Installing a physical CD player in a new 2024 Honda Civic Touring Sedan?

[luv2rallye]

.m3u files are playlist files, they are essentially a list of files that a music player can read as playlists. I am unsure as to whether the civic player will read them or not.

Ok, I tryed making a .m3u file using the VLC media player but my 2024 Civic Sport Touring hatchback M/T (with 9" Audio/screen) won't read it (it's greyed out).

I did get a Windows Media Player playlist (.wpl file) to work with a dozen songs as a test, but I haven't found a way to populate the playlist with 1000's of songs (I could only figure out how to add them manually one at a time). Plus it won't sort them properly by song name (since they all have a pathname/songname so it sorts by pathname first). Remember all my songs are in the iTunes file structure (artist/album/title).

I did notice that on an engine restart, whether you first turn the media player off or not, it will resume at the very note it was last playing (whether in a playlist or not) when you next start the engine - which is nice and what I wanted. Even if you turn the media player off or switch to a different source, the next time you select USB again it will resume at the last note it was previously playing. This is like real CD players did.

I also discovered the flash drive must use the FAT32 format. My 2024 Civic Sport Touring hatchback M/T (with 9" Info/screen) does not support exFAT or NTFS formats (get "No Device Connected" error). This means you can't ever have more than a 32GB flash drive. My 3000+ songs presently use up 15GB (many have embedded artwork and lyrics for iTunes which increase file size, and the artwork does fortunately appear on the screen).

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[eob2000]

Ok, I tryed making a .m3u file using the VLC media player but my 2024 Civic Sport Touring hatchback M/T (with 9" Audio/screen) won't read it (it's greyed out).

I did get a Windows Media Player playlist (.wpl file) to work with a dozen songs as a test, but I haven't found a way to populate the playlist with 1000's of songs (I could only figure out how to add them manually one at a time). Plus it won't sort them properly by song name (since they all have a pathname/songname so it sorts by pathname first). Remember all my songs are in the iTunes file structure (artist/album/title).

I also discovered the flash drive must use the FAT32 format. My 2024 Civic Sport Touring hatchback M/T (with 9" Info/screen) does not support exFAT or NTFS formats (get "No Device Connected" error). This means you can't ever have more than a 32GB flash drive. My 3000+ songs presently use up 15GB (many have embedded artwork and lyrics for iTunes which increase file size, and the artwork does fortunately appear on the screen).

Good to hear WPL works, Not sure the easiest way to generate those I do not have any experience with them.

FAT32 actually supports up to 2TB volumes, the 32GB limit is just the built-in windows formatter. The simplest way to format a larger drive as FAT32 is to use https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter/. (It's designed for SD cards but works fine with regular flash drives). I believe I was able to get at least a 128GB flash drive working with my 10th gen formatted as FAT32.

 

[luv2rallye]

I use a USB flash drive exclusively for my music in the car. I have my music sorted by Artist, then Album Name, and then the songs in CD song order. I have a folder for each artist. Within the artist folder, I have a folder for each album. Albums are named by "nnnn - album name" where nnnn is the year. Within the album folder, the songs are named "nn - song title" where nn is the song position: 01, 02, etc. I also have a jpg of the album art in many album folders which is displayed when playing songs from that folder. I am currently driving a 2023 Honda Passport (loaner while CTR is waiting for recall fuel pump) and the USB music player works very well. Song details are extracted from the data embedded in the mp3 files.

After copying the files to the USB flash drive, I use the free "DriveSort" utility to order the files on the drive to match the folder hierarchy. This is necessary because some players look at the order the files are stored on the drive and not alphabetical by filename.

Ok, I made a playlist file (.wpl) using Windows Media Player and manually populated it with the song pathnames (iTunes file structure of the songs = artist/album/title) of 14 songs on my 32GB (FAT32) flash drive. This playlist file, and the 14 songs, and 18 other random songs (just so there's some other songs for it to sift through or index) I then put on the flash drive. I then ran the DriveSort utility on the flash drive. I then plugged it in my gen 11 Civic Sport Touring and turned on the car to Accessory mode. Media player started up and 1 song started playing in 10 seconds. However it then took 4:00 minutes of indexing (said this when I tapped on a greyed out catagory - although sometimes it said "function is not available") before the Browse catagories (Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs) became non-grey and I could tap them. Once all this was complete I could play my playlist file (or select one of the Artists, Albums, Songs).

- Why does this take so long (4:00 minutes) and is there anything I can do to shorten this?

- I also tryed putting my entire 15GB music library (3000+ songs) on the flash drive but these times did not change. I had thought the times would increase due to more indexing to do but they didn't appear to, so I assume something else is going on.

 

[knavekid]

- Why does this take so long (4:00 minutes) and is there anything I can do to shorten this?

- I also tryed putting my entire 15GB music library (3000+ songs) on the flash drive but these times did not change. I had thought the times would increase due to more indexing to do but they didn't appear to, so I assume something else is going on.

I can only assume that the indexing time is due to all the play options of the newer infotainment system USB player. It needs to read the song details from each MP3 in order to be able to quickly search by artist, title, genre, etc.

 

[bigbacon]

its time to move on from CDs.... MP3 players are cheap, hard drives are cheap. Rip the cds and use a modern device to play them.

 

[luv2rallye]

I can only assume that the indexing time is due to all the play options of the newer infotainment system USB player. It needs to read the song details from each MP3 in order to be able to quickly search by artist, title, genre, etc.

But the thing is it took 4:00 minutes before the greyed out Browse catagories (Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs) became non-grey (available to tap) on a flash drive with only 32 songs on it, AS WELL AS 4:00 minutes to do the same thing on another 32GB flash drive with 3000+ songs. So the NUMBER of songs to read the song details of for indexing due to all the play options of the USB player appears to be irrelevant. Note that this is the Infotainment system that comes with the car (with Navigation, Phone, FM, Bluetooth Audio, SiriusXM, USB, AM, etc). I'm just using the USB part for my own music and playlist all on a 32GB (FAT32) flash drive.

 

[luv2rallye]

Ok I did more testing and found out some interesting things.

(1) The 4:00 minutes I previously mentioned on both flashes to make the Browse categories appear (in just 4:00 minutes of indexing) I think was because of a previous flash I had used which had the entire library of 3000+ songs on it. So the media player must have internally saved or used the index file from that one and used it again on these flashes (since the path names of all the songs are always the same) which made the index time be 4:00 minutes for either one. I proved this theory by using a different flash of only 32 songs and let it fully index so the media player would be filled with that index instead. Then I powered off the car and inserted my full library flash. On power up this time the indexing took 13:00 minutes! I also noticed an empty "LOST.DIR" folder on the flash drive which is probably a remnant of the indexing operation.

(2) Next I left the flash in and just powered the car off and then on. Now it just took 25 seconds to make the Browse categories appear and be usable. I tried this 3 more times and it was always 25 seconds. So it non-volatile cached (or stored away the index file somewhere internally) to handle being powered off so the next power on would already have the index file ready. I even tried removing the flash, power off, and re-inserting it after a power on and it still took 25 seconds. So apparently you have to put up with a one time long indexing operation (13:00 minutes for 3000+ songs) for it to generate an internal index file that will be used for quick future start-ups.

(3) Running DriveSort on my 3000+ song flash drive did speed up the indexing by 1:42 minutes (I tryed it both ways).

 

[Civics4Ever]

Burning to a flash drive would be your best bet. I play my music through Spotify and Pandora. They are both free, sure there are ads but it doesn't bother me. I just search for the songs I want and play them through my phone. I hit the like button on the cars touch screen and it starts to group them together for you. Easy as pie.

 

[luv2rallye]

Burning to a flash drive would be your best bet. I play my music through Spotify and Pandora. They are both free, sure there are ads but it doesn't bother me. I just search for the songs I want and play them through my phone. I hit the like button on the cars touch screen and it starts to group them together for you. Easy as pie.

Perhaps you haven't figured it out but I AM burning to a flash drive. I'm old school and don't carry a phone with me in the car (or at all anywhere) yet want all my music that I own available to play at all times in the car, no matter where I am WITHOUT any phone or internet or speaking anything or paying any subscription fees or using up data plan "minutes" or putting up with any ads. Get it? Just like CD's used to do for you. {Having to carry (and connect up) a phone with me just to be able to play my own music in a car is stupid to me. For me everything that I need to play my music with should already be in the car (like it's been for the last 58 years of me owning cars). You don't carry an AM/FM radio with you to be able to listen to AM/FM radio in a car - no it comes with the car.}. And I don't want to have to select any songs other than maybe a playlist. It should just resume at the same point in the song it was playing when you last turned off the car without touching ANY buttons (it automatically powers up and resumes just like CD players did). A flash drive accomplices this which is why I'm pursuing it. I have 3000+ songs in my desktop iTunes that I have put on the flash drive which play there.

If you want to help however, I haven't figured out how to port my iTunes playlists (which are not in any useable files) into the flash playlists without manually entering each song one at a time into a Windows Media Player playlist (.wpl file) which with 3000+ songs over and occasionally deliberately duplicated in many different playlists, would take years.

 

[TheGreekFreak]

This is cool, always appreciate the old school guys that are happy to “miss out” on the newest tech gadgetry or app.

I used to obsessively update my itunes library and hunt down new CDs/mp3s to add. It got too overwhelming to keep up with so finally caved and started using free Spotify. Gave up the last stand of the fight after years of hearing adds and now just pay for premium lol.

 

[luv2rallye]

This is cool, always appreciate the old school guys that are happy to “miss out” on the newest tech gadgetry or app.

I used to obsessively update my itunes library and hunt down new CDs/mp3s to add. It got too overwhelming to keep up with so finally caved and started using free Spotify. Gave up the last stand of the fight after years of hearing adds and now just pay for premium lol.

Yep, ha, ha - I'm not there yet. Perhaps someday. I'm at the age (73) where I don't care much for the music that comes out nowadays so I'm happy just listening to all the music I present have. Maybe 1 new song comes out every year or two I like, so just adding it to my iTunes still works fine for me. I hate listening to ads with a passion (completely ruins it so much that I won't even listen anymore), and I hate subscriptions, and I don't even have a smart phone (really old school), and for me it has to work where there is no internet or cell service (I do lots of trips). So you see why I'm interested in the flash idea.

 

[owljack]

Hi, THANK U VERY MUCH to U & ALL who have replied so quickly & with detail to my Inquiry re: adding a CD Player to a 2024 Honda Civic Touring Sedan!
I very much appreciate all of your suggestions, as many of U took the time & patience to go into detail & explanation as well as post links to purchase potential products to solve my "foolish" dilemma.

The CD player that is a "Must Have" is Not 4 my collection of 20k or so CDs. I want to have the ability & option to keep in the car & rotate every couple of weeks, ~ 1/2 dozen CDs, mainly recently purchased new releases &/or live "bootlegs" CDs.
Yes, I understand, I am a stubborn prehistoric dinosaur, & refuse to get with the times.
However, I do Not want to burn, download, rip, stream, use Apple, Spotify, an iPod, iPad, a smart phone or anything like that.

I am 66 years, & my lasdt vehicle was a 2017 Accord 2 DOOR, EXLN SENS V6, which I purchased new in March 2017 & was totaled late last year. I hit 100,000 miles the day be4 my accident.
Before that I had an Infiniti G-35 Sports Coupe 4 almost 10 years which made it to almost 200k miles with a factory-installed CD player, which had to replaced twice over the years at no cost to me, by the dealer.
I have an Android T-Mobile mobile phone which I do Not keep turned on & use sparingly, only to make occasional phone calls or take photos. I had a sturdy sports flip phone, 4 almost 30 years, & the only reason I had to switch, was because Sprint finally did away with the 3G network that my phone was on, by 3/31/22...
My Accord was a Still Night Pearl (purple-ish blue) 2-Door with a V6 Automatic & I had built it with almost every option Honda offered. I Had great luck with it mechanically & with reliability as opposed to the $thousands I $pent & problems I had w/my Infiniti.
I do Not want a Honda Hybrid & do Not want a Sports Model & want a Blue-ish Color. That leaves me with The Aegean Blue Civic Touring, which I like a lot, but do Not love. Unfortunately it has 4 Doors, is a 4 Cylinder, does Not have Lumbar seats, has a much smaller rear window than the Accord & of course does Not have a CD player!

I work in the music business, do a lot of driving up & down the East coast, & my hearing is Not 100%. I don't care how bad or so-so the music is going to sound thru some kind of CD player.
Note: I am willing to $pend $money to get a top-of-the-line CD player. This Touring Civic seems to have a decent sound system, so I want to hopefully via A UBS cable run the CD player thru the car's sound system. I'm sure I can find somewhere near me in the car to place this small player or attach it nearby me so I have some kind of access to it.

Ladies & Gents, Forgive Me, Pleaz, I want the ability to play physical CDs, in a Brand New, Not previously owned vehicle. I'll drive the car to the ground, myself!

Thanks to your suggestions & links as well as other links that I have discovered, there seems to be various relatively inexpensive products on Amazon & elsewhere. I have watched several U-Tube videos which make it seem Too Simple & easy even 4 a technologically challeged person like me!
I was going to paste some of the item links I have found or were forwarded to me by a sibling, on here, but I've aleady tortured you All & written way too much.

Does the 2024 Civic Touring Sedan have a:
USB Port, USB Data Port, USB Media Port, USB Interface, (I think all those are the same thing)???

According to several dealer salespeple, I have spoken to, it does.

However is there an AUX port somewhere in the car's system or screen, because I was just told by a Honda salesman by phone that there may Not be an AUX setting???
dt10g also noted that there was Not!

Today, I called & spoke to several different NY & NJ Honda dealerships & some said it was possible & others said it was Not!

Here is an email quote from 1 of the better salepersons who I have met with & kept in contact with:
"I suppose there is something that could be done but I also think there would be consequences.
I am told it could be done but the functionality of the player isn't always dependable and it would most definitely affect your warranty. I understand The desire. Wish I could do more."

I looked at the Lexus IS in-person & it will cost me $20k+ more than the Civic as well as additional $money 4 Insurance, Maintenance, & Service. If it was "only" a $10k difference, I think I would do it but I don't think it's worth the $25k difference, unless it was my very last car & would last me the rest of my lifetime.

Some, like eob2000, have suggested that I go onto civicXI.com bec my potential new car is an 11th Generation?
I signed up for civicxi.com, so later this evening I'll post a similar message on there, however I wanted to Thank ALL of U first.
Forgive me, please, 4 my vanity, ignorance, & stubborness.
THANX MUCH AGAIN, G!

Hi, I am also a prehistoric dinosaur working on 58 years. I also just lost my vehicle to a total loss. Before I go on let me say you have awesome taste in vehicles. I love the picture of your 2024 Civic Touring. Amazingly, mine is exactly like yours. Color and everything, though I am working on putting the gloss black OEM Decklid Spoiler on mine to add some character. My 2017 Accord Touring came with a factory CD player. I read this thread and found it interesting. I didn't know it was possible to USB a CD player. I have a ginormous CD collection also, but the newer digitally remastered versions do sound extremely better on the Bose stereo. Allow me to tell you what I did and maybe you could add this as a long term plan. First, I am not one to buy a new phone every couple of years. I keep a phone until it wears out or becomes incompatible. The reason I added this is because I pre-planned this years before implementing. I don't use very much data, therefore I have a cheaper "grandfathered limited plan" 12 Gb per month with rollover. Since my wife and I only use 1 or 2 Gb of data per month, we usually have over 20 Gb extra every month. I didn't want to pay for a unlimited streaming plan. We have Apple phones, but I am pretty sure you can subscribe to Apple Music on an Android. Please correct me if I am wrong. The last time I updated our phones, I purchased phones for both of us with 512 Gb of Storage each. Now I can go into Apple Music and download to our phones Artists, Albums, custom and downloaded Playlists. I have a seriously huge Library downloaded to our phones all digitally remastered and accessible with Apple Car play via Bluetooth. If the phone battery is low, we have the magnetic charging station. This morning I was in a laid back mood and the entire Pink Floyd discography fit the bill, I commute. Because it is all downloaded on my phone, no data used. If someone calls or texts, hands free calling and texting. I have a new best friend, I am loving the Civic. Right now I am playing, see how high I can get the miles per gallon. I live in the foothills to the Appalachian Mountains, so I will probably not hit 40 mpg until I vacation somewhere flat. But I am happy with 36.2 Happy Trails!

 

[knavekid]

Yep, ha, ha - I'm not there yet. Perhaps someday. I'm at the age (73) where I don't care much for the music that comes out nowadays so I'm happy just listening to all the music I present have. Maybe 1 new song comes out every year or two I like, so just adding it to my iTunes still works fine for me. I hate listening to ads with a passion (completely ruins it so much that I won't even listen anymore), and I hate subscriptions, and I don't even have a smart phone (really old school), and for me it has to work where there is no internet or cell service (I do lots of trips). So you see why I'm interested in the flash idea.

I am also at an age where I am not particularly fond of much of the newer music, with a few exceptions. If your music tastes favor classic hard rock, I would recommend a young band called "The Warning". Their songs, CHOKE, EVOLVE, and DISCIPLE from their 2022 album ERROR would be a good starting point. This is the only band in the past 40 years that I absolutely needed to go see live!

 

[luv2rallye]

I use a USB flash drive exclusively for my music in the car. I have my music sorted by Artist, then Album Name, and then the songs in CD song order.

How did you create your playlists?
My music has the same structure (Artist, Album, Name) as I copied them from iTunes.

I've tryed creating playlists by exporting a .m3u playlist from iTunes, making wpl files from Windows Media Player, making playlists from VLC player, running the VB scripts ExportM3U and RelativeM3U to create a playlist from iTunes. Nothing seems to get all of the songs to play from the playlist created (even though they are all listed in the playlist) - some always won't play. I've also looked into problems with special characters in the song titles in playlists but now I'm not sure that is the problem as there's one missing song that has no special characters in it's complete pathname. Then I started looking into perhaps a playlist isn't real UTF-8 encoded (perhaps has a BOM in it) but I'm not finding that.

Remember I've got the 2024 Civic Sport Touring with the Bose premium 12 speaker system. All the songs can be selected individually by artist, song, etc - they just don't all play in a playlist. Do you have any ideas or things I should try?

 

[knavekid]

How did you create your playlists?
My music has the same structure (Artist, Album, Name) as I copied them from iTunes.

Remember I've got the 2024 Civic Sport Touring with the Bose premium 12 speaker system. All the songs can be selected individually by artist, song, etc - they just don't all play in a playlist. Do you have any ideas or things I should try?

I am not sure about playlists as I never use them. I have a 2020 CTR and typically let my entire catalog play one album at a time. I can navigate to a particular song if the car is not moving, but normally I just listen to everything. I would hope the newer systems support .m3u playlists. It is a significant shortcoming if they don't.

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