[Quasimodem]

I am sure I am not the first to think of this, but just in case there are other people as slow as me, here it is. BTW this is for Non-Idrive owners only!!

It just occurred to me that I can use the headphone output on my Iphone to patch my iphone directly into my aftermarket amp/Matrix, and

1. maintain control of my music on my Iphone (it is a lot safer to use the ipod function on my Iphone than the radio display to navigate to the song I want),
2. I can get good audio quality (the audio plug in my armrest is terrible quality without using the Y-cable),
3. not have to decide between spending more money on a dedicated Ipod or wearing out my center console door always installing my iphone in it (yes, having a dedicated Ipod in the armrest would also be a solution),
4. have my Iphone outside the console so I can use it for maps, navigation, making phone calls AND music without having to drill holes in my center console.

I guess BMW really wanted to sell the Idrive so they made certain you had to jam your music player in the armrest to get good quality if you have your music on a cell phone.

I have my OEM amp still installed with the front output going to my rear speakers so I can always hear the warning gongs and my cell phone audio over the OEM amp thru the OEM rear speakers.

I guess I will splice into the audio "in" side of my Matrix and just have my car radio off when I listen to the Iphone music, then have the Iphone off when I listen to the radio. It is a really long way for the headphone jack to the amps behind my rear passenger seat, so I will probably run the Iphone audio cable down the middle under the carpet. Fingers crossed I dont have interference problems.

My second concern is getting a ticket. Now, using my Iphone in my hand to make phone calls or change music is a lot safer than using the radio display to do the same, but I cant get a ticket using the radio display to make phone calls. Ironic isnt it? I guess I will just have to mount the Iphone on the dashboard. If it looks like an Idrive, not a cell phone, hopefully the police wont give me a ticket.

I wish I had thought of this earlier. I guess sometimes it is the simplest solutions which are the most overlooked.

[Quasimodem]

Crap, I forgot about steering wheel control of my songs and volume. That is very convenient.

BMW wins, I guess a dedicated ipod in the center console is the only way to go. Fortunately, I have gotten used to using the two-line radio display to navigate my iphone, so I am stuck with that.

[alexwhittemore]

If you're using an iPhone with iOS 6 or greater, iPod Accessory Protocol mode doesn't steal control from the music app.

If the aux in gives you terrible quality, but only when you're not using the Y cable, it's probably because you have the aux-in volume on the headunit cranked all the way up and it's clipping - you can set the line-in gain separately from the master volume, and it's separate for iPod and aux-in modes, too. That's the only way I can think of to explain why you get bad quality, but NOT when you're using the Y cable. ALSO: turn the volume on the phone itself down, if you overload the input you'll get clipping that way as well. The master gain on most devices goes 10-20% higher than it can actually drive, to serve the case that you're trying to play an intrinsically quiet non-normalized audio file.

As far as using the device outside the armrest, I totally agree there. You can find a variety of 30-pin extender cables like this one (http://www.fullcompass.com/product/4...FQE6QgodqFgAiQ) which may or may not work, I've never tried any. My solution was to use a headphone extender and a USB extender bundled together in some cable wrap and run out the bottom of the armrest. But I just bought a tune2air, so that's no longer necessary.

[mathematics]

or use an apple airport express in the trunk and use its optical or headphone out into processor or amp. wireless streaming via air play. boom.

[bmw325i]

An aftermarket head unit would solve all your problems. You could use the iphone 5 over bluetooth or usb, and use the steering wheel controls. You could also get nav, hd radio, satellite radio, and a backup camera.

[Quasimodem]

Originally Posted by alexwhittemore

If you're using an iPhone with iOS 6 or greater, iPod Accessory Protocol mode doesn't steal control from the music app.

If the aux in gives you terrible quality, but only when you're not using the Y cable, it's probably because you have the aux-in volume on the headunit cranked all the way up and it's clipping - you can set the line-in gain separately from the master volume, and it's separate for iPod and aux-in modes, too. That's the only way I can think of to explain why you get bad quality, but NOT when you're using the Y cable. ALSO: turn the volume on the phone itself down, if you overload the input you'll get clipping that way as well. The master gain on most devices goes 10-20% higher than it can actually drive, to serve the case that you're trying to play an intrinsically quiet non-normalized audio file.

As far as using the device outside the armrest, I totally agree there. You can find a variety of 30-pin extender cables like this one (http://www.fullcompass.com/product/4...FQE6QgodqFgAiQ) which may or may not work, I've never tried any. My solution was to use a headphone extender and a USB extender bundled together in some cable wrap and run out the bottom of the armrest. But I just bought a tune2air, so that's no longer necessary.

Great, I will try that, turning the volume down. Unfortunately I have an Iphone 3g which I will upgrade eventually, but not yet. But I am definitely happy to hear that the accessory doesnt steal control of music from the newer phones. Has anybody found a way of extending the y connector from the armrest to a dashboard holder without drilling holes?

[Quasimodem]

Originally Posted by bmw325i

An aftermarket head unit would solve all your problems. You could use the iphone 5 over bluetooth or usb, and use the steering wheel controls. You could also get nav, hd radio, satellite radio, and a backup camera.

I am a bit leery of audio over BT. I pack my iphone with apple lossless files, isnt there a significant quality loss over BT? I like the OEM look of my dashboard, not keen on aftermarket stuff, I am just playing radio or my iphone -- I am not launching UAVs from my roof -- so I dont feel the need for anything more than what the professional radio gives me.

[alexwhittemore]

Originally Posted by Quasimodem

Great, I will try that, turning the volume down. Unfortunately I have an Iphone 3g which I will upgrade eventually, but not yet. But I am definitely happy to hear that the accessory doesnt steal control of music from the newer phones. Has anybody found a way of extending the y connector from the armrest to a dashboard holder without drilling holes?

If you can extend the cable itself (30pin extension or like I do, USB+headphone extensions), you can run it out the bottom of the center console by pulling up the tray on the inside - the plastic underneath isn't solid, and you should be able to drop the cable through and get it on the underside where the carpet meets the plastic by the passenger's seat.

Originally Posted by Quasimodem

I am a bit leery of audio over BT. I pack my iphone with apple lossless files, isnt there a significant quality loss over BT? I like the OEM look of my dashboard, not keen on aftermarket stuff, I am just playing radio or my iphone -- I am not launching UAVs from my roof -- so I dont feel the need for anything more than what the professional radio gives me.

I am too, but quality is very inconsistent depending on codec and bandwidth settings of what you're connecting to. I do strongly recommend the tune2air WMA1000, the quality is actually solid and it's basically perfect integration for an iDevice.

[bmw325i]

Originally Posted by Quasimodem

I am a bit leery of audio over BT. I pack my iphone with apple lossless files, isnt there a significant quality loss over BT? I like the OEM look of my dashboard, not keen on aftermarket stuff, I am just playing radio or my iphone -- I am not launching UAVs from my roof -- so I dont feel the need for anything more than what the professional radio gives me.

I don't think the sound quality is noticeably different over Bluetooth but you can play audio through USB as well. I actually think sq is better than the stock headunit.