Taking an existing MP3 file that is used for our MP3 player and put it on a CD there will be NO increase OR decrease fidelity... that's the beauty of digital.

It is true when an audio is RIPPED from a CD and a change to the sample rate up or down will affect the audio quality. This or course will have an affect on the number of songs on a CD/DVD, the higher the sample rate the less songs on the CD/DVD... BUT...

If I can put ONLY a 150 songs on a CD and have a 6 CD changer that means I can play 900 songs. On the NAV/DVD system with only 1 CD/DVD player I can put approximately the same amount of songs on a DVD. That is approximately 45 hours of songs! If I'm willing to use WMA compression I can probably get 200 hours of songs. The beauty here is I can use either MP3/WMA or both on the same CD/DVD... a lot of choices without having to take my dash apart.

Yes scratches on a CD/DVD will affect the quality but if I'm making them myself... who cares? And it does take a lot of scratches to have any affect.

For thoses that can hear the difference between 384 and 192 sample rates... God bless... getting old will fix that.

Also we've got to take into account how Hyundai will impact this on our warranty in this area.

All of this is of course a personal thing. I'm not being critical or judgmental if anybody wants to open up their dash to put in an aux jack, go for it... I admire your ingenuity. For me, I have not seen any arguments that are worth the cost/benefit of taking my dash apart versus my existing options… again it’s just me.

This post has been edited by raw6464: May 17 2008, 05:18 AM

Audio CD song title display

Has anyone discovered how many characters can be used to identify audio CD tracks on their Azera with Infinity audio system?

Does it make any difference what type of audio files you are creating and burning to CD? :unsure:

Joe

Joe,

There is a limit before the characters get cut off. It's been so long since I've had the factory radio in, I have forgetten how man exactly though.

Concerning the 2nd part of your question, yes...it does matter what type of files you burn to the disc. The stereo will only read MP3 files, not WMA or AAC files, just MP3.

Mike

It would have been nice if they spent the extra $3 for the stereo to read ID3 tags off the mp3s.

You're right about quite a few things you're saying, but it all boils down to preferences. I too was thinking along the same lines as you, but...in the end, you can only listen to one disc at a time. Maybe they changed it, but on the Infinity head unit in the 2006, it does not have the capability to shuffle between discs, just the songs on one disc. Then, you're at the mercy of the head unit because you can't dictate what songs you might wanna play. What I mean is...you may want to listen to a certain genre or a certain artist. Also, the sound shaping controls on the Inifnity head unit leave a lot to be desired. It's still a great sounding system, don't get me wrong, but for those out there like myself...I want more from my musical entertainment, so swapping out was a priority for me.

Am I worried about voiding the warranty on that portion of my Azera, of course not, it doesn't affect any other part of the car as the entertainment sytem isn't connected to any other system in the car. Also, if you have someone that knows what they are doing and install everything correctly...you shouldn't have any problems at all. Also, getting into the dash really is simple once you know how to do it. If you were to do it, afterwards you would be like, "Wow...that's all it took???" It's not rocket science.

Concerning the difference between 384 and 192 and you're right...not much of sound difference once you get above 192 kbs. However...listen to an MP3 ripped below 192 kbs, you'll hear a difference and it sounds terrible.

I've been burning MP3 discs and average 150 songs per disc, which equates to about 10 hours of music (average). An aftermarket unit will let you burn WMA files (further compression) and get even more music onto a disc. Put it like this...with a combo of MP3 and WMA files on the same disc, I was able to get every single Jay-Z album (Reasonable Doubt to American Gangster) onto a single CD AND...play it back. If I put that same CD into the OEM Infinity head unit...it would only read the MP3 files on it.

In short, there are advantages and disadvantages to replacing the factory stereo. The question really is...do the pros outweight the cons for you and your listening enjoyment. Weighing cost to benefit is a subjective thing and it would depend on how much you put into your listening enjoyment. If you simply just want to have a lot of music at your fingertips...leave the OEM stereo in there and enjoy. If you really want to get into your music and customize the sound you actually hear and have additional features the OEM stereo doesn't provide...then the benefit far outweighs the cost. Go out and do some smart shopping and the cost is negligible because if you keep all the components you remove, you can put them all back if you should decide to trade or sell the car and take all the aftermarket stuff with you and possibly put it into another vehicle.

Just 2 cents from the other point of view on this subject.

Incorrect. It will indeed play WMA files. I have 11 hours of classic rock and 12 hours of classical on two discs that prove this.

Must be an upgrade because my OEM stereo (6 disc in dash unit) will not play WMA files, only mp3's. Same thing with the OEM unit in my '07 Saturn Outlook. Now the aftermarket unit I have plays mp3, wma & aac files.

This post has been edited by allmet33: Oct 15 2008, 12:52 PM

Nope. Stock '06 6-CD changer.

I did get around to creating a CD for our Azera. It provides hours of listening when we go into areas that are not served by FM stations that have the music I like. It turned out that my titles were cut off in some cases, but I can still tell what I have selected easily enough. I used MP3 files. I haven't tried any other format. I may create some more CDs to install in the changer.

I ran an audio cable set from my stereo to my computer and recorded audio tracks using Audacity software. The music was from my set of old LPs. The Audacity software allowed me to eliminate the clicks and pops caused by scratches on the records. It was time consuming, but rewarding. I have many LPs that have music that simply is no longer available. The data rate setting used was 192KB. It was satisfactory to my ears (I am now 65).

Happy Motoring! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.gif)

Joe

Try www.albumhunt.com, you may be surprised at what you'll find on that site. I've been able to go back and find music from the 70's. Of course it all depends on what music people are sharing. All you have to do is register a screen name (it's free), download the winrar unzip software and then it's all about finding the music you want. Good luck!

Mike

My 2009 Azera hasn't been delivered yet so I have no idea what make of stereo is standard in it. Most of the posters here seem to be in the U.S. where I believe the stock stereo is different than that in the Canadian version of the Azera. Unfortunately, I really never paid much attention to what stereo was installed because I was concentrating on more important factors to consider when spending over $30,000 on a vehichle. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grin.gif)

Now, after reading this thread, I'm wondering what I'm getting -- the make, # of cd(s), etc. Is there anyone here from Canada that enlighten me? Also, if it's a real crappy stereo, where would I be able to upgrade it in my area of Southwestern Ontario? Any suggestions on a specific stereo to upgrade to would be greatly appreciated as well.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/liebe011.gif)

I don't know which stereo you have installed in your car, Joe, but in my 2009 Azera the stereo SETUP allows me to have SCROLLING TEXT turned on for those longer song titles. Maybe yours has that too? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beer.gif)