fuzzymoomoo Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 You can get high quality digital music but it takes up tons of disk space. To me a 256 mps mp3 sounds just as good as an audio cd on my Fusion sony system, but I'm not very picky about my audio. Bluetooth is actually very high bandwidth - much higher than I thought. The problem with the Aux input is if you're using a headphone output from your media player then you're not getting a line level input and it can sound bad and you're subject to whatever digital processing the media player is doing to compensate for tiny earphones. A good line level input should be just as good as bluetooth from the same device. That's why I always plug my iPod to USB in my car. Most people don't notice it but there's a far greater range and it doesn't make my sub work as hard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 IMHO, FM is better than Sirius for audio quality. FM's content stinks on ice, but the audio quality is better. It depends on the sirius channel and content. Some seem to have more compression than others plus older content like 60s music just wasn't recorded very well to begin with so it sounds even worse. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Bluetooth is actually very high bandwidth - much higher than I thought. The problem with the Aux input is if you're using a headphone output from your media player then you're not getting a line level input and it can sound bad and you're subject to whatever digital processing the media player is doing to compensate for tiny earphones. A good line level input should be just as good as bluetooth from the same device. I never liked BT when using Sync with my phone...it lacked imput power levels to "drive" the system. Anyways the easiest thing to do (IMO) is just copy everything on to a USB stick and plug it into USB port...done and done. They sell ones that are about the size of your thumbnail and barely stick out from the USB port. Just have to remove it once in a while to update the tunes you might have for it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Just my opinion, so far sound quality is pretty good from the Sony system I have. You have to play with the settings and if you're keen, adjust as required per album. The order of sound quality for me is CD, USB and Sirius. My FM is spotty but understandable considering the mountains in the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I never liked BT when using Sync with my phone...it lacked imput power levels to "drive" the system. Anyways the easiest thing to do (IMO) is just copy everything on to a USB stick and plug it into USB port...done and done. They sell ones that are about the size of your thumbnail and barely stick out from the USB port. Just have to remove it once in a while to update the tunes you might have for it. Yes, I have one of those micro usb drives and it works great. I never use the phone except in rare cases where there is a new song I haven't copied to the usb drive. But I don't understand BT lacking input power levels. It should be a line level output over BT so input level isn't applicable. If it didn't sound good then I suspect your phone's audio just wasn't very good. With my iphone 5 and 6 the bluetooth audio quality is the same as from the usb drive as far as I can tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Most of the time, I have my old iPod plugged in via sub, which sounds fantastic. Lately since I upgraded the old 8gb iPhone 4 to 64gb 6 plus, I've been using bluetooth more now that I can keep more than 1/2 a song on my phone. I make sure all my music is the same quality when I rip it or download it so I haven't noticed any drop in quality, though I normally listen to podcasts and talk radio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 But I don't understand BT lacking input power levels. It should be a line level output over BT so input level isn't applicable. If it didn't sound good then I suspect your phone's audio just wasn't very good. With my iphone 5 and 6 the bluetooth audio quality is the same as from the usb drive as far as I can tell. I dunno I have decent audio on my cell phone...Beats Audio in a HTC One...I know beats prob sucks just as bad Bose does, but hey at least its a name brand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 fuzzy, depends which bit rate its ripped at...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goinbroke2 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I held off looking at this thread...and not even sure why I eventually did read it as I'm fine with AM radio and a dash speaker.....it's all I need to listen to news/talk radio....and I like the hiss and pop of my Chuck Barry 8 tracks....I guess I won't buy a lincoln either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 (edited) fuzzy, depends which bit rate its ripped at...... Everything in my library is 320. I have more hard drive space than I know what to do with Edited December 10, 2014 by fuzzymoomoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 But I don't understand BT lacking input power levels. It should be a line level output over BT so input level isn't applicable. It depends on the phone. On my Samsung Ativ S Neo (Windows Phone 8.1), I have volume control over the BT feed, presumably because it treats Sync as a headset (this happens whether I'm using the Audible app, Podcasts app, or the Music app). The iPhone's integration is so inferior that I've not tried pairing my iPhone 6 with Sync; I resort to USB if I ever want to pull audio from the iPhone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Never had a problem with my iphones - 3g, 5 or 6 - other than the text notifications. My point was any problem with BT audio was due to the phone, not Sync or Sync's lack of input volume control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Never had a problem with my iphones - 3g, 5 or 6 - other than the text notifications. I have weird text issues with my HTC One at times...for some reason it wants to repeat an old message from my wife after I listen the latest one I got from her... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I have weird text issues with my HTC One at times...for some reason it wants to repeat an old message from my wife after I listen the latest one I got from her... That's the Wife Nag 2.0 app........... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHV 16V Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I have weird text issues with my HTC One at times...for some reason it wants to repeat an old message from my wife after I listen the latest one I got from her... The Mrs. probably activated that feature, it's called Reminders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Never had a problem with my iphones - 3g, 5 or 6 - other than the text notifications. I didn't say I had a problem, only that it was inferior. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnostic Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 True about audiophiles, but there aren't enough left to fill a Nissan Cube. In this day of MP3's, miniature soundbars, cellphone speakers, and self powered bluetooths, the only ones alive are too old to hear the high notes. The only ones who can hear the high notes are audio salesmen and dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 (edited) in terms of an audio device, as far as the I-pods are concerned, it depends if they are recorded lossless or not, but the biggest weakness is their DACs, if you've recorded lossless and have a doc station such as a WADIA routing to a good DAC, then the quality is not bad at all, even to an anal SOB such as myself...... Edited December 10, 2014 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I don't know if this was brought up. What is the new pecking order for Lincoln audio? Will THX still be around? Will THX replace the base audio for Lincoln? Will THX trickle down to Ford using Sony as the base audio? :shrug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 That's a good question. It would be nice to see the THX system as the base system ( but probably not with the thx name). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I would agree the THX system should be the base, Fords "base" systems are kinda sucky. But I dont think any company wants to be known as the "base" system. You brag you have the trophy wife, you just dont brag shes the 2nd wife. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 That's a good question. It would be nice to see the THX system as the base system ( but probably not with the thx name). Since THX is a certification rather than a product, there's no reason that the current THX system couldn't become the base system and keep the name. For that matter, there's no reason the Harman system couldn't also be THX Certified... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Since THX is a certification rather than a product, there's no reason that the current THX system couldn't become the base system and keep the name. For that matter, there's no reason the Harman system couldn't also be THX Certified... It's not just a certification in Lincoln vehicles - THX engineers actually helped design the systems and tune it. It's more of a product than a certification. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I forgot that the Explorer will introduce the upgraded Sony system. That said, there's still the Mustang Shaker PRO but it looks like Shaker base is gone. The Reviews on those systems were mixed IIRC. There is the available Kicker Subwoofer but it is limited availability (It would be nice to see it in the Fiesta HB, not just the sedan). Costs notwithstanding, it would be nice to see the trickle down to replace the base systems keeping Fords philosophy of technology in mind. If folks don't want the in house, maybe a delete option could be made available? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 That's a good question. It would be nice to see the THX system as the base system ( but probably not with the thx name). I think for luxury customers, keeping the name would appeal more. It is a bragging right more than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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