[Euro] OEM Headunit (CD player problems)

[MR2QIK]

Hi everyone,

I've got a Euro (duh!) and am really getting $hitty with the OEM CD player. I'm having difficultly changing track (track 1 always works perfectly). Even newly burnt CD's don't play well. When I try change track, the headunit makes a weird noise and refuses to play that track. Sometimes mid song, I'll hear that same noise from the headunit, and the song will stop. I thought it might be a dirty head, so I used one of the CD cleaner things, but it didn't help at all. Has this happened to anyone else?? And what do you think I can do to resolve it?? Go back to Honda....

Thanks in advance.

[MR2QIK]

I just called Honda, and they can have a look at it for me. Although they say that the CD player simply doesn't like burnt CD's. I've heard the burning software & quality of the blank disc that you use can rectify this. Does anyone have any input?

[C[H]aMeLeoN]

Go mp3 :D

or a new head unit.

although, mine seems to play burnt (backed up CD's) rather well until the get scratched. just burn new ones. Or change CDs. I've been using bulk TDK's lately.

[kam]

yes, i had same problem. headunit DOES NOT like burnt cd's at all - ours even jammed - 3 times, shitty...

[MR2QIK]

I don't wanna change headunit, cos there's nowhere to put it (I have a TV mounted below the controls in that store bin) and I really like having controls on the steering wheel & the standard look. The problem even occurs when I play newly burnt CD's. What software are you using to burn?

[MR2QIK]

yes, i had same problem. headunit DOES NOT like burnt cd's at all - ours even jammed - 3 times, shitty...

Had?? How'd you fix it?? I hope there's a way, cos that's the only gripe I have with this car.

[C[H]aMeLeoN]

Nero generally. try the TDK's out. I think they're TDK gold. pretty plain label. What are you using?

[djcloud]

It has nothing to do with which software you use, more or less, the media type you are using to burn. I'm using only verbatim/tdk and never had any problems playing burnt cds at all. Perhaps try changing different brands of media and see which works out well for ya.

[MR2QIK]

I'm using Teac these days, and burn with Media Player.

[MR2QIK]

So you can pretty much skip to whatever track you want? That'd be a dream for me right now (such high hopes/aspirations - haha). I'll give those brands a go.

[djcloud]

yep, I can practically skip to whatever track I want without any issues :thumbsup:

[C[H]aMeLeoN]

yep, I can practically skip to whatever track I want without any issues :thumbsup:

Technology these days sometimes spins me out. :p

[stephen8512]

ive been using burnt CD's on my euro headunit ever since day 1 and not 1 problem with mine
ive used a lot of diff CD-R's from dicksmith ones to good quality TDK ones, imation, etc
ive always used NERO for my music burns and yeah, no prob so far. no mechanical faults.

[EuroDude]

Use TDK or Sony discs, but dont use the TDK Gold ones - they have problems with some CD burners. The Silver TDK ones are much better.
The best-of-the-best are the Japanese made Taiyo Yuden discs which are now available in Aus.
Always avoid cheap discs like Princo and Lazer. They wont last long and the burn quality is questionable.

Dont use a Laptop to burn the CD - they burn horribly due to limited laser power and their small fragile form factor. Get a decent CD/DVD burner for your Desktop PC such as an LG or Pioneer.
Sony and LiteOn (they are exactly the same drives) are ok but the build quality isnt very good. Ive had three and they have all failed (noisy/tray/laser problems).

[chunsa]

you can try burning at a slower speed which may rectify the problem

[xiang]

not a problem for me either.. i brought my cd case along when i went to pick up the car..
i use some no name cd's.. they seem to work fine.
and i burn with nero. hope u solve ure prob!

[MR2QIK]

The best-of-the-best are the Japanese made Taiyo Yuden discs which are now available in Aus.
Always avoid cheap discs like Princo and Lazer. They wont last long and the burn quality is questionable.


Good Lord! JDM blanks are the go now too....HAHA :D Thanks for the info!

Kam, I've tried slowing the burn rate (x2) but had no luck.

[BiLL|z0r]

To go back a few steps. What about original CD's (yes some people do still buy them), do they work without a hitch, cause if not take it to Honda and don't tell em you use CDR's.

Me: I've used heaps of CDR's without a problem. Usually cheap Shintaro brand or whatever's on special.

[EuroDude]

Yep cheap brands will work fine if you use a good quality Cd burner. just dont leave the CD-R in sunlight ;)

[aaronng]

What brand CD-R are you using? You MUST use a branded disc, and the disc must not have any stickers on it. Even with a branded disc, you have to burn the audio at 4x speed. I use gold Kodaks, gold Mitsui (both from the year 2000! you can't get them anymore), Verbatim and Ricoh CD-RWs as well. With my CD-RW, if I burn them at 10x, I get seek errors and skipping, but 4x burning is fine. Use Nero or better yet, Burrn.

[BiLL|z0r]

I use cheap Shintaro cd's, burn them at 48 or 52X (depends on cd) and my burner is a cheap Lite-On. I use Nero 6 to burn them. Never had an issue.

[MR2QIK]

Bugger! I guess it's a CD quality issue, cos my "old skool" Usher CD works perfectly. I've been using Teac CD's recently and Media Player to burn (which must've been at a fast rate). I'll get a different brand of blank and will burn at the slowest speed possible from now on. We'll see how that works.....

[aaronng]

I've been using Teac CD's recently and Media Player to burn
That is the problem. Go Burrrn yo!!!! It's free too!

[stephen8512]

i burn mine at 52x and no problems for me?

[EuroDude]

i burn mine at 52x and no problems for me?


Yeah same here - no probs at all.

Basically it depends on the quality of the CD burner, and obviously the CD media quality as well.

[BRU51N]

start using better cdr's and u wont get that problem anymore.

noticed it kept stuffing up on crapper cd's, when i started using better branded cd's at a slower speed it always worked fine.

[MR2QIK]

Thanks everyone. Had a go with a better "branded" CDR and it's working great.

[fraqqie]

make sure you finalise ur cds... i read somewhere that if you dont finalise the cd u burn, the cd players just spits it out

for data purposes... not finalising a cd meant u could add more stuff to the cd at a later date but it wont read it properly unless it gets finalised

[aaronng]

^^ yup, CD audio devices follow the Red Book standard where discs MUST be finalised and have only 1 session. Computer drives follow the Yellow book standard in addition to Red book and White book, so they are able to play back unfinalised discs and discs with more than 1 session.

[GYPO2C]

^^ yup, CD audio devices follow the Red Book standard where discs MUST be finalised and have only 1 session. Computer drives follow the Yellow book standard in addition to Red book and White book, so they are able to play back unfinalised discs and discs with more than 1 session.

aarongng... your a wealth of knowledge as usual. :thumbsup:

I dont want to jinx my car but i have also used many different kinds of media from really shit to excellent, and used many different programs and to date i havent had a single problem...

[aaronng]

Just don't use labeled CDs. I think some other Euro owner on this forum had to bring his car to the dealer to have the whole CD stacker removed from the car to remove the jammed discs. :D

[GYPO2C]

Just don't use labeled CDs. I think some other Euro owner on this forum had to bring his car to the dealer to have the whole CD stacker removed from the car to remove the jammed discs. :D

yeh i remember that person... and we all now the second things get taken apart (namely internal panels in your car), the car will come back with 150 extra noises and squeaks... :)

[aaronng]

Speaking of rattles, I just fixed my passenger door rattle. It was the power window switch! The screws were not put back tightly the last time they pulled it apart to fix a rattle. LOL

[quincythequill]

If the power hungry OEM's would give up fitting crappy integrated audio systems then we could all go and choose a decent head unit that would play everything you throw at it. Why do they do it anyway? It makes no sense cause they don't make any more money out of you they just have unhappy customers who want better audio.

[BiLL|z0r]

I think it's because most of the buyers don't replace the oem unit and it looks neat and tidy to have it all integrated

[quincythequill]

Does that mean that most honda buyers are happy to accept mediocre audio systems?

[BiLL|z0r]

I'd say yes. Most people that drive have nfi how many kw's their car makes stock, how many speakers their audio system has, etc. Most people are happy the audio system working how it's meant to work and have no idea how well a nice system can sound. Not all drivers are car nuts and audiophiles like us.

[nich]

Hey,

I believe that your problem would be solved by simply burning the cd at a lower speed. Reason being is the track on the CD is burnt deeper at slower speeds, hence the cd player will pick it up easier.

That's how i solved my problem on a cd/dvd player.

Hope it help dude.

[YouRow]

Since day one my cd player makes all the artists sound like they have a lisp. It makes no difference whether the cd is genuine or burnt, or what sort of music it is (high range or bass)

The dealer at the first service told me I was just being paranoid but I know I'm not crazy. My brother reckons it's just that the Euro has tweeters right near your head so you get too much high range but it doesn't sound tinny. Everything is fine except for the vocals thounding thilly if that makes sense!

Any idea's?

[euro77]

have you tried the same cd in other euros? if they sound different, get it to the dealer and show it to them.

[kleung]

YouRow, also check your 'tone' settings - make sure 'Treble' is not set too low (ie below 0).

The tweeters in the Euro are actually some distance away from your head - they're under grilles in the corners of the dashboard where it meets the windscreen, which is where they typically are in most cars with front splits.

[YouRow]

Thanks Kleung but I don't normally touch the treble - leave it on zero. Though I have experimented to try and fix the problem.

I don't know anyone who owns a Euro (partly why I bought one :thumbsup: ) so I can't compare what mine sounds like unfortunately. I have a service coming up so I will see if I can get more help from the dealer hopefully.

[kleung]

Just ask to try some of your CDs in the dealership's demo Euro(s) when you're next in for your service. Get one of the service guys to sit with you, and if there is a noticeable difference, then you have tangible evidence to get them to fix it. Make sure the tone/balance/fader settings are the same as on your car (take a notepad and jot them down).

It's win-win. If you hear a difference, then you'll get it fixed. If not, then you know there's nothing wrong with your stereo. :)

[aaronng]

Thanks Kleung but I don't normally touch the treble - leave it on zero. Though I have experimented to try and fix the problem.

I don't know anyone who owns a Euro (partly why I bought one :thumbsup: ) so I can't compare what mine sounds like unfortunately. I have a service coming up so I will see if I can get more help from the dealer hopefully.
It does sound bad if you left it at zero. I thought my speakers were damaged after a service to replace my clutch master cylinder. Turns out the settings were all zero'd. Best settings that I found are Treble: 5, Bass: 3. Everything else is left at center.