Merv the Derv

I like the way you get a single cd player in the dash as well as the optional 6 cd player! Didn't have this in last car.
I don't know about you guys but I tend to drive around with the same 6 cds for months as I keep forgetting to change them. But now I can keep a pile in the glove box and change when on the move. Easy eh?

Bart001

Moving to an iPod or other mp3 player will TOTALLY change your driving music experience! I used to drive around with the same disk...then with a changer I'd have the same 6 disks for months...now with my iPod I drive around with the same dozens of disks to chose from! 2 thumbs up!

Merv the Derv

Moving to an iPod or other mp3 player will TOTALLY change your driving music experience! I used to drive around with the same disk...then with a changer I'd have the same 6 disks for months...now with my iPod I drive around with the same dozens of disks to chose from! 2 thumbs up!
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My wife has an I-pod and with the FM transmitter its sounds great. Even sounded good on my old std system. Not tried it yet on the fantastic HiFi system. Love the bass.

E60Speed

Moving to an iPod or other mp3 player will TOTALLY change your driving music experience! I used to drive around with the same disk...then with a changer I'd have the same 6 disks for months...now with my iPod I drive around with the same dozens of disks to chose from! 2 thumbs up!
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I find that the MP3 compression dulls the quality of the sound compared to original CD's, especially when playing it through the top end systems like L7

Or maybe the couple i listened to on a friends car with IPod were just badly recorded ?

Merv the Derv

Moving to an iPod or other mp3 player will TOTALLY change your driving music experience! I used to drive around with the same disk...then with a changer I'd have the same 6 disks for months...now with my iPod I drive around with the same dozens of disks to chose from! 2 thumbs up!
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I find that the MP3 compression dulls the quality of the sound compared to original CD's, especially when playing it through the top end systems like L7

Or maybe the couple i listened to on a friends car with IPod were just badly recorded ?
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Yes we find this with some tracks - it does all depend on the original source.

Bart001

Moving to an iPod or other mp3 player will TOTALLY change your driving music experience! I used to drive around with the same disk...then with a changer I'd have the same 6 disks for months...now with my iPod I drive around with the same dozens of disks to chose from! 2 thumbs up!
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I find that the MP3 compression dulls the quality of the sound compared to original CD's, especially when playing it through the top end systems like L7

Or maybe the couple i listened to on a friends car with IPod were just badly recorded ?
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When you "burn" a cd to a lossy format such as mp3, you have options as to how lossy you want to go(ie, the bit rate), which codec you want to use, etc. Those of us with decent musical ears certainly can hear the loss of fidelity at the more compressed bitrates, such as 128kbps, which is the format commonly available for downloading from online music stores. (Apple's iTunes Music Store only has files in 128kbps Apple format, which is too lossy for my ears.) I use a 198kbps, VBR (variable bit rate which compresses the silent portions more than the musical portions), and find it acceptable for the car and for headphones on the plane.

So if what you heard was not pleasing to your ears, it was probably at a too-lossy bitrate.

Destiny

and if I tell you I can clearly hear the difference between the original CD and a 320kbit encoded MP3, ensured that I can even let YOU (maybe less audiophile) hear it by selecting the right music

just take whatever CD sounding natural to you, encode it to MP3 and burn the MP3's back to WAV on an CD using Nero or somekind and compare it, one right after the other and then we will discuss 'lossy' again

Bart001

and if I tell you I can clearly hear the difference between the original CD and a 320kbit encoded MP3, ensured that I can even let YOU (maybe less audiophile) hear it by selecting the right music

just take whatever CD sounding natural to you, encode it to MP3 and burn the MP3's back to WAV on an CD using Nero or somekind and compare it, one right after the other and then we will discuss 'lossy' again


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I used the word "probably" on purpose. Yes, some people will never be happy listening to any mp3 burned at any bitrate. Those are the ones excluded by the "probably" caveat. Many people will find mp3's and Apple AAC's acceptable even at 128kbps, thus the huge success of iTunes Music Store, Napster, etc. Probably NONE of those customers are "audiophiles."

"Audiophiles" get very emotional about these issues, and that was not something I meant to stir up. My philosophy about listening to compressed music formats is similar to my philosophy about wine -- if it sounds good to you, listen to it. But when someone tells me they don't like the sound of a 128kbps mp3, my first response is to try using a higher bitrate, not "give up you'll never like it." This is very similar to my response when people tell me that they "hate champagne," and then tell me all they've ever tasted is the $4.00 Totts that those with questionable tastes in wine serve for a New Years toast. I encourage them to at least try a much more refined product.

Some will never like champagne. Some learn to like it. Some like $20 Domaine Chandon for some occassions (I like it just fine with spicy asian food), and $120 Dom Perignon on others. I like my 192kbps vbr mp3's in the car OK (especially as my current car, an X3, is quite noisy), but would not like them in my livingroom on my audiophile stereo system.

I look forward to owning an E60 and having to perhaps re-burn my cd's because the cabin is so quiet and the stereo is so good!!

Hormazd

Bart its time to share some facts with us. Kindly put your location in and add a signature about what you drive and what you have ordered. Your posts are valuable but I do not know if you are in HongKong or South Africa.

Bart001

Done, and thanks! I didnt realize just how anonymous I was.