CD, MP3 or radio: Which is the king of the car?

Your choice of car stereo is dependent on your audio requirements and the amount of money you’re willing to invest into fulfilling this need. Currently there is a wide range of car stereos on the market but which system suits you best? Radio From the earliest days of radio in the 1920s, car enthusiasts have been fitting audio equipment into their cars. Picture a group of men dressed in three-piece tweed suits and fitting a battery operated, suitcase-sized radio into a Model T Ford – there’s no doubt the humble car radio has come a long way! A simple, cheap and effective radio fitted in your car gives you the option to skip stations when the classic hits you’re listening to turn into 10 minutes’ worth of ads. Offering entertainment to the driver and passengers with a range of radio stations at your disposal in towns and cities across the world, it’s a sound option for those seeking high quality, in-car entertainment. CD Since the CD’s hey-day in the 1990s and early 00s, car stereos have rivalled home stereos for sophistication and sound quality. The CD brought improved sound quality that remained pristine for thousands of plays instead of degrading over time. CDs also let you skip tracks back and forth instantaneously. Many CD car stereos have the capacity to hold several discs so you can access a couple of your favourite albums at the touch of a finger and without struggling to find somewhere to pull over to safely change discs mid-route. MP3 Modern and effective, the MP3 takes the cake when it comes to size and user-customisation. The digital MP3 player truly revolutionised the way people listen to music by soring thousands of songs and making it easy to create customised playlists. Many cars from the mid-00s feature in-built auxiliary jacks but if you’re driving an older model car then you can still find plenty of car stereos units which boast MP3 compatibility to bring your car up-to-speed. There are even car stereos made for use with iPhones and iPods for those looking to get the most out of their Apple gadgets when on the road. Which is best? In the continually developing world of technology, it is not always clear which system is the best and you rarely find that ‘one size fits all’. Your choice of in-car entertainment format will be primarily based on personal preference and what form the vast majority of your media takes. For those interested in keeping abreast of the latest hits and news reports, radio is for you. For those seeking to indulge in their personal music collections, MP3 or CD is best.