USB portable player

[EVCar]

Assuming that one day, one can plug in a portable player using the USB port in the Air, which player would you recommend? Which car have you used it in?
Personally, I wouldn’t have any problem with an actual CD player, but that’s so antiquated and not too many new cars (maybe none) come equipped with that old tech.

 

[PaulM]

CD is definitely not the way to go here… if we are lucky we will have both wired and wireless carplay in which case an iphone with lossless or high-res lossless will be the way to go with highest quality when connected. In theory the Lucid Air has a DAC capable of decoding hi-res lossless since it’s capable of playing tidal hifi now.

 

[EVCar]

Well, being OCD, I want to think there‘s some appeal to having an external DAC with performance to one’s liking.

 

[Alex]

I doubt the USB ports are data capable. Since there is a dedicated 5A USB fuse, it sounds like they only provide power, otherwise I would think the USB ports would be powered from a processor board.

 

[PaulM]

I agree… very unlikely data capable. Hopefully digital audio out at least from one or more of the ports. Frankly we should have been able to do that without carplay. Even the average GM vehicle can do that.