CD-quality means non-lossy (44.1kHz 16bit linear) encoding. Any compression worsens the quality, no matter what they say. "CD-quality" is just a marketing gimmic. 20G/5,000 = 4M per song, whereas it sould be ~40Mb. 10x compression can not possibly provide the same quality. To emphasize this, I'll just quote a new digital audio standard (96kHz 24bit) that is emerging as the industry standard. This means that even CD-DA is not good enough, let alone MP3 etc.

 

Rumor has it that we'll see a 60GB version by year's end. Of course, there are all kinds of rumors about an iPod being released with video capabilities but I think a 60GB version is a pretty safe bet.

 

I paid $20 for a TCP/IP kernel for Windows 3.1 and it was bulletproof.

 

The ipod (newer ones) us the toshiba 1.8" drive... the 60 gig version is due out this year... it has been leaked that apple will use it... apple is mad for the leak, but it is a simple matter of plugging the higher capacity one in, same size.

Greg

 

Not sure what the point here is anymore. There are probably as many different definitions of audiophile as there are pairs of ears. My idea of audiophile is listening to a "Golden Age" vinyl LP through tubed amplifiers and floor standing speakers which can reproduce those golden age sounds. I have not heard a CD yet which sounds as good as a Mercury or Red Seal vinyl pressing from the 50's or 60's. I don't expect to get audiophile sound in a car or on an airplane because I know that it's not possible.

If you want to carry around a box of CDs because you feel that's the only acceptable sound for you, then fine, go ahead. If you want the convenience of a pocket sized recorder which will hold the equivalent of 500 CDs and that sound is good enough for you, then have at it. If you want better sound with a device that will only hold the equivalent of 250 CDs then you can do that too. This is America; you can do anything you want as long it's legal and you're willing to pay for it.

Whatever my choice, I would just like MB to give me steering wheel controls.

 

Huh! Too much to expect from a German automaker! That's the point, after all

My '85 BMW 7-er only had a pair of 4" x 6" crappy speakers in the dashboard and an AM/FM radio (not even cassette!) On top of that, there was no easy way to mount speakers on the rear hat shelf because of the trunk lid torsion springs running right underneath. I guess car audio has never been of big value among German automakers.

What I certainly agree with is that if they make it proprietary, they should do it the proper way - at least not to embarrass themselves with a head unit that can't even do fast forward/backup within a song when others have 5.1 surround sound available...

 

Agreed -- part of the problem is overengineering toward a single sub-optimized solution which means that you have to buy into that solution for every function (with all its limitations) or spend a lot of time, effort, and money to do anything else -- if it's possible at all. Another problem is a mentality which says that "you vill do it my vay" with no exceptions allowed.

Some other observations after a 400+ mile run to Virginia Beach and back this weekend. The AUX input works great, sonically (but lousy in terms of control -- well, there is no control except on or off). I used a Rio Karma. Someone on one of these threads said to set an iPod at 100% volume and use the head unit to control volume. I have a bias against 100% since output amps often start clipping at about 90%. I set it at 50% gain according to the little bar markers and still had plenty of head room on the HU to adjust volume. The sound on the H-K system was about as good as what I get through headphones.

As I anticipated, the glovebox jack is a major PITA. If you want to change a track, you have to open the glovebox, grab the unit, and navigate through the screens to find your track, fast-forward, etc. If you have a passenger, you can't really leave the glovebox open all the time so you would be constantly opening and closing, etc. Even aside from the accessibility issue, with the volume of traffic on a highway like I-95, it's really not prudent to fumble with a player unless you want to see how good your insurance is. That means that you have to set up a playlist in advance and let it go.

I may move the outlet to someplace under the dash to make it more accessible. Can anyone tell me how big a deal it is to get at the wiring to either tap in another outlet or reroute the one in the glovebox to another location?

Steering wheel controls are the way to go. I really could not blame MB if they standardize on the iPod since there are more of them out there than any competing brand. If they provided full integration to an iPod, I'd buy one in a New York minute just to use in the car, reserving my Rio for airplanes and hotel rooms when travelling.

 

Another reason for my brother in law to rib into me. First his bluetooth phone that seamlessly intergrates into his nav system, now the ipod thing. This sucks

 

I use the iPod all the time; by far the best player on the market in terms of user interface...

I agree on the AUX input; good to have, but really inconvenient...I do run it at 100% output (btw. the BMW interface uses the dock interface connector, giving the iPod a fixed output - so the volume control setting is irrelevant) and put it in the mug holder mountd on the passenger seat.

Since the AUX input always defaults to std. audio settings, I use the iPod equalizer. The sound quality easily beats anything (including Sirius/XM) besides CD's but in the end, its a convertible

I would like steering controls simply from a safety issue; it's just risky to switch playlists while you drive.

There is another cheap alternative if you like to keep the iPod in the glove compartment. They do make a RF-based remote for it ($40); since it's not IR, you can hide it away...

Wolfman

PS. Alpine is coming out with an iPod interface that appears to have none of the restrictions the BMW interface is supposed to have (limited playlists due to cd player emulation) and connect to all Alpine systems that use the AI interface.

 

iPod + MB AUX sounds better for me than stock CD changer. I have also iPod volume near 100% and there is no distortions. I also bought several car kits for iPod including Belkin, IMP Sik, and iMonster. (Didn't start use them though) Last two provide line out similar to dock. If you want to control iPod from wheel buttons, then expect an adapter from ICE-Link.

 

Raid 0 for speed, and we're done to go!

 

Do you leave your glovebox open? I was afraid of damaging the cable so I didn't try to close the door with the cable hanging out.

Does the BMW interface with dock connector also recharge the battery? The battery on the Rio lasts a long time but it will run down eventually and I would just as soon not have to run another cable to the cigarette lighter.

 

Apple says the new adapter also charges the iPod battery, but only when the car is on.

 

HotWheels500 is right, the adapter is charging it, but if any makers use the dock connector, they may do the charging as well (I think Dema had a good listing).
For me this has never been an issue as I bring the iPod in to sync every day (contacts, appointments, music) anyway.

Regarding the glove compartment, I always have it closed. While the SL glove comp.door is pretty tight, the cable fist fine through the lower left corner of the door (somewhat the bottom on the dash anyway). When the cable is not in use, I just stick it into that net by the footwell so it is not dangling around...

Bottomline, not a great solution but the best way to get all my "cruising" music choices into the car.

Wolfman

 

Further to Wolfman's remarks, Belkin has a number of accessories for iPod. One is their somewhat new Auto Kit for iPod w/Dock Connector. It plugs into the cig lighter and charges the iPod, while providing an amplified auto out for mini cable to AUX input in glove box. The unit plugs into the dock connector to do all this. I've read mixed reviews (on this forum, somewhere) about the effectiveness of the amplified output.

you can find it at http://www.belkin.com/ipod/matrix/iPod3.htm

Assuming no BMW-type adapter for our favorite car, I'm going to explore this myself. (Apple says they're talking with other auto OEMs, but no indication of who.)

New iPods are expected to be announced at any time. Maybe with 80GB drive, color screen and some kind of video capability (maybe). If you don't own one now, it pays to wait a bit. Good luck.

 

I would hate the new iPod to have video capability. I hope that they make large versions (read: 80-120gb) that are just simple mp3 players and have the ability to have open source firmware similair to the Archos Jukebox and the Rockbox group.

 

Do not worry, Apple promised do not add video capabilities to iPod. From other side 6 disks DVD changer with MPEG4 video and MP3 capabilities in MB trunk (every disk ~9GB) much more cooler than iPod, believe me. New S should have it.

 

The company I work for has great prices on IPOD's although it is in Canada. So not to seem like an ad, but if you want one, it is a great price with FREE SHIPPING!

http://www.ats-systems.com/retail/ha...mp3_detail.asp

 

I've used an MP3 player in my C32 for a while now. When I first bought the C32 it didn't have a CD changer. I since added one and while I was at it, ran the audio cable through the same hole between the glovebox and behind dashboard to the right of the stereo. I then ran the cable back the car into the area where the cup holder is. While I could have installed a jack there and then just used another patch cable from the player to the jack, I chose to just run the cable out from a small hole where the change holder used to be (it was modified to a bass controller prior to my ownership). It works like a charm and I don't have to leave my glovebox open or close it on the cable anymore.