Jeep Patriot Forums banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

MP3 Bad sound quality

Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 29 Posts
V

viprjrgirl

· Registered
Joined
·
239 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have the standard CD player is AUX jack for my mp3 player. I have COWAN brand mp3 player, and it sounds awful in my riot. Its washed out.

We tested to make sure its not the speakers. I made a CD with the same songs on my mp3 player and that sounded great!

I did adjusted the bass and the other stuff, that did not work.

Anyone else notice this? Or is it just me?

I am going to try a different cable that conects the mp3 to the radio, and then I am going to borrow a friends ipod to make sure its not just my mp3 player. Any other sugestions? Thanks
 
#3 ·
my Dell Dj works great! Just got a new iPod yesterday, and plan to try it out later on today.

I have the base stereo, and bought an aux cable from Radio Shack.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#4 ·
My ipod works great even with a pretty cheap cable. Try a different cable and a different mp3 player and that should let you see where the problem is.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#5 ·
Actually it probably has less to do with the cable and the player, and more to do with the fact that they are MP3's you're listening to. MP3's by their very nature are compressed and lose sound quality in the process. Some MP3's are more compressed than others and perhaps the MP3's you have are very compressed. This would explain the sound you're explaining (?).

How did you get those MP3's? Did you rip them from a CD? At what frequency were they recorded? The higher the frequency, the better...but then again the better the sound quality the less compression that is used; and therefore the more space these take up. You'll have to find a the most adequate compression frequency vs. file size vs. sound quality.

I think it's the actual files because very rarely will a cable has as big effect as you are describing, and also that effect you're describing (sound being washed out) is often characteristic of MP3's. The files often lose a lot on the ends, bass and treble, and perhaps you never noticed these compression effects because you had never listened to the MP3's on a speaker system before (?). Headphones have a hard time conveying the same sound range as a speaker system, so it may never have occurred to you what these files would sound like on a speaker system.

I recommend, if you have another speaker system somewhere that has an aux input (most do these days), perhaps in your house/apartment, you can test out your MP3 player on this as well. If it still sounds washed out, you know it's not the patriot and you can narrower it down to the cable, the MP3 player, or the actual MP3 files (would be my vote). Then you can get another cable, if you so desire, to compare.

If in the end after doing that it still sounds bad, the only recommendation I would make to you is to re-rip the files from whatever CD you got them originally. But do it it at a higher frequency as this will only improve sound quality (assuming that's how you got the files in the first place). Perhaps as a test, you could only rip one song for comparison at a higher frequency and then compare it to the old file you have on your player. I hope you figure out the cause of the issue.
 
#6 ·
Hockeymac18 is right - The sound going out of your Pat's speakers will only be as good as the source material. Lower quality MP3s will sound washed-out or distorted, especially when coming out of multiple speakers.

That said, the AUX jack and the Pat's radio (both of them) leave a lot to be desired. The EQ settings are limited and obviously, it isn't exactly an audiophile-level system. The worst part is that here is no "gain" adjustment in AUX mode. You can't boost the incoming signal, which is why AUX-input devices sound too quiet or distorted; They are not amplified. We are inclined to make up for that by turning the volume on both the AUX device and the stereo up to maximum, which further distorts the sound.

Here's what I did:
Encoded MP3s at least at 192k, preferably 256k bit rate.
Got a pretty good 1/8"-1/8" cable. That means no Radio Shack, but it doesn't have to be gold plated or anything. Don't kink it.
Turned the Pat's stereo on AUX all the way up and used a low-bass/high-mid/treble setting. I don't like a lot of bass and find that most sound systems are geared with too much bass.
Made sure the iPod's volume level was never more than 2/3. That's an important one. It's on that high end that you'll see the most distortion. I know, it's tempting to raise the volume of the input device, but don't do it.
When in doubt, used the built-in EQ settings on the iPod - such as "vocal booster" "small speakers" "bass booster", etc. Those seem to be pretty useful and can make up for a lack of solid, loud volume...

Hope this helps,

N.
 
#7 ·
Since the same MP3 files sound good when you burn them to CD and play them back that way, it's probably not related to the sampling rate.

I suspect that the poor sound quality that you are getting when you plug your MP3 player into the aux port is probably because you have the volume on the MP3 player set too high. Try keeping the volume on the MP3 player set between 50 and 75% of max.

My experience has been that turning off the MP3 player's equalization and bass boost functions produces the best sound quality through the car stereo.
 
#8 ·
listen to kidblue and guy above him, they are correct
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#10 ·
I'm not very musically inclined but my wife bought me a sandisk sansa mp3 player cheap ($30-$40) that holds about 120 songs that I use at the gym. I bought a cable this weekend at staples for $10 and it works really well so far. I haven't tried my wifes ipod yet but I will keep you posted. I would think that if the lower end mp3 players sound good then the other high end models should as well. The only downside is that mine is a clunky shape made to strap on your arm so it doesnt fit in the console rest.
 
#11 ·
I have a Zune and it works great as well, I compress my song at around 160kb. I do notice thought the the aux input is poorly built though. I can wiggle the input wire slightly and it will jump out of stereo. Weak..... that should break in no time.
 
#12 ·
Problem is one or a combination of three things; mp3 player, cable, input jack on the car stereo

Your test of the files on a CD has ruled out any audio file related issues.

Test the same cable and same mp3 play on an another output device, this would rule out an issue with your Jeep's stereo.
 
#15 ·
Just tried out my iPod in the car, with my little Radioshack cable. Sounds great.

We had problems in my Buick - Hubby rigged up an Mp3 player connection to the back of the after-market stereo...wound up having to rig up a cable and connect it to another type of cable to plug into the headphone jack of my DJ. Sounded awful. SOmewhere, we lost part of the music...couldn't hear certain guitars, etc.

I'm very pleased with the set-up in the Jeep. Except that my iPod doesn't fit in the little iPod holder in the armrest. :( It's a brand new 80gb classic (thinner than the 80gb classic Hubby bought six months ago!) and I put a plastic protective covering on it. Now it is too wide to fit in the little space for it. No worries, though. I bought an anti-slip pad for the little cubby under the stereo and just rest it in there.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#16 ·
viprjrgirl said:
The CD I made has the exact same files as on the MP3 player, because that was my first thought was the actual files. I got them from a www.gomusic.ru

I will try the volume on the MP3 player, see if that helps
Click to expand...
Ah, my mistake. I thought when you said you listened to a CD you meant a CD containing the original source songs (that is from a CD you purchase). I misread it as it seems what you did was burn to a CD these MP3 files; so I suppose that does rule out the idea that the compressed MP3 files are the cause.

So, I'm with the majority here when I recommend to try messing around with the volumes to see if you can get less distortion. The cable may be the cause as well but I'm not sure. I'd only replace the cable as a last resort if none of the other recommendations work as you'll have to spend money on this (and I'd hate to have you spend money if it turns out the cable wasn't the issue). Good luck and I hope you get it sounding better.
 
#17 ·
I have an relatively new 4Gig Apple iPod and a pretty cheap radio shack cable and my music sounds great. The vast majority (like 95%) are burned from my original CDs. After blasting my ears every time I turned on the stereo (seems the Pat's stereo defaults to volume 20 when set on Aux) I turned down the iPods MAX volume and locked it.

So now with the iPod's volume at about 75% and the Pat's default level 20, everything sounds awesome.
 
#18 ·
192 kbps is very good quality which I download to my ipod and it sounds great in the Pat.I know someone here complained about the bass quality of the speakers but I think they sound OK
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Thanks for the help guys, I tried the volume settings no such luck, and I looked on the mp3 player to see if their was settings on there I could adjust, and that did not help.

I am going to try the cable next, I happen to have a 6ft cable from radio shack.

Any chance it could be the actual mp3 player?
 
#20 ·
viprjrgirl said:
Thanks for the help guys, I tried the volume settings no such luck, and I looked on the mp3 player to see if their was settings on there I could adjust, and that did not help.

I am going to try the cable next, I happen to have a 6ft cable from radio shack.

Any chance it could be the actual mp3 player?
Click to expand...
May I ask, are you saying your MP3 player did not have a volume control that you couldn't find or just that it didn't help any?
 
1 - 20 of 29 Posts
About this Discussion
28 Replies
19 Participants
Last post:
Rends
Jeep Patriot Forums
posts
678K
members
55K
Since
2006
Join our community to discuss the Jeep Patriot & Jeep Compass. Find answers to all your Jeep Patriot technical questions.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Jeep Patriot General Discussion Engine and Drivetrain Newbie Check-In Suspension and Tires Electrical and Audio