iPod vs. CD Sound Quality: Big Difference

[dszpiro]

I got my Z4 with the standard audio system and have been very disappointed. Up until recently I had been using the iPod adapter and my iPod for about 99% of the listening on the audio system I found that the speakers were breaking up and distorting very badly across a wide frequency range even at very low volume.

I decided to conduct a little test to track down the source of this crappiness (word?). I used iTunes to burn a music CD of several songs that sounded very bad when played on my iPod. To my great surprise, the terrible distortion was gone when the same song was played off of a CD.

I wonder if anyone else has been disappointed with iPod sound quality in your car. I only have one iPod so I can't swap-out that device and see if it is my specific player that the cause of the problem, but I may borrow someone else's iPod to run that experiment.

TIA,

[Memphis1]

are you using Aux? or USB?

[Zayken]

Hi m8 I had(and sometimes still have) the same problem. Very bad quality ,awfull listening

I changed all the speakers of the standard sound system and i also added an amplifier and 4 tweeters but i kept the same source(we cant change that). It was the same in the same songs!!! Im using a usb flash to record the music from it into the cars hard drive.

I repeated the same into a same car with Logic7. The sound was perfect.

I discussed that with the person who upgraded my standard stereo and he told me that mp3 is a technology that compresses the sound a lot and when you listen it through a source that doesnt have good processors(like the one we have) it can be that bad.He advised me to dl music form sites that have good quality and not youtube n staff were finding a good quality song is a risk

The only way to solve this is to put high quality music into your ipod. This is why it sounded better from the cd . I will also try to burn a cd throug i tunes and compare it to the method im using

All this music we download free is often of bad quality

[Rubber Ducky]

Check out the audio jack in the center console. Wiggle the plug, reseat it a few times, etc. That well may be where your iPod signal is getting screwed up. Just bad contact. Voice of experience speaking...

[rmorin49]

I upload music from an original CD into iTunes with the highest quality available in iTunes then sync it to m iPod. So far I am OK with the sound of the basic system but I do not play music very loud. It definitely is not as crisp as the system in my 335i but I didn't buy the car for the sound system.

[rmorin49]

I upload music from an original CD into iTunes with the highest quality available in iTunes then sync it to m iPod. So far I am OK with the sound of the basic system but I do not play music very loud. It definitely is not as crisp as the system in my 335i but I didn't buy the car for the sound system.

[rmorin49]

I upload music from an original CD into iTunes with the highest quality available in iTunes then sync it to my iPod. So far I am OK with the sound of the basic system but I do not play music very loud. It definitely is not as crisp as the system in my 335i but I didn't buy the car for the sound system.

[alan64]

thats strange. My ipod adaptor hooks up great and the sound is excellent. So far no problem at all?

[iPodAddict]

I dont have any issues in my 335i with my ipod... then again, all my songs are in 256kbps quality or greater (most of them are 320kbps). It sounds just as crisp and clean as when I burn them onto a CD.

[funkahdafi]

Originally Posted by memphis2012

are you using Aux? or USB?

If you are using the official way to connect your iPhone/IPod, you are actually using both: AUX + USB (Y-Cable). Sound is coming through AUX, iPod control is done through USB.

[funkahdafi]

Originally Posted by MangoZ4

The only way to solve this is to put high quality music into your ipod. This is why it sounded better from the cd . I will also try to burn a cd throug i tunes and compare it to the method im using

Not necessarily, no.

If you burn the same songs with iTunes to a CD, the sound *source* is still the same: an MP3 file. The process of burning those to a CD (even when creating a real Audio CD vs. a MP3 CD that simply stores the MP3s) does *not* improve the sound. MP3 uses lossy compression, e.g. if the MP3 is of low quality, nothing in the world can change it to better quality - the lost quality from the compression is ireversible.

So... the only explanation why they sound better off of the CD is that the sound system probably uses higher quality components (A/D converters, processors) on the CD drive than on the USB/AUX input. To put it another way: The USB/AUX part of the sound system might be crap.

The only solution to get better sound off of it is to not use lossy-compressed sound files but instead use lossless compressed files (you can use Apple's lossless encoder in iTunes when converting your CDs). They might sound better, unless the car's AUX/USB component is too crappy to even handle that. Or use high quality compression, e.g. high bitrates (at least 256 kbit) and instead of MP3, use MP4 (also with at least 256 kbit).

[lux good]

Originally Posted by Rubber Ducky

Check out the audio jack in the center console. Wiggle the plug, reseat it a few times, etc. That well may be where your iPod signal is getting screwed up. Just bad contact. Voice of experience speaking...

Yep that'll work....i had the same problem with my ipod, wiggled the leads and it's fine now!!

[alan64]

yeah, I do find that when sometimes when I connect the iphone, on the radio screen it still says aux,, then when I wiggle it, it changes to ipod and then works perfectly.

[Rubber Ducky]

Leave the iPod permanently in the center console and it solves a lot of problems once you've got the connections made solidly....

[rmorin49]

What's up with this board? Sorry for the mutiple post, seems to be having trouble uploading replies. I guess I need to be more patient.

[siscobmw]

with my ipod adapter the sound is really good.With AUX connection is quite a poor sound, with cd ...well, you get cd quality...anyway with ipod adapter I don 't miss the cd quality......the better sound is coming still from under the bonnet....

Francesco...

[Zayken]

Originally Posted by funkahdafi

Not necessarily, no.



So... the only explanation why they sound better off of the CD is that the sound system probably uses higher quality components (A/D converters, processors) on the CD drive than on the USB/AUX input. To put it another way: The USB/AUX part of the sound system might be crap.

The only solution to get better sound off of it is to not use lossy-compressed sound files but instead use lossless compressed files (you can use Apple's lossless encoder in iTunes when converting your CDs). They might sound better, unless the car's AUX/USB component is too crappy to even handle that. Or use high quality compression, e.g. high bitrates (at least 256 kbit) and instead of MP3, use MP4 (also with at least 256 kbit).

I agree ! Your point of view "sounds better"!!!
Nice advice!

[camiloZ4]

When I first plugged in my iPhone I thought either the cable was messed up or the speakers were blown. When I put the radio it sounds fine. I play the same iPhone in my 325i and the sound is awesome. I don't understand why it sucks on my 2010 Z4. I live on Pandora music in the car. I'm taking it in for service to see what can be done.

[richard in NC]

Originally Posted by camiloZ4

When I first plugged in my iPhone I thought either the cable was messed up or the speakers were blown. When I put the radio it sounds fine. I play the same iPhone in my 325i and the sound is awesome. I don't understand why it sucks on my 2010 Z4. I live on Pandora music in the car. I'm taking it in for service to see what can be done.

Are you using the Y cable supplied by BMW?

[skier219]

Originally Posted by camiloZ4

When I first plugged in my iPhone I thought either the cable was messed up or the speakers were blown. When I put the radio it sounds fine. I play the same iPhone in my 325i and the sound is awesome. I don't understand why it sucks on my 2010 Z4. I live on Pandora music in the car. I'm taking it in for service to see what can be done.

Yeah, what cable are you using?

I don't use Pandora, but music from within the iPod app on my iPhone 4 sounds awesome. I use the white Apple dock cable connected to the USB port in the armrest.