You're probably coming out ahead on time not swapping the cd's in the player. We are also getting to the end of life for optical media made decades ago, I am starting to find discs that can not be played or ripped due to damage from time and poor storage. I am glad I have my media backed up to my server and off site JIC, because I would not want to have to rip it all over because of a failed drive or two.

 

I dont miss the actual discs. I used to keep some in my car/truck in a visor sleeve, but then just had 10 or so CD's. They'd get hot and warp. So then I ripped a bunch to memory stick, but then I was effing around with that too much to find what I wanted. I moved to Spotify about 8 years ago now, and am pretty happy with it. Yea, sucks paying the $10 a month, but now I'm not stuck with the same old music, and i can put in a few songs I like, and it will play other music of similar genre automatically. It allows you to download the playlists to your phone for when you are not in celliular coverage area. I can have the spotify app on my garmin watch, so when I am exercising, I have my music without carrying the phone. And yes, I used to do all that with my own ripped MP3's. The music just got stale. Ive got my smart TV logged into Spotify, along with the cell phones.

As others have pointed out, if you are Amazon Prime user then you get their music service included. I know Verizon(and maybe others) bundles Apple Music with some of the unlimited plans as well.

 

I love the usb stick option. I have over 2000 songs on a 16gb stick, and room for many more. I no longer have a box of cd's rattling around the truck, getting spilled out on the floor, stepped on and getting kicked out the door. I am no longer trying to swap discs while driving. I chose the shuffle option and just let it go.

 

USB stick, Pandora, or satellite radio Sirius satellite radio. Blue tooth phone to the truck and play Pandora, free or ad free $5 a month, pick your music with any of them.

 

The problem is I do a lot of camping in remote areas and there are a lot of times I don't have a signal! It would also be nice to play the songs I want to hear rather than a conglomeration of what someone else picks. I'm hoping I can set up a play list on Amazon and access it but that still leaves me with no music if I don't have a signal. I need to learn to make a digital copy I guess. I just wish I had the freaking CD player in the radio like my 17 had.

 

How do you go between songs to find one you specifically want to hear? I am assuming you use the USB stick in your truck?

 

If using the USB stick, you use the Sync3/4 system to choose it, by selecting the Mode (it will automatically discover the USB stick once it's plugged in). You can use the Sync menu to browse for the folders or individual songs. If you store each album/CD in its own folder on the USB stick, then you can choose that folder and then Play. You can store your favorites in one folder, or complete CD's, etc..

The only drawback is not being able to browse the USB contents while the vehicle is moving (damn safety nannies at Ford, they're covering their *** against liability). I believe there's a setting that can disable that nanny using ForScan, but I haven't researched it further (some day when I have time).

 

Thank you! I will try the USB stick and I would LOVE to remove the nanny crap. They thing they dont realize is you have a passenger in the front who could look up directions and all sorts of other things. It's ridiculous and my least favorite thing about my new truck. I turn off adaptive cruise and have to get a warning it isn't active every single time I hit the cruise button. I hate it very much. Are there shops where the modifications can be done where I can pay someone using a ForScan? I have no idea how to use it or even where to get it but I'd love to remove a lot of that hooey.

 

Yes, I put the usb stick in the dash outlet for it. I get repeat songs, either from different artists, or because top songs are released on multiple albums or cd's. When this happens i just tap the button on my steering wheel to skip to the next song. I can press the options button on the dash below the radio and either search by song or artist. The only times I have done this is when I want someone to hear a specific song. Usually, I am content to hear whatever comes up next, because I handpicked them all. I use shuffle because I don't want to hear 4 hours of music by the same artist.
If you have a PC with cd/dvd player, this is pretty simple to do. When you install a music disk it will begin to play. Look around for options, one should be RIP CD. select and create a folder to send it to. If the stick is in the pc, you could rip directly to the stick. I keep mine in a music folder, in sub folders by artist name, on my pc. They are easily available for me to edit or update later.
PS. Save them as mp3 files and use 128bps for best sound quality.

 

I have thrown out almost all of my DVD movies, definitely no CD players, and just finished loading old family VHS tapes to digital.
Hard to believe anyone would want a CD player when a cheap monthly subscription to Spotify or similar digital music service will give you the exact music you want to listen to with no commercials.

 

No offense but if you can afford a beautiful 2023 F350 KR you can afford a $10/mo subscription to a digital music service like Pandora or Spotify.
Have one of your grandkids set it up for you.
Don't ruin that truck with a tacky CD player.

 

You can listen to Pandora for free if you let it slip an ad in here and there.

I have several thousand songs on USB drive. Yes you can search it, by artist or genre, or song name. I usually just let it randomly play or you can have it play alphabetical.

if you do the USB, Get one of those really small usb sticks. like this. So they don't stick up and get hit/broken when you throw other stuff in the cubby

It's just time to come into the 21st century. CD's date back to 1985

 

I copied a pant load of music files (mp3 & flac) to a 1tb USB C flash drive and plugged it into the bottom port under the HVAC control panel. It recognized it right away and just ask it to play what I want. My OBS, I loved that truck, was such a dinosaur.

 

Re-visit your comment when you don't have access to the music I want a CD player because most of my music that I like is on CD but also because I do not always have connectivity.

I did buy a couple of USB drives and am using that but I would much prefer my cd's to this.

 

It has NOTHING to do with affordability. I guess all you guys live in the city or something or never travel to places without a signal! Good grief! I just want the CHOICE to listen to the music I have already paid good money for and those that I prefer. I don't see why it is so hard to understand that.