Aiwa CDC-MP3 Car MP3-CD Player

Conclusion
If you've been reading every word of this review, you may think that we weren't exactly happy with the Aiwa CDC-MP3. That's not the case by any means since it's main purpose for existence is to play hours and hours of MP3's in your car off cheap CD-R(W) media and it accomplishes this. It's just that there is so much potential here and the CDC-MP3 could have been so much more.

If you stop to think about it, this is the same pattern we saw with first generation portable MP3 players. The first generation Rio pales in comparison to current models, but at its launch was the best thing since sliced bread. The big difference here? The first generation portable players had many more fundamental problems, especially in the area of sound quality, than the first generation units we're seeing for cars. We expect the second generation units to be very good, but the question of how long it will be before we see them is still unanswered as no other big names have announced car MP3-CD players.

The empeg, of course, doesn't have most of these problems because it is essentially a computer that happens to fit in the space of a car stereo. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the empeg was designed out of necessity by a group of guys that could not live without MP3's in the car, while the Aiwa was likely designed by a team of engineers given a specific task. That's the difference between an MP3 fan designing an MP3 player without much focus on cost and a group of engineers that really don't know a lot about MP3's with a very limited budget.

It basically comes down to a few key questions whose answers will essentially make your decision for you - how badly do you want MP3's in your car, how much are you willing to pay for it, and how do you listen to your music. The empeg is obviously the most flexible solution, but the cost is prohibitive for most. Kenwood's Z919, which we'll be looking at in the coming weeks, is very similar to the CDC-MP3, but costs almost double. Is it worth it for similar functionality and a bigger brand name? That's up to you, but in most cases the answer will be no.

So if you need MP3's in your car now, the Aiwa CDC-MP3 is the obvious choice. And the fact of the matter is, if you want MP3's in your car that badly, the faults we found with the CDC-MP3 are not going to bother you too much, if at all.