Aux in vs Dice etc.. in a DSP equipped car

[Laska]

I know this has been absolutely done to death (to say the least!)... but.. has anyone had both a DICE/Denison and an ipod-via-line-out-and-Aux-socket in a DSP equipped car and done a back to back sound comparison? If so, was there any difference?

The reason I ask is I just fitted the Aux In and it sounds ok, but not great (nowhere near as much bass clarity and punch and slightly muffled in the mid range). I'm reasonably knowledgeable on hifi so I think I have it setup about as well as possible: The ipod is connected to the Aux socket from the ipod's lineout rather than the headphone socket, my tracks are encoded at 320, the ipod's e.q. is off, I have adjusted the limited bass/treble/fade options on the head unit etc., but to be honest it just doesn't sound as good as the CD.

My suspicion is that this is because I have the DSP professional stereo in mine, so there must be an analogue-to-digital convertor in the head unit (standard Business one) as, if I understand things correctly, the signal passed from the head unit to the amp in the boot is pure digital? Presumably this means the CD's pure digital signal is getting converted just once by the DAC in the amp, where as the ipod's signal is being converted from analogue to digital and back to analogue.

I think the DICE boot install kit uses a standalone ADC (the bit you pay the extra £70 for) to convert the analogue ipod signal to digital to pass straight to the amp, so I'm wondering if this is a better quality/sounding ADC than the one in the Business head unit - if so not using the one in the head unit could improve the overall sound.

I'm presuming the head unit install version of the DICE, and the Dension will sound exactly the same as the Aux In as they both connect via the aux in pins on the back of the head unit rather than via CD mounting kit in the boot.

Any and all thoughts appreciated, or if you never want to read another thread on the ipod feel free to flame away!

 

[bras0782]

Dension won't work with DSP. Their website doesn't tell you this, much to my annoyance as I bought it based on their compatibility list

 

[JamesF]

Dension won't work with DSP. Their website doesn't tell you this, much to my annoyance as I bought it based on their compatibility list

I have the Dension Ice Link and DSP and it works??

 

[pvr]

Icelink does - DICE doesn't ...

 

[JamesF]

Icelink does - DICE doesn't ...

I see. Whats the difference??

 

[AlanL]

I have the AUX in my car with DSP and I added in the DICE interface. As a comparison the AUX input is a useless piece of junk that I would never even consider as an alternative to listening to CDs.

The BMW DSP unit that exists in other BMW cars is not the same as the one in the Z4s. I have that in my wife's 2005 X3 and I had to add in a DSP converter that is sometimes a little flaky as an interface. That is not necessary in the Z4 at all. At the same time, while using Apple lossless format iPod material both vehicles offer playback at CD sound quality levels with the DICE interface.

AUX was a very weak sound level playback in my Z4 with sound quality I would not even bother with. If AUX were my only choice for iPod playback in my Z4 I would simply rip the OEM system out and start over.

 

[Laska]

I have the AUX in my car with DSP and I added in the DICE interface. As a comparison the AUX input is a useless piece of junk that I would never even consider as an alternative to listening to CDs.

The BMW DSP unit that exists in other BMW cars is not the same as the one in the Z4s. I have that in my wife's 2005 X3 and I had to add in a DSP converter that is sometimes a little flaky as an interface. That is not necessary in the Z4 at all. At the same time, while using Apple lossless format iPod material both vehicles offer playback at CD sound quality levels with the DICE interface.

AUX was a very weak sound level playback in my Z4 with sound quality I would not even bother with. If AUX were my only choice for iPod playback in my Z4 I would simply rip the OEM system out and start over.

Hi Alan, thanks for that, really useful knowledge. I think the only difference between my and your setups is that you have the newer 'analogue' DSP (which I think means the signal passed back to the amp from the headunit analogue, and therefore means you don't need the ADC) where as mine is 'digital' DSP so I do need the ADC for the boot install.

Am I right in guessing that your DICE is boot installed, connecting to the CD changer harness, rather than the dash-fit version that connects to the back of the stereo?

 

[pvr]

As far as I know, all Z4s had analogue DSP

 

[bras0782]

As far as I know, all Z4s had analogue DSP

Older Z4s were digital, newer are analogue. Don't know when they switched over.

So the problem occurs with the older models.

 

[bras0782]

Dension won't work with DSP. Their website doesn't tell you this, much to my annoyance as I bought it based on their compatibility list

I have the Dension Ice Link and DSP and it works??

Icelink does - DICE doesn't ...

I was referring to the the newer Dension Gateway units which have replaced the IceLinks - I don't know if the latter is DSP compatible.

The DICE is a different product, not made by Dension. You can get the cable/setup for this to work with DSP, but I suppose it will have to sit in the boot.

 

[AlanL]

My Z4's DICE unit did NOT require a analogue digital converter - my wife's 2005 X3 did. I did put mine in the boot and then ran the interface cable into the storage unit between the seats.

 

[Laska]

My Z4's DICE unit did NOT require a analogue digital converter - my wife's 2005 X3 did. I did put mine in the boot and then ran the interface cable into the storage unit between the seats.

That makes sense, yours is a newish Z4 so will have the 'analogue' DSP, the issue occurs with older Z4s (and by the looks of it X3s!) which have 'digital' DSP (i.e. the input signal to the DSP amp is via a co-axial digital feed).

 

[Aebous]

Ya'll lost me at hello