Dynaudio - iPod VS CD

[Mariani]

Has anyone else noticed that the Dynaudio sound quality is MUCH BETTER playing a CD instead of using an iPod via MDI?

The MDI applies some sort of weird compression and changes the sound quality. CD is raw and plays it the way it was intended. Disappointing really, coming out of a mini with AUX Mini jack I was really looking forward to USB iPod.

What is the best way of loading this exact raw quality on the internal hard drive? Is it possible?

Mic

[Drift]

The MDI doesn't compress anything. It's working with what it's given 128kbps is 128kbps no matter which way you spin it and if you allow iTunes to do it's thing, when updating your library, that's what you'll get.

The integration with iDevices isn't smooth enough for my liking (I'm fussy though) so instead I use a 16GB thumbdrive loaded up with a mix of WMAs & MP3s with a minimum of 196kbps. More than happy with the sound quality and certainly indecernable from CD.

[straight_fresh]

if you use apple lossless when loading songs on your ipod it doesnt compress them at all, goes straight onto your ipod the way it was on the cd, you do sacrafice storage space though, my 8gb itouch only has 300 or so songs and its full

[118 Tsi]

Even with normal sound system and aftermarket options it's the same deal. Regardless of the Kbps of the mp3, it's just ****ty! Should really be perfect quality!

[Corey_R]

I'ved moved this to the VW Audio and Electronics forum as this is not MK6 specific.
Also, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the iPhones MDI output is analogue, as almost all iPod audio connections are analogue.

In my experience, there is no difference between "real" USB devices and CD given appropriate audio files. The issue you are experiencing is something you need to live with due to Apple's product design.

[Mariani]

Corey, I think you may be right. This is the design of Apple's IPod. Nothing to do with the file quality. I did the test. Purchased a new album from iTunes. Played It through iPod via MDI and then burnt to CD as an audio file. CD is 10 times better. No question about it.

I'm going to try and import data files into the hard drive and do another comparison.

Apologies about thread category.

Mic

[AdamD]

As Corey says, the dock output for all iPods and iPhones is analogue - you're using the tiny DACs in the device to do the conversion. (This is why not all Apple products are created equal in this respect - many are better than others in terms of DAC specification and quality.) Apple have done this for copyright protection reasons: remember they used to sell DRM music; output of a decrypted digital bitstream would allow anyone to circumvent it and copy the music.

[halojump]

CD Audio will in most cases always be better than MP3 (or whatever digital format you like) as there is a loss induced in the production of the audio file. This is regardless of what brand of Digital Audio player you have. The analogue connection from the iPod (which I wasn't aware of) will just make things worse.

All that said, your'e in a car, with road noise etc. You'll never really get 'pure' sound. Plus it's way better than my first car, a 1987 Corolla with an AM only push button radio.

Not that I am an audiophile or anything - check out the article @ MP3 vs AAC vs FLAC vs CD | Stereophile.com and MP3 vs. CD Audio Quality Tests

[PunkJr]

The MP3 format takes a song in CD format, then throws away 4/5ths of the information! It then guesses as to what it should put back in playback. Comparing MP3's to CD's is like comparing VHS video tape to DVD. By playing the song from your iPod, you are using the DAC from the iPod rather than the DAC in the head unit. To put it into perspective, I have a standalone DAC on my hifi at home that cost $700 (you can spend a lot more). The DAC in your iPod is worth about $2. The DAC in your head unit would be substantially better than the one in your iPod.

So you have two issues here that are contributing to horrible sounding music, and if you're listening to hip hop or pop, then there is a third issue also.

[Mariani]

Ok...

After running various tests I can confidently confirm the following:

Playing music through the internal hard drive is WAY BETTER quality than playing it through your iPod via MDI

There is none of that dodgy compression, the bass is clearer and actually kicks nice and strong.

I'm now grabbing all my favourite albums and loading them onto the HD.

Mic