"H" wrote in message
...
I'm getting my new MP3 HU (Kenwood Z838W) this Christmas from SWMBO.

As this unit is for use in a 1998 Land Rover Discovery TDi (not the
quietest
of machines), what bit rate would you guys use to compress the files?

I normally use 192Kbps for use in my MP3 player I use on my bike, but I
hear
many people using 256 in cars.

I tend to only use mp3s with a rate of 128 or higher, I can't hear anything
wrong with 192. I don't really notice any difference between these and
higher rates, but with a high quality loud system you might. As it is I only
have a HU and speakers so I doubt I'll get better audio at higher rates than
I use already. Also depends on what rates the player will support. Plus I
prefer to use no more than 192 so I can squeeze a lot of tracks onto a
single disc as I use the HU as a substitute for a cd changer (can't see the
point in fitting a 10 CD changer when I can get 10 CDs worth of mp3s on the
HU).

Also - not having used an in-car MP3 player before, how can I store the
files? Will it only read from the root of the CD, or can I put my albums
in
named folders on the CD?

Depends on the player. With my Pioneer DEH-P3500MP you can use folders so
long as you don't go more than 7 folders deep (root plus 7 levels for a
total of 8 levels), however the manual suggests using no more than 2 folder
levels under the root due to delays in parsing the folder tree. You'll also
need to be careful of how you write the files, eg. packet writing to CD-RW
is normally not supported. Also look into tagging for names - not sure if
any car players support ID3 v2 tags, I know mine doesn't, so I always write
my mp3s with both v1 and v2 tags (as I also use the same files on my PC and
with other devices).

Check with the Kenwood site to see if there's a manual you can download to
check how to create your CDs if you can't wait till your player arrives.

Dan