New here - Mazda3 MP3 player option info?

[agallag]

Hey guys. I'm new here, so a brief intro first. Name is Andrew, I'm from the Toronto area in Ontario, Canada. Currently driving a 1998 Honda Accord LX 5-spd, but please don't hold that against me In the past I have owned a 1990 Isuzu Impulse, a 1998 Protege LX, and a 2000 Protege LX Touring. I only got the Accord because I was moving farther away, and needed a highway cruiser.

Anyway, I'll be moving back to the city in a few months, so I'll probably trade in the Accord for a new Mazda3 hatchback. I test drove one a few weeks ago, and was greatly impressed. It was loaded with leather, everything except automatic tranny. Loved it.

To get to the point, the salesman I was dealing with didn't have any info on the optional MP3 player. Has anyone here gone for that option? How does it work? I'm assuming it's for playing MP3 CDs, but does it display song titles etc. on the main display? Does it have it's own display? Does it display that stuff at all? There seems to be no info available about this (quite costly) option.

 

[wongpres]

How does it work? I'm assuming it's for playing MP3 CDs, but does it display song titles etc. on the main display? Does it have it's own display? Does it display that stuff at all? There seems to be no info available about this (quite costly) option.

The MP3 option replaces the CD player and plays CD's with MP3 files on them. Yes, song titles display on the main display.

 

[agallag]

Cool, exactly what I wanted to hear.

Are there any more detailed specs available anywhere? Such as bitrates supported, path depth (nested folders), CD-R/RW compatibility, etc. How does the browsing work, is it user friendly?

Damn, I'm full of questions aren't I?

 

[icecube]

if u going to but a car than is better to ask more question b4 u pay anything on it

that way ther will be no "omg" when u get your car

 

[Newf]

I haven't really read up on the options for the Mazda 3 and when I was told there was mp3 options I was like??? Wow, there is?

I wondering, is it a US only option?

 

[wongpres]

Cool, exactly what I wanted to hear.

Are there any more detailed specs available anywhere? Such as bitrates supported, path depth (nested folders), CD-R/RW compatibility, etc. How does the browsing work, is it user friendly?

Damn, I'm full of questions aren't I?

bitrates: to my understanding, it supports all the standard ones
path depth: I know if you do random, it only does random on that folder and not sibling folders. Not sure if random will go into nested folders.
CD-R/RW: Both are fine
browsing: just uses the audio buttons on the centre console (i.e. no extra buttons required)

And to expand on newf's post. The Mazda3 MP3 player is an accessory that you can get at Canadian dealers. MSRP is $565.25cdn though.

 

[skilletrx]

why not buy an aftermarket mp3 player... im jus speaking from experience ive had w a stock mp3 player (by kenwood) mazda gave us...

 

[agallag]

Thanks for the info wongpres. Sounds like it'll do just fine for me. That's basically how all the aftermarket mp3 capable head units work, so that's good enough.

why not buy an aftermarket mp3 player... im jus speaking from experience ive had w a stock mp3 player (by kenwood) mazda gave us...

If I can get a factory unit that works just as well, but uses the standard controls and looks more like it "fits" in the car, why would I go with an aftermarket unit? Sure, it's a little more money, but I'd have to spend at least that much to get an aftermarket unit installed in a manner that looks like it belongs.

 

[skilletrx]

do research, find one that'll fit/match colour wise, most places after u buy them will install for free...

gl in whatever you decide to pursue

 

[gummcgay]

Just check out the message I left on the other forum.
http://www.mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=698&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15
One info I didn't put there was that the depth of folder level is 8. Hope this helps.

 

[agallag]

Cool. Good to know that the new faceplate is not a requirement, if the only difference is the "MP3" label.

Skilletrx, nothing will fit properly in the Mazda3 dash, it's not a standard size or control layout. Anything you put in there will not look right. Many places will install for free, but they certainly won't fabricate new plastic dash bits (to make it look totally integrated) for free.

 

[admdvs]

reposted from other message:


Just got my mp3 player from the dealer. Just in case someone needs more information about it, it is a Pioneer unit as mentioned before. In addition to what ToeKnee said about the folder, you can have at most 253 folders and 255 mp3 files in a folder on a single disc. It also supports ISO9660 Level 1, 2, Juliet and Romeo extended format. About the ID3 Tag display in accordance with the manual, this unit can only display ID3 Tag album, track and artist names that have been inputed using Ver 1.0 or Ver 1.1 formats. The unit can also play multi-session recorded discs that have up to 99 sessions. For sampling frequencies, it can handle 16/22.05/24/32/44.1/48kHz, and lastly for bitrates, it supports from 8kbps to 320kbps, but the manual recommends the bitrate of 128kbps or more. Installation was quite straight forward as it comes with a manual telling how to take out the face plate and the audio modules.

As an additional note about the faceplate for the MP3 unit, it is a rip-off. (Well. Maybe the entire unit is a ripoff since there are better and cheaper aftermarket MP3 unit.) The difference between the face plate for the original MP3 unit and the original one for your CD unit is the word "MP3" on the MP3 faceplate. That means you don't need to waste $20-$35 for that piece of plastic. You can still use your original one.

 

[Newf]

pics of the mp3 unit ?

and thanks wrongpres! You seem to have become Our #1 source for Mazda3 stuff