CD vs Aux Audio Qaulity

[Jaz11]

Hello Audio heads, i have a VE and as many of you VE owners have probly found it its near impossible to replace the stock headunit (to date) besides 1 $799 G8 fascia kit from the internet, and as i recently found out my Series 1 doesnt play mp3 CD's...

so i found a happy medium, instead of a touch screen headunit im mounting an Ipad to the dash in front of the stock stereo and running via Aux, now im very picky with Audio, i always download 320kbps+ files

What would the audio quality be from a burnt CD running 320kbps songs vs the Ipad running the same 320kbps songs via Aux?

thanks

 

[Fun_Bucket]

CD will sound much better. With the Ipad even at 320, your still taking a compressed file, plus a downloaded one to make things worse, using the digital to analog convertor built in to the Ipad, using a 3.5mm cable which is the worst type to send an analog signal down, through all the analog circuitry in the head unit, then on to the amp > speakers. CD uses a more direct path with less bad sounding circuitry.

 

[Jaz11]

What would be my best option do you think? having all 320kbps songs the file size is usually around the 14mb mark and itunes will only let me put 15 or so songs to a normal CD disk (non mp3 burn) and that is really an inconvenience...i mean 15 songs...come on

any way to improve the sound from the ipad? i was going to make sure i get a good Aux lead not some $3 crap

 

[Darren_L]

can you hook up a portable hard disk to the aux port? I realise you will lose some quality though the aux in, but it shouldn't be noticeable on a higher quality file - in particular CDA format. If the VE head unit doesn't have a USB input, maybe you could look at a USB to aux DIN plug.

I'm looking at hooking up a hard drive to my HU, because like yourself I don't like the quality of compressed files so I'm looking at storing CDA files which obviously takes up a lot of space

 

[Jaz11]

ok so i have found out from trial and error that CD sounds way better then aux from the headphone slot on any device, they arent meant as a line out, only really for headphones...but i did some searching and was told that running a lead from the dock connector on the bottom to AUX should give perfect sound as thats the intended line out...

we will see

 

[Fun_Bucket]

Jaz the dock output is a better signal, and can also can send a digital signal, but if your talking about any one of those cords that have a dock plug at one end, and a 3.5mm plug at the other, then your still going to wind up with the same outcome because the 3.5mm is still the cause of the problem.

 

[Jaz11]

From what I'm told it's not the 3.5 faults it's the headphones ports fault... but if you are correct I have found a Belkin lead that runs from the dock connection into RCA and also usb to charge the ipad

 

[deano_413]

iPod interface upgrade? And just use an iPod/iPhone instead of the iPad. Better quality then AUX

 

[Jaz11]

Problem solved i bought a cable that runs from the dock connection and splits into AUX and USB to charge it, and it works perfectly! cant tell the difference between CD and AUX at all besides having to turn AUX a little more than CD

recommend to anyone using aux from a phone/ipad/iphone/ipod...headphone port sucks