Acapulco Bill

A distinguished contributor to this Forum wanted to see how the iPod Integration Kit displays on the speedo. The cover shot shows what is displayed on the iPod because it is completely controlled through the steering wheel. Can just be loaded with Apple Lossless tunes and left in the glovebox permanently.

If you disconnect the iPod, you get normal control functions back so you can use your iPod in a high quality dock, like the fabulous B&W Zeppelin Air. Audio fans, please find one and give the Zeppelin a listen. So good we never use our $50k system anymore.

snowmuch

Thanks for taking the time scanning the PDFs Bill! I can't wait to install my kit, I will let know you how it worked out.

Acapulco Bill

I can shoot some real live photos of the speedo tomorrow and post them. Also are you planning a speaker upgrade? Glad you have an iPod Classic, that's half the battle.

snowmuch

I think I'll pass on the speaker upgrade, I have HK right now, not the best but don't want to spent the money. I'm actually saving up for a new car right now.

Acapulco Bill

Then you are all set. Didnt know the HK didnt have complete iPod connectivity. How lame, my 2004 BMW ZHP included that with the HK stereo. Its a GREAT stereo and dont let anyone tell you otherwise. Literally millions of $ were invested in research, development and design of the HK system for the C-Class and the 3-Series. Wish I had the HK.

boom132

Hey Bill... why the comment on the IPod classic? Is it capable of performing better than newer ones? I'm an audiophile too... so I'm just curious. I've taken your complete advice about upgrading the speakers in my C300... did EXACTLY what you did, and a world of difference...

Acapulco Bill

@boom132: The 6th generation iPod Classic in either 80GB or 160GB form, had the best D/A convertors. As mentioned even with the iPod Integration Kit, or any other current cable input, the Merc headunit only accepts analog signals through the Aux unit, utilizing the 30-pin Apple cable only for digital info like album title and track.

If one puts Apple Lossless tunes on an iPod, the initial decoding will be exactly, bit for bit, the same as the original AIFF Red Book CD. Some auto units take the digital information directly, however MB's supplier of headunits (and even in conjunction with Harman Kardon), prefer to start in the analog realm and then redigitalize the signal for DSP manipulation. This includes even a true Parametric Equalizer on the lowly Audio20 entry headunit, and of course the HK unit provides many surround sound schemes.

To this critical listener, the whole operation is quite transparent, hearing no sonic difference between the original CD played in the headunit, and an Apple Lossless file played on the iPod through the Aux.

boom132

Interesting... and maybe this is more of an offline topic... but, why do you think MB did that? Think it is an Apple licensing thing? I mean, why would MB want to take the analog signal and convert it back to digital, when the Apple units can already provide the digital? Seems like this would be extra money spent "reinventing the wheel" pe se... I've been adding content to my Itunes library with AAC... are you saying to switch to Apple Lossless? One last question... do you purchase your songs via Apple, or prefer to purchase the physical medium and then import?

Acapulco Bill

Apple licensing - the latest 2013/14 models come with NO direct Apple connector, rather it is a standard 30-pin metal-encased connector, and from there the MB dealer sells you the correct Apple-compatible cable for your device. Reason: the old Apple pin and charging standard has been changed in products like the Nano, therefore iPod compatible devices such as MB's iPod Integration Kit, no longer charged the Nano, and later I understand many have problems just with Apple device recognition.

The only analog Aux input, can't say exactly however remember that the original Dolby 5.1 Surround Logic was analog encoded, it is possible that even CD or digital radio is also converted into analog and then processed back again in the digital realm. This extra conversion may take care of problems with defectively-encoded tunes (for instance a string of all 1's would max'out the decoders). And then getting the HK algorithms processed would require only one pass, meaning the same digital chip is used for both non-HK and HK units and has an A/D convertor on the front, the only difference being uploadable software (e.g. making it inexpensive to implement).

AAC, well that's a high quality MP3 format but about half the original information is trashed in order to have less info to compress. Mainly dynamic range (bass and cymbals suffer), then midrange texture gets all garbled. I have ripped all my 10,000 tunes from original CDs in Apple Lossless, which can always be converted on the fly to AAC, 320k MP3, etc. with the iTunes app.

If one purchases their music through iTunes, a free download in any other format such as Apple Lossless of the same tune, is free at the iTunes store, I understand. Huge difference in quality of course.

But since the Apple Lossless is a proprietary Apple format, only an Apple product can decode this. Therefore a MB headunit even with the HK could never accept an Apple Lossless tune digitally. Another reason for the analog Aux input.

On SD memory and USB, I guess only MP3 formats and info structure is recognized, (has anyone tried full-blown AIFF files?) as mentioned above I have a suspicion that even this is converted into analog and back to digital for DSP processing.

boom132

Thank you Bill... PM coming.

awstansbury

I've Googled and seached for an answer to this to no avail, but perhaps the audiophiles on this thread can help.

Can the song name be "scrolled" across the Driver Info Screen? I have some classical music with really long song/movement names; it would be nice to actually know what I'm listening to.

Acapulco Bill

Shows what can fit on two lines. Meaning you will only get some of the description of the 4th Movement of Beethoven's Eroica (3rd) Symphony which is:
"IV - Finale: Allegro molto, poco Andante. Presto"

I will check and shoot tonight exactly how much of that shows. No scrolling. My 11-year old M3 scrolled jpeg titles.

awstansbury

Thanks. I love driving my Benz and listening to the HK system, but my fiance's Acura has 10x the cabin technology for 3/4 of the price. If only the RLX drove like an E-class.

Acapulco Bill

Go ahead and post THAT, awstansbury, in the Tech thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...-new-post.html

awstansbury

Simply bemoaning. That looks like a drama-filled thread, so I think I'll stay away from it.

I do complain about getting price-gouged for features, lack of technology, and the cost of maintenance, but at the end of the day nothing drives like these cars. I drove an Altima on vacation for a week and realized just how spoiled I've become. I like to see life whizzing by through the star on my hood.

Thanks for the help on the iPod thing, you know your stuff.

Josh.A.Hussey

Bill, I guess you have done a lot of typing on this subject the past week. Hahahaha.

I checked with the dealer(didnt want to go pulling up glove box liners myself without actually reading into it and I was lazy plus the car was going into MB anyways) and although I have the 12 speaker I do NOT have the iPod connectivity.

Lame.

It is $618 canadian to install it.
Out of hand but you do what you gotta do!

Now to find an iPod classic...
Also,
can 2010's get bluetooth streaming? I have bluetooth phone I don't see why streaming would be that much more difficult!!

snowmuch

I was shocked that my car didn't not have ipod connection...$618 is such a rip off. I got the parts for about $250-350 and installing myself should be a piece of cake. If you want OEM bluetooth streaming I think you have to get UMI. Aftermarket wise you can look into ViseeO Tune2Air WMA1000

Josh.A.Hussey

Is teh UMI much to install? And I'm guessing I can get it on Ebay as well?

Yes $618 is a RIP OFF and if I didn't have the something-or-other already installed it would've been $658!

I think I will be doing this one myself...

I wonder, do we lose any features by installing UMI?
I have navi and all that...

snowmuch

UMI retrofit kit can be purchased from here The cost is over $600+20% VIT tho...

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w204...rface-umi.html

Acapulco Bill

Here is a series of shots of the Speedo with the iPod Integration Kit functioning. An explaination: You first have to navigate through the options on the iPod like Artist, Album, Composer, Genre. So I pick Composer and so...

Beethoven Lugwig Va... (nope it's some piano Sonatas)
Ludwin Van Beethoven (nice spelling Gracenote and Sony!!!)
Ludwig van Beethoven (correct spelling, however it's the 4th & 7th Symphonies with Muti and Philadelphia)

So back to "Ludwin", and:
Beethoven Symphoni... (Symphonies, This is the collection from, of COURSE, Szell and Cleveland)
Beethoven Symphony.. (This is the 4th Movement of the Eroica -3rd- Symphony)

All the info terribly truncated, practically useless. Well not if you are looking for: Metallica; Load; "Ain´t My *****" a fantastic album! Everything fits. Whew.

Lastly how it displays on the iPod, note the scrolling text.

Shame that for all the investment, the 2010 MB "tech" is infantile compared to a 2004 BMW 3-Series which had controls from both the steering wheel and display on the radio screen with most of the information, the first to have a controllable iPod connection. As recommended MANY times, make playlists. You will have an accident or worse kill yourself or even worse some innocent bystander, took about 2 1/2 minutes of intense concentration just to go through this short hierarchy.

snowmuch

I just got my ipod kit and inline amp today. Im speech less. The box is made in Germany but the amp inside the box is made in China...

Drazil

wow and it was manufactured back in 2007? maybe the dealership parts guy saw your M-i-G one, and swapped it for one he had that was M-i-C or maybe it's just the box that's printed in germany...

snowmuch

Also the amp have a different connection and won't fit the interface

Josh.A.Hussey

Ouch that's killer... What is it for then?

snowmuch

It suppose to plug in but it doesn't...I have no idea why