Joe Shadden Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 I installed a X930BT last week and noticed that the sound quality is pretty bad using the Pioneer IU51V cable. If I just plug a thumb drive with some music into the USB port, the sound quality is so much clearer. After reading around, I'm guessing the problem is the Pioneer cable is using the iPod's DAC. This is the first deck I've used in the past 5 years that did this and it sucks pretty bad. It's my fault for not doing more research, but I'm wondering if there's anything I can do with it. Is it possible to use the Apple composite video cable to bypass the iPod's DAC with the 930? All I want is a clean audio signal going to the receiver, I'm not concerned with video. If nothing else I'll just use a large thumb drive for music, but I'd like to be able to see album art and hear sound when I fast forward a song. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rgarjr Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 do you have an EQ enabled on your iPod? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joe Shadden Posted April 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 do you have an EQ enabled on your iPod? No, the EQ is turned off. I've also tried using a different iPod to see if it would make a difference with no luck. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
owyz1 Posted April 16, 2011 Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 No, the EQ is turned off. I've also tried using a different iPod to see if it would make a difference with no luck. I have the 930BT and it sounds great with my Iphone hooked up to it....... I have the Pioneer IU50V cable Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1loudls Posted April 19, 2011 Report Share Posted April 19, 2011 you may have a problem with either you avic or your ipod cable, because the DAC inside the ipod does a much better job at uncompressing the music than the one inside the avic for usb mp3's, this is why the avic's don't just use a regular ipod sync cable and decode the mp3's itself. with all of the ones we have here, the Ipod always sounds much better than mp3's off of a jump drive, i can always hear the compression with jump drives, i can rarely hear the compression with an Ipod. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joe Shadden Posted April 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 Thanks for all the input! I put all my settings back to zero and tried again with the iPod and got much better results this time. I really had to add a lot of low end to the eq though which I thought was weird. It's still not a clean sounding to me as mp3's off the flash drive, but it's getting close. I can't believe that the DAC in the iPod is better than what Pioneer is using in their headunits. I figured with iPods being so cheap and designed to be used with headphones that it wouldn't do a very good job. Does anyone know where to find Pioneer's mic for auto eq'ing? I've done google searches for a cd-mc20 and their out of stock everywhere. I thought if I tried that it might sound better to me. From the looks, or sounds of it, I can't set a eq to save my life Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cltgt Posted April 20, 2011 Report Share Posted April 20, 2011 I'm hoping it's the same mic they use on the home units. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
s0uthpaw Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 I have a similar experience. I had a Pioneer Avic f900, and the JBL MS-8 revolutionized the sound I was getting in the car - it was no longer lifeless and crowded. For the first time, I had an appreciable sense of space between the instruments, proper stereo separation, and some life in the sound. And all from an iPod. I have just upgraded to the Pioneer Avic f930, and the sound has just taken a nosedive. Significantly less spatial resolution, and a real deadening quality to everything, despite recalibrating the JBL MS-8. I believe the problem is how the Pioneer now takes its audio from the iPod. Previously it was via USB (presumably digital), and I suspect there was headunit processing. Now, it comes from the iPod via a 3.5mm jack (though connecting through the Pod line-out connector). The audio feed may be using the Ipod's DAC, which is truly awful. My question is, what can I do with the MS-8 to improve the sound? I am really regretting upgrading to the Pioneer Avic f930, despite spending a lot on it... I would really appreciate any advice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1loudls Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 I have a similar experience. I had a Pioneer Avic f900, ... And all from an iPod. I have just upgraded to the Pioneer Avic f930 I believe the problem is how the Pioneer now takes its audio from the iPod. Previously it was via USB (presumably digital), and I suspect there was headunit processing. Now, it comes from the iPod via a 3.5mm jack (though connecting through the Pod line-out connector). The audio feed may be using the Ipod's DAC, which is truly awful. none of any of the AVIC's since the f900 has ever just used USB for the IPOD, both the F900 and the X930 use the ipod's internal DAC, if you are experiencing poor SQ, it has to be a setting or a problem with your unit. this is why the ipod cable for the F900 has usb (for control) AND rca connectors (to deliver the sound) which is the exact same as what the X930 uses except for the 930 uses a 1/8 A/V jack instead of the RCA connectors. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VBLUE42 Posted April 19, 2012 Report Share Posted April 19, 2012 I believe the problem is how the Pioneer now takes its audio from the iPod. Previously it was via USB (presumably digital), and I suspect there was headunit processing. Now, it comes from the iPod via a 3.5mm jack (though connecting through the Pod line-out connector). Yeah this was never the case. Seeing as how you bombed your knowledge of how the units work with this post, Im willing to bet your SQ problem is user error. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
s0uthpaw Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 Thanks for correcting my error on the iPod interface - not sure why I was so sure that the f900 was different. I'd be grateful for any advice on how to improve my situation. Essentially, I get good sound quality with USB or SD Card inputs, but pretty lousy (i.e. dead, lifeless) quality from iPod. I do not have an EQ set on the iPod. I use the Avic as my head unit, then output the signal to a JBL MS-8, which powers the speakers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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