Playing Music - Pros/Cons of USB Drive

Hey guys,

 

New to the Legacy family and to this forum. I have an iphone which is paired via bluetooth to my 2013 Legacy, but with only 8GB of storage, I'm weighing my options for getting more music into my car.

 

What are the Pros/Cons of using a USB drive versus buying an ipod to keep in my car? Price difference is obviously significant...is it a pain to navigate through music when it's stored on a USB?

 

I'm looking at this drive:

 

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Cruzer-Flash-Drive-SDCZ33-016G-B35/dp/B005FYNSZA]Amazon.com: SanDisk Cruzer Fit 16 GB USB Flash Drive SDCZ33-016G-B35: Electronics[/ame]

 

Thanks!

Or just run Pandora through your phone and into the car via BT. That is if you have that media player option....

Flash drives don't remember their stopping point, so the go back to the top of the directory whenever you turn off the car. It's a PIA to navigate from the top every time.

Flash drives don't remember their stopping point, so the go back to the top of the directory whenever you turn off the car. It's a PIA to navigate from the top every time.

 

From reading online, it sounds like you can avoid this by putting your music into sub folders? I haven't tried this myself.

Yeah, but you always have to start at the top and navigate down.

I use the USB mostly, and I'd say the biggest pain is navigating folders, as it makes you search from the song folder (typically album), then to the artist, then to the list of artist, all of which could have multiple pages depending on what your looking for.

 

Now that I am getting more familiar with the nav unit, I can get to what I want pretty quickly, but this USB interface isn't as good as the aftermarket Pioneer head unit I had in the STi.

Yeah, but you always have to start at the top and navigate down.

 

This is not quite right. I've been using flash drive from the begining without any issue. It always starts playing at the point it was shut off.

This is not quite right. I've been using flash drive from the begining without any issue. It always starts playing at the point it was shut off.

Yep, same here. Starts right where it left off with the Pioneer HU.

It will only start over if you remove the drive.

 

I'm currently listening to XM while the free trial lasts. After that, I'll be using a USB drive.

I wonder if this was a change from 2010 to 2012? Mine always resorted to the top of the directory on the flash drive.

I wonder if this was a change from 2010 to 2012? Mine always resorted to the top of the directory on the flash drive.

 

Pretty sure my 2010 starts from the top too so maybe it is a change. I find it to be enough of a pain to just burn MP3s onto a CD instead.

It will only start over if you remove the drive.

 

I'm currently listening to XM while the free trial lasts. After that, I'll be using a USB drive.

I run XM and always pay a discounted rate annually, but debating about ditching it and just run Pandora via BT streaming.

I have a 2010 and it does NOT start from the top each time... although the USB drive for a music option still does kind of suck. I deal with it. I try to organize music by genre, then put it on random.. but it sucks. I thought of a few options, maybe using a voice activated BT setup with the phone, but then you have to push a button down on the phone to search for music.

i have a 2013 with the HK audio system, and it wont read all of the music on my flash drive. i have a 32GB flash drive which worked perfectly fine in my 2012 Civic, but for some reason on the Legacy it won't access all of my folders. looking thru the owners manual, it seems like the HK audio system can handle only a fraction of the amount of files that the base audio system can handle.

 

I wonder if this was a change from 2010 to 2012? Mine always resorted to the top of the directory on the flash drive.

 

Most likely a change. Mine always starts at the top and by the "oldest" folder has the priority.

according to the owner's manual on my 2013:

 

• Maximum directory layers: 8 layers (including the ROOT)
  
  
• Maximum number of files in a folder: 255
  
  
• Maximum number of folders: 512 (type A audio)/255 (type B audio) (including the ROOT)
  
  
• Maximum number of files on the device: 130,560 (type A audio)/2,500 (type B audio)
  
  

 

 

seems kinda stupid that the "premium" audio system is crippled in this respect compared to the base audio. half the number of folders allowed, and 2% of the number of files allowed.

 

 

i would plug in my ipod, but it's not on the list of compatible ipod models (6th gen nano 16gb), and it says that if i do connect it, the damn car will burst into flames!!

 

 

 

other than that, USB audio works great!

I wonder if this was a change from 2010 to 2012? Mine always resorted to the top of the directory on the flash drive.

 

Sorry for criticising you earlier.

Apparantely, this is where difference is. Mine is 2012 (USB drive starts from where it was shut off).

the "oldest" folder has the priority.

 

you can "alphabetize" it with some FAT filesystem sorting utility - such as fatsort for linux or drivesort for windows.

i would plug in my ipod, but it's not on the list of compatible ipod models (6th gen nano 16gb),!

Can you try and see if it works? (I have an 8gb 3rd gen which works fine, but I need more space and want a 16gb, and it would be cool if something more modern than the 4th gen ipod would work!)

Flash drives don't remember their stopping point, so the go back to the top of the directory whenever you turn off the car. It's a PIA to navigate from the top every time.

 

Not true at all.

Not true at all.

you bumped an almost 4.5 year old thread to tell someone they were wrong?

 

USB drives are just storage - they won't recall which file they were accessing on their own - some stereos will probably remember, unless you pull the flash drive.

I cant tell you from personal experience, but using a usb on my previous subie was a pita, so I haven't bothered to try it again. I would rather deal with mp3 cds...which I havent done either, lol.