Well,

I have a 2011 MCS with the USB/aux-in jack, no NAV/Connect. I am also an accomplished audio engineer/sound designer.

When I have the iPhone/iPod connected with the factory y-cable, it sounds like a poorly eq'd system, regardless of level/bass/treb settings. When I plug in my USB stick (no iPhone/iPod), I actually have a phenomenal factory level sound system! I even tried my buddy's y-cable and it still sounds the same. In his BMW, everything sounds the same whether it is on the iphone y-cable or the usb stick. On my Mini the two couldn't sound more different!

Hypothesis 1 - The AUX in audio jack in my car is of a poor build and needs to be replaced.

Hypothesis 2 - This is the way it is and the digital USB jack is the way to go.

Any feedback would be insurmountably appreciated!

Kindly,

aaron

 

I'm not 100% sure about your problem, but I know with Mini connected that using the y-cable lets the iPhone take over the whole system even sound level output.
You have to turn the iPhone volume up all the way to get an acceptable level out, also you need to have the eq on your phone set up to work well with the output system.

Where as the eq and sound level from a USB stick is controlled entirely by the HK stereo system and sounds different.

I think you might just need to play with your iPhone volume, iPhone eq settings and HK stereo eq settings to get the sound you want.

 

If it were only that easy. THank you though. It is unacceptably muddy. Changing EQ's, playing with levels; nothing get's it to sound anything near what it should!

aaron

 

Sounds like an issue with your aux-in plug or stereo head-unit that should be checked by the dealership. I can use the MINI-specific USB cable or just the line-in jack (using an aux-out adapter connected to my iPhone) and both sound the same. Just using the line-in plug with the headphone-out jack on the phone/ipod is not ideal but doesn't sound like you are trying that. Apparently the USB plug is just for iPhone control... the sound still goes via the aux-in (?).

 

Yes, the sound goes through the aux-in and the usb is for i-device control. Unless using a memory stick whereas the memory stick is direct digital. Weird design from BMW/Mini to have a Y cable necessary when obviously music can be delivered digitally.

aaron

 

Using the line-in instead of USB for playback on the iPHone/Pod probably has something to do with encrypted audio files or something.

 

Lots of people have an issue with the AUX IN and it is by far not a very good sounding system. I can assure you that the 2007-2010 models are bad. and that using the AUX in colors the music in not good way.

You may want to try a iPod Doc to RCA cable and then switch that from RCA to 3.5 Audio jack and see how that sounds. Unless of course you can find a iPod Doc to 3.5 Audio Jack direct of course this will not allow for charging or control of the iPod/Phone but at least you can tell if the OEM cable is the problem. I suspect that it is not and that the poor design of the earlier models just passed its way along to the updates in the MINI stereo system during the LCI update.

 

Great idea schatzy! That is exactly what I tried as well. I have a dock to mini-plug cable and still the same muddy sound. I am confidently leaning toward a sub-par jack in the car. Question is now, does it merit a replacement?

Aaron

 

Yes it does. You should have decent sound using line-out from the dock connector.

Would be a warranty item. Hopefully it's just the jack and not something in the head unit. Good luck.

 

I did not want to state a falseity earliy but now that i have had a chance to look at the wiring diagrams again it seems MINI has again in the latest up dates left the AUX audio going thru the ULF (bluetooth) module if the car is equipped from the factory with the Bluetooth/USB option. In the 2007 - 2010 cars the ULF module is known to color the sound horribly. Although none of the cars sound really good Audiophile quality from the AUX or any other source those with the USB option sound a lot worse.

Unfortunately the dealer will probably not do anything for you and just tell you that is is working fine as there is nothing they can really do about it. It comes from the factory that way and in my experience they could change modules all they want and it probably will not improve. It comes down to poor design from the start.

 

The OP indicates USB sounds fine but line-in is significantly worse. I've used both interfaces and don't notice such a significant difference and I have Bluetooth. I still think it sounds like an actual issue that should be checked out. Your comments about the ULF are interesting - did not know it was setup this way.

 

You must remember that different folks have different levels of hearing ability. What you can perceive as a difference is not the same as i can and let me tell you i have been in a lot of MINI's working on stereo systems and it is always the case that the AUX sounds worse than the USB by leaps and bounds. But I can make the USB sound bad to just by using low quality MP3 tracks.

I have had a lot of people tell me that they can not tell the difference between their iPod with earphones and my 60K stereo system at home. But there is a very big difference to those that have been brought up on high quality sound and those that have been brought up on the low quality sound have never learned to hear the difference.

 

I can assure you I can tell the difference between iPod cans and a decent home system. Now who knows if I can tell between a decent and a very high-end system anymore - I no longer consider myself an audiophile. Perhaps my expectation of a car audio systems is low... Anyways 60K on a home system sounds like something I would do when I was younger (but fortunately could not afford)... that must be quite the setup to see (and hear). I make do with my relatively inexpensive Etymotic mc3 in-ear headphones.

Do you stick with CDs or play something like loss-less encoded music for example?

 

This is very true. In recording music over the years I quickly learned that some people have golden ears and others simply can't hear subtleties. I'm somewhere in the middle; although, I'm a tone freak. However, I wondered if you can train your ears only to an extent, and more often than not, it's a gift that you have or don't. Similar to vocals; sure you can hit the notes, but you either have a pleasant voice or you don't. And, if we could all hear like Bob Ohlsson, he wouldn't be a legend!

 

If he's a true audiophile, he's spinning vinyl with that set-up.

 

i have found the DAC in the HK system to be better than the DAC in my iPhone. this could be the cause of the trouble. i buy CDs then encode them into a lossless file, so it's not the music. with the USB, you are using the HK DAC. with the aux in, the iPhone's DAC is being used. the Gen 5 iPod had the best DAC which is the same one used in a bunch of high end home theater receivers. the DAC in the HK is pretty darn good. you don't need "audiophile" equipment because the listening distance is so short and "in-car" dynamics are fairly poor.

try listening to music over bluetooth and see if it is better. that is a digital transmission which will utilize the HK DAC. if so, i would think that is your answer. however, this would not disprove a faulty AUX jack.

running from the dock connector to a LR cable then to an 3.5 mm converter won't solve the problem because the digital to analogue translation is still being made on the iPhone.

 

I think I already know the answer to this, but wanted to ask anyway.

As someone who is particularly fussy about sound I have always had trouble with factory stereos in cars, even the high end ones. I have the HK system in my car, and it's great, but I want more adjustment than just bass and treble. I've tried all the EQ settings in my iPhone but that doesn't help with Sirius or other. Actually, I have custom EQ settings at home for my iTunes collection and those don't seem to save to my iPhone (is there a way?).

Anyway, long story short, is there a way to add an EQ of some kind to the factory stereo? (Even if it needed to be in the glovebox or under the seat.)

Just curious. Thanks!