iPod quality in 2006 models

I have one hooked up and it sounds great! I haven't compared it to an actual CD of the same thing, but compared to FM iPod transmitters it's 1000 times better. I think it may also depend on what compression you used on the music when putting it on your iPod. I'm VERY happy.

 

Doesn't go that loud, but yes, it's decent cd quality.

Make sure you go pick up a decent length cord. 2 feet at least. Mine is only 1 foot. Lame.





......D

 

The way I understand it (and hear it) it is just a direct input into the amp (?), so as far as sound quality goes, it sounds just as it's supposed to.

There is no loss in sound quality.

Whatever the sound quality of the songs you have on your iPod, that is the same sound quality you will hear using the 2006 Aux Input.

 

Why do you need such a long cord? The center console has both an aux and power input, plus a area for your ipod to slip in. You can actually get away with just a 6" cord.

 

Hydee,

The way I understand it, if you put a song onto your iPod, as let's say an AIFF file, then the CD and iPod will sound almost identical. No one will be able to hear the difference, except for those few audio engineers in the room.

However, if you put a song on your iPod as an MP3 file, or AAC, or whatever, then it depends on how much you compressed it. If it's at 128 (or whatever) you WILL be able to hear the difference, but if it's an AAC file at 328 (or whatever), it will sound pretty damn good.

Hope that helps some.

I'm just trying to say you can't really compare the sound quality of a store-bought music CD with a song on an iPod, unless you know the format and compression ratio that iPod song.

 

If the MP3 was encoded at CD quality, the difference will be negligible. MP3 commonly uses lossy compression, but normally the information it "loses" is very selective and not detectable by the human ear (to a point, of course).

Unless the Prius audio system recompresses or otherwise modifies the Aux input signal (and I don't know why it would), there should be no difference in the audio quality.

 

Speaking of this, I am looking for a short 3.5mm male-male dubbing cable to use from my mp3 player to the aux input. I have seen 6' and longer has anyone seen one that is shorter perhaps a half to one foot long since I dont want a mess of wires in the center console if I can avoid it.

Thanks for any leads,

 

What kind of cord do you need to connect a mp3 player to the aux input in the 2006 prius? And where do you buy it? Thanks.

 

Radio Shack sell a 1' cord. Here's the URL to it at their online store
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.js...rentPage=family

 

Thanks for the link, I searched radioshacks site and never saw this, somehow I missed it.

Thanks,

 

Fearless in revealing my rookie ignorance, I will ask a question. Is this direct iPod plug-in port on all Prius audio set-ups, ony 2006 models, only certain audio installations, etc?

Thanks in advance to the experts.

 

I got a Belkin Auto Kit for iPod w/ Dock Connector.

This has a couple of advantages over a car charger without 3.5 mm audio input:
* The audio cable is plugged into the base of the charger instead of the top of the iPod. It's easier to take the iPod out and select music because the iPod has only one cable connected to it (at the bottom).
* The volume adjustment is set in the base of the charger instead the iPod circular touchpad. Each time the iPod powers down, the volume level for the top audio jack is set to a low level meaning you may need to dial it up every time you power up the iPod. The volume dial in the charger stays at the same setting through power cycles.

The volume setting on the charger is sensitive. Too low and you hear buzzing. Too high and you hear distortion.

Regarding MP3 and CD quality: Audio information on CDs is sampled at 44.1 kHz with two channels at 16 bits per sample. CDs can accurately represent audio signals up to 22 kHz (Nyquist's theorem). MP3 is a lossy compression method. The "CD quality" setting of a typical ripper is 128 kbit/s, or about a 1:11 data rate ratio vs CD.

What does this look like on spectrum analyzer? Check out this page. The signal is faithfully reproduced up to about 16 kHz, then there is a dramatic plunge. :blink:

The question is, how many of us can hear this difference in a car during typical driving? MP3 is not the cause of poor sound. It's the audio connection between the iPod and the stereo. With the Belkin auto kit, the limitations are the connectors and the amplifier in the adapter. Well, for $40, what do you expect?

The punch line is that the sound is pretty good for a car. Just adjust the volume on the adapter carefully and you are in listening bliss. (Actually, the Bose system in my Audi A6 is much better sounding than the JBL system in my Prius, but that's another story.)

 

The other punchline is: rip at better than 128 kbps. =)

I mean, who the hell fills up a 60 gigabyte iPod with music ripped at 128?!?

 

Apple is trying to get people to use their iPods as photo albums or backup storage from digital cameras. Now Apple wants us to buy video clips (more revenue for them). 60 GB is nothing if you shoot in Canon or Nikon raw format with an 8+ megapixel camera.

BTW, I actually know someone who has filled a 60 GB iPod with nothing but his AAC music files, but I don't know the bit rate.

On PriusOnline.com, somebody asked "what do you do for a living?". There were a disproportionately high number of retired people. Do you think they can hear anything over 16 kHz in a quiet room, let alone a moving car?

 

Although you can save high resolution photos on an iPod Photo... the default is to create much smaller files that are matched toward TV resolution.

When I filled my 60GB iPod, it was nearly equally divided between music and the lower resolution photos. I have since shut off the photo storage because saving my full music collection is the priority.

When I rip into MP4 formats (AAC) I usually use 160Kb/s. When I rip MP3s, it is usually 192Kb/s. It is not ideal... but good enough for my old ears.

/Jim

 

I bought the same Belkin adapter and I have mixed feelings about it.

The positive: A single cable going to the ipod dock connector.
The negative: The amplifier in the adapter

I would be much happier if the cable was "amplifier free" and simply ran the "line out" of the ipod to the auxillary input. The internal amplifier of the adapter will only degrade the signal.

/Jim