skipper2

I checked the manual and didn't see anything mentioning whether the system would play FLAC audio. Has anyone tried it?

snagitseven

Apparently not. Click the 3G Nav+ MMI Entertainment link near the top of the page for info on supported MMI formats.

subterFUSE

There is no native FLAC support in the MMI system.

If you want to use a lossless audio compression format, then you'll need to use an iPod with Apple Lossless... or another brand of portable media device which supports FLAC.

snagitseven

Apple lossless files can be played from an iPod/iPhone via the AMI cable (not digital as iPod/iPhone output is only in analog). FLAC files from any device or SD card are not supported by the MMI. Most feel hi-bit digital AAC or WMA files on SDHC cards (or copied to the Jukebox) will provide the best MMI performance.

subterFUSE

I can assure you that an Apple Lossless file played analog from an iPod will offer better performance than an AAC or MP3 file played digitally. The lossy compression of AAC and MP3 is more detrimental to sound quality than the iPod's internal DAC. Besides, we don't even know if the internal DAC in the MMI system is any better than the iPod's? In all reality, I would think it's not any better. It might even be worse.

snagitseven

Perhaps, but from the iPod via AMI, if you have the B&O MOST system, the file is converted to analog by the device then back to digital and then finally converted back to analog - three conversions which seemingly would have some effect on performance. Using an SDHC card, the file remains in the digital domain until the last conversion to analog. Also, for those that opted for the A6 B&O system, I understand that it has an excellent DAC on board; probably superior to the one in an iPod/iPhone.

dssdmd

My entire classical music collection is in FLAC format. To play them on my iPhone5 I had to convert to Apple lossless, which is what I listen to through high quality earphones(not while driving). I expect that, when my A6 arrives by the end of the month that my choices will be to listen from my Iphone via an Apple 30 pin to lightning adapter, or, if I spend the money, from an iPad. There are mobile players that play FLAC, but I would then need to use the headphone out to the AMI. Then I would loose seeing my music on the A6 display. I have been told that using Bluetooth from my iPhone is not high quality because of Bluetooth limits. I am also not sure how high quality I will need to listen via the A6 audio system with all the ambient noise present anyway. If I listen at the volume that I listen to at home, I would never hear the road sounds needed for safe driving!I will have the BOSE system.

newmoon

I just checked it myself with a FLAC and a WAV file on an SD card and they don't even show up in the MMI.

I feel that using any lossless format in a car is a waste anyway, because of all the noise.

I do use FLAC to keep a master copy of all my CD rips though. But from them, I have settled on transcoding them to mp3 with lame -V2 so this single set of files can be used on ALL of my devices, they have near-transparent sound quality, and do not take up too much room.

snagitseven

AAC files at 256 bps (on SDHC card) sound less compressed to me than MP3 files on the B&O system.

newmoon

What are you using to make the MP3 files? Yes there are some bad MP3 encoders out there, which sound bad even at 320 kbps.

I've tried to tell the difference between lame mp3s and the original FLAC files using blind ABX testing at home with Sennheiser HD 600 headphones. I couldn't tell the difference at the lame -V2 bitrate. Only if I go down to -V4 or -V5 I can sometimes tell the difference.