Want Better Sound? Have an iPhone connected to your car audio?

[mLuMaN83]

I just discovered something and I'm not sure if anybody knows.

When I play golf by myself, I use one headphone in one ear and put the audio on "mono" so I get to hear the whole range instead of left or right. So I forgot to turn off "mono", and plugged it into my USA Spec and wow. The highs were louder and the bass was bumping! It was not as "dynamic" sounding, but it pumps. It's a dramatic change to the point where it's like a new head unit.

Give this a go if you want more bang. On your iPhone, under general settings, accessibility, turn mono audio on. I would also assume that anybody with a non Apple product could do the same if the device has the option to turn on mono audio...

[TigerTater]

Will have to try that!! Thanks for the heads up!


Sent from Outerspace using iphone 13

[mLuMaN83]

Nobody has any report back? You guys gotta check it out...

I figured the family would all be in their cars trying this out. It really works.

[SoDelBMW]

I will definetly try it tomorrow!

[gmurphy]

Nobody has any report back? You guys gotta check it out...

I figured the family would all be in their cars trying this out. It really works.

Trying it out now!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[johnrando]

don't hv an iphone :)

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

[gmurphy]

Wow thanks for the tip! It does sound better!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mLuMaN83]

You have a Dice, John. Whatchu talkn' bout...

[johnrando]

Yes, I haz Dice. It definitely sounds much better through my ipod/Dice than the regular stereo.

[Oli77]

I wonder if this is iPod specific and if, all it is, is an equalizer boost of those frequencies when you go mono.

Lets face it, one earpiece mono music sucks and in anticipation, Apple may have automatically boosted bass and treble settings when set on mono.

Somebody should try this with an another type of device or even better, an MP3 player ��.

[johnrando]

I can try it on my droid through the aux cable in my dice, but I don't think that's the right comparison. I think it needs to be an aux cable directly, right?

[mLuMaN83]

It should work with an Aux input I would imagine. I think it acts the same. I'm not sure how the Driod software is setup, but I would imagine you can set audio to mono and it should act similar or the same. It basically sounds like instead of putting certain sound in specific locations, it pushes all the frequencies equally through all the speakers. It bumps!

This should work on iPod running iOS 7.

I would also imagine that with a speaker upgrade, like the BSW or similar, this reeeeeally rocks. With this little discovery, I have no doubt that the money for a speaker upgrade will be absolutely well worth it!

[ELCID86]

Where is this mono setting?


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[Johal E32]

under accessebility

[bshovers]

Where is this mono setting?


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

Settings>General>Accessibility


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ELCID86]

Settings>General>Accessibility


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks. I was looking under sound, etc. will give it a go.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[bshovers]

Thanks. I was looking under sound, etc. will give it a go.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

Yeah that's where you would think to find it. Reading this topic makes me want to mess around with the equalizer under the SOUND settings on the iphone


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ELCID86]

I think it does help raise the bass and mids. Sounds better in my Odyssey. Thanks.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[Hornung418]

Tried this...lost all depth. Sounded flat, instead of big and round. Don't think I will be using this feature anytime soon.

Sent from my GS3.

[cakM3]

I tried this on my iPhone 5s and immediately noticed improvement in sound as you mentioned, thanks!

[mLuMaN83]

Tried this...lost all depth. Sounded flat, instead of big and round. Don't think I will be using this feature anytime soon.

Sent from my GS3.

You do loose depth. It seems to really shine with rap music since well, there isn't much depth there. Lol.

[danewilson77]

Tried this...lost all depth. Sounded flat, instead of big and round. Don't think I will be using this feature anytime soon.

Sent from my GS3.


I tried this on my iPhone 5s and immediately noticed improvement in sound as you mentioned, thanks!

:scratchinghead

:dunno

[ELCID86]

Beauty is in the ear of the beholder!

[Hornung418]

Maybe because I'm not using the aux cable. Using the other end of the iPod.

Sent from my GS3.

[mLuMaN83]

I'm interested to know why this works for some and not for others. Mine is connected via 30 pin to a USA Spec.

[WOLFN8TR]

Hmmm....I shall try this.

[TigerTater]

Worked for me! I had it hooked up to my ice chest radio through the amp and it was much better like having an EQ installed.


Sent from Outerspace using iphone 13

[RITmusic2k]

Hmmm, something seems fishy to me here...

Now, I haven't had a chance to try this myself yet, but off the top of my head I think what's happening is that apple is converting to mono by summing the content of the left and right audio channels (which makes the signal louder, hence 'sum'), and then playing identical copies of that summed signal through both the left and right output channels. From a signal analysis perspective, this is equivalent to the effect one would get by turning the volume up.

Here's where things get tricky: human brains are weird. Our ears don't have a linear response curve (we hear with differing sensitivity as frequencies and sound pressure levels change). It makes us susceptible to a phenomenon called the Fletcher-Munson effect, which boils down to the idea that when we're asked to compare similar sounds we tend to prefer the louder one over the softer one. That is to say, our brains don't just perceive louder sounds to be louder, but actually louder sounds sound better to us.

I think what everyone is hearing is a hotter signal coming out of the phone... all other things (such as volume setting on the car stereo) being equal, it's probably sounding louder to you, which will give the impression of more sparkle in the highs and more *oomph* in the lows... but at the expense of stereo separation.

I suggest that you try switching back to stereo output on the phone, and then turn the volume up until the average loudness sounds the same as before, and see if it doesn't sound even better than the mono trick.


DISCLAIMER: This is a speculative response, since I haven't actually tried this myself yet, but what I've presented above is a plausible explanation to what people are experiencing. Dissenting opinions and contradicting evidence are welcome!

[johnrando]

Good to see you around Kev! How's Portland? Good input BTW.

[danewilson77]

Good to see you around Kev! How's Portland? Good input BTW.

+1

Samsung Galaxy S5...

[ELCID86]

Nice hypothesis. We need Myth Busters!

[WOLFN8TR]

Good info Kev, it sounds like you know what you are talking about.

[danewilson77]

Good info Kev, it sounds like you know what you are talking about.

Yep. He's our resident musical genius.

Samsung Galaxy S5...

[SoCalZman]

Thats an interesting theory. I will try this out this weekend. Right now my AUX volume (even turned up on the phone) seems to be much lower than the car's volume. Thus when I am using the NAV the voice will be pretty loud when I am listening to music at a comfortable volume. If I turn the Nav down then its too quiet when I am listening to the radio. Maybe this will help a bit.

[RITmusic2k]

[THREAD TIMEOUT]

Nice to be back with my mafiosos! Things are pretty damn good up here. Tiffany was with me for my first week, and my mom just flew in to visit last night, so I've got plenty of company during my transition to living in the new city. I'm loving the new job but it doesn't afford me as much time on the computer right now, thus less time to actively participate in the forums. I actually have a post in the works and an idea for another post... I just haven't given myself time to finish them. But they're coming. One's about the road trip up to Portland in the ZHP, and the other is about test driving an i3(!!)

I'll get back up to speed on things before too long. Meanwhile, I'm still reading the forum daily. Keep up the good stuff, all!


[THREAD TIME-IN]

I'm heading home in a few minutes; I'll try some A/B testing with the mono mode and see if I can gain any insight.

[johnrando]

Thats an interesting theory. I will try this out this weekend. Right now my AUX volume (even turned up on the phone) seems to be much lower than the car's volume. Thus when I am using the NAV the voice will be pretty loud when I am listening to music at a comfortable volume. If I turn the Nav down then its too quiet when I am listening to the radio. Maybe this will help a bit.

Are you using the NAV volume adjustment setting on the system?

Kevin, glad to see you around and that things are starting off well in Portland.

[SoCalZman]

Are you using the NAV volume adjustment setting on the system?


I have fiddled with 3 different volume settings, the overall volume for the OBC, the Nav volume in the settings, and a 3rd Nav volume setting buried in a hidden menu.

[johnrando]

I have fiddled with 3 different volume settings, the overall volume for the OBC, the Nav volume in the settings, and a 3rd Nav volume setting buried in a hidden menu.

Yup, that's the one. IIRC, it adjusts the NAV volume relative to your radio volume.

[SoCalZman]

Right, but the AUX and radio play at different volumes, at least in my car. I can set the Nav volume in the hidden menu, listen to the radio and both will be fine. Plug in my iphone and turn the radio to AUX, then I have to turn up the volume because the AUX is too quiet. Then the Nav voice will be very loud. This doesnt happen to you? Can you try doing a few tests?

[johnrando]

Mine don't really play at different volumes as I have the DICE unit, which has a direct ipod connection and AUX in the same unit.

[ELCID86]

Mine did play louder with the mono on, but I think you lose some of the mids, etc. I could not hear some of the instruments that I did when mono was off.

[Jon D]

Being a reformed audiophile, I've held back, in essence what happens when you go mono is loose all the stereo separation and imaging. When this occurs with a system that's not great it's easier to play music at what seems to be loader as all the speakers are playing the same signal. I do this at home with my Sonos speakers in party mode.

However you do loose a lot as mentioned above in detail and sound stage if your system is capable. Unfortunately to get really good audio in our cars requires a full custom system and that means loosing the factory radio. So it becomes a looks vs performance trade off. My system while a few years old now just blows away anything you can do with the factory radio as the head is much more capable, iPhone is direct USB with full control and that makes a huge difference. CD is better still. But the trade off is separate 5 channel amp, all new speakers with a subwoofer in a enclosure in the trunk.

FWIW

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[RITmusic2k]

Mine did play louder with the mono on, but I think you lose some of the mids, etc. I could not hear some of the instruments that I did when mono was off.

This sounds like phase cancelation. My response above mentioned "summing" the channels... this does not actually imply that all results are additive. If you think of each channel of audio like a sine wave, you can visualize that if two peaks line up with each other, their sum will be a peak twice as high (read: loud) as either. But if they're offset such that a peak lines up with a valley, they sum to zero (e.g., 'silent').

If an instrument is panned slightly to one side in a stereo arrangement, it is definitely possible for its left- and right- channel components to be out of phase with each other, and when the signal is summed to mono, they cancel themselves out. It actually points to poor engineering on the part of the music producer - any audio engineer worth their salt would check for destructive interference to make sure this sort of thing wouldn't happen. Shawn, I'd suggest you try to play with it again, using different reference material. Pick another album and see if the same thing isn't happening.