Porsche Ipod connect

Guys, picking up my Cayman on Friday, ordered it with the Porsche Ipod "FM" based system and the dealer has decided NOT to have the car factory fitted with this kit as its "aweful". The sound quality is very bad and Porsche should get a slapped wrist for intruducing such a poor add-on! So the dealer at no cost option will be installing a Dension 500 system Why do Porsche do this!

How would your dealer know what it sounds like?

It's an FM based system. FM sounds awful. FYI, I spoke with a company that is coming out with an Ipod / XM solution for Porsches. It is a simple plug that goes where a CD changer would. Hardwired, simple. Ken, I'll email them again and see what I can do about getting them to do a sponsorship.

If FM sounds awful how do FM stations stay in business? Or AM for that matter? We aren't talking home audio setups in acoustically beneficial rooms, we are talking in a Cayman with a motor plopped right behind the seats. I have a Dension 500 direct wired fiber optic hook up for my ipod and I can tell you that good FM stations sound just as good as my ipod, in fact better depending upon the recording quality that itunes put out for the song that was ripped. I don't think anyone should say that a unit sounds awful until they've heard it for themselves. If you ordered the car with that option it shoudl have come that way from the factory, if it didn't, then I suspect your dealership screwed up and forgot to order it so they are wanting to make your car "right" by giving you a different option instead and covering with the phrase that the factory unit sounded awful... if it wasn't in your car, how could they have heard it???

Is the Porsche FM solution an option that they install at the factory, or is it considered a dealer-installed accessory? IMHO, I'd be happy, as the OP seems to be, that he will get a solution actually integrated into his sound system, safely controllable through his radio (and steering wheel controls if he has them), instead of a solution in which he will have to switch to a radio preset to listen and miss out on the frequencies that FM radio can't handle. Also since his dealer is installing it, he doesn't have to worry about warranty issues or another installer messing up the wiring harness. FM is still in business because it's what all the broadcast stations use... HD radio just didn't catch on and satellite costs subscription money. - Suneet

On AM and FM the sound quality just isn't there. If you are saying your Ipod sounds only as good as FM, you are using low quality files on your Ipod. XM or Sirius is CD quality, and will NOT sound that way via FM transmitter. That was my original point.

I don't know what I can and cannot post since they aren't a sponsor. I've used their products before on and old VW. It's a simple device. It fools your radio into thinkig the Ipod/XM is a CD changer. It's basically just a plug. Here is the email the compnay sent me when I inquired on a Porsche solution. Dan, We are currently finishing our Fiber Optic interface system for BMW. Once that is done we will use that base to developed an interface for Porsche. It looks to be a couple of months away at this point. Thanks, Victor Vasquez As soon as I have more info, I'll let everyone know. It looks like it will still be a little while.

They gotta be a sponsor for a mention?

FM is on par with a 64 Kbps mp3, XM Radio is on par with a 128 Kbps mp3. You can use uncompressed audio on an iPod which gives you significantly better quality. That doesn't even take into account any transmission interference. I've posted before about the technical issues that plague the quality of FM based solutions. The difference is easy to hear.

The company is Blitzsafe. I'm sure some of you have used their products before. I can't speak to how the Porsche system will work, but the one I used on my VW plugged in where the CD changer would normally go. the other side of the plug is a 3.5mm female input. It "fools" the system into thinking you are using a factory CD changer. I used it as an XM connection, and the quality was excellent. I would assume it would be a similar integration for our cars, but I don't know. I passed along all the info I received from them in the prior post.

NAV-TV already has a simple aux-in solution. It hooks into the MOST bus and they told me it would be $400. At that price, the Dension makes more sense. However, they did seem open to a group buy. The question is, what are people willing to pay for a fiber-optic aux input that does nothing else? A hard-wired FM modulator is going to be ~$50-$70 including the antenna adaptors. The Dension is around $469. It seems to me that a simple AUX input should be around $200, not $400. Much better sound quality, but no iPod control. Split the difference in price. Here is the link to the instalation instructions (just so you know it exists): http://www.navtv.com/manuals/MOSTAUXPOR/MOST AUX Instructions.pdf

even if the Porsche solution sounds good, or even as good as a direct connection, I still think that you got a better deal. At least you now have full integration! ________________________ "Sir! We're surrounded!" - "Excellent! We can shoot in any direction!" A good car will get you from point A to point B. A great car... will just get you into trouble!

And dont confuse FM wired connections with wireless ones. I've been using a wired FM iPod connection for a year now and it sounds just as good as the iPod can sound. I put that that in becuase my previous wireless setup was unbearable.

That is incorrect. While a wired fm adapter may reduce the interference, it isn't nearly as good as a direct connection like the Dension. Using a wired FM adapter still forces the signal over FM which degrades it significantly. You could potentially use an MP3 with a low enough bitrate to not notice, but you would be talking about 64Kbps. Anything higher than that, all the way up to lossless, will result in a significant improvement when using a Dension/NavTV/etc type unit.

Porsche options aren't cheap, I'd be surprised if the Dension isn't on a par as far as cost is concerned compared to the Porsche OEM. The Dension also allows playing of other MP3 formats and from a flash drive too.

Crutchfield has an FM modulator for $29.99, but you need two antenna adaptors ($20 each). Has anyone gone this route? It's such a pity. I bought a kit for full iPod integration into our Trailblazer for $149.

For it's worth, I got my Dension 500 unit installed a week ago and so far I love it. The installer did it in a very unobtrusive way, and I even managed to keep my CD changer functionality. So far, I recommend it.