Redd

"I just wish mine (2014) would play mp3 files all the way to the end. I listen to books on "tape" and long chapters sometimes cut off the last 5 seconds or so. "
Do the same tracks play correctly on other players?
I ask because I've heard all manner of "factory" genuine CD's where the tracks are broken incorrectly. Sometimes cut off, sometimes they'll start with the "That was xxx on the bass...." which was supposed to END the previous track.

And on my antique 2014 AMI, the systems reads chapter numbers in bozo order. So it will play Chapter 1, 11, 12, 13.....2, 20, 21.....blithely assuming that since "11" starts with a one it should come before anything that starts with a "2". And ignoring track numbers, in favor of titles that way.

Have they fixed that in the 2016's as well?

subterFUSE

Have you tried adding a leading zero in front of the single-digit chapters?

Redd

Yes, the leading-zero trick is what we used in the days of DOS computers. I just didn't feel motivated to go back and rename the files on the audiobooks "just" for the car's benefit.

Audiobook producers seem to take delight in making it impossible to simply RIP the discs to digital media, for convenient car listening. One disc will have chapter titles, the next will have chapter numbers, the next will repeat the exact same numbers rather than continuing the sequence....Unless they ran out of third-world keyboard entry people, and have started hiring the monkeys that were supposed to eventually type Shakespeare if left at a keyboard long enough.(G)

Easier to play things through my phone, which is considerably smarter than the car.

subterFUSE

Yup. An iPhone or iPod are much better in terms of technical function.

They will play any audio format that the device can handle, and they will support gapless playback.

That's why I purchased an old iPod Gen 5.5 and had a buddy swap out the internal hard drive for a SDHC card with 256GB. The iPod 5.5 was the best sound quality of all the Apple iDevice product history, featuring a Wolfson DAC.

Since the AMI only accepts analog signals, you want the iPod to have the best possible DAC. So the Gen 5.5 is the winner in that regard.


I also have an aftermarket FLAC player, but even that thing does not support gapless playback. So the majority of my albums I prefer to play via iPod because of gapless playback support.


Edit: Also, I forgot to mention that I contacted Audi NA about the DVD player drive and they confirmed with the engineers that the DVD drive is a "transport" and not a "player." The drive is connected to the MMI via SCSI, meaning it extracts digital audio from CD and does not convert it to analog. This means the DVD drive is actually the best media source available on the pre-facelift cars because it supports uncompressed 16/44.1 PCM from CD, which is basically the same as WAV.

Redd

I'd disagree. A stock AMI system can't reproduce what any top-end DAC can supply, so that's wasted. Add the environmental background noise of being on the road, instead of being parked in an anechoic chamber, and there's room to argue that even fm-broadcast quality can't be reproduced, much less heard, properly in the car.

Maybe when I was 19 and could, literally, make the audiologist cry and beg for better equipment so they could find out just how far into the ultrasonic range I was hearing...but not now.(G) Back then, I could plainly hear ultrasonic traffic detectors and alarm sensors.

subterFUSE

Well sure.... a stock audio system is always going to be terrible.

My main point was I agree with you that I generally prefer to listen to an iPod/iPhone because the playback support is better. (i.e. more formats available, gapless playback) It just works better than the MMI jukebox or SD cards.


Road noise can be dealt with. I added 2 layers of mass-loaded vinyl + closed-cell foam to my floor and doors. Measured a road noise reduction of almost 20 dB on smooth highway at 70 mph.

JohnnyG0925

After a bit of trial and error, I figured our that the order the tracks are in is alphabetical by file name. It displays the track title from the mp3 tag, but sorted by file name. So I simply name my files something like "Part 01", "Part 02", etc and they show in the proper order on the display as "Introduction", "Chapter 1", etc.

schalliol

There's a zillion high quality DACs for iPhones, etc., but the problem is that for you to use them, you'd need to lose MMI control. subterFUSE, to be sure I understand, is the following correct?

• The Audi CD Transport decodes the digital signal and relays this bit perfect data
• The mObridge DA1 takes the digital data and takes MMI info (volume and other commands)
• The Helix DSP Pro decodes the signal to analog and put it out in multichannel if necessary to your amps
• The bit Play HD takes up to 24/96 FLAC files and streams them from your phone (by physical or WiFi connection?) or via the bit Play's SSD if you have it and sends it to the Helix

Does the bit Play offer MMI integration or do you just go from your phone?

Redd

Johnny-
Works great, but I'm not going to corrupt the proper names of every file in my library, just to make the car stereo happy. Nor am I willing to spend considerable time renaming a fairly large number of tracks, just for that.
I just write off the AMI system as an unfortunate error, most easily corrected by using another device. I'm tempted to add a 10" tablet on a hinged mount right over the AMI display, so a smarter device can own the real estate. There's very little I need from that OEM display, and a simple tablet would provide a much better nav system at the same time.(G)
Still, it is not as bad as one of the first big aftermarket radio companies, late 70's, where the bass was so poor that the tape player would literally go mute when a good heavy bass note was supposed to play.

subterFUSE

This was what Audi North America confirmed for me after contacting the engineers. They said the DVD drive reads the disc and sends the information digitally over SCSI connection to the MMI. From there, it is sent over MOST to the OEM amplifier.

Yes, the mObridge is connected by removing the MOST cable from the OEM amplifier and plugging it into the mObridge. The mObridge accepts the MOST audio signal and then outputs a stereo preamp signal via Optical Digital TOSlink. The MMI sources (DVD/CD, SD Card, Jukebox, AMI) all continue to work perfectly. The OEM amplifier and its internal audio processing are bypassed. The volume is still encoded into the Optical signal coming out of the mObridge, so that means your OEM volume control still works (**** and steering wheel).

The mObridge is ONLY an option if the plan is to replace the full stereo system in the car, because you must disconnect the OEM amplifier. So if someone is just looking to add a subwoofer, the mObridge will not work. It's all or nothing.


The Helix DSP Pro is a full-featured audio DSP device that can accept digital or analog inputs, including amplified signals. In the case of my audio system, I am running Optical TOSlink from the mObridge into the Helix. The Helix then processes the signal in the digital realm (crossovers, EQ, Time Alignment, Phase Alignment), and then converts it to analog for the final output to the amplifiers.


The BitPlay is an SSD based media storage server. It supports WAV, AIFF, MP3/AAC and FLAC, with resolution up to 24/96.

It outputs the audio via Optical Digital or HDMI.

Video can be output via HDMI or Composite Video.

The Composite Video output can be displayed on the Audi MMI screen via the AMI port with the AMI A/V adapter. Here's a pic from my car:



The BitPlay is controlled either by a smartphone app (over WiFi) or by wireless IR remotes that are included.


I have the Optical cable going from the BitPlay directly into the Helix DSP. This is great because it fully bypasses the car's electronics, ensuring the cleanest signal.