and keeping it with us, though some might prefer the other method. For such persons, check out the Kenwood Z919 head (which also supports mp3).

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