CD player install

[CaliContractor]

Hello Good Folks,

So I guess I had a slight oversight when I bought my new truck a few months back. It doesn't have a cd player in it.

The truck is a 2018 2500 Laramie CC 4x4 with 6.4 hemi. Yeah sure it has satellite but the wife and I have a few hundred cd's we have saved over the last few decades. We would like to pop a few in say a 6 cd changer and listen to some of what we have.

The truck has the 8.4 screen in the middle and a 9 speaker Alpine sound system. What would be the easiest way to integrate a cd player into this system and is there any other things I should be looking at while having this done?

Thanks,
CC

 

[Kapt]

The absolute easiest way would be to rip your CD's to a USB drive with your computer. Then play your CD's from there. To add a CD player, the easiest way would be to find a portable one and plug it in via your auxiliary jack. Just out of curiosity, did you look and see if there's a CD player in your center console? If it has one, that's where it will be

 

[mdifilippo]

The task of converting all those CD's to USB would be time consuming for sure but may be the best choice long term. A few thoughts on doing a changer, 1) somewhere to put it, not sure you'll have enough room under the passenger seat to fit it and there aren't many other hiding spots on the truck. 2) integration, haven't seen any changers that will integrate with the stock unit. You'll probably have to go OEM Mopar single disc in the center console. You may already have the wiring harness for it in the center console. I have the CD player in my truck (honestly didn't even know it was there until after I signed the papers), never used it though.

 

[BlkZrx]

Had mine over 2 years. Don't know if it even works. It's inconvenient to use, to say the least..

Sent from my LG-K540 using Tapatalk

 

[Kapt]

The task of converting all those CD's to USB would be time consuming for sure but may be the best choice long term.

Initially, yes. It takes quite a while. Once it's done though, the upkeep is simple to do

 

[BWL]

I'm of the same opinion that you're best to convert CDS and use USB. That said if you're going to rip them all to a PC I'd convert them to FLAC which is lossless so it has the same quality as the CDS if you're really into SQ. You can convert FLAC to MP3 312kbps to play of the USB stick, but keep the masters in lossless.

 

[2010 Infantry Vet]

If i were you, I would add a 6 disk changer. Not sure how hard that would be with a factory 8.4 radio. I am like you, and have tons of CDs. Would take years to convert all of them. Sucks no one makes an aftermarket radio to fit the 8.4 bezel. Alpine makes an 8" screen cd player, but thats the biggest.

 

[Devildog8791]

I'm of the same opinion that you're best to convert CDS and use USB. That said if you're going to rip them all to a PC I'd convert them to FLAC which is lossless so it has the same quality as the CDS if you're really into SQ. You can convert FLAC to MP3 312kbps to play of the USB stick, but keep the masters in lossless.

I second that.

I did that last year, but I did it to Apple Lossless and put some of them on my iPod. The sound is awesome. I tried to put FLAC on the USB, but the truck didn't support that format. I wish it would have.

The best way to rip the CD's is with dbpoweramp. When you put the CD in to rip it and it gets done (or before I can't remember), it will compare your rip for accuracy to others depending on how common that album is.

 

[Devildog8791]

If i were you, I would add a 6 disk changer. Not sure how hard that would be with a factory 8.4 radio. I am like you, and have tons of CDs. Would take years to convert all of them. Sucks no one makes an aftermarket radio to fit the 8.4 bezel. Alpine makes an 8" screen cd player, but thats the biggest.

Alpine makes a 9 inch, but it is pricey. Here it is on Crutchfield.

 

[CuylerTech]

Alpine makes a 9 inch, but it is pricey. Here it is on Crutchfield.

• custom-fit receiver designed for select 2013-up Ram trucks (except those with factory Uconnect 8.4" screen)

 

[Mpgrimm2]

If i were you, I would add a 6 disk changer. Not sure how hard that would be with a factory 8.4 radio. I am like you, and have tons of CDs. Would take years to convert all of them. Sucks no one makes an aftermarket radio to fit the 8.4 bezel. Alpine makes an 8" screen cd player, but thats the biggest.

Customtronix used to offer a single disc Cd player add-on for the 13-17 trucks with 8.4 radio. It may still work with their new Enigma interface for the 18 trucks but I haven't looked into it closely.

http://www.ramforum.com/index.php?posts/1458159]M² Mods.

 

[2010 Infantry Vet]

Alpine makes a 9 inch, but it is pricey. Here it is on Crutchfield.

Yeah i have seen that. No way in hell i would pay that much for a radio. $2300 for a 9" radio, thats insane!

 

[Devildog8791]

• custom-fit receiver designed for select 2013-up Ram trucks (except those with factory Uconnect 8.4" screen)

I forgot about that. Good catch. I would have never spent that much anyway.

 

[CaliContractor]

Thanks for the reply guys. Thought it would be an easy thing to do but it appears to be a real pain in the ass.

I'm not real savy with tech so converting cd's to whatever probably won't happen unless I find a place that does that for money. We are talking about 400 cd's here.

Cd'***** mainstream about half way through highschool for the wife and I, about 25 years ago. so we are pretty invested obviously.

Going forward what is the best method for acquiring music? We do cd's because it's what we have always done.

Thanks,
CC

 

[Booms]

Going forward what is the best method for acquiring music?

Amazon (or any other site that sells music). Buy and download music. Put it on a thumbdrive. Stick it in your U.S.B. port. Done

 

[7WrencH]

How big of an ordeal is it to remove the factory CD player ? I never use it and would like to use the space for other stuff. I have a friend that wants the CD player, his truck does not have it. Will this be a plug and play type of thing ? Thanks for help.

 

[Ricks Ram]

How big of an ordeal is it to remove the factory CD player ? I never use it and would like to use the space for other stuff. I have a friend that wants the CD player, his truck does not have it. Will this be a plug and play type of thing ? Thanks for help.

It's not too bad to take the console apart and remove the center bin to switch over the CD player. Once you switch them over it should plug and to his truck with no issues but he will need to take his truck to the dealer and have the correct sales code added an order for his truck to recognize it. It won't work untill the sales code is added. Also your truck will continue to show the CD player icon on the screen even though you don't have a CD player because the sales code is already entered in your truck. Obviously this is not a big deal until maybe you go to sell the truck in the future and you have to explain to someone why the option shows on the screen but there is no CD player present.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[cuttymcgavin]

I did the center console swap to a jumpseat a few months back. The jumpseat I got had the stock cd player. It was plug and play however, no play. Last week at the dealer I asked them to add sales code RH1 apparently he couldnt do it. So the cd player get power and accepts and ejects a cd but I have no way of playing it!? Is that the correct sales code, what I am I missing? Probably just a lazy tech I had?

 

[CaliContractor]

Let me ask you guys this real quick.

We have Amazon prime and my wife discovered an app that lets her pick damn near any song she wants to listen to, if it's on the Amazon list. Which happens to be a ton.

Is there a way to either put this app on my truck or play songs from her phone and feed into the speakers of the truck?

Hopefully what I am asking makes sense.

Thanks,
CC

 

[RAMVT]

Let me ask you guys this real quick.

We have Amazon prime and my wife discovered an app that lets her pick damn near any song she wants to listen to, if it's on the Amazon list. Which happens to be a ton.

Is there a way to either put this app on my truck or play songs from her phone and feed into the speakers of the truck?

Hopefully what I am asking makes sense.

Thanks,
CC

Multiple ways to play the music. The easiest way is to connect her phone via bluetooth to your radio. Can also use and AUX cord or use a usb cord but bluetooth allows her phone to connect without wires. Once connected, just go to the MEDIA tab on your radio and select bluetooth. Now any audio from the connected phone will play through your speakers.