My Perfect EQ Settings (Dynaudio)

[Brenbo]

I don't think the system supports in-car CD ripping. It only allows data CD's with audio files on it to be copied to the NavPro internal SSD.

You say you haven't tried a SD card, why not? You should try some 320k MP3's via SD and also some FLAC files for comparison.

You'll notice all of these will sound really rather different for the same song.

Even though the FLAC and the CD are almost perfect digital copies of each other, the difference will be in the DAC processing of them. The CD player is probably using a hardware DAC whereas any file based music will be using a software one.

As for a non-IPod player... well, good luck finding one these days! I do have a few old ones, the only problem being is that they will only connect via the 3.5mm audio jack. It will work (and probably sound just fine) but of course then apart from volume level you have no control via the head unit or the steering wheel. That would feel very retro indeed.

TBH for most of us we actually get used to however it sounds and give up caring. My "Napalm Death live at the Brixton Academy"  sounds just as good from MP3 as it does from CD

I have to agree with Fredgroves, if you use 320kbps or FLAC files on the SD card the sound quality will be near perfect audiophile quality.  as Fred says the only difference is in the way the files are decoded.  Although these days even CDs are software decoded rather than hardware decoded in many cases. 

I always use 320kbps and FLAC files and have no complaints, infact I feel the quality of sound from a 320kbps or FLAC is superior to a CD.  As I also mentioned earlier I have no complaints about the sound of the Dynaudio system on my MIB1 unit.

On another note there are none ipod players on the market.  Sony are now producing Audiophile grade MP3 players which cost several hundred quid.  Also the benefit of these is you do not have to use itunes which is a blessing. 

If you use an MP3 Player to listen t omusic through another unit like Dynaudio then surely the sound will degrade more than if the music were played through the Dynaudio unit direct via an SD card.  The reason i say this is due to the fact the audio data is being processed twice once by the MP3 Player and then again by the Dynaudio unit. 

I listen to a lot of digital music files on my PC via ASIO or WASAPI so I can bypass the Window sound processing kernel and hear the true audio quality of the files.  I have to say the difference between hearing the same files via Windows audio kernel and ASIO/WASAPI is like night and day.  There are high and low notes audible on ASIO/WASAPI which the windows kernel clips off.  Maybe the same is being done by the software decoder on the Dynaudio unit?  However I have not heard any evidence of this sound degradation/clipping myself.

[Mk7-GTD]

FLAC, DAC, MP3, SDs, formats, what a load of old pony.

This is what you all need:



 

Only 7" what if I want to play my 12"? 

[Bubba Nutkin]

Thanks Fredgroves, your reply answered my quesions perfectly, cheers.  Naively I assumed I'd be able to copy CD's to the in-car hard drive but as you've said; not possible.
SD cards......well it's just yet another complication really, I just can't be doing with it; I have no other need for an SD card (I've never even seen one!).  I think I'll put a selection of favourite CD's in the glovebox and/or rely on my iPod for when I fancy random tunes.
Thanks again, Bubba.

[Jackie Treehorn]

All you need to do is buy one of these http://www.mymemory.co.uk/SD-Cards

or more exactly this: http://www.mymemory.co.uk/SDHC/SanDisk/SanDisk-32GB-Ultra-SD-%28SDHC%29-Card-Class10-UHS-I---80MB_s

you can buy bigger cards to hold more music, and cheaper cards if you don't want a reputable brand, but Scandisk 32gb is middle of the road and considered a safe bet. Grab a beer and sit by the PC for an afternoon and its all done, probably an entire music collection on a 2cm x2mm card.  Just make sure you rip at MP3 320kbps and it will sound fine... 

[Brenbo]

It really is quite easy to put your music on an SD Card Bubba.  Once your music library is on the SD Card you will find it far easier to listen to your music in the car without fiddling around with CD's whilst driving.  As Jackie Treehorn says ensure your tracks are ripped to at least 320kbps or if this is not an option rip to FLAC.  Do not rip to any quality lower than 256kbps if possible as you will hear the difference in sound quality degradation. 

Please beware if you rip to FLAC the music files will be massive in file size.  I usually go for 320kbps files myself as this is usually the sweet spot for quality/file size. 

I have a 64GB SD Card which holds my entire music library.  Another bonus with digital music files is you can store your album art on them and display it on the Nav Screen in your car to make searching for your favorite track a whole lot easier. 

I would say ensure you get a reputable brand SD Card with a fairly decent transfer rate.  Good Brands would be Sandisk, Kingston, PNY etc,.

As a side note, Sandisk make SD cards for other brands like Sony who usually charge a premium for the same Card as Sandisk except with "Sony" written on it.  With this in mind as Jackie says, you cannot go wrong with Sandisk.  I would suggest to get a card which is at least 32GB to 64GB in size.  This will ensure you have enough room to add music in the near future should you wish.

[Mk7-GTD]

Don't buy SD cars from eBay because most are fake. If you are getting them from Amazon then make sure you buy one that is supplied by Amazon.

On another note how much music do people have? I have nearly 2TB of it.

[Bubba Nutkin]

Well, as you can probably tell I'm off the pace when it comes to technology.......I don't even own a smart 'phone, which my teenage children think is astonishing!
Also, Jackie T and Brenbo, you seem to disagree with the poster (Jez something?) who doesn't think SD cards sound good on Dynaudio.......confusing.  If it helps I mostly listen to pop and rock, never jazz or classical.
I suppose for the money it's something I should try (an SD card I mean).

Another question; can I copy music downloaded from iTunes to SD?  And would that be 320k quality?

Bubba.

[scanesare]

What is the maximum SD card capacity supported via the Discover Pro system? Someone said 64gb earlier, is that the biggest card you can get your music on or would 128gb work as well?

[Brenbo]

I am unsure of the SD card capacity on the MIB2 unit.  But on my MIB1 unit it was originally 64GB so far as I believe. 

@Bubba, what is good or not in regards to music sound quality is more often than not personal preference and you will find the largest majority of the guys and girls on this forum will be using SD cards to listen totheir music on the Nav/sound system in their GTI, GTD or Golf R.  The SD card really is not the cause of poor sound quality it is only a means of storage for your music files from which the music player can read the files in order to play them.  The matter of debate is whether the software decoder on the Dynaudio/nav system is decoding the files to a quality of sound which is to everyones taste. 

In the greater scheme of things digital music files at 320kbps or FLAC are regarded as better than CD quality. It used to be 256kbps music files which were regarded as CD Quality.  The issue being debated really may come down to the genres people prefer to listen to and how the Dynaudios DSP or presets are setup for listening to your favorite genre of music.

The only way I see how we are going to get close to resolving some of the issues being debated is for someone who finds the Dynaudio system to be not as they expect to upload an sample of the music they find not up to par on the system for others on this forum to try on their systems and see if they feel the music also sounds under par or OK.  at least then we could rule out whether it is personal taste or if there is infact a problem with playing certain genres on the system or even the music file the person is trying to play on the system not being of a good enough quality. 

I personally have played many genres on my MIB1 system with Dynaudio and have no complaints, absolutely love the sound of everything i listen to on my system.  This includes anything from house, trance, rock, indie, even classical. 

Other than a software decoder, the only reall factors which will really affect quality of sound in the car other a broken speaker are the bit rate of your music files when ripped from the original source i.e rip  CD's to music files at 320kbps or FLAC and whether you have a weird setup on your graphic equalisers too much bass, mids or treble or the focus of the sound in the car i.e. front right, left or back etc,.

Hope this helps.  Just take the plunge and get an SD Card, you won't regret it. 

As a side note my brother in law is a sound engineer and he loves the sound of my Dynaudio system as far as in car entertainment systems go.  He was stunned how good it was for an in car system.  Before he heard my Dynaudio he had written off in car audio. 
 

[Bubba Nutkin]

Thanks for your reply Brenbo - I've just ordered a 64 GB Sandisk card from Amazon.  I'll update this thread when I've listened to some music from it in the car.
Bubba.