Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Best USB key for Audio

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Hi Folks

I remember reading through a long thread on tiny, high capacity USB keys that worked well in the Model S, I searched for this, but can't find the thread...

So with my MS due end March, it's time to get my audio sorted out (assuming version 6 won't fix the iPod connection issue) and get all my ALAC transcoded to FLAC.

Can someone point me in the right direction...?

Thanks
Dave
 
I suggest the USB rotator from Abstract Ocean (the guys doing the Tesla key fob before Tesla made them take the logo'd items down). For just over $5 these allow any USB device to sit flat against the surface that the USB ports are. That way you can use any USB stick or cable without it poking out 90 degrees and get it or the port damaged by cargo, etc.

I bought 2 and perfectly happy with them.

USB Rotator - Abstract Ocean

USB_side_installed_and_full__65987.1384135358.195.195.jpg
 
This may not suit your aesthetic preference but I simply upgraded the internal drive on my laptop and repurposed the old drive for use in the car. It sits in a black case on the floor and I never notice it's there. 750GB of space so plenty for my music collection.
 
This may not suit your aesthetic preference but I simply upgraded the internal drive on my laptop and repurposed the old drive for use in the car. It sits in a black case on the floor and I never notice it's there. 750GB of space so plenty for my music collection.

Ditto. An SSD drive works really well, but a spindle drive comes really close in performance. I've tried both (using spindle now due to higher capacity) and other than a very slight lag when first plugging it in or when resuming music after pausing, it works just fine.
 
Ditto. An SSD drive works really well, but a spindle drive comes really close in performance. I've tried both (using spindle now due to higher capacity) and other than a very slight lag when first plugging it in or when resuming music after pausing, it works just fine.

That's a cool idea. I take it the old drive was a USB type HDD and it functions just plug and play?
 
That's a cool idea. I take it the old drive was a USB type HDD and it functions just plug and play?

Yes. Make sure it's a low-power drive so that it requires only a single USB port for simultaneous data and power. Some higher powered drive/enclosures use dual USB plugs with the second USB connector providing additional power. This would work, but at the cost of using both of your USB ports in the car. My second USB port typically has an iPhone charging cable plugged into it. As JohnQ pointed out, if you get a black 2.5-inch drive case, it's especially unobtrusive sitting on the floor.