Question for MMI Nav. plus owners about HD Radio

[Eugene-Dave-1]

I've previously posted about this over in the Electronics area but there doesn't seem to be much traffic there. Hope nobody minds me posting it in a few vehicle-specific areas. I have a new 2012 VW Touareg Lux TDI. The 2011 & 2012 Touaregs with factory nav use the VW RNS-850 nav-radio system. From what I've read online, the RNS-850 is basically the same head unit Audi uses since 2011 in some of its models. Possibly called the MMI Nav Plus. The VW head unit supports HD Radio. I believe the Audi counterpart also supports HD Radio. HD Radio is a digital broadcasting system that's piggybacked onto regular FM & AM stations so they can compete in the increasingly digital world. Directory of HD Radio stations in the US: http://www.hdradio.com/stations OK, to the point: I've discovered that my VW RNS-850 is unable to play ANY HD Radio stations in Stereo. All stations play back in mono (monaural). In fact it's actually worse than that: The HD Radio only plays the left channel information. Sound comes from all the speakers but it's not stereo and half the source content is missing. Regular analog FM stereo sounds fine, no problem with it. I've tested 2 other 2012 Touaregs, and both have the same problem with HD Radio. After posting on a few other forums, 7 other 2011-2012 Touareg owners have confirmed that their radios do exactly the same thing as mine: No stereo when tuned to HD Radio. VW denies there is a problem. I am on a mission to prove to them that the RNS-850 has a factory defect and I expect them to make it right. I am very interested in hearing from 2011-2012 Audi owners with HD Radio. Does your radio work correctly? Or does it share the Got No HD Radio In Stereo problem with its VW counterpart? I've made a video with stereo audio that demonstrates the problem as clearly as I can. If you check it out please listen with headphones, and read the description so you can understand what I'm driving at (see what I did there?). The link above the embedded video below will take you directly to the video on YouTube. I apologise in advance if I sound like I'm hammered in the video. I was completely sober. That's just how I normally sound. I appreciate any feedback from Audi enthusiasts! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDi0dUAwRWs

[fr8tdog]

Works great in my 12 A6.. get beaucoup stations in stereo and several come in on AM band also ( not in stereo but always through both speakers..

[fr8tdog]

Originally Posted by fr8tdog

Works great in my 12 A6.. get beaucoup stations in stereo and several come in on AM band also ( not in stereo but always through both speakers..

To clarify, the FM ones ARE in stereo..

[Notorious Tech]

Dave,
I'd read your post before and thought "that can't be true". I don't listen to HD much where I am because it drops in and out so much, but when it does lock in it doesn't sound right. Today I was closer to Seattle and was able to repeat EXACTLY your symptoms. I was listening to a song in FM that had lead guitar only on the right channel, when I switched to HD that guitar was completely gone! Switched back to FM and the guitar was back. I checked to make sure the sound settings weren't changing between HD and non-HD, so it's definitely just the radio.

[bclarkMN]

Originally Posted by Eugene-Dave-1

I've previously posted about this over in the Electronics area but there doesn't seem to be much traffic there. Hope nobody minds me posting it in a few vehicle-specific areas.

I have a new 2012 VW Touareg Lux TDI. The 2011 & 2012 Touaregs with factory nav use the VW RNS-850 nav-radio system. From what I've read online, the RNS-850 is basically the same head unit Audi uses since 2011 in some of its models. Possibly called the MMI Nav Plus.

The VW head unit supports HD Radio. I believe the Audi counterpart also supports HD Radio. HD Radio is a digital broadcasting system that's piggybacked onto regular FM & AM stations so they can compete in the increasingly digital world.

Directory of HD Radio stations in the US: http://www.hdradio.com/stations

OK, to the point: I've discovered that my VW RNS-850 is unable to play ANY HD Radio stations in Stereo. All stations play back in mono (monaural). In fact it's actually worse than that: The HD Radio only plays the left channel information. Sound comes from all the speakers but it's not stereo and half the source content is missing. Regular analog FM stereo sounds fine, no problem with it. I've tested 2 other 2012 Touaregs, and both have the same problem with HD Radio. After posting on a few other forums, 7 other 2011-2012 Touareg owners have confirmed that their radios do exactly the same thing as mine: No stereo when tuned to HD Radio.

VW denies there is a problem. I am on a mission to prove to them that the RNS-850 has a factory defect and I expect them to make it right.

I am very interested in hearing from 2011-2012 Audi owners with HD Radio. Does your radio work correctly? Or does it share the Got No HD Radio In Stereo problem with its VW counterpart?

I've made a video with stereo audio that demonstrates the problem as clearly as I can. If you check it out please listen with headphones, and read the description so you can understand what I'm driving at (see what I did there?). The link above the embedded video below will take you directly to the video on YouTube.

I apologise in advance if I sound like I'm hammered in the video. I was completely sober. That's just how I normally sound.

I appreciate any feedback from Audi enthusiasts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDi0dUAwRWs

I agree... Something is funky with the HD Radio in my 2012 A6. I was attributing it to the Surround sound settings on the MMI, and have changed it around. I've heard a few songs where I am missing the lead voice (can't remember which songs) but was on a classic rock station. There is something odd - it may be in mono and I just haven't noticed. I'll report back after I have a nice drive.

[Notorious Tech]

Originally Posted by bclarkMN

I agree... Something is funky with the HD Radio in my 2012 A6. I was attributing it to the Surround sound settings on the MMI, and have changed it around. I've heard a few songs where I am missing the lead voice (can't remember which songs) but was on a classic rock station. There is something odd - it may be in mono and I just haven't noticed. I'll report back after I have a nice drive.

Yeah, I tested it again today. I had a solid HD lock on KISW 99.9 HD1 in Seattle, listening to Jimi Hendrix Foxy Lady and could hear NO lead vocals, turned off HD and lead vocals were there.
5K service is coming up, I'm going to see what they say.

[manishaudi]

I am in LA, mainly listen to content on my iPhone. When I do listen to HD Radio, it sounds great. I haven't experienced any missing components of the music.

[SSA6]

Me too. When I enable HD FM it plays mono and not stereo. Fiddling with the Bose DSP settings (min to max) makes no difference. It just sounds weird in HD.

[Metallic-Force]

When I play my HD channels, it starts playing then it fades out and back in with a 3 second latency (it goes back 3 seconds in the song), I'm thinking that it's a bug in the Audi system that your cars aren't able to recognize or do a proper switch.

[weth]

2012 3g+ MMI Bose
I definitely get HD stereo separation in most channels. Some secondary or tertiary HD2 or HD3 channels are in mono. I have not heard any channel data missing though even in the HD2 or HD3 channels that sound like mono.

- Location - Southern California - Los Angeles and San Diego stations.