[SpaceGhost]

TL,DR: what I want is a 2025 version of an mp3 player.

I am quite confused and overwhelmed by portable music these days. Everything seems to require a proprietary app and subscription.

I want to use my phone or another device to plug into my car (or stream via Android auto) music and playlists that I create and own offline. I want to be able to select on my idrive or my phone, a music folder and playlist and have it play via the car stereo without streaming or having a subscription etc.

I would appreciate a brief tutorial on navigating the music player/app landscape these days. Where does one even buy music now? If you buy it, can you move the file to other devices to play etc?

I sound old as hell with this post, but I am just a guy in his 50s who hasn't kept up with the times.

[Scrutineer]

Originally Posted by SpaceGhost

TL,DR: what I want is a 2025 version of an mp3 player.

I am quite confused and overwhelmed by portable music these days. Everything seems to require a proprietary app and subscription.

I want to use my phone or another device to plug into my car (or stream via Android auto) music and playlists that I create and own offline. I want to be able to select on my idrive or my phone, a music folder and playlist and have it play via the car stereo without streaming or having a subscription etc.

I would appreciate a brief tutorial on navigating the music player/app landscape these days. Where does one even buy music now? If you buy it, can you move the file to other devices to play etc?

I sound old as hell with this post, but I am just a guy in his 50s who hasn't kept up with the times.

It’s a fair and honest question. Respect. I’m more or less in your age range. We’re not old as hell.

I can’t speak to how to accomplish what you want to do on Android. I imagine you can fill a thumb drive with music files from your computer into your car’s USB port and then navigate that thumb drive from the car. I’m too new to this car to tell you how to do that, but someone else probably will.

But, let me play devil’s advocate with your anti-streaming premise. I suggest you at least consider abandoning your philosophy of owning music off-line and avoiding streaming/subscriptions. I think I probably understand where you are coming from with that. I was there not too many years ago. If you are a true audiophile, then stick with it (though there are some services that stream lossless audio).

Otherwise, consider giving into streaming. Any song that enters your head is immediately available just by saying so. It’s fantastic. And there is nothing to maintain. You don’t have to update a thumb drive from your computer and carry it back out to your car, etc. It’s all there on your phone. Things can and do disappear from streaming services, but in the wide mainstream, I think that’s fairly rare. Beyond that concern, is there another reason to insist on “owning” your files?

Hang onto your CDs, if you want. By all means, maintain your collection of vinyl. But for maximum flexibility, convenience, and portability, nothing beats streaming.

[whatthehuck]

plug your phone in to your computer via usb cable, grab whatever songs/albums etc you wanna listen to, and just drag it from your computer to the phone. There are a lot of mp3 player apps on the app store and depending on the phone it could just play natively as well. Use whatever app to open the files and boom there you go. So when you get in your car, either plug in or connect with bluetooth and then stream from the app with your music files on it.

[Carefree]

I put my entire cd collection (850) on a thumb drive but spend most of my time listening to Sirius XM.

Go figure……

[SpaceGhost]

Thanks guys. I am a bit old fashioned and have a hard time with the idea of renting my music.��

However, I am open to recommendations for the best streaming services. I am a child of the 80s and I like the full range of music from the 80s and the 90s from old school hip hop, to new wave, to hair metal, pop, dance etc. So a streaming service that has artists from these genres(not just those with top 10 hits) would be great.

As far as Android mp3 emulator apps, can anyone recommend a good one that works well with our cars/Android auto?

[Scrutineer]

Originally Posted by SpaceGhost

Thanks guys. I am a bit old fashioned and have a hard time with the idea of renting my music.😀

However, I am open to recommendations for the best streaming services. I am a child of the 80s and I like the full range of music from the 80s and the 90s from old school hip hop, to new wave, to hair metal, pop, dance etc. So a streaming service that has artists from these genres(not just those with top 10 hits) would be great.

As far as Android mp3 emulator apps, can anyone recommend a good one that works well with our cars/Android auto?

Think of it as paying for easy access to a gigantic catalog of music. Any service you choose is likely going to have everything you’re thinking of, and then some.

If you’re not in the Apple ecosystem, my hunch is Spotify is probably worth investigating. There’s that, Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music, YouTube Music (confusing, I know). Others, too. From what you’re saying, each service will cover your musical needs.

They all have either a free tier or a free trial. Just start playing around with a couple and see which seems easiest to navigate on your phone. Once you’ve got that sorted, playing it thru the car is simple.

[Viffermike]

I'm 54, a multidisciplinary audio enthusiast and, at one point, owned more than 6,000 CDs. My reproduction gear is mostly 'mid-fi' -- I'm an upper-middle-class single dude with other expensive hobbies, LOL -- so in this day and age, my gear could always use updating, I suppose. But for the most part, I'm happy with where it is and how it performs.

It does include eight CD players (five are portable), three dedicated portable DMPs, and nearly two dozen pairs of headphones.

I maintain my music collection in stages:
- Streaming: Primarily Spotify and Tidal, chiefly for discovery and convenience, also for breadth, streaming quality, and share-ability.
- CDs: Collection now numbers around 900. If I like a recording, I generally purchase the CD to do the below:
- Digital Music Files (native): CDs are burned (using JRiverMC, a Mac Mini, and either a Samsung or LG portable ripper drive) as FLAC files to three redundant sources: a Synology NAS loaded with heavy-duty enterprise-class HDDs, a solid-state GTechnology GDrive, and a Sabrent SS Thunderbolt portable HD. I then use SD Cards (micro or full-size; Sandisk Extreme are preferred) or Samsung thumb drives to take music into my DMPs, my vehicles, rented vehicles, etc. At home, I serve digital music through a Cambridge CXN, a Bluesound Node, or one of my DMPs using Bluetooth/AirPlay/SPDIF.

Maintaining a digital music collection is work if you care about retaining recording quality (i.e., lossless files). It also can be educational, in that it's eye/ear-opening (and sad) to hear how frequently modern music is created to perform best in digital form, not in full-bandwidth form.

[EDIT: Endeavor not to 'rent' music. Ever. If you like something, buy its recording in the highest quality available, attend the artist's live show, etc. Support the musician/artist, not the service, because most services do not have the artist's well being in mind (or, even, the artist's representative, whatever form that may be in) at all.

[fanofbmwe46]

I miss the good old days… why is everything these days subscription based and spaceship like? I’d love to go back to CDs, analog gauges, physical buttons, and manual transmissions available for most models.

[Tag]

This isn't a comprehensive list of pros and cons, but I think these are the most important factors when deciding which path you want to take.

Subscription

Pros

• Don't need to maintain your own library
• Don't need extra storage for your library, e.g. copying to USB drive, phone etc.
• Convenience of playing giant library of content on demand

Cons

• You pay a monthly fee
• You don't own any of the content
• Requires a network connection and using an app to stream content

Note: Most streaming services let you download content so you can play it while you're offline, like if you're on a plane etc. Downside is you only have what you downloaded and nothing else.

Maintain Your Own Library

Pros

• You own your content
• No subscription fees
• Don't require a network connection or special app to play your content

Cons

• All new content must be purchased
• You have to maintain the library yourself
• You need dedicated storage for your content
• You can only play what's already part of your library, if you want new content you must purchase and add it yourself

Personally, I manage all my content myself and have everything saved to my iPhone which I stream via CarPlay. I'm an audiophile so all my music is lossless and not mp3 or some other lossy format. There really isn't a right or wrong way, it's up to each individual to choose what works for them.

[eleven11]

Great replies in here. To add (touched on by Viffermike), you can search online for "DAP" or "Digital Audio Player." This is the modern version of what we previously called a MP3 player (e.g. iPod). Like other audio topics, there exist enthusiasts boasting the nuanced advantaged of one product to the next (these things range from $50 to $2500+). However, there are plenty of solid ones for reasonable prices. Some are offline only. Some integrate Wifi, etc. for streaming.

I haven't kept up, but here's a decent entry device:
https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-r1

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by eleven11

Great replies in here. To add (touched on by Viffermike), you can search online for "DAP" or "Digital Audio Player."
I haven't kept up, but here's a decent entry device:
https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-r1

I've read good things about those little Hiby units, for the price.

I have Sony, Astell & Kern, and FiiO DAP/DMPs. The FiiO is, by far, the best-sounding and most versatile of the three. FiiO has a pretty complete line ranging from $100 to four figures - higher-line models (mine's an M9) can do OTA (Bluetooth/WiFi/Airplay), SP/DIF and analog line-out with a reasonably good on-board DAC. As long as you can load it with high-res files, it'll play them on nearly anything.

[jmg]

As someone who is almost middle aged and used to download tons of music on Napster and maintained a huge library of MP3s…. It time to embrace the subscription service.

No longer do I have to acquire albums as a completists because I want one song. No longer do I have to sync to my desktop to get them on my iPhone. No longer do I download them to a USB stick to play through iDrive. Almost every single song is at my fingertips on Spotify. If you are audiophile, I believe Apple Music has higher quality files.

I’ve managed to scratch that itch of “owning my music” by making my own playlists. It gives a sense of ownership. This is my playlist. These are the songs I want in it. It works. Try it!

[SpaceGhost]

Thanks to all for the information and ideas. I may decide to embrace streaming.....we will see. Most of my music is from my ipod circa 2008 ha ha. Probably not the highest quality files. Which streamer has the best quality audio? (Spotify, Apple, others?) Is Apple streaming worth it if I am an Android guy?

[jmg]

Originally Posted by SpaceGhost

Thanks to all for the information and ideas. I may decide to embrace streaming.....we will see. Most of my music is from my ipod circa 2008 ha ha. Probably not the highest quality files. Which streamer has the best quality audio? (Spotify, Apple, others?) Is Apple streaming worth it if I am an Android guy?

Apple supposedly has the best quality audio. Being partially deaf in one ear, that doesn’t matter to me, so I use Spotify.

[Tag]

Originally Posted by SpaceGhost

Thanks to all for the information and ideas. I may decide to embrace streaming.....we will see. Most of my music is from my ipod circa 2008 ha ha. Probably not the highest quality files. Which streamer has the best quality audio? (Spotify, Apple, others?) Is Apple streaming worth it if I am an Android guy?

I wouldn't get too hung up on lossless; if you can't tell the difference then why would it matter? Most people can't, so I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor if you're fine with the quality of the mp3's currently in your library.

How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?

[///MoT]

Originally Posted by SpaceGhost

Thanks to all for the information and ideas. I may decide to embrace streaming.....we will see. Most of my music is from my ipod circa 2008 ha ha. Probably not the highest quality files. Which streamer has the best quality audio? (Spotify, Apple, others?) Is Apple streaming worth it if I am an Android guy?

Listening to Spotify, Apple Music, etc. in our cars.... I don't think you'd be able to hear much difference, if any difference at all. The H/K stereo is decent, but not good enough to show the differences between streaming services audio quality. And let's face it... we're in our 50s, so our hearing isn't good enough to tell the difference anyway lol.

If you're an Android guy, you might want to consider Google's YouTube Music service as well, especially if you've already bought in to the Google ecosystem.

Here's another Pro of streaming services: when a brand new album drops, BOOM. You have it. No additional purchase required.


-Tom

[Bimmer Frank]

Originally Posted by SpaceGhost

Thanks to all for the information and ideas. I may decide to embrace streaming.....we will see. Most of my music is from my ipod circa 2008 ha ha. Probably not the highest quality files. Which streamer has the best quality audio? (Spotify, Apple, others?) Is Apple streaming worth it if I am an Android guy?

I'm another guy in my 50's who just recently embraced streaming and another thing that I really like is their suggestion system.

I have pretty eclectic music tastes but lately have been into electronica and Spotify for example has what they call the DJ and Apple has Genius.

What these do is suggest music for you that you may not have heard before based on what you listen to and tag as 'liked'. It's amazing all of the new music I have discovered this way.

A lot of music is only published for streaming, you can't buy it on physical media, so it opens up a whole new catalog that you otherwise never hear.

[SpaceGhost]

You guys have convinced me to try Spotify premium once I pick up the car....

[EMZWEI]

Originally Posted by SpaceGhost

You guys have convinced me to try Spotify premium once I pick up the car....

54 year old child of the 80’s here to tell you that you will like Spotify. Not only can you just stream albums just like you’d pick out a cd from your collection to listen to, you can create playlists (think mixed tapes). My daughter who is 20 makes monthly playlists and they are all saved throughout the years.
One other thing that streaming services offer are “similar artists” so you can pick The Police” and the streaming service will play The Police and will also play other bands with similar genre.
There is a learning hurdle but it’s with it. I was in your shoes about 8 years ago and know the frustration of feeling left behind in the world of music storage and what media to use.

[rons e92]

I don't think this is an "old guy" thing. I'm 34 and I've never used a subscription based streaming service. All of the mp3 files for all of my music is stored locally.

I just rip songs from YouTube and save the files in my music folder. Been doing this since I was in college. Now I have quite the collection of songs. It's fun to go back and listen to some of the club music I was into in college, or some of the metal I was into in high school.

Can't do that with a streaming service.

[Good 4 2 reasons]

If you use YouTube Music (free app) and Android Auto, you can certainly download music files to your phone, organize them, and play them via YouTube Music.

Its probably how I would do it using a built in app that would not require a subscription.

I'm assuming most android phones these days come preinstalled with YouTube music.

I'm younger than you and I am a heavy YouTube user, so I pay for premium because I can't be bothered with work arounds or watching ads, so the free benefits from YouTube music make using it easy for me. You certainly do not need a subscription to download and use offline files.

[BradMX5]

I tried Spotify for a bit and just didn’t enjoy the interface.

I have Apple Music free through Verizon and like the interface a lot better.

I have it set up so anything I favorite gets downloaded to my phone so I have a lot to listen to if I’m somewhere with no service.

They seem to have a larger library than Spotify and it just works well if you have an iPhone.

Been using it about a year and no complaints.