[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by bsdbsd

Convert your iPod to a BT Transmitter using:

https://www.amazon.in/docooler-Bluet.../dp/B00KT4YLMU

Since your HU seems like a modern unit, it must have BT. Problem solved.

But will these devices transmit high quality music? If not I'm not likely to spend so much on an old device. Top priority is music quality!

[bsdbsd]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

But will these devices transmit high quality music? If not I'm not likely to spend so much on an old device. Top priority is music quality!

Well, two things.

1. My experience is that BT music is of excellent quality. I use BT at home for speakers, Sony XM3 headphones, and also in car sometimes. Unless you are an audiophile, the music quality afforded by BT suffices under practical circumstances.

2. You dont have a choice as you have already ruled out AUX and FM - the remaining two options.

That was just an idea. Try to get a cheaper one in AliExpress etc.

The one last option I can think of is:
https://www.amazon.com/Composite-Vid.../dp/B00RYSTJZI

But this would need taking out your HU and connect it to RCA inputs (assuming they have one).

[bsdbsd]

Originally Posted by bsdbsd

Well, two things.
....

But this would need taking out your HU and connect it to RCA inputs (assuming they have one).

Mods: Please merge if needed.

If you want a cheaper option, take the audio out of 3.5mm port.

https://www.amazon.in/Cubetek-CB-BT0...2DCN0359BBSVDB

[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by GTO

Have my entire music collection neatly organised in iTunes and used to be an iPod guy for a decade. But with smartphones evolving so much, have moved entirely to Bluetooth or Android Auto via my phone.

Out of curiosity, if your phone is connected to your ICE via a cable (either USB or Android Auto), would you not get the same sound quality?

If it is connected via USB, then the HU DAC is being used whereas if one is using an Aux cable, then the device DAC is being used. So sound quality will differ. No idea how it happens in case of Android Auto but an intelligent guess would be that HU DAC would be used in that case as well.

[navin]

Originally Posted by viXit

[center]

What mode? What mode?

Wireless is the norm today,
And for music, it's all over Bluetooth.
I've seen several members mention that they have an iPod permanently docked and parked in their dash. More so in the earlier days of One DIN systems without Bluetooth streaming.
Call me old school but I still prefer a dedicated camera in my backpack when I'm shooting, a separate iPod in my car and a Texas Instruments calculator parked at my desk.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Since you liked using the iPod over USB that means your head unit's DAC is acceptable to you. You will get better audio output with iPod's inbuilt DAC if you play using AUX cable, the only thing you will miss is controlling using the Head Unit.

Originally Posted by GTO

Out of curiosity, if your phone is connected to your ICE via a cable (either USB or Android Auto), would you not get the same sound quality?

Originally Posted by neerajsharma48

I have an old 80 GB ipod full of my favourite music. Ipod servicing facilities have dried up and the Mahindra service centre associates are clueless.
Can any BHP member suggest a solution or troubleshooting idea?

Originally Posted by bsdbsd

1. My experience is that BT music is of excellent quality.

Ok lets start with the basics.

1. Wired trumps wireless. I dont care if it Wifi or BT 5.0 or APTx or FM or AM or SW or any other wireless protocol. When it comes to audio quality Wired is King.

2. The DAC in most good HUs is far better than the DAC in your iPod or iPhone. You do get outboard DACs that are better than the DAC in your HU but the extra cabling, power and other intermittent problems negates this technical advantage. In short USE THE DAC IN THE HU.

3. iPods are still available but are crazy expensive for a single use device. One option I have found is scrounging old 256GB iPhones. There are several models available for around 20k each. It is still cheaper than a new 256GB iPod.

If you are using an iPod then ALAC is the way to go. The latest version of EAC (Exact Audio Copy) - Version 1.5 - permits you to use 2 different external compressors. Remember FLAC, ALAC, WavPack, Monkey's Audio, etc are lossless but are still "compressors".

Using EAC you can rip your CD to FLAC and ALAC or FLAC and MP3 (using LAME 3.1), or ALAC and WavPack or any combination of compressors you feel. Sometimes the Album Art you get from CUETools 2.1.6 is not the correct Album Art so I correct this in Foobar using Album Art Downloader.

I am happy to share my "arguments" settings for EAC here if BHPians feel it will help them. I have good confidence in them ever since a big hairy giant in orange shorts gave my codec formatting his seal of approval.

I have over 35,000 songs. all ripped from CDs I own. Obviously there is not a portable media player built that can accommodate a lossless version of all 35,000 songs. So I am selective. I currently use 6 256GB iPhones between 2 cars.

2 iPhones have a selection of music that my wife both like to listen to all neatly wrapped into playlists.

2 iPhones have my Jazz and Blues collection - I switch these iPhones in depending on my mood. In pre Covid days these iPhones would reside in the rear seat and I used to listen to them over headphones and an external DAC/AMP.

The final 2 iPhones contain a secondary list of music that my wife and I both like. About once a month I switch these iPhones with the primary pair. Variety, after all is the spice of life.

[viXit]

Originally Posted by GTO

Have my entire music collection neatly organised in iTunes and used to be an iPod guy for a decade. But with smartphones evolving so much, have moved entirely to Bluetooth or Android Auto via my phone.

Out of curiosity, if your phone is connected to your ICE via a cable (either USB or Android Auto), would you not get the same sound quality?

Which vehicle do you use android auto on, IIRC, the f10 doesn’t have android auto right?

Originally Posted by itwasntme

But will these devices transmit high quality music? If not I'm not likely to spend so much on an old device. Top priority is music quality!

Congratulations on your new car! It’s an amazing one, with an equally great write up by you too.

I’m surprised that the new BMW doesn’t have a USB connector that lets you connect it directly!

Nothing will ever beat a wired connection.
If I’m not wrong, the iDrive system has an on board storage of around 80gb, The best solution for you with SQ on priority would be to import that music from your iPod to your head unit directly and play from that, you won’t even have to depend on another device like your iPod anymore. Hope I could help

Originally Posted by navin

Ok lets start with the basics.

1. Wired trumps wireless. I dont care if it Wifi or BT 5.0 or APTx or FM or AM or SW or any other wireless protocol. When it comes to audio quality Wired is King.

100%

3. iPods are still available but are crazy expensive for a single use device. One option I have found is scrounging old 256GB iPhones. There are several models available for around 20k each. It is still cheaper than a new 256GB iPod.

The whole smartphone revolution has made the iPod irrelevant now,
Even Apple doesn’t care anymore with its iPod touch it has lost its own tab on apples homepage.
The better ipod among the newer ones was the iPod nano, which was actually suitable for use as a dedicated music player. I might as well carry my phone if I wanted an iPod touch.

The iPhone solution is the best, I had been scorching the Internet for old cheap iPhones, preferably 64gb 4s iPhones with the 30pin connector for use on my Bose sounddock and Honda city whose HU has only a 30pin adapter.
Lightning would do too though.
I don’t know when app support for older devices will die. I need music apps like amazon music at least.

I am happy to share my "arguments" settings for EAC here if BHPians feel it will help them.

Please do !

I have good confidence in them ever since a big hairy giant in orange shorts gave my codec formatting his seal of approval.

I have over 35,000 songs. all ripped from CDs I own. Obviously there is not a portable media player built that can accommodate a lossless version of all 35,000 songs. So I am selective. I currently use 6 256GB iPhones between 2 cars.

Wowzie, that’s a lot of iPhones,
Didn’t the iPod classic come with a 1TB disk at one point of time,
I’ve also seen several YouTube channels shoehorn 2tb drives into iPod classics and have Them work. Looks the same too. No changes to the outside.

Have you used other brands like fiio?
They have larger storage options, any alternatives to iPods?s.

2 iPhones have my Jazz and Blues collection - I switch these iPhones in depending on my mood. In pre Covid days these iPhones would reside in the rear seat and I used to listen to them over headphones and an external DAC/AMP.

You use external headphones in your car? Despite your amazing ICE?
Please share some details about your headphones and DAC/AMP setup in the car. Would love to know more.

The final 2 iPhones contain a secondary list of music that my wife and I both like. About once a month I switch these iPhones with the primary pair.

Do you have an upgraded iCloud Storage subscription?
How do you switch so frequently if not?

Variety, after all is the spice of life.

Indeed.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by navin

1. Wired trumps wireless. I dont care if it Wifi or BT 5.0 or APTx or FM or AM or SW or any other wireless protocol. When it comes
to audio quality Wired is King.

IMO this comes with a caveat though. The wires and connectors are a big variable & one really needs to put all effort to get it all right. Often the RCA and 3.5mm jacks used to make ends meet - tend to add a load of noise in the quality over time. For most regular users in close proximity - the latest Bluetooth get the job done sufficiently well. Its the pros that really need a good quality wiring setup.

[viXit]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

IMO this comes with a caveat though. The wires and connectors are a big variable & one really needs to put all effort to get it all right. Often the RCA and 3.5mm jacks used to make ends meet - tend to add a load of noise in the quality over time. For most regular users in close proximity - the latest Bluetooth get the job done sufficiently well. Its the pros that really need a good quality wiring setup.

The thread was mostly about using digital/data connections(usb) Instead of analog connections(Aux,radio). The former preventS any form of noise in The system. If there is any noise in a setup like that. It will be there in Bluetooth mode also. Because the noise would have to be in the system after the signal has gone out of the head unit. Very likely to be amp noise.

Data connections over usb has data packets unlike auxiliary cables or Rcas that are analog electrical signals which are susceptible to distortion and noise.
I think there is no caveat to this solution. Only benefits that keep on giving in the form of listening pleasure and quality+convenience

Originally Posted by itwasntme

But will these devices transmit high quality music? If not I'm not likely to spend so much on an old device. Top priority is music quality!

I’m sorry for misunderstanding earlier.

I went back to your initial ownership report and saw he pictures, you can close the lid if you decide to put the iPod within the enclosed area while plugged in right?
Is that USB port just for charging or is it the USB port for music etc for he iDrive?

[laxmanrk]

The Sync 3 system in my Ecosport S is a boon as it comes with 2 USB slots.

I can connect my ipod whilst using my phone's android auto for navigation etc.

For most of my music needs, I have completely moved to apple music/ spotify via android auto.(Oneplus 7t pro)
My iPod Classic with over 135GB of old CD rips etc sits in the glovebox.

When the urge strikes to play something old school or something not found on any of these over the internet platforms, the ipod comes out and we play stuff from it for a few weeks, till the urge to listen to something new bites back.

Few observations:

Songs from my iPod sound way better than apple music via android auto.

Long drives through remote areas such as forests etc, the iPod is the only source of music due to lack of internet connectivity.

We haven't bought music in ages owing to these over the internet subscriptions.

[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by navin

I have over 35,000 songs. all ripped from CDs I own. Obviously there is not a portable media player built that can accommodate a lossless version of all 35,000 songs. So I am selective. I currently use 6 256GB iPhones between 2 cars.
.

I know that this is going slightly OT, but as someone who is kind of obsessed with a portable solution which can carry all my songs, I would like to tell you there are many phones and DAPs which support 2 TB cards. My current song selection is much smaller than yours and I use a 128GB android phone with a 256GB card with an option to upgrade to 512GB card. According to my calculations, your 35000 songs should take around 1.1TB storage space considering 35MB average for each song.

[viXit]

Originally Posted by rdst_1

I you there are many phones and DAPs which support 2 TB cards. My current song selection is much smaller than yours and I use a 128GB android phone with a 256GB card with an option to upgrade to 512GB card. According to my calculations, your 35000 songs should take around 1.1TB storage space considering 35MB average for each song.

Yes, I remember the Samsung Galaxy note ten’s USP was its 512gb internal storage that could be expanded to a TERABYTE!

Originally Posted by GTO

.

Out of curiosity, if your phone is connected to your ICE via a cable (either USB or Android Auto), would you not get the same sound quality?

Originally Posted by laxmanrk

Few observations:

Songs from my iPod sound way better than apple music via android auto.
.

[navin]

Originally Posted by viXit

Didn’t the iPod classic come with a 1TB disk

You use external headphones in your car? Despite your amazing ICE?
Please share some details about your headphones and DAC/AMP setup in the car. Would love to know more.

iCloud Subscription

I think the biggest hard disk they ever had in an iPod was 160GB.

My driver gets distracted by the music I play (at the levels I like). So when I was chauffeured I had am iPhone/iPod mated to a DAC/AMP and a pair of over the hear open air headphones in the back seat. I got a lot of open air (over the ear) headphones. So many that it's embarrassing to mention. Other moderators make fun of my obsession. Audeze, HiFiMan, Sennheiser, Beyer Dynamic, AKG are all represented each of them several times. I am an addict. I am a sick man.

I have several portable DACs. The iFi Hip Hop Dac is my current favourite. It is slightly underpowered for my HD600s but otherwise a fine product. With 32 ohm DT880s it is better.
https://www.headphonezone.in/products/ifi-audio-hip-dac

If the Hip Hop is too expensive then I would recommend the Q1 from FiiO.
https://www.fiio.co.in/products/fiio...=2239275171868

or the Topping NX4
https://www.headphonezone.in/collect...opping-nx4-dsd

I don't have an iCloud. I don't trust the iCloud. I just use my own music PC to make playlists from my own rips and store these play lists on iPhones/iPods.

So iPhone/iPod 1 & 2 have Car Playlist A, B and C and iPhone 5 & 6 have Car Playlist X, Y and Z. iPhones 3 & 4 are Blues and Jazz only.

I use Foobar to manage my reference lossless collection (FLAC/WavPack) and iTunes to manage my iPods/iPhones (ALAC). On my desks I have a Fiio K5 Pro and a iFi CAN DAC driving Sundaras which in my view are the best VFM headphones anyone can buy other than the Massdrop 6xx and 58x. The Sundaras need some power so dont try to drive them with something like the Topping DX7s or Aune Audio X1s Pro. My next purchase for desktop audio will be the Aune Audio - T1s. I have a batch of top notch 6922 tubes that I want to try.

Originally Posted by rdst_1

I would like to tell you there are many phones and DAPs which support 2 TB cards. According to my calculations, your 35000 songs should take around 1.1TB storage space considering 35MB average for each song.

You are right. 1TB would be perfect. You got to know I am very old. I do not understand computers and the internet. Apple makes products for people like me. Plug, Play, Forget.

I would be happy if you can recommend any portable player that can be upgraded to 1TB and can store playlists.

FYI to give you an idea how old I am; my first car was a '74 Plymouth Scamp, I also had a '77 Spitfire and for a short while a '78 (I think) AMC Javelin. These cars had no electronic aids and I could fix them myself. Now I wont even try. It's all computers.

So please keep things simple for me. Thanks.

One member (hint: he is also a dentist) tried to hook me up with a whole computer in my car. Just the thought of it scared me.

[viXit]

Originally Posted by navin

So when I was chauffeured I had am iPhone/iPod mated to a DAC/AMP and a pair of over the hear open air headphones in the back seat.

is the ambient noise like the honks and engines from outside not a bother?
What kind of damping do you have in your car?

I don't have an iCloud. I don't trust the iCloud. I just use my own music PC to make playlists from my own rips and store these play lists on iPhones/iPods.

.
When you meant, switch the iPhones with the primary pair, you meant, as your primary phone right? I was talking about contacts, photos apps etc on the phone.

I use Foobar to manage my reference lossless collection (FLAC/WavPack) and iTunes to manage my iPods/iPhones (ALAC). On my desks I have a Fiio K5 Pro and iFi CAN DAC. My next purchase for desktop audio will be the Aune Audio - T1s. I have a batch of top notch 6922 tubes that I want to try.

So your FLAC/WavPack files are not on your iPhones?

You are right. 1TB would be perfect. You got to know I am very old. I do not understand computers and the internet. Apple makes products for people like me. Plug, Play, Forget.

I would be happy if you can recommend any portable player that can be upgraded to 1TB and can store playlists.

With the Samsung note, you wouldn’t even have to bother importing your music to iTunes and syncing your phone, just copy paste like a USB Drive. I think you’ll find it easier.

I think the Fiio M11 pro would be really nice. It has up to 2TB of storage.
It’s spec sheet, only you can understand

Powerful hardware configurations: six-core processor chip Samsung Exynos 7872, high performance DAC chips dual AK4497EQ, fully balanced THX AAA-78 x 2 to give a more powerful output

Our lossless music player supports aptX, aptX HD, LDAC and LHDC wireless steaming which allows you to enjoy high quality wireless audio via Bluetooth

FiiO M11 Pro digital audio player also supports most Hi-Res lossless formats such as FLAC, WMA, WAV, Apple, LOSSLESS, DSF and DSDIFF

More features: 9.5 hours battery life plus 2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.4mm headphone outputs, all to DSD, two-way LDAC Bluetooth and two-way Type-C

More features: USB audio or DAC, SPDIF output, QC2.0 or MTK PE quick charge, 2.4 or 5G Wi-Fi, DLNA, Wi-Fi file transfer, FiiO link and AirPlay

Storage: 3gb RAM (free to install and run any third-party Android apps according to your needs) and up to 2TB expanded storage

Native support for DSD 128 or 256, PCM up to 384Khz or 32bit

Country of Origin: China

The type c can be used along with your external DAC too . I saw a usb type c port on it.

FYI to give you an idea how old I am; my first car was a '74 Plymouth Scamp, I also had a '77 Spitfire and for a short while a '78 (I think) AMC Javelin. These cars had no electronic aids and I could fix them myself. Now I wont even try. It's all computers.

So please keep things simple for me. Thanks.

One member (hint: he is also a dentist) tried to hook me up with a whole computer in my car. Just the thought of it scared me.

I guess I wouldn’t know the member, us newer members really missed out.
A computer in a car is overkill even for tech obsessed nerds like me.

Could you share some pictures of these cars for us, please!

[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by navin

You are right. 1TB would be perfect. You got to know I am very old. I do not understand computers and the internet. Apple makes products for people like me. Plug, Play, Forget.

I would be happy if you can recommend any portable player that can be upgraded to 1TB and can store playlists.

Even I don't use any streaming services, hence my obsession started with finding the best portable solution I could. All the portable players, IMHO, have some limitation or the other, or let's just say can be a bit inflexible. So keeping that in mind, I decided to use a mobile phone instead of a dedicated player. I knew, I would prefer using an external dac/amp because that gives me great flexibility as one can pair different headphone and DAC combinations according to their preference while the collection remains portable without compromising on quality. Also, using a phone is flexible from the PoV of using different apps for library management and playback. For example, I am using a somewhat powerful, extremely portable, non-mainstream DAC - The E1DA 9038s. It provides 37mW at 300ohms which is quite good enough to drive my HD650, but requires balanced cable.

Many Fiio players, from the lowly M3 Pro, support upto 2TB cards. However, there are phones from Asus and LG that also support 2TB cards. As an audiophile, I would suggest going for LG as they have their quad-dac technology which by itself is quite good at driving headphones and of-course, as I said above, can be supplemented by external DAC/AMPS. You can go for both previous generation as well as current generation LG phones like the G7, V30, G8, V40 etc. and of-course these can be bought for cheap in the second hand market, if one just wants to experiment and doesn't want to spend too much.

[Numb_Locked]

My aftermarket https://pioneer-india.in/buy/car-ent...s/avh-z5090bt/ does a fantastic job of managing my media with an HD display hook up with a 1TB HDD. But the compatibility with iPod is like a marriage made in heaven.

All this talk about iPod Classic has got me on the edge of my seat. In hindsight I'm struggling to sync my 80GB with a modern day Windows 10 computer since apple gave up support for it, It's stuck with 20GB of music from the last successful sync. what am I missing here? many seem to have found a work around it?

Pointers appreciated.