# cd players that play mp3s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 31, 1999, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825 "1999-12-31T23:18:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 1999, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/1 "1999-12-31T23:18:00Z")
how do those work? * * * Chief’s Domain - [http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi](http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2000, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/2 "2000-01-01T01:20:00Z")
What’s an MP3? It’d be a cool name for a gun. ---
**Author:** ![BigRoryG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f07891/32.png) [@BigRoryG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigRoryG)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2000, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/3 "2000-01-01T01:49:00Z")
An MP3 or MPEG (Motion Pictures Experts Group0 is just a different way of encoding sound. Basically, you get CD quality sound in a useful size file. It tends to be about one meg per minute of sound. I’m not surewhat the Op is talking bout, but if it’sportable mp3 players, that it’s something like the diamond Rio. It’slike a walkman that plays MP3’s. You just put the songs on a harddrive inside the unit and plug inyour earphones. If you need the circuitry described, I ain’t your man. * * * “C’mon, it’s not even tomorrow yet…” - Rupert If you need a graphic solution, [http:\ alk.to\Piglet](http://talk.to%5CPiglet) ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2000, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/4 "2000-01-01T06:03:00Z")
The only CD players that I know of that can play mp3s are CD-ROM drives in personal computers. There’s also a company doing custom players for auto stereos (sorry can’t remember the name off hand). I’m not aware of any portable audio players that can read the mp3s off of a CD-ROM. It’s something that I’ve been looking for because I often rip my standard audio CDs to mp3 and write them to CDR for use in my laptop when traveling. I can squeeze a bunch of CDs worth of music onto a single CDR in mp3 format. The Rio and other mp3 players save the files to flash memories, not CDs. They can only store about an hour’s worth of music on one flash and take a bit of time to load… I can’t imagine this technology catching on big time with the “I want it now” techno-culture. Therefore, I think it’s only a matter of time before mp3-on-CD starts to evolve to the point where you have portable commercial players that can play both standard CDA and mp3. BigRoryG wrote: > [@](#): > > Basically, you get CD quality sound in a useful size file. Technically not. The sound reproduction of mp3 is not as good as CDA. It’s highly compressed and there are artifacts. It’s pretty good and worth the trade-off, for most people… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2000, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/5 "2000-01-01T11:13:00Z")
Yes, they are coming out with a CD player that plays mp3’s. It’s not out yet and won’t be for at least a few more months IIRC. Sorry I don’t have any more info on it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2000, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/6 "2000-01-01T12:43:00Z")
This is kind of semi-off-topic, but if you haven’t already, get Napster! [www.napster.com](http://www.napster.com) Totally rocks. * * * **-PIGEONMAN-** Hero For A New Millennium! [The Legend Of PigeonMan](http://www.hotkey.net.au/~guanolad/pigeonman/) - **Back in the new year!** Honest. I promise. No, really. ---
**Author:** ![HeadlessCow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@HeadlessCow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeadlessCow)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2000, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/7 "2000-01-01T17:00:00Z")
I remember reading about a CD player that would play MP3s on a website a while back. I’m not sure if it was being released then or if it was just a future product. ---
**Author:** ![Studi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Studi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Studi)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2000, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/8 "2000-01-02T06:23:00Z")
Here it is: [http://www.mambox.com/p300.htm](http://www.mambox.com/p300.htm) ## Feel free to buy me one…somebody. “If first you don’t succeed, try, try again…then quit, there’s no use in being a damn fool about it.” - W. C. Fields ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2000, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/9 "2000-01-05T19:38:00Z")
Thanks Studi!!! I wasn’t aware of this. According to the site, the Mambo-X P300 won’t be available until February, but they are also planning on home and car versions in the first quarter. Too bad Tagram System Corp. hasn’t gone public… I feel like taking a risk… BTW, here’s a link to the auto mp3 player I mentioned earlier: [http://www.empeg.com/](http://www.empeg.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/10 "2000-01-05T21:58:00Z")
Hmmmm… It’s $1,100 for that in-dash MP3 player. That’s a little steep if you ask me. And this MamboX thing? Anyone have a projected price on that yet? ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/11 "2000-01-05T21:58:00Z")
Hmmmm… It’s $1,100 for that in-dash MP3 player. That’s a little steep if you ask me. And this MamboX thing? Anyone have a projected price on that yet? ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/12 "2000-01-05T21:58:00Z")
Hmmmm… It’s $1,100 for that in-dash MP3 player. That’s a little steep if you ask me. And this MamboX thing? Anyone have a projected price on that yet? ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2000, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-players-that-play-mp3s/5825/13 "2000-01-05T23:33:00Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s $1,100 for that in-dash MP3 player. That’s a little steep if you ask me. > > It’s $1,100 for that in-dash MP3 player. That’s a little steep if you ask me. > > It’s $1,100 for that in-dash MP3 player. That’s a little steep if you ask me. Apparently they utilize a CDR jukebox that can hold up to 45 CDRs and each installation is a custom job, complete with new sound system… but still, $1100 may be a little too steep. One would expect the cost to come down as production ramps up. The original car radios costs were quite steep in the early days and each installation was unique. Some installations took as long as 16 hours to complete… thankfully things have improved.