Car CD Player (without car stereo)?

September 11, 2005 11:42 PM

My friend has a VW Gol (not a Golf). She just had her stereo stolen. The wires that hook into the car's speaker system are fine and dandy. Is there a way to attach a portable CD Player to these wires alone (without replacing the stereo system and using a cd-player adaptor etc.)?

I don't know if the car model matters. I don't recall seeing too many Gols in the States though. We're in Argentina. She wants to take a road trip, but to have music. I thought "I bet a Mefite knows!"

that is all.

posted by punkbitch to technology (7 comments total)

Ugh - I don't fancy her chances. I honestly don't know diddly about car stereos, but I'd assume that even if you could somehow Macgyver the wires to a portable CD player, it'd neither have the power nor amplification to drive the speakers. And I'd further assume that even if you could, you'd only be able to drive one pair, which wouldn't necessarily be full range - for example in my last car the door speakers were low frequency with high frequency ones in the dash.
posted by forallmankind at 12:16 AM on September 12, 2005

Yeah, this won't really work. You need an amplifier to drive the speakers, the CD player's output is going to be far too weak.
posted by knave at 12:27 AM on September 12, 2005

You need an amp. That's what the head unit is for.

You could buy battery powered or DC powered self-amplified desktop/bookshelf speakers and stick 'em up on the dash or in the back seats or use a boombox if that's cheaper than buying a new head unit.

But these rarely have the oomph to properly override road/wind/engine noise.
posted by loquacious at 2:14 AM on September 12, 2005

I did have to lookup to see what a Gol is!! :) (And I do have a VW Golf, so I was even more puzzled!)

Here it is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VW_Gol

On topic, yep, you need an amp. I do believe buying a cheap stereo would be the best choice...
posted by LittlePrince at 4:44 AM on September 12, 2005

I just had mine stolen as well. The thief too had the decency of not destroying the infrastructure - I wish their entry technique utilised the same degree of finesse.

I'm now looking for an exploding CD player, the kind capable of taking hands off at the shoulders and inflicting grievous injury should it be forcibly removed.

You might be able to buy an amp cheaper than a stereo - that could possibly be less attractive than another player (especially if you fit it yourself - badly. Make sure you use too much electric tape and leave wires hanging out of your dash).

Depending on the unit (some may have a mini-jack input - but I doubt it on a cheap one), you could buy an inexpensive RCA to mini jack adaptor (one attached to a short lead) that you could attach your portable CD/mp3 player/walkman/crystal set to.
posted by strawberryviagra at 6:06 AM on September 12, 2005

This is hilarious, I was just coming here to post this exact same question, but mine was based on a quote from Walter Mossberg's review this week of the ipod nano:

Despite its small size, the nano sounded as good as any other iPod, and is packed with plenty of audio power. Plugged into my car speakers, it was able to belt out the new Fountains of Wayne rocker, "Maureen," loudly enough to be heard perfectly, even though I was going 70 mph in a convertible with the top down.

Now, is the nation's most widely read reviewer of personal electronics UNAWARE that his car stereo's head unit is powering his ipod, or is he literally hooking it right up to his speakers, and is that even possible/feasible? That was going to be my question.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:12 PM on September 12, 2005

My friend's iPod-to-car-stereo adapter doesn't do a very good job on the cranking, for whatever technical reason, so I don't think that's the issue.
posted by dhartung at 8:37 PM on September 12, 2005