HIgh Quality Audio

[C997]

Any audio experts out there could enlighten me on something please?

I've spec'd the B&O system in my impending arrival and had the premium system in my Carbon black V12V. Both are very impressive systems (to my non-audiophile ear) but I would imagine just how impressive depends upon how music is fed to them? What would be the best method of getting high quality music into the new system?

Currently I use Spotify but even downloading at extreme quality or getting a Tidal account means either bluetooth or a 3.5mm jack connection to play music and I'm guessing neither allows us to get the best from the system. Is a USB a better option using one of the more exotic file formats?

Cheers for any advice.

[quench]

Not sure if the system can handle a lossless compression format such as FLAC. Has anyone tried?

Your best bet may be mp3 at 320 kbps. Although lossy compression, it is pretty much impossible to hear any difference with lossless or a CD, especially inside a car.

[AdamV12V]

Plenty of info on my AMi III Setup Tips thread.

Avoid Bluetooth streaming at all costs - cr@p quality. USB connection is far better and there are a number of options and different file types but the lossless file formats present limited options:

FLAC is not supported at all, but WAV is which is also a lossless format, however WAV does not support tags so unfortunately AMi III just lists all the tracks as Unknown Artist, Unknown Album, Unknown Track - which effectively make this format unusable as you have no idea which track is which! I have not tested ALAC (apples lossless format) as yet on a memory stick.

I personally just use 320kpbs MP3 files on a USB memory stick which you can tag up nicely with track names etc and also include the album artwork which works really well with AMi III. I'd recommend this path, but if you really want to go lossless then converting your files to ALAC and putting them on an iPhone or iPod again connected via USB would be the best option.

Edited by AdamV12V on Sunday 3rd September 16:11

[C997]

Thanks gents.

I forgot all about your setup thread Adam, thanks for reminding me, I'll go through it in detail. 320kbps on a USB it is then!

cheers,

[davek_964]

I stick cheap ipods in all but one of my cars - one of them doesn't even have a working screen, but they are a cheap way to provide access to your entire music collection. Only downside is needing to use Itunes.....

[Jon39]

My music is from YouTube.
Set to original uncompressed.
Use a USB memory stick to play in the car, but of course first have to convert the file format. I use the WAV format.
Am I correct in my assumption, that WAV files are less compressed than MP3 ?

Doing it this way does obviously depend upon the quality that was uploaded in the first place, but an initial listening test can quickly eliminate sound that is sub-standard. There is usually a wide selection of the same piece of music.

One problem that I have is forgetting to enter the file data, so on the screen of the Premium audio, it then states 'No Text' for the track. That could be corrected later though.
EDIT - Have just read Adam's post where this point is mentioned. I do see some track titles displayed, so they must therefore be mp3 and not wav files.

Edited by Jon39 on Monday 4th September 08:35

[shinjuku]

I get too Bluetooth audio with a Bovee into my iPod connection...

[sundayjumper]

I'm possibly a bit old fashioned, but if you're seeking CD-quality sound have you tried using CDs ?

[AdamV12V]

shinjuku said:

I get too Bluetooth audio with a Bovee into my iPod connection...

sundayjumper said:

I'm possibly a bit old fashioned, but if you're seeking CD-quality sound have you tried using CDs ?

Guys - I don't think you have read the original post properly.

C997 has a new V12VS with AMi III and wants to know how to play high quality music.

Bluetooth streaming is poor quality so that is not a solution and there is no CD player in AMi III systems! (or indeed AMi II for that matter).

[C997]

Thanks Adam, I was going to try to explain that but you've done it better than I could/would!

It's not about getting music into the car, that's easy. It's about how do you access music at a quality which takes full advantage of the capabilities of the premium or B&O systems.

Is playing via the 3.5mm jack better than USB or are they much the same (assuming the same file types)?

Of course, all of this will, quite literally, go out the window when the top goes down. However, one of Clive's remote valve switches is on the way so that'll sort out that musical issue.

cheers for all the replies.

[Ex Boy Racer]

I have the Bose* system and plug my phone into the Apple carplay and stream Amazon music or Spotify.

Sounds great!

• I meant B&O!!

Edited by Ex Boy Racer on Tuesday 5th September 09:07

[sundayjumper]

AdamV12V said:

Guys - I don't think you have read the original post properly.

I did read it, but I wasn't aware the new systems don't have a CD player, and the post didn't mention it either so I was none the wiser.

Back to the original Q, the best option from a SQ perspective must be a high quality external device using a lossless format, fed in through the analogue input. That will avoid any loss in compression, and also any loss in what's probably a fairly basic DAC in the car.

[DB9VolanteDriver]

MP3 @ 320 via USB played on B&O sounds spectacularly good for car audio. Anything 'better' would be a complete waste in a car with all its ambient noises. On my home audio I use FLAC files where the difference between MP3 and lossless is noticeable in some cases. I used a PC-based CODEC converter to make my FLAC files into MP3/320 and then placed them on a USB stick. Got several thousand tracks instantly available.

[M5MarkM]

I found that the USB worked best for me, this being said I still find the sound quality pretty poor when compared to other marques I'm afraid! Still the latest system is better than previous and the USB, to me at least, gives best sound

[AdamV12V]

M5MarkM said:

I found that the USB worked best for me, this being said I still find the sound quality pretty poor when compared to other marques I'm afraid! Still the latest system is better than previous and the USB, to me at least, gives best sound

Surprised you find the quality poor, on the whole most people feel the Premium and B&O systems are certainly above average for a OEM fit system.

Have you tried following the setup tips in my thread? What type / quality of files are you using on the USB?

[davek_964]

AdamV12V said:

M5MarkM said:

I found that the USB worked best for me, this being said I still find the sound quality pretty poor when compared to other marques I'm afraid! Still the latest system is better than previous and the USB, to me at least, gives best sound

Surprised you find the quality poor, on the whole most people feel the Premium and B&O systems are certainly above average for a OEM fit system.

Have you tried following the setup tips in my thread? What type / quality of files are you using on the USB?

+1. The premium audio in my 2006 is in a whole different league to any car I've owned before.

[Ken Figenus]

Jon39 said:

My music is from YouTube.
Set to original uncompressed.
Use a USB memory stick to play in the car, but of course first have to convert the file format. I use the WAV format.
Am I correct in my assumption, that WAV files are less compressed than MP3 ?

Everything on YouTube is compressed. Often sourced from compressed sources and then you compress it again to create an MP3 - a concatenation of compressions going on is the posh term! If it had a face it would be ugly! So WAV is better as you wont add another compression stage.

CD WAV audio is 44.1Khz sampled uncompressed 16 bit audio. Its far better than 192kbps MP3 BUT I cant really tell the difference with 320Kbps MP3 and this is far more user friendly as it can carry metadata (track names etc). HTH.

Its only since I had DAB radio in the DD that I really notice how absolutely awful FM radio is (yep seems it was invented in 1955!!!). Doesn't do the B&O any justice. Is there a way of getting DAB into the B&O?

[M5MarkM]

AdamV12V said:

Surprised you find the quality poor, on the whole most people feel the Premium and B&O systems are certainly above average for a OEM fit system.

Have you tried following the setup tips in my thread? What type / quality of files are you using on the USB?

Fair point, to be fair I'm not comparing standard OEM products. Current BMW750 and previous S class had £5k upgrades and the sound is better than the Vanquish which is meant to be high end. I can say it is leaps ahead of the system I had in my previous DB9s!

[shinjuku]

AdamV12V said:

Guys - I don't think you have read the original post properly.

I did read it properly, but I am not sure I answered it properly! I suppose I just wanted to say that I stream via bluetooth mostly and find the sound quality to be fantastic, seemingly equal to CD (ambient noise taken into account). I did spend ages setting up the EQ, thanks in part to your other thread.

davek_964 said:

+1. The premium audio in my 2006 is in a whole different league to any car I've owned before.

I also find the premium 2006 audio to be far above my last two cars—both german brands with H/K and Bose systems.

[Rappa]

No CD in the new cars!

You'll be telling me you can't buy '8 track' and 'Compact Cassettes' next!

Anyway the Master of the Mews can sort the music in the vehicles out.

Sarcasm aside some great info on here.

Sean