Is the ipod MDI connection digital or analogue?

[breeza]

Hi,

I am looking at getting a new ipod classic 120GB to connect to the new MDI ipod interface but have read lots of information about the new EU legislation that limits the volume on these devices. I tried one in an apple store yesterday and it really was quiet at full volume on the display headphones.

Does anyone know if the MDI connection is digital or analogue as if its digital I suspect it won't be affected by the volume limitation?

When you change the volume on the ipod itself does it affect the stereo volume when connected through the MDI?

[danbailey77]

Hi,

I've noticed that a flash drice containing Mp3s sounds better than through the ipod. Reckon it uses the ipod amp and so ends up sounding very trebly with not much mid. I'm going to copy mp3s to the hard drive but if you don't have one then i would recommend getting a portable drive to connect rather then the ipod. Its much quicker at accessing songs to and returns to the same folder you were in when searching songs.

Dan

[breeza]

I read that when a usb hard drive is connected it forgets the song it was playing when the ignition is turned off and sometimes you have to unplug and re plug in to get it to recognise the drive. What is your experience?

I read that this issue was with a western digital passport 250GB drive. What are you using?

[danbailey77]

I'm just using a 4gb sd card in a usb reader - a sandisk one.

It remembers whihc song it was on and when you press selection it goes to the same folder where the current song is.

I'll be copying to the internal hdd as i have the sat nav but am sure a usb powered drive should do the same.

[breeza]

I see so you were not using the SD slot in the radio but using a usb adapter pulugged into the MDI in the arm rest. I think I may wait until I get my car and play around with an array of borrowed kit before making a decision on the best route.

Thanks for your help.

[rehmondo]

Its digital.

[breeza]

Hmm, if it is digital it wouldn't use the ipod internal amp so I am not sure why there is a difference in sound quality between the MDI ipod & USB connections.
Can anyone test if by changing the volume on the ipod itself it changes the volume through the car speakers?

[iroc]

If you use the iPod lead supplied with the car then all functions are managed through the car controls. If you plug your ipod in through the aux in socket then you can increase the volume via the ipod and the volume control on the headunit.

[rehmondo]

Can anyone test if by changing the volume on the ipod itself it changes the volume through the car speakers?

When using the actual iPod cable the iPod goes into "MEDIA IN" mode and all the controls on the iPod are locked therefore you cannot increase the volume anyway.

[CTRnutter]

Can anyone test if by changing the volume on the ipod itself it changes the volume through the car speakers?

When using the actual iPod cable the iPod goes into "MEDIA IN" mode and all the controls on the iPod are locked therefore you cannot increase the volume anyway.

If you go into the sound adjustment settings which is next to the skip track buttons by the CD player, you can select actual volume, which turns on the Ipod volume which you can then adjust on the stereo

[CTRnutter]

Also I have just been asked the following question, and I thought I'd post my response just in case its of any use to anybody else

Hi,

I see you managed to connect a WD 120GB USB hard disk to the MDI USB port. Is it working 100% reliably for you? Does it always remember the track and position within the track when you switch off the ignition? Do you have to unlug and re plug in the USB drive sometimes to get it to reliably connect?

I have also seen someone posting saying that a USB flash drive sounds much better than an ipod which I can't understand as both devices use a digital connection.

Trying to decide if a USB hard drive, SDHC 32GB card, USB flash drive or 120GB ipod classic is the best option... Any advive welcome

Regards

Steve..

Yes and No i have played about with this for a while now and I have figured out a way of getting everything to work properly. I guess firstly the question I should ask is are you handy with a PC just so I don’t swamp you with too much jargon? for example do you understand how to tag MP3's ?? or how file tagging works, briefly if you don’t:

All files have information associated with them, for documents its normally what program they can be opened with and size of information, with MP3's this can be a little more advanced, you can tag album information, track information and artist, in some cases you can take it as far as album art, more information can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ID3

To get a passport to work properly, copy the songs directly to the root path, so no folders or sub folders of any kind, the stereo is clever enough to read tags and as such will separate the music into artists and albums etc

Firstly the benefit of using a USB flash drive, is 1) it’s cheaper than an Ipod for a much larger storage capacity, 2) it is a lot faster at browsing, and 3) as far as I have noticed the sound is of the same quality.

There are a few who think the sound is better, on the basis that the stereo uses its own amplifier to adjust the sound equalization, whereas the Ipod uses its own in built amp which is primarily designed for headphones. I can’t tell either apart and it is all dependant on what quality the Mp3 file has been ripped.

In all honesty I use both as I update my Ipod more frequently as I use it on my day to day commute.

If you have any other questions feel free to Pm me

[breeza]

That's really useful, thanks for the detailed explanation. I work in the IT industry so get as techy as you like

What are the symptoms of using an artist/album folder structure then? Is it the fact that it doesn't remember the track & position within the track when turning the ignition off and on again? Having everything in the root would be a real pain.

Have you experienced the problem of having to disconnect and reconnect the drive for it to be recognised reliably when you turn on the ignition?

Have you tried a USB flash device or SDHC card? I could probably live with a 32GB storage limitation if it solves all the problems.

How much of a track selection/browsing speed difference is there between the ipod and USB device? Is it slow enough to be annoying with an ipod?

I still can't quite get my head around the way the ipod volume/amp works when connected through the MDI. Are you saying that the ipods digital to analogue converter and amp is used and the signal from the ipod to the head unit through the MDI interface is actually analogue? Obviously the USB actually transfers the binary data of the mp3 to the head unit and uses the digital to analogue converter and amp in the head unit. If that is the case it would explain why the USB sound could be better.

Sorry to bombard you - I wish my local VW dealer had a test car with the RCD510 and MDI so I could test it all myself.