06 MP3 CD Changer vs. Ipod Integration Kit
02-20-2006, 09:27 AM
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07 G35 Sport 6MT, 2005 C230K SS (sold), 1998 Jeep GC 4x4 (da-heep!)
06 MP3 CD Changer vs. Ipod Integration Kit
Hey guys,
I STF and found most of what I was looking for. I have a 2005 C230, and what I was happy to find was that the 2006 MP3 6-Disc CD Changer is compatible with my car.
So here's my dilemma: Do I get an Ipod kit or the MP3 CD Changer? My BIGGEST concern is sound quality.
The MP3 cd changer is limited to 99 songs per cd. So I'd have a little under 600 songs at my disposal which is enough to satisfy my music needs at any given point in time. However I realize that MP3s themselves are compressed audio and will not sound as good as regular CDs themselves.
So does anyone know whether the CD Changer's MP3s with its fiber optic output sound better than the Ipod's MP3s with its aux cable output??
Thanks!
I STF and found most of what I was looking for. I have a 2005 C230, and what I was happy to find was that the 2006 MP3 6-Disc CD Changer is compatible with my car.
So here's my dilemma: Do I get an Ipod kit or the MP3 CD Changer? My BIGGEST concern is sound quality.
The MP3 cd changer is limited to 99 songs per cd. So I'd have a little under 600 songs at my disposal which is enough to satisfy my music needs at any given point in time. However I realize that MP3s themselves are compressed audio and will not sound as good as regular CDs themselves.
So does anyone know whether the CD Changer's MP3s with its fiber optic output sound better than the Ipod's MP3s with its aux cable output??
Thanks!
02-20-2006, 11:31 AM
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2015 E250D
Get both! Actually, the ipod kit is cheaper and the sound quality is pretty good. although the changer is fiber connected, all audio turns to analog after the amp.
02-20-2006, 01:52 PM
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07 G35 Sport 6MT, 2005 C230K SS (sold), 1998 Jeep GC 4x4 (da-heep!)
Really? I did not know that.
(The audio turning to analog part)
Well if they are both pretty equal in sound i'll probably just get the ipod kit. I talked to Steve and got a qoute of $500 for the cd-changer. A good price, but just about the same as the ipod kit.
(The audio turning to analog part)
Well if they are both pretty equal in sound i'll probably just get the ipod kit. I talked to Steve and got a qoute of $500 for the cd-changer. A good price, but just about the same as the ipod kit.
03-01-2006, 05:34 PM
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go iPod
Get the iPod kit. I have both and the MP3 CD changer is not very good. It is limited to 99 songs per CD, and you must perfectly burn those CDs at low speed, or you will get the dreaded "CD error".
My CD changer locked up hard while playing an MP3 CD. It would not eject the magazine, and disappeared from the COMAND system as an audio source. Ultimately I had to take it to the dealer so they could reset it and get the magazine out. I now only use it to play regular CDs. It seems that MP3 playback is not ready for primetime through the CD changer.
If your concern is sound quality, you should consider ripping your music in Apple lossless. It's the only way to fly, IMO. A 60GB iPod can act like a 180 disc CD changer when using Apple lossless. You will be forced to pare down your music collection to something reasonable, but then it's less tedious to navigate through fewer artists and albums using the steering wheel controls.
My CD changer locked up hard while playing an MP3 CD. It would not eject the magazine, and disappeared from the COMAND system as an audio source. Ultimately I had to take it to the dealer so they could reset it and get the magazine out. I now only use it to play regular CDs. It seems that MP3 playback is not ready for primetime through the CD changer.
If your concern is sound quality, you should consider ripping your music in Apple lossless. It's the only way to fly, IMO. A 60GB iPod can act like a 180 disc CD changer when using Apple lossless. You will be forced to pare down your music collection to something reasonable, but then it's less tedious to navigate through fewer artists and albums using the steering wheel controls.
Last edited by maelstrom; 03-01-2006 at 05:37 PM.
03-01-2006, 07:47 PM
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'04 Mars Red C230K Sport Coupe (not Coup-EH)
MP3 Changer
1. Less hassle: no need to pull your ipod out of your bag when you get in your car ('cause portable listening was what you got it for, right?
)
2. Protects the ipod investment: unless you have a nano, that's a hard drive you have there in your ipod. Hard drives are not happy with hard knocks, especially like those in the roads where I live (if you live in a well-paved area, pay no attention here)
3. Hopefully Apple will continue to utilize the dock connector for the 6G ipod, but if that connector goes out of style, so does the utility of your ipod connector. CD's aren't likely to go out of style so quickly, or as unpredictably.
4. I have a single CD MP3 head unit, and I change the CD maybe once every two to three months. Besides that one new song I don't have on the CD, it keeps me happy.
5. You still listen to your friends' CDs right? If you don't have command, there's no way to enjoy that CD he/she brought with to listen to without a changer, MP3 or no.
Plus, with the changer, you can always use the aux input for that odd moment when you have the song on the ipod but not on cd. AFAIK, the Ipod connector requires the fiber that the changer plugs into, so it's one or the other, not both. I may be wrong, tho. That's my impression from previous posts.
1. Less hassle: no need to pull your ipod out of your bag when you get in your car ('cause portable listening was what you got it for, right?
)2. Protects the ipod investment: unless you have a nano, that's a hard drive you have there in your ipod. Hard drives are not happy with hard knocks, especially like those in the roads where I live (if you live in a well-paved area, pay no attention here)
3. Hopefully Apple will continue to utilize the dock connector for the 6G ipod, but if that connector goes out of style, so does the utility of your ipod connector. CD's aren't likely to go out of style so quickly, or as unpredictably.
4. I have a single CD MP3 head unit, and I change the CD maybe once every two to three months. Besides that one new song I don't have on the CD, it keeps me happy.
5. You still listen to your friends' CDs right? If you don't have command, there's no way to enjoy that CD he/she brought with to listen to without a changer, MP3 or no.
Plus, with the changer, you can always use the aux input for that odd moment when you have the song on the ipod but not on cd. AFAIK, the Ipod connector requires the fiber that the changer plugs into, so it's one or the other, not both. I may be wrong, tho. That's my impression from previous posts.
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03-03-2006, 07:17 PM
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Originally Posted by jedcred
MP3 Changer
Plus, with the changer, you can always use the aux input for that odd moment when you have the song on the ipod but not on cd. AFAIK, the Ipod connector requires the fiber that the changer plugs into, so it's one or the other, not both. I may be wrong, tho. That's my impression from previous posts.
Plus, with the changer, you can always use the aux input for that odd moment when you have the song on the ipod but not on cd. AFAIK, the Ipod connector requires the fiber that the changer plugs into, so it's one or the other, not both. I may be wrong, tho. That's my impression from previous posts.
If you want to hear the words, "Badass!" from friends, try plugging their iPod into your integration kit and take over it with your steering wheel controls. I promise that gets their attention.
None of this comparison matters if the MP3 CD changer locks up on you permanently. Also, if the song you want to hear is the 140th on the disc, you're SOL. That's happened to me many times. Fortunately I have COMAND so I can get all the songs through the single disc player.
To be fair, the iPod controls have locked up on me once, but that was easily cleared by switching to FM and then back to the AUX input.
Last edited by maelstrom; 03-03-2006 at 07:23 PM.
03-05-2006, 03:00 PM
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2004 C240 Sedan
I'm of the opinion that if you can afford both, and if they both work, then you should get both.
Then again, I'm slightly biased because I have a 2004 C240, and my only option for iPod integration was to rip out the CD changer and put the Dension iceLink Plus in. The iceLink Plus has some unfortunate issues (every now and then it doesn't get recognized on the D2B bus, and I get the NO CDC message), but it mostly works.
For me, the key was having the iPod in the car, and being able to move through songs using the steering wheel buttons (it's much safer than having to locate the buttons on the iPod). Playlists through the phone/CD track keypad are also a nice feature. (I assume the MB iPod kit lets you do the same.)
I'm not sure how the MB iPod kit gets sound off of the iPod - I would assume that it's the same as the Dension kit, which has a dock connector, and pulls the data through that. At some point, it all gets converted to analog to go through the speakers, so there will be some quality loss. The most important thing is to start off with high quality audio files (so, no 128Kbit MP3s) to minimize the loss. On the iPod side, you could use straight WAV files (exact bit-for-bit copies of the CD tracks), or do the Apple lossless codec.
What I do for mine is keep the files on my hard drive in FLAC format, and then when I upload them to my iPod, translate them on the fly to 320Kbps CBR MP3 files. For me, that's very good sound quality. (Note that this can't be done with iTunes, I use a different program called Anapod Explorer with my iPod because I loathe the iTunes interface.)
-- Joe
Then again, I'm slightly biased because I have a 2004 C240, and my only option for iPod integration was to rip out the CD changer and put the Dension iceLink Plus in. The iceLink Plus has some unfortunate issues (every now and then it doesn't get recognized on the D2B bus, and I get the NO CDC message), but it mostly works.
For me, the key was having the iPod in the car, and being able to move through songs using the steering wheel buttons (it's much safer than having to locate the buttons on the iPod). Playlists through the phone/CD track keypad are also a nice feature. (I assume the MB iPod kit lets you do the same.)
I'm not sure how the MB iPod kit gets sound off of the iPod - I would assume that it's the same as the Dension kit, which has a dock connector, and pulls the data through that. At some point, it all gets converted to analog to go through the speakers, so there will be some quality loss. The most important thing is to start off with high quality audio files (so, no 128Kbit MP3s) to minimize the loss. On the iPod side, you could use straight WAV files (exact bit-for-bit copies of the CD tracks), or do the Apple lossless codec.
What I do for mine is keep the files on my hard drive in FLAC format, and then when I upload them to my iPod, translate them on the fly to 320Kbps CBR MP3 files. For me, that's very good sound quality. (Note that this can't be done with iTunes, I use a different program called Anapod Explorer with my iPod because I loathe the iTunes interface.)
-- Joe
