Are you just using a mini stereo cable from the i-pod to the aux jack? I did at first and wasn't impressed...i use a belkin adaptor and find no difference in quality between cd and the i-pod.


http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=149006

 

Hmmm...I'm using a mini stereo cable from the ipod to the aux jack. I looked at the belkin thing, and it says it's for use when using an FM tuner thing (I'm not), but it also says it has a 3.5mm jack. Is the jack part of it what you're using? And does it really make that big of a difference over using a regular 3.5mm headphone jack?

 

Much of the signal level is lost when using a standard miniplug connection.

Regards,

 

simple answer, there is loss in the miniplug. plus it is going through a remote dsp and i do not know weather or not the head unit in an element would run it through another dsp causing further degradation in the sound quality.

 

Look at me, learning something new so early in the morning. So the analog thing would explain the hissssss I get when using the standard miniplug? Seems like I really have to crank the stereo and then I hear that annoying hiss.

 

The hiss is heard because you'd had to increase the volume on your player or Honda unit so much that background noise is audible.

Regards,

 

As people have stated, there is definite quality loss when going through the mini plug.

If you're getting a "hiss" sound, try turning the volume up on the MP3 Player and turning it down with the stereo. It's a lot of tweeking and playing with the different output levels on both the ipod/mp3 player and your car stereo.

Another thing people forget about too is the bitrate of the file. If you're purchasing the songs through iTunes they're coming in AAC/m4a format which I believe is a lossless rip; meaning there is minimal or no quality loss in the rip. If the songs are ripped from your own personal cd collection (actual cds not burned cds) try ripping them in a higher quality. Also keep in mind everyt ime you burn, re-encode (using a program to change the bitrate/format) or burn then re-rip a file it has a loss in quality. These are all things that can contribute to the quality of the sound.

 

a bit of a mistake here. AAC/m4a are both lossy formats. to get lossless you need to go up to something like monkey audio, but i do not believe any portable players support monkey audio and that is besides the point. you are very correct that low bitrate encoded songs can and do cause a loss of sound quality, however that sound quality once burned to a cd is not restored to the original sound so this would not be a cause for his problems caused by plugging his player into the aux jack.

 

You guys were right about the belkin thing! The sound is FAR better, and it now sounds about the same as a CD...can't really tell a difference, but I'm no audiophile. Most of my files were ripped at 192 or better...128 doesn't sound all that good to me.

I noticed with the Belkin adapter that it doesn't matter what the volume is on the iPod...I guess that's part of getting the digital signal from the dock rather than the analog signal from the headset jack. Just like in my old Jeep when I had my iPod connected to the MOPAR iPod adapter.

But I should get another one tomorrow...when I was unwrapping it, I accidentally partially cut one of the cables. Still sounds good, but I'm not too keen on having exposed wires. Darn government plastic! It kills me...light bulbs are packed in flimsy thin cardboard, but more durable stuff is packed in that darn industrial-strength government plastic that could probably survive a re-entry on a space shuttle wing!!!

 

The Belkin has an audio adjustment level as well. I have found that the right level is towards the low end of the scale.

 

And, just to be clear, you're still using an analog signal. It's the same ol' AUX jack, after all.

In fact, I would be surprised if the Belkin actually had its own D/A converter. I'm just guessing here, but it's probably using the same ol' converter in the iPod and simply routing the audio (which comes out of the connector on the end of the iPod, already "analogified") to its own pre-amp, bringing it to line level, instead of using the headphone amp that you'd otherwise use when hooking up the iPod with a regular 1/8" patch cable.

But maybe not. Anyone know for sure?

- Jeff

 

I think you are probably right Jeff.

I rechecked the source of my info on my "digital" comment and found that it was questionable (iLounge has good info but watch who you listen to!). The output is analog, as is the aux input on the E.

[edit]
*Please accept my apologies for the misinformation everyone*

The Belkin definitely does amplify the output from the iPod and tremendously improves the quality. Just don't turn it too high - I still use the volume on the car stereo as the primary adjustment and keep both the Belkin and my iPod turned below half.

 

The difference is due to the way the headphone out jack on the iPod works. It's optimized for small portable headphones, not home headphones, in ear monitors or line out to car or home stereos. If you use headphones that have a different impedence than what the iPod is designed for, you will get hiss. The solution to this is to use a dock connector and an external headphone amp. But a simpler fix is to just use headphones with the proper impedence.

If you want better sound through the line in on the dash, get a SendStation PocketDock with line out ($20 or so). This plugs into the dock connector at the bottom of the iPod, not the headphone out on top. The audio output through the dock connector is a true line level output and it bypasses the headphone amp circuitry built into the plug on top.

elephink

 

The difference is due to the way the headphone out jack on the iPod works. It's optimized for small portable headphones, not home headphones, in ear monitors or line out to car or home stereos. If you use headphones that have a different impedence than what the iPod is designed for, you will get hiss.

Since you brought it up, I actually use in-ear monitors (FutureSonics) with my iPods. They sound great!

I don't know what the impedance is on them. They're over a decade old, but the current single-driver model is listed as 34 ohms on their web page, roughly the same as the standard iPod headphones (32 ohms).

- Jeff

 

The AUX jack in our E's will not take digital input.


Dom

 

The AUX jack in our E's will not take digital input.

The iPod doesn't have a digital out either.

elephink

 

This is where having an LX comes in handy. You can connect the dock connector directly to the back of the HU. The iPod volume control doesn't do anything...it is all controlled through the HU and there's no loss of sound quality. Granted the LX speaker system isn't as good (no sub or tweeters), but that's an easy fix.

 

I ordered a gadget to try and help, I'll report back after I get to play with it tomorrow!