fceeviper

Hello all,

I need to purchase a USB stick for my TSX Tech, I been using a MP3 player with the AUX but I'm getting tired of the AUX cable in the car and having to shut down my MP3 player and on everything I get in the car.

Which USB sticks do you guys recommend? Please note I have almost 100GB of music on my MP3 player, also I will not get a iPod.

So what brands, where do buy, do you guys recommend?

Thanks in advance!

No1nfoProvided

I would recommend you go on slickdeals.net and wait for a front page deal on a USB stick. They're all basically the same, but some of the manufacturers bundle together programs on the stick that are basically useless. If you want one soon and don't wanna wait for a deal, I would just buy the cheapest one available at the time. As far as I've read, you don't need to do anything special to the USB stick, you do need to categorize your songs into folders according to how you like em (just drag from your iTunes folder imo - it organizes songs really well).

fceeviper

Thanks No1nfoProvided, do you know which USB stick would cover all my 100gb worth of music?

hjahmad

cheapest on newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233111
128 gig for $290
but you can get and ipod classic for $250 with 160 gig. and if you go older model or used, the price will be significantly less.
do you really need all 100 gigs of music all the time? go for a a 32 gig or something

fceeviper

Wow, I might have to go with a 32gb.

So, a portable hard drive won't work in my TSX's USB slot?

Like this? http://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Techno...143829&sr=1-27

hjahmad

it should work. they dont require a separate power cord, but usually the usb wire has 2 plugs the need to be plugged. only one is for the data, but both are used to draw enough power to the drive. i have used them at times with only 1 plugged in but never one with that big of a drive. and i dont know how the tsx would respond to something that maybe underpowered

hjahmad

it probably uses a wire like this
http://www.amazon.com/Bytecc-USB2-HD.../ref=pd_cp_e_1

fceeviper

I might just go for a 32gb stick.

Thanks guys!

ed_423

thats one cool bear usb man LOl. i want one

TSX2010M

I would go with a portable external hard drive. My buddy has one that's 500gs, and it just plugs into his laptop with no external power. It's slim too so it'll fit in the center console.

fceeviper

Yeah, but will it work with our TSX USB system?

hjahmad

yeah it depends, cause im sure that also has that dual usb wire.
i have one of those hard drives nd ill give it a shot. mine is only a 120 gig and ive used it on laptops with just one plugged in, but it being a smaller drive, requires less movement therefore less power.

TSX2010M

I think aslong as you have a folder labeled "Music" in your external hard drive, the car will recognize what's ever in that folder. I think it also has to be saved in a .mp3 format.

No1nfoProvided

I don't think this is true. The portable HDDs are ran off one USB connector AFAIK. These HDDs have the smaller 2.5" hard drive as opposed to the 3.5" hard drive and can run off the power of a USB2.0 drive (as well as transmit data through 1 USB drive). I don't know which kind of USB drive (the connector has to be USB 2.0) is in the TSX though, but as soon as I get my portable HDD back from a friend, I'll let you guys know. Also, viper, I would wait till someone actually tests the portable HDD because a 32GB USB stick is not worth the money (price per GB basis) unless you find one on sale for about $32 - $1 per GB of space is generally a good deal for those USB sticks. You might also find it cheaper to buy a 2.5" hard drive and buy an enclosure so that you can interchange the hard drive with a larger 2.5" hard drive later if your music collection grows that big. I'm personally not a music guy, so I'll never use that much space, but *shrugs*

EDIT: I forgot to say that $1/gb for a hard drive (NOT a USB stick) is a horrible deal and don't do it.
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2090706
That deal is live right now. I suggest you get this one, if someone is able to verify that the HDD works correctly. Otherwise, just buy it anyways if you happen to need a little extra storage because it's such a good price.

hjahmad

im sure itll work, but i wouldnt guarantee it to be perfectly smooth all the time.
a stick will also def last longer. a plus cause of flash memory. hit a bad bump, you could kill the hard drive. happened to my brothers laptop drive once when he hit a pothole

No1nfoProvided

Very true. It'll only be worth the risk if viper isn't willing to part with over half of his music collection. Nice point hjahmad; I totally forgot about that.

TSX2010M

Wow, didn't even think of that. I've found a few 16gb flash drives for around 70 bucks.

ed_423

i swear i read in the manual warning us NOT to use a external harddrive, only usb or ipod...

someone double check please

hjahmad

just get a few different usb, store all your music on them. separate the music however its logical to you, alphabetical but artist, genre or random. keep them all in the car, switch them when you want. you can get a usb switcher type thing, i have one for my comp but that gets unnecessary

fceeviper

Man, I don't know what to get now. :\

TheGoodGuy

I have a 40gb USB hdd in my tsx center console.

It works fine, I have used a 120gb drive too worked fine. You need only one plug, not two. The second one is needed for systems that are not giving enough volts by USB Bus.

So any standard USB drive that uses one 5v input will work fine.

Make sure you format it FAT 32. Use a program called "folder sort.zip" to sort all songs by title. I have instructions posted in the audio section on how to do this.

I personally think you should go with usb's only because of the heat issue. I find on a super hot day the hard drive in the center console is super hot. I dont run it then just let it cool down. The driveis yet to fail but I am sure with the miles and stress I put it will soon enough. The drive can read MP3, AAC, WMA files no problems. Oh I have my drive padded on the bottom so it absorbs some of the shock.

TheGoodGuy

Oh before I forget, if you get a USB flash drive make sure it says it works in Linux or Mac. Windows only wont work on our machine because chances are it has an application that loads prior to USB loads. You want one without any preinstalled apps

fceeviper

Thank you TheGoodGuy, great insides!

No1nfoProvided

You can just delete the program off the USB stick prior to using it in the TSX using your computer. That added program/application is pretty much useless anyways (but you can always copy it to your computer if you want to back it up for later). If it says it's only for Windows, the USB stick is fine too.

hjahmad

so why not an ipod?

etzero

For those of us that don't currently use iTunes moving to an Ipod can be a pain. I actually bought an Ipod to test it and preferred the simple file structure of the USB stick.

The USB stick is also plug in and forget. No worries about heat and lower replacement cost if it is stolen.

I use one 64gb and it is more than enough space.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220370

One thing you may have to realize is that your probably not going to want your entire music collection in your car. Take out all those albums that you never listen to as it will just making navigating that much slower. The audio navigation with large amounts of albums in the TSX is extremely poor regardless if you are using an Ipod or USB.

The one thing the Ipod has over USB is playlists. For those of us that don't have iTunes though it is a moot point. If I really want a mix of songs I just make a "mix" directory and copy the MP3s in.

If debated this same question a little while ago. Here is a link to my post:
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tsx-2009-2014-143/why-use-ipod-over-usb-stick-my-findings-777627/

hjahmad

i have a 1g 32 gig ipod touch (which i am looking to sell), once i bought the car, ive never taken it out. only to add music and update. it hasnt had an trouble with the heat. plus that gives me the flexibility to just plug it in the aux jack if i ever need to. sometimes passengers dont like the slow interface on the tsx so they plug it into the aux and use it manually. plus i park close enough to my house, ipod is always getting my emails on time. if i ever need directions or need to remember a house number, i throw it in my email and its waiting for me in my car.