Anyway to improve sound quality of AUX with Ipod? - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum

LWL · 07-03-2005, 02:04 AM

I just had my ipod connected to the AUX for the first time today, and the sound quality SUCKS. Is this how it supposed to be? Or would it improve if I buy a better cable for the AUX & Ipod? I just bought those Radio Shack cable for $4, and saw some cable on Amazon that claimed to have a higher sound quality, $12 dollars after discount.

Another question for ipod owners would be: do you guys turn your ipod off everytime you get off car if you have car charger connected ?? or just leave it at pause? I found it so annoying to turn to turn it off everytime I get off the car.

HRC · 07-03-2005, 03:03 AM

Are you using a high bit rate? For my ipod to sound good played thru my car or home, I have to use a high bit rate, thus my ipod mini which can hold 1000 songs, mines gets filled up at 500. What sounds good thru headphones is not the same for car or home systems.

Danny

jhbodle · 07-03-2005, 04:28 AM

I know on my non iDrive model with Logic7 I can increase the auxillary volume on the head unit which improved the quality. I am using a premium cable and I don't really notice much difference between the 192kbps tracks on my iPod and a CD. That's using the lineout port on the bottom of the iPod - the standard headphone jack on the top of the iPod is not the best way to get the sound into your car and will sound poor in comparison.

Armen52 · 07-03-2005, 04:56 AM

I played sound through the headphone jack of the iPod into my Logic 7 system and it sounded fine, no distortion. Just make sure that the volume on the iPod is the one that's all the way up first instead of your car stereo.

Then again I have not tested this extensively, only a couple of songs for a couple of minutes. The car charger I bought for the iPod was too tall to fit in the center console so I am going to continue to look for one that fits.

fusionnv · 07-03-2005, 10:53 AM

You can get the belkin Amp car kit. It takes the input from the bottom of the ipod which has all the sound freq instead from the top jack. The top jack was made for headphones and from test it won't sound as good.

itznin · 07-03-2005, 03:02 PM

Can anyone post links to the cables you are using and your experiences so far with the cables?

When you guys are referring to the "input on the bottom of the IPOD" what are you referring to? I have a 4th gen 20gb and all I have on the bottom of my IPOD is the dock connector.

Is there a special cable you can put into the dock connector?

Thanks

pitbull436 · 07-03-2005, 03:10 PM

I purchased the Belkin Auto Kit and Griffin AirClick combo ($40 each) and I've been pretty happy with it. The Belkin charger DOES fit inside the center console with the lid closed (just barely). It also has audio out which you connect to the AUX jack. This MUCH better than the FM transmitter I used in my E46 which seemed to have me trying to find a frequency that worked more often than listening to music.

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...duct_Id=149006

http://www.griffintechnology.com/pro...lick/index.php

Normally the volume out of the iPod is much quieter than the AM/FM/CD inputs so the extra amp volume control on charger helps bring it up to the same level (so you don't scare the crap out of yourself when you switch and forget to turn down the volume). I haven't figured out a way to adjust the Aux volume independently of the AM/FM/CD volume (I have iDrive). jhbodle how are you doing this??

The AirClick remote is also nice because you can put it anywhere (steering wheel, ebrake, pocket) and control the iPod (pause/play, FF/REW, Next/Prev track) without an ugly wire running to the console. I like this better than the "iPod your BMW" solution because the iPod is still within reach (in the center console instead of globebox) and I can quickly open it and pick a new playlist, etc. It would be nice if the iDrive screen could show artist/song titles, but for now this seems to be the next best solution.

As a nice bonus, when I turn the car off, it seems to automatically pause the iPod. I guess this is similar to when you yank out your headphones how the iPod is smart enough to pause for you. Also with the AirClick, you can hold down the Play/Pause button to turn on/off the iPod remotely.

I did notice a slight difference between using the headphone out and the bottom jack, but you have to have high quality MP3s to notice. If you have low quality (128 kbps, etc.) it won't matter how you connect the iPod, they will sound bad.

genghis · 07-03-2005, 09:05 PM

guess i'm shafted for sound. i only have a shuffle.

drfluid · 07-03-2005, 09:39 PM

FYI, I uploaded a picture of the Belkin car kit for iPod.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...6&postcount=24

fusionnv · 07-04-2005, 01:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drfluid

FYI, I uploaded a picture of the Belkin car kit for iPod.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...6&postcount=24

I going to whore my thread over here also. But I having a slight problem with my set up.

anowlan · 12-02-2006, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itznin

Can anyone post links to the cables you are using and your experiences so far with the cables?

When you guys are referring to the "input on the bottom of the IPOD" what are you referring to? I have a 4th gen 20gb and all I have on the bottom of my IPOD is the dock connector.

Is there a special cable you can put into the dock connector?

Thanks

I've had great success with this product, the SendStation PocketDock FW/Line Out, which give you a line out with amazing (CD quality) sound out, and the ability to connect a cigarette-lighter based charger with a firewire connector on the end, so you can charge at the same time.
http://www.sendstation.com/us/produc...ineout-fw.html

FirstClass · 12-02-2006, 09:05 PM

Cables won't affect quality that much. Difference between $50 Monster Cable and $3 Radio Shack is under 5% interference. Encoding at high bitrate is the key.(I use 192 MP3 on my nano, if I had an 80GB video I'd use Apple Lossless)

zzinco79 · 12-02-2006, 09:41 PM

Try to use gold coated plug.

Mine works good with that.

Schweitzer · 12-02-2006, 11:01 PM

Make sure you are using a stereo cable, not a mono one.

JSpira · 12-03-2006, 12:48 AM

Ja cables make all the difference.

Also, if using the aux in, sound quality is improved if you use the dock output via a Monster interface (which also powers the iPod) or Belkin.

uofmtiger · 12-03-2006, 12:58 AM

I agree that there is no subsitute for good encoding...especially lossless if you have the space.

I use a PAV2v with my aux input to give the sound quality some help. My FLAC files sound pretty good on their own (via my music keg), but the PAV2V helps a lot with the 128kbps mp3s that I have not had time to replace in lossless just yet... Eventually, I will end up with all FLAC in the car and I will just bring the portable headphone amp into the house to use with portable players.

arcrox · 12-03-2006, 01:54 AM

Maximize the source signal and modulate the volume with your car. I always have my mp3 player's volume at max, the aux input volume at 4 out of 6 clicks (I notice slight distortion above this) and control the volume with the steering wheel or the radio knob. I generally only play mp3s of at least 192kb/s. Also, tweak that EQ and turn on the Logic 7 DSP (I honestly don't think it detracts from the sound quality, but makes it sound more natural and spatially pleasing). Don't settle for the generic "V" shape...go through each band individually with a good test song specially for this purpose, close your eyes, and get it just right.

Phila · 12-03-2006, 04:27 AM

im using the Monster ipod charger w/ audio out & $2 audio cables from Target and i think my aux input sounds great. like everyone says, check your encoding first... if you don't have good files to begin with, you'll never get a good sounds no matter how expensive a cable you buy.

NaTuReB0Y · 12-03-2006, 05:20 AM

sometimes only my right side of the car works..........

blank on the left side...........no music!

JSpira · 12-03-2006, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NaTuReB0Y

sometimes only my right side of the car works..........

blank on the left side...........no music!

Sounds like a cable issue to me.

bavarian19 · 12-03-2006, 11:34 AM

Try a couple of things:

1 - make sure your sound on your ipod is all the way up.

2 - if your using your ipd through the AUX in jack, you can adjust the eq settings on the ipod AND your stereo.

3 - make sure your files on your ipod have atleast bitrate of 128 kbps, if not higher.

4 - if you have done all of that, then you should try a new cable. I run my ipod through the aux in, and have no problems with sound quality. I originally had some sound files less than 128kbs, so I downloaded new versions. That made a world of difference...

needabmer · 12-05-2006, 11:29 AM

I have the monster cable set up with a 8 dollar gold plated cable from Radio shack and the sound sucks. There is this annoying intereference/hissing from the speakers - its not a whine, but some other wavy type sound that drives me crazy I replaced the monster charger, but to no avail. I am going to replace the cable today to see if that helps!

07-03-2005, 02:04 AM	#1
LWL Major Drives: E90 330i Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 1,003 iTrader: (2) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00] 2005 Mercedes Benz ... [0.00]	Anyway to improve sound quality of AUX with Ipod? I just had my ipod connected to the AUX for the first time today, and the sound quality SUCKS. Is this how it supposed to be? Or would it improve if I buy a better cable for the AUX & Ipod? I just bought those Radio Shack cable for $4, and saw some cable on Amazon that claimed to have a higher sound quality, $12 dollars after discount. Another question for ipod owners would be: do you guys turn your ipod off everytime you get off car if you have car charger connected ?? or just leave it at pause? I found it so annoying to turn to turn it off everytime I get off the car. __________________
	Tweet

07-03-2005, 03:03 AM	#2
HRC MAUI BUILT Drives: 2006 330i MT Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: NORCAL Posts: 7,766 iTrader: (8) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	Are you using a high bit rate? For my ipod to sound good played thru my car or home, I have to use a high bit rate, thus my ipod mini which can hold 1000 songs, mines gets filled up at 500. What sounds good thru headphones is not the same for car or home systems. Danny __________________ Arctic/Blk Leather/Alum.Trim/MT/ZSP/Sunshades/Blk Lines/M3 Illuminated Knob/Alcantara Performance Wheel/M-E-Brake Handle/Euro Fog Switch/Koni Yellows/H&R Sport Springs/19" VMR V718's w/PS2 Tires/M-Tech Body Kit/Carbon Fiber Spoiler/Bimmian Interior Bulbs/OEM Eye Glass Tray/SSK/Alcantara Boot/Split Armrest/OEM Dual Rear Power Outlets/Rear Ashtray Delete/OEM Alum. Pedals/Osram 6000K/Brex Rings/LED Side Markers/BMS Power Box

07-03-2005, 04:56 AM	#4
Armen52 Captain Drives: 2006 330i Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 674 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	I played sound through the headphone jack of the iPod into my Logic 7 system and it sounded fine, no distortion. Just make sure that the volume on the iPod is the one that's all the way up first instead of your car stereo. Then again I have not tested this extensively, only a couple of songs for a couple of minutes. The car charger I bought for the iPod was too tall to fit in the center console so I am going to continue to look for one that fits. __________________ E90 330i delivered 6/29/2005, ZSP/ZPP/ZCW/Step, Arctic/Gray/Walnut

07-03-2005, 10:53 AM	#5
fusionnv First Lieutenant Drives: 325i Join Date: May 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 210 iTrader: (0)	You can get the belkin Amp car kit. It takes the input from the bottom of the ipod which has all the sound freq instead from the top jack. The top jack was made for headphones and from test it won't sound as good. __________________ 325i, 6spd manual, Alpine white, Black interior with aluminum trim, Navi/idrive, Xeon Headlights, PDC, and rear sunshades. Having fun driving it.

07-03-2005, 09:39 PM	#9
drfluid Second Lieutenant Drives: 2006 - 330i Navi, Premium Join Date: May 2005 Location: Walnut Creek, CA Posts: 244 iTrader: (0)	FYI, I uploaded a picture of the Belkin car kit for iPod. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...6&postcount=24 __________________ 330i-NAV-Premium

07-03-2005, 04:28 AM	#3
jhbodle Captain Drives: E92 335i M Sport Individual Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 614 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 E92 335i M-Spo ... [0.00] 2005 E90 325i SE (E ... [0.00]	I know on my non iDrive model with Logic7 I can increase the auxillary volume on the head unit which improved the quality. I am using a premium cable and I don't really notice much difference between the 192kbps tracks on my iPod and a CD. That's using the lineout port on the bottom of the iPod - the standard headphone jack on the top of the iPod is not the best way to get the sound into your car and will sound poor in comparison.

07-03-2005, 03:02 PM	#6
itznin Captain Drives: 2007 E92 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: North NJ Posts: 674 iTrader: (2)	Can anyone post links to the cables you are using and your experiences so far with the cables? When you guys are referring to the "input on the bottom of the IPOD" what are you referring to? I have a 4th gen 20gb and all I have on the bottom of my IPOD is the dock connector. Is there a special cable you can put into the dock connector? Thanks

07-03-2005, 03:10 PM	#7
pitbull436 Member Drives: 2006 325i Join Date: May 2005 Location: OR Posts: 5 iTrader: (0)	I purchased the Belkin Auto Kit and Griffin AirClick combo ($40 each) and I've been pretty happy with it. The Belkin charger DOES fit inside the center console with the lid closed (just barely). It also has audio out which you connect to the AUX jack. This MUCH better than the FM transmitter I used in my E46 which seemed to have me trying to find a frequency that worked more often than listening to music. http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...duct_Id=149006 http://www.griffintechnology.com/pro...lick/index.php Normally the volume out of the iPod is much quieter than the AM/FM/CD inputs so the extra amp volume control on charger helps bring it up to the same level (so you don't scare the crap out of yourself when you switch and forget to turn down the volume). I haven't figured out a way to adjust the Aux volume independently of the AM/FM/CD volume (I have iDrive). jhbodle how are you doing this?? The AirClick remote is also nice because you can put it anywhere (steering wheel, ebrake, pocket) and control the iPod (pause/play, FF/REW, Next/Prev track) without an ugly wire running to the console. I like this better than the "iPod your BMW" solution because the iPod is still within reach (in the center console instead of globebox) and I can quickly open it and pick a new playlist, etc. It would be nice if the iDrive screen could show artist/song titles, but for now this seems to be the next best solution. As a nice bonus, when I turn the car off, it seems to automatically pause the iPod. I guess this is similar to when you yank out your headphones how the iPod is smart enough to pause for you. Also with the AirClick, you can hold down the Play/Pause button to turn on/off the iPod remotely. I did notice a slight difference between using the headphone out and the bottom jack, but you have to have high quality MP3s to notice. If you have low quality (128 kbps, etc.) it won't matter how you connect the iPod, they will sound bad.

07-03-2005, 09:05 PM	#8
genghis Enlisted Member Drives: 2006 330i PP/SP Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 26 iTrader: (0)	guess i'm shafted for sound. i only have a shuffle.

12-02-2006, 09:41 PM	#13
zzinco79 Major Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 1,413 iTrader: (8)	Try to use gold coated plug. Mine works good with that. __________________ 2006 BSM 325i / ZPP / ZSP / Adaptive Xenon / BLK leather interior / Steptronic Eisenmann racing / K&N Ram charger / M5 rep. wheels / D1S 6000k / Brex white ring / OEM style rear trunk spoiler / M steering / OEM strut bar / Blk line tail light Future Mod Hamann lip spolier / Mtech rear bumper

12-02-2006, 11:01 PM	#14
Schweitzer First Lieutenant Drives: 2011 335i Coupe Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Studio City, California Posts: 365 iTrader: (1) Garage List 2007 335i Coupe [0.00]	Make sure you are using a stereo cable, not a mono one. __________________ 2011 335i Cp Alpine White, M Sport Pkg, Step, Premium, Nav, Black Leather, Bamboo, Comfort Access.

12-03-2006, 12:48 AM	#15
JSpira Freude am Fahren Drives: Fünfer, Dreier, + Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: New York, München, Wien Posts: 5,155 iTrader: (1)	Ja cables make all the difference. Also, if using the aux in, sound quality is improved if you use the dock output via a Monster interface (which also powers the iPod) or Belkin. __________________ Freude am Fahren. Jonathan E90 2006 330xi E90 2006 325i E39 2003 530i Sport* E46 2000 328Ci* E36 1996 328iS* E36 1992 325i* E30 1991 318is E21 1982 320iS* E21 1979 320 (6-Zyl)* *retired Nominated: Most Contributing Member

12-03-2006, 12:58 AM	#16
uofmtiger Second Lieutenant Drives: Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 240 iTrader: (0)	I agree that there is no subsitute for good encoding...especially lossless if you have the space. I use a PAV2v with my aux input to give the sound quality some help. My FLAC files sound pretty good on their own (via my music keg), but the PAV2V helps a lot with the 128kbps mp3s that I have not had time to replace in lossless just yet... Eventually, I will end up with all FLAC in the car and I will just bring the portable headphone amp into the house to use with portable players.

12-03-2006, 01:54 AM	#17
arcrox E90post addict Drives: 2006 E90 325i Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Scottsdale, AZ (BMW city) Posts: 475 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 325i [0.00]	Maximize the source signal and modulate the volume with your car. I always have my mp3 player's volume at max, the aux input volume at 4 out of 6 clicks (I notice slight distortion above this) and control the volume with the steering wheel or the radio knob. I generally only play mp3s of at least 192kb/s. Also, tweak that EQ and turn on the Logic 7 DSP (I honestly don't think it detracts from the sound quality, but makes it sound more natural and spatially pleasing). Don't settle for the generic "V" shape...go through each band individually with a good test song specially for this purpose, close your eyes, and get it just right.

12-03-2006, 04:27 AM	#18
Phila Lieutenant Drives: 325xi Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 417 iTrader: (0)	im using the Monster ipod charger w/ audio out & $2 audio cables from Target and i think my aux input sounds great. like everyone says, check your encoding first... if you don't have good files to begin with, you'll never get a good sounds no matter how expensive a cable you buy. __________________ 2006 e90 325xi \| Alpine White \| Beige Leather \| Burl Walnut Wood Trim \| Premium Package \| Steptronic \| Comfort Access \| Xenons \| Lux 4.0

12-03-2006, 05:20 AM	#19
NaTuReB0Y Powered By 36DD Drives: 2006 E90 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Inland Empire Posts: 7,403 iTrader: (12)	sometimes only my right side of the car works.......... blank on the left side...........no music! __________________ 2006 E90 330i Jet Black \| 20" WORK VS-XX \| FK452 \| H&R Sport on Koni Yellow \| REMUS QUAD

12-03-2006, 11:34 AM	#21
bavarian19 General Drives: 428ci Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: VA Posts: 18,492 iTrader: (22)	Try a couple of things: 1 - make sure your sound on your ipod is all the way up. 2 - if your using your ipd through the AUX in jack, you can adjust the eq settings on the ipod AND your stereo. 3 - make sure your files on your ipod have atleast bitrate of 128 kbps, if not higher. 4 - if you have done all of that, then you should try a new cable. I run my ipod through the aux in, and have no problems with sound quality. I originally had some sound files less than 128kbs, so I downloaded new versions. That made a world of difference... __________________ E90 325i - Monaco (Sold) E92 328i - Space Gray - it has options and mods

12-05-2006, 11:29 AM	#22
needabmer Private First Class Drives: 06 330xi TI/SP/PP/NAV/Blue Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: ONTARIO Posts: 134 iTrader: (0)	I have the monster cable set up with a 8 dollar gold plated cable from Radio shack and the sound sucks. There is this annoying intereference/hissing from the speakers - its not a whine, but some other wavy type sound that drives me crazy I replaced the monster charger, but to no avail. I am going to replace the cable today to see if that helps!