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anyone listening to lossless music (FLAC) via USB?
anyone listening to this? I've been doing it for years via USB drive, and my 2 previous vehicles had a pretty decent interface. I could browse via artist, album, etc. It doesn't seem like this car has a decent interface that will allow this, instead it's just listen to all tracks in order or shuffle. Any ideas? Also wish car play worked wirelessly at this point... Bummer.
I have an SD card with 128gb capacity installed. My music is a mix of 320 mp3s, AAC, and FLAC. As long as your ID tags are good, the system treats the FLAC exactly the same as the mp3s. I can browse and search by artist, album, track, etc.... no issues.
USB sticks works fine too, but I would probabl6 suggest getting an SD card. Nice and neat. I would not use your phone with a cable. Get an SD card.
Originally Posted by jcfay
anyone listening to this? I've been doing it for years via USB drive, and my 2 previous vehicles had a pretty decent interface. I could browse via artist, album, etc. It doesn't seem like this car has a decent interface that will allow this, instead it's just listen to all tracks in order or shuffle. Any ideas? Also wish car play worked wirelessly at this point... Bummer.
Thanks. I thought all of my tags were good but now I have multiple albums identified as "unknown" album and artist. What tagging software are you using?
I did run into this issue. I found I had to make sure the ID tags are accurate. Then I had to rename the tracks (like remove track number from the title or similar minor tweak) or remove the music from the card and then put the card in the car to re-index. Then reinstall music and it re-indexes correctly the second time. I either use the properties tab of windows explorer or a players ID tag edit feature such as VLC Media Player,
The issue is the car's indexing program. Once the album shows up unknown, you may need to rename the album and tweak the tags so the car reinstalls it "fresh". Just editing the tags works some of the time, but some files seem stubborn and you may need to do the reinstall thing.
On another note, I have converted much of my FLAC stuff to AAC HQ using Cuetools or FlacSquisher. I have the Burmester 3D system and you won't hear the difference if you do 320+ with the AAC algorithm. Saves a ton of space, you can re-edit the tags, and it fixes any issues. Sound is great.
Do you have the 3D system? If not, a 256kb mp3 or Apple codec would even be fine
Originally Posted by jcfay
Thanks. I thought all of my tags were good but now I have multiple albums identified as "unknown" album and artist. What tagging software are you using?
I had 520 CD's transferred to USB drives in .WAV format which is lossless and uncompressed. Of course they are very large files, 50 CD's just about filled a 64G USB so we used a total of 12. These work perfect and can either be played start to finish or by album, by artist, by song. SD cards should work the same. I also had a set of USB's made in MP3 format. Both my wife and I can hear the difference between the two formats with the Burmester 3D system. I decided to have the CD's transferred professionally, rather than spend my time trying and ending up with issues. The firm charged 89 cents per CD plus the cost of the USB drives.
I doubt you would hear a difference of .wav or FLAC versus 320+ encoded AAC format. It is superior to MP3. Saves about 50% or more space. What bitrate were the MP3s?
FWIW, I do all my audio stuff. My degree is in audio engineering and recording studio stuff.
However, a pleasure discussing this with another discerning listener! Most can't even tell the difference between the standard and 3D Burmester, or do not feel it matters!
Originally Posted by Quadrobenz
I had 520 CD's transferred to USB drives in .WAV format which is lossless and uncompressed. Of course they are very large files, 50 CD's just about filled a 64G USB so we used a total of 12. These work perfect and can either be played start to finish or by album, by artist, by song. SD cards should work the same. I also had a set of USB's made in MP3 format. Both my wife and I can hear the difference between the two formats with the Burmester 3D system. I decided to have the CD's transferred professionally, rather than spend my time trying and ending up with issues. The firm charged 89 cents per CD plus the cost of the USB drives.
Thanks for the clarifications. Not sure about the MP3 bitrate, would 250 sound right (vs 125.) The reason I had them made is it turns out the newest 2018 SL's still use the NTG4 Comand system which is not compatible with .wav. Imagine my surprise when my brand new SL65 would not play the USB's. It does still have a CD player unlike other 2018 models and it is a convertible so sound quality of the audio system can be overwhelmed by the ambient noise. With the top up the R231 is surprisingly quieter than the R230.
I used to be into the technical details but for the last 10 years I just have not had the time. So now I only know enough to ask relevant questions and pay money to people with the right equipment and experience.
When I use my iPhone as a source it definitely sounds better than the Sirius satellite radio.
128kbps is the size many people used to use. Apple uses AAC around 256kbps. This is supposed to sound similar to MP3s at 320kbps. You likely had 256kbps MP3s. Not bad, but yeah, probably noticeable compared to lossless. Use one of those programs I mentioned, or google for a different one, and convert to either 320kbps MP3 or AAC from the WAV files. You likely will not notice a difference. Especially in a car. There is a big difference going from 256 to 320. Less hiss, crisper highs, fuller bass. Dump the MP3 or AAC onto an SD card in the arm rest area and be done with it.
Originally Posted by Quadrobenz
Thanks for the clarifications. Not sure about the MP3 bitrate, would 250 sound right (vs 125.) The reason I had them made is it turns out the newest 2018 SL's still use the NTG4 Comand system which is not compatible with .wav. Imagine my surprise when my brand new SL65 would not play the USB's. It does still have a CD player unlike other 2018 models and it is a convertible so sound quality of the audio system can be overwhelmed by the ambient noise. With the top up the R231 is surprisingly quieter than the R230.
I used to be into the technical details but for the last 10 years I just have not had the time. So now I only know enough to ask relevant questions and pay money to people with the right equipment and experience.
When I use my iPhone as a source it definitely sounds better than the Sirius satellite radio.
128kbps is the size many people used to use. Apple uses AAC around 256kbps. This is supposed to sound similar to MP3s at 320kbps. You likely had 256kbps MP3s. Not bad, but yeah, probably noticeable compared to lossless. Use one of those programs I mentioned, or google for a different one, and convert to either 320kbps MP3 or AAC from the WAV files. You likely will not notice a difference. Especially in a car. There is a big difference going from 256 to 320. Less hiss, crisper highs, fuller bass. Dump the MP3 or AAC onto an SD card in the arm rest area and be done with it.
I haven't really played with the media system other than using FM and Sirus thus far. I have the 3D system, but as I mentioned, I really haven't tried too much.
So all my music is just what is on my iPod, so it is essentially what I have downloaded from Apple, and what I have converted from CD's using iTunes. I was looking at the bit rates of the converted CD's on iTunes and they are only 128kbps m4a files. So are saying that these can be converted to 256kbps, or do I need to rip them again?
One more dumb question, would I be able to use my playlists?
Apple iTunes offers higher quality than 128. I have about half my collection iTunes matched and it sounds really good. You should be able to upgrade the files through iTunes. 128 sounds like crap imo. Worth the time to have Apple match the files at higher bit rate. I think you can keep all your lists. Sirius really sounds bad as well. Not in the same universe as higher quality files. Sounds like 96kbps to me. Terrible....
One more thing. Go into sound settings, into VIP seating and turn off driver seat focus. Ruins everything. You will see what I mean. No VIP is best. Then either pure or 3D mode sounds great.
Originally Posted by CALBenzo
I haven't really played with the media system other than using FM and Sirus thus far. I have the 3D system, but as I mentioned, I really haven't tried too much.
So all my music is just what is on my iPod, so it is essentially what I have downloaded from Apple, and what I have converted from CD's using iTunes. I was looking at the bit rates of the converted CD's on iTunes and they are only 128kbps m4a files. So are saying that these can be converted to 256kbps, or do I need to rip them again?
One more dumb question, would I be able to use my playlists?
Last edited by Audiodog; Aug 31, 2018 at 12:30 AM.
128 is garbage. I got a car with the Sennheiser system - which I'm sure doesn't sound as good as the 3D but it sounds damn good. Subscribing to iTunes match (a must) and Apple music (another must) provides pretty damn good quality. But I still like to rock some FLAC at high volumes. Since I'm such a music junkie I'm happier knowing that I'm listening to lossless music, when I can. But the convenience of iTunes is simply impossible to beat.
I did run into this issue. I found I had to make sure the ID tags are accurate. Then I had to rename the tracks (like remove track number from the title or similar minor tweak) or remove the music from the card and then put the card in the car to re-index. Then reinstall music and it re-indexes correctly the second time. I either use the properties tab of windows explorer or a players ID tag edit feature such as VLC Media Player,
The issue is the car's indexing program. Once the album shows up unknown, you may need to rename the album and tweak the tags so the car reinstalls it "fresh". Just editing the tags works some of the time, but some files seem stubborn and you may need to do the reinstall thing.
On another note, I have converted much of my FLAC stuff to AAC HQ using Cuetools or FlacSquisher. I have the Burmester 3D system and you won't hear the difference if you do 320+ with the AAC algorithm. Saves a ton of space, you can re-edit the tags, and it fixes any issues. Sound is great.
Do you have the 3D system? If not, a 256kb mp3 or Apple codec would even be fine
hey - i'm using "tag&rename" to tag the songs. I think the media system only likes a certain format - not sure WTF it is yet but it looks like it wants songs named in a certain format, including track number. My previous vehicle had no issues with this (and it was a damn Jeep...). I don't have the 3D system but I'm impressed nonetheless with the Sennheiser (would've gotten the Burmester but didn't spec this car). Fortunately I don't have tons of lossless music, only 100GB or so and so it all fits neatly on a teeny USB drive. But my entire music library MP3 wise is about 100GB now. It'd be a behemoth if it was lossless. Since you're in the business you arguably need lossless (my brother does too - he works in film editing).
Anyway I retaggged all of the songs the same (artist - track # - song name) and I'm hoping that the system will like it. Do we know what format it wants for tags?
For info, the NTG4 system only supports MP3, AAC and wma. The NTG5 system in the W213 supports virtually all audio formats. The MP3's I had made are 320. The files I put on my iPhone are 256. The MP3, the iPhone and the .wav files all play in the E63S and in the S65 and are fully controllable and selectable with the menu.
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm trying to get FLAC files to play off an SD card in album order and not having much luck. All my tags seem to be in order (see below), but the songs always play in alphabetical order based on the "Title" tag.
I already tried, didn't work. I will try putting the track number in the "Title" tag, just to confirm my understanding of how things are working. The "problem" with doing this is that the number will now be displayed during playback.
2020 E63S Wagon, 2007 335i convertible (tuned to 400hp), 2011 Audi A4 Avant
Originally Posted by imack
I already tried, didn't work. I will try putting the track number in the "Title" tag, just to confirm my understanding of how things are working. The "problem" with doing this is that the number will now be displayed during playback.
Ivan MacKenzie.
Let us know what you finally end up doing that works...I am using an SD card with FLAC files, and have the same issue, all with CDs that I have ripped myself. Files I have purchased from HDTRACKS.com play properly, in the order on the original album.
I'm considering trading my W212 for a W213. Anyone know if I can use .mp4 files on a thumb drive or SD card for music? For my CD player on my W212 I had to convert my .mp4 to .mp3 or the files would not play. My newer Audi accepts .mp4 on a thumb drive. My entire music library is in .mp4 files when I originally went to using a Sony ipod years ago
I'm considering trading my W212 for a W213. Anyone know if I can use .mp4 files on a thumb drive or SD card for music? For my CD player on my W212 I had to convert my .mp4 to .mp3 or the files would not play. My newer Audi accepts .mp4 on a thumb drive. My entire music library is in .mp4 files when I originally went to using a Sony ipod years ago
I have an SD card with a mishmash of mp3, mp4 and FLAC and it plays everything
I have an SD card with 128gb capacity installed. My music is a mix of 320 mp3s, AAC, and FLAC. As long as your ID tags are good, the system treats the FLAC exactly the same as the mp3s. I can browse and search by artist, album, track, etc.... no issues.
USB sticks works fine too, but I would probabl6 suggest getting an SD card. Nice and neat. I would not use your phone with a cable. Get an SD card.
Get the highest tier of service from Tidal and you will have lots of music that is master quality and now Dolby atmos. Those quality levels sound amazing on our systems, especially if you have the upgraded 3D audio system like me.
Get the highest tier of service from Tidal and you will have lots of music that is master quality and now Dolby atmos. Those quality levels sound amazing on our systems, especially if you have the upgraded 3D audio system like me.
Does Tidal let you buy and download music? I was under the impression it only lets you stream. I have been using Qobuz to purchase Hi-Res audio, but tidal seems to have a larger library
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