Hi folks,

I've seen a lot of posts here referring to a lack of CD player on the MY16 cars, but the latest brochure still says that all the radios have a CD drive.

Does anyone have the final answer on this?

I asked the very same question with the dealer that supplied my 15 plate VRS, and the answer was No.

 

They now only have ipod-sd card slots, the original cd player is now blanked off with a cheap piece of plastic apparently (someone put a picture on this forum somewhere).

These you mean?

 

 

Just had a look around my car pre pdi. I ordered an in stock car on 7th June, which was sat at Embden at the time.

I didn't know how long it had been there, but did not expect it would have been a MY16.

But it appears it is

 

 

 

 

Edited 1 July, 201510 yr by Matt_West_Mids

Bit of a bummer really as I was expecting the car to come with a CD player.

 

Clearly still shows in the brochure that it comes with CD and 2 x SD slots! Not sure where you'd stand come collection time, I guess that their "get out of jail free card" is the small print in the brochure (though if the dealers also do not inform you that's another issue).

WTF!!!  So they expect owners to now put up with the low-fi sound of MP3s?

WTF!!!  So they expect owners to now put up with the low-fi sound of MP3s?

 

I believe the newer Amundsen plays lossless audio, but I doubt most people can tell the difference between a CD and good quality high bitrate MP3, on the standard stereo, while driving.

I believe the newer Amundsen plays lossless audio, but I doubt most people can tell the difference between a CD and good quality high bitrate MP3, on the standard stereo, while driving.

 

MP3's? whatever they are!

 

Sound quality isn't really a big issue like you said Dr Z, more the usefulness of a CD player.......I mean how can I play my dodgy market CD's?

Hmmm, not massively happy about that - I paid the extra for the Columbus because of the 12Gb of user space. The ability to chuck CDs into it, rip them to the hard drive and then have them permanently in the car really appealed. I know that you can do the same with an SD card, but I had hoped that this would be an easy thing for my wife to do - she won't be interested if we have to rip every cd to our computer and then copy to the card.

 

With the larger screen on the Amundsen MY16 I am struggling to see the value that the Columbus adds although Smartlink is included for free. £850 for 1.5 inches of screen size seems a bit pricey. Will give my dealer a call and see if it is too late to make changes...

Plus the dealer also said that we could play DVDs - a nice feature to have while waiting to pick up the kids. Presumably this will not be possible without a drive...

Maybe the columbus still gets the disk player.....?

That would make the justification a bit easier.

Nope, just spoke to the dealer and he confirmed that the cd players are no more. Further he explained that changes are now locked out on my car. Not happy especially given that we expressly mentioned the features I mentioned above and the salesman confirmed them.

 

Sales manager is going to call me tomorrow, but I think that the Columbus is almost pointless now...

The ability to chuck CDs into it, rip them to the hard drive and then have them permanently in the car really appealed. I know that you can do the same with an SD card, but I had hoped that this would be an easy thing for my wife to do - she won't be interested if we have to rip every cd to our computer and then copy to the card.

Isn't it actually easier - or less disruptive anyway - to rip them to SD on the computer while doing something else, than sit in the car for hours feeding CDs into a slot?

 

We have the CD drive on our MY15 car and have almost never used it.  When we do it sounds horrible anyway (see elsewhere for sound quality problems with the standard bolero system, which we have). Whereas I've pre-processed all my mp3s to adjust for the deficiencies in the system, which of course isn't possible with CDs.

Edited 1 July, 201510 yr by alancha

Fair point alancha and I tend to agree with you. However, my wife does not particularly enjoy that task which means it becomes my job and I have enough to do

 

Also a lot of the things that we listen to nowadays are kids audiobooks and stories - you don't get them on Spotify. CD players still have a role albeit a diminishing one.

Re sound quality - true, most ears wouldn't notice in a car with all the other noise, but it is a lower quality starting point nevertheless.

 

I still miss the cassette deck in my old Saab...  handy if going out just as a radio programme was starting, just press play/record and use it to catch up later. Yes, I know all about BBC iplayer and use it a lot, but can't get it in the car!

 

I think it's been an accountant's decision to delete the CD deck - save around £5 a car.

I agree it's a not so agreable form of saving.

 

Anyway you (I) can play lossless files via bluetooth, using the smartphone as a source.

Edited 1 July, 201510 yr by Genoa1893

I cant rip from cd direct to the Onboard storage anyway it has to be transferred from Sd card, I have tried it with a few different CD's now

Nope, just spoke to the dealer and he confirmed that the cd players are no more. Further he explained that changes are now locked out on my car. Not happy especially given that we expressly mentioned the features I mentioned above and the salesman confirmed them.

 

Sales manager is going to call me tomorrow, but I think that the Columbus is almost pointless now...

 

seriously? What is Skoda playing at?

 

I get that you can rip to CD, and yes with my MK2FL I did use a SD card, but I also used the CD and the MDI.

 

Bluetooth streaming is fine but it it's like in the Citigo the music can cut out at times.

 

more to the point what am I to do with my delboy special CD albums?

Not happy about this myself as it was not communicated and I ordered my15 when the newer tech was not available

And there was never any mention of dropping the CD

Isn't it actually easier - or less disruptive anyway - to rip them to SD on the computer while doing something else, than sit in the car for hours feeding CDs into a slot?

We have the CD drive on our MY15 car and have almost never used it. When we do it sounds horrible anyway (see elsewhere for sound quality problems with the standard bolero system, which we have). Whereas I've pre-processed all my mp3s to adjust for the deficiencies in the system, which of course isn't possible with CDs.

iT may be easier, but not as convenient as going to my rack of over 500 cd's and picking a couple you havent listened to for a while, to take on a trip, as for quality does it really matter that its not top notch, at the end of the day its just music in a car to help you pass the time on a boring run and traffic jams

I'm still confused. What is this CD you talk about? Sounds like the mythical Vinyl the old uns talk about fondly. :-0

There used to be temples to these myths called "record shops" where old men used to spend hours flicking through cardboard covers for hours, admiring the printing on these cardboard squares.

Then they got smaller and made of plastic, but again, not so old men as above going through the same rituals.

Now these temples have gone, and these old and not so old men wander round mumbling that "MP3 is not as good a sound as CDs" whilst the older men go round mumbling that "CDs sound wasn't as good as Vinyl"

CD's May soon be surpassed by purely downloadable media but the fact of the matter is many folk,myself included don't use purely mp3 media so it's an inconvenience.

I'm sure a few have been caught out like myself, I ordered right at the start of April before any mention of smartlink etc so never had the option of additional connectivity to soften the blow.

It's an additional ball ache as I have a netbook just for surfing tinterweb and a work laptop (without a CD drive for security reasons I am told) which I use for anything more than that.

So no immediate means to rip my CD's...

I think Skoda are jumping the gun dropping CD players, are there any other car manufacturers going this way, Im not an earlier adopter....

Hi all,

 

Before this degenerates into an argument over the merits of CD vs MP3 vs tapes vs Minidisc I should say that I have no real issue with the loss of the CD player. I have been using Spotify/iTunes to stream music for ages now and I can't remember the last time I bought a CD. What irks me is that in my car I do have a specific use for the CD/DVD drive, I was misinformed about the capabilities of the ICE and made a choice to pay extra for a system that now will not  do what I expected.

Personally, I would prefer the extra space within my glovebox.

MY14 owner, never used the CD other than to place an SD card into the slot.

Edit:The quality of CD, MP3, tape and vinyl far exceeds the ability of Skoda's Canton sound system and speakers. MP3 can also provide vastly superior quality to CD, if encoded from the original source material (not from CD).

Edited 1 July, 201510 yr by Orville

Hi all,

 

Before this degenerates into an argument over the merits of CD vs MP3 vs tapes vs Minidisc I should say that I have no real issue with the loss of the CD player. I have been using Spotify/iTunes to stream music for ages now and I can't remember the last time I bought a CD. What irks me is that in my car I do have a specific use for the CD/DVD drive, I was misinformed about the capabilities of the ICE and made a choice to pay extra for a system that now will not  do what I expected.

 

I would register my dissatisfaction with the dealership and also contact Skoda UK via. the online contact Facility at Skoda.co.uk and explain your position, you will get a case handler contact you. Explain exactly why you chose to pay extra for the Columbus Unit and now you cannot perform those tasks.