Ben Z

I think if I had a .2 or a 991 I'd be tempted to just install a Tranzit-Blu HF for $100 and use that for phone and streaming music and GPS. Easy enough to plug the standard lightning cable into the USB or cig lighter for charging if needed.

Supermode

I see a lot of threads about this. The bitrate is much lower with Bluetooth streaming vs AUX input thus the lower sound quality. My VW golf has Bluetooth streaming and I can hear the difference between the two. If you are watching TV its like comparing analog TV to HD TV. The qaulity is much clearer and more crisp. I dont mind the extra wire from my phone to the center console (997.2).

dmz

Minok, great post! this explains why my original ipod cable does not have the USB connector and does not charge my iPhone either. I guess I'll have to order the Y cable. But now that I have a USB thumb drive with all MP3 on it, I am not really sure if I want to plug in my iPhone anymore, there isn't much room in the console for my iPhone 6 Plus anyways.

rjshar

Just had a random idea... What about buying an iPod touch, create a WiFi hot spot with your phone, then you can use all of your streaming services and sync podcasts over WiFi. Has anyone tried this?

I'm on Android, so even if I wanted to plug my phone in so I could use the cars controls, I couldn't. I'm stuck using aux, and it isn't terrible, but I'd like to be able to be a bit more streamlined.

Ben Z

The sound quality from bluetooth vs hardwire AUX in my '11 E-Class (Harmon-Kardon system) is very close. Then again I'm using Spotify, not MP3's. And in my Porsche (Bose system) the road/tire noise, wind noise, engine noise, all the various squeaks and rattles, rear speakers facing into the rear seat backs, and cabin shape in general, is orders of magnitude below the Merc in accoustics to begin with. In fact the main reason I listen to music in the 997 is to partially drown out those other annoyances on long drives. My primary purpose for streaming is GPS commands. It's just nice not to have to have a tangle of wires, or need to remember to plug and unplug my phone. Wired connections are fine for an iPod you leave in the car.

david

Yup I have considered something like this solution and I believe that it would work but then battery life would be sucked out of the iP6 and I'd need to keep that plugged into a battery pack.

Wayne Smith

Android. ProClip charging cradle. Power cord through the dash almost unseen. Aux cable through the dash, down the center tunnel, out of sight.

Supermode

The bitrate quality for Bluetooth is 144k. AUX input is CD quality at 4400k. Average MP3's are 320k, so Bluetooth cant stream it.

Bluetooth was designed for wireless voice streaming.

Minok

That works too.
The only issue is the computer file system interface isn't as elegant on the PCM as the iPod interface you would get from using an iPod.

Ben Z

I see. Didn't know that. I only listen to Spotify, the streaming rate says NORMAL=96k, HIGH=160, EXTREME=320 and AUTOMATIC (recommended) which is what I have it set to. In the Merc I can't tell any difference between AUX and BT, and in the Pcar I don't have an AUX to check. Given the accoustics and noisy cabin I'm not sure my hearing is good enough anymore to even tell

Minok

Well not fully accurate.

Bluetooth A2DP profile does have a bitrate limitation of 512 kbps for stereo audio (ie 2 channel) transmission, but those 2 channels can and should certainly be compressed.

CD's 44.1k sampling per second (at 16 bits per sample) -> 705.6 kbps, but that is uncompressed audio.

What so all bluetooth needs to do is have a supported audio compression CODEC that is supported at both ends. MP3 over the bluetooth channel is possible.

Remember, you don't need the 320kbps bitrate you get out of the MP3 codec to be transmitted over the bluetooth wireless segment; that can be MP3 compressed and thus uses much less bandwidth.

So there is more to this.

One can do ones own real-world tests, and those are the ones that matter - listen in YOUR car with YOUR ears. Get some typical music that you listen to - put the uncompressed audio on a CD and an MP3 on a USB, as well as play a high quality source of it over your BT A2DP device you plugged into the car. And listen to all 3 and do some A/B comparisions. Your music, your car, your ears.

Can you hear the differences and if so does the difference you hear matter to you.

Bigbwb

Update:
The Porsche y cable arrived. I plugged in my extra iPod nano(watch like one) and it played but I had no control of it via the pcm? Every time I tried changing a song etc on the bottom of the nav it said iPod data not found or something like that?? I had only a few brief minutes with it but......

johnd.211

Nevermind - operator error.

2011-sy-carreras

My solution was to install the Porsche Y cable and purchased a used IPOD NANO gen 6. That's the IPOD Nano that is a small square and about 1.5 inches. Connects using the 30 pin adapter. Works great and stays in the car connected all the time and integrated with the PCM to listen to all of my music. Sound quality of the music is good.


I separately installed Proclip's hard wire solution for my Iphone and use it only as the car's BT phone. I had a car audio shop tap into a power source behind the PCM. Proclip is used as my permanent drop in charger. Proclip has a very good angle car mount specifically designed for 997's and designed to attach to their Iphone drop in charger. Easy install and removal. Does not damage the console and installs easily. Can be removed easily as well when you decide to remove it without damaging the console area.

WantA997

Help!

So my WMA1000 unit came in the other day and I just picked up the Y cable from my dealer. I plugged everything in and paired my iPhone 6S with the WMA unit. But now what? When I press "iPod" on the navigation screen, it says there's no iPod connected. But when I go to Music on my iPhone and play a song, it plays from my car speakers no problem (with "AUX" showing up on my dash and on the nav screen, despite nothing being plugged into the AUX outlet). So in short, the music plays just fine, but I am not getting any song information on my nav screen (or the ability to select music from my nav screen). I don't even know where to begin troubleshooting this.

Any ideas?