[gugin]

Each of us has their reasons. The reasons why I use ripped FLAC files loaded on a USB drive are twofold: (i) conserve cellular data and (ii) enjoy the dynamic range of CDs. Don't get me wrong--today's CDs are hugely compressed, but still contain substantially higher dynamic range than any streaming/digital service I know of.

[Keweenawbee]

Wow! I have been using a 128gb iPod Touch to keep it synched with my Mac iTunes library. They dropped the price by $100 a while back and it has an even slightly smaller profile then your enclosure, albeit way less capacity. I use almost that exact short cord. How do you organize your albums, songs, playlists, etc., does the BMW do all that for you?

[johnnj]

Originally Posted by Keweenawbee

Wow! I have been using a 128gb iPod Touch to keep it synched with my Mac iTunes library. They dropped the price by $100 a while back and it has an even slightly smaller profile then your enclosure, albeit way less capacity. I use almost that exact short cord. How do you organize your albums, songs, playlists, etc., does the BMW do all that for you?

I don't know about playlists because I never use them, but googlizing seems to indicate it can use m3u files.

iDrive will read the tags and allow you to browse by artist/album/track and display artwork.

[spangle1980]

Originally Posted by gugin

Each of us has their reasons. The reasons why I use ripped FLAC files loaded on a USB drive are twofold: (i) conserve cellular data and (ii) enjoy the dynamic range of CDs. Don't get me wrong--today's CDs are hugely compressed, but still contain substantially higher dynamic range than any streaming/digital service I know of.

I'm glad you mentioned that - I was curious about the difference in bit rate from, say, Apple Music to ripping a CD at 320kbps for example. I didn't mention FLAC because can the BMW actually consume FLAC?

Of course I just googled that as one should and found this interesting article

https://www.bimmer-tech.net/blog/ite...io-to-your-bmw

IN particular it doesn't rate Bluetooth music very highly due to the lack of aptX(?).

Looks like I'm going back to a USB stick for a like for like comparison of Bluetooth versus my trusty ambient chill house music on the stick (hey - I like rock too you know ;-). I bought the HK for a reason and I guess I was dumb in thinking the easy route (apple music via bluetooth) was the way?

[Keweenawbee]

Originally Posted by johnnj

iDrive will read the tags and allow you to browse by artist/album/track and display artwork.

When using the iPod it will allow those browsing options too but it will not allow playing by artist hence I have to make the playlists for each artist (when more than one album of each artist). Can you play globally by artist and set random play of that artist's songs?

[nosnoop]

Originally Posted by spangle1980

I'm glad you mentioned that - I was curious about the difference in bit rate from, say, Apple Music to ripping a CD at 320kbps for example. I didn't mention FLAC because can the BMW actually consume FLAC?

Apple Music uses 256kps AAC, which is usually as good or better than 320kbps MP3.

For Cellular connection, make sure you toggle the settings under Music->Cellular to allow high quality streaming over cellular connection.

IN particular it doesn't rate Bluetooth music very highly due to the lack of aptX(?).

Yes, use CarPlay or USB connection. CarPlay uses WiFi to stream music, and it is as good as USB connection.

[johnnj]

Originally Posted by Keweenawbee

When using the iPod it will allow those browsing options too but it will not allow playing by artist hence I have to make the playlists for each artist (when more than one album of each artist). Can you play globally by artist and set random play of that artist's songs?

I just tried doing that and it was fairly obvious how it worked:
1. select an artist using the browser
2. enable the Shuffle control on the lower left
3. go down to the Titles section and start one playing

It will then play random tracks by that artist. It doesn't do that with your iPod as a source?

Also, I got around to measuring my enclosure:
2.5"x1.6"x0.4"
75x52x12mm

Is an ipod touch really smaller than that? Apple shows the dimensions as:
Height: 4.86 inches (123.4 mm)

Width: 2.31 inches (58.6 mm)

Depth: 0.24 inch (6.1 mm)

Originally Posted by spangle1980

I didn't mention FLAC because can the BMW actually consume FLAC?

Yes, it can play FLAC. It can't play ALAC, though.

[Keweenawbee]

[QUOTE=johnnj;24348642]I just tried doing that and it was fairly obvious how it worked:
1. select an artist using the browser
2. enable the Shuffle control on the lower left
3. go down to the Titles section and start one playing

It will then play random tracks by that artist. It doesn't do that with your iPod as a source?

Also, I got around to measuring my enclosure:
2.5"x1.6"x0.4"
75x52x12mm

Is an ipod touch really smaller than that?
__________________________________________________ _________


No, I was only guessing at the size of yours from your photo. No, the iPod lets me select an artist - then an album by that artist before I can start it - playing. I had to make a bunch of artist playlists at home. In the car I have to go to search - playlist - then select the artist, - then select random

Are you pulling your music from already structured home based music data?

Also, just remembered one real cool thing about the iPod in the BMW, it is within wifi range when parked and it has the option of automatically updating new album/song purchases while the car is nearby. It really perplexed me for awhile why my songs were doubling and requiring editing down/deleting duplicate titles! (I was bringing it in and updating it again after it had already added the new titles)

[johnnj]

[QUOTE=Keweenawbee;24348804]

Originally Posted by johnnj

No, the iPod lets me select an artist - then an album by that artist before I can start it - playing. I had to make a bunch of artist playlists at home. In the car I have to go to search - playlist - then select the artist, - then select random

Are you pulling your music from already structured home based music data?

Also, just remembered one real cool thing about the iPod in the BMW, it is within wifi range when parked and it has the option of automatically updating new album/song purchases while the car is nearby. It really perplexed me for awhile why my songs were doubling and requiring editing down/deleting duplicate titles! (I was bringing it in and updating it again after it had already added the new titles)

That's a drag. So if you go into the iDrive media screen and open up an artist, you don't see a list of all the tracks for that artist if you scroll down below the list of albums? I thought I remembered seeing that in my last car when I was using an iPod as my source.

All of my music just has regular ID3 tags. I'm kind of a stickler about getting them right. For years I've used the dbpoweramp tag shell integration and some other stuff to keep them clean and consistent and I also use their cd ripper.

Yeah, the convenience of synching is one one of the things I miss having left the Apple world behind for music. Whenever I add music I need to put it into a temp folder on my music share so I can copy it onto my DAP cards and the car's USB storage. That's great that yours even syncs via WLAN.

[Keweenawbee]

[QUOTE=johnnj;24349237]

Originally Posted by Keweenawbee

All of my music just has regular ID3 tags. I'm kind of a stickler about getting them right. For years I've used the dbpoweramp tag shell integration and some other stuff to keep them clean and consistent and I also use their cd ripper.

So you can edit those ID3 tags yourself, just like when I go into iTunes and change the album artist field, for instance, to get them to display in the way that I want? Usually if I really dig an artist and he is part of an ensemble album I can put his name in the "album artist" field and it will list out with his albums.

How does iTunes handle importing music with ID3 tags?

[johnnj]

[QUOTE=Keweenawbee;24349962]

Originally Posted by johnnj

So you can edit those ID3 tags yourself, just like when I go into iTunes and change the album artist field, for instance, to get them to display in the way that I want? Usually if I really dig an artist and he is part of an ensemble album I can put his name in the "album artist" field and it will list out with his albums.

How does iTunes handle importing music with ID3 tags?

Yeah, it's exactly like that. I think when you edit song info in iTunes it also writes to the ID3 tags, and when iTunes imports music it gets the info from those tags, as well.

[spangle1980]

Originally Posted by nosnoop

For Cellular connection, make sure you toggle the settings under Music->Cellular to allow high quality streaming over cellular connection.

O-M-G, I never knew that option was there!!!

Thanks so much, I now hit it to green :-)