Volume Issue With Aux

[Barry W]

Hi,

The wife plugs in the iPod to Aux and then has to turn the volume up to an extremely high degree ovrer radio or cd, is this normal?

Regards,

B

[MikeSh]

I've tried using my MP3 player and more recently my phone (playing music) in several vehicles over the last few years and this does seem to be 'normal'. As a result I don't bother any more.

I guess it's some industry standard to make sure they all work to the lowest denominator :)

[Richard Overfield]

I have an iPod dock in the glove compartment of my Aygo. It came fitted in the car, but I am sure it would not cost much to add it afterwards. I have not had a problem with low volume and it charges my iPhone/iPad whilst they are plugged in

[Phil White]

Barry W, are you connecting it to the iPod on the headphone cable or the main connector on the bottom??

If the latter is the case this is normal.

[AYGOgummy]

It's completely normal with the Aux-in and is generally the same across all makes and models with this system. Cars with a more dedicated iPod docking system don't tend to have the same issue, and the sound quality also tends to be a little better.

I find I tend to have the volume at around 30+ to hear the music on my iPhone, and possibly higher if you're driving on the motorway. Just remember to turn it down after you use it - because you'll get a nasty deafening surprise when you turn the normal radio or CD back on!

[lancs28]

I also have a problem with the volume when I use the aux-in with my phone or iPod to play music, but if it is the norm, I guess I'll have to get used to it. But alongside that issue, is it normal for the quality to be so much worse via the aux in, compared to the radio or a CD? It seems so tinny and weak, I generally don't bother using it anymore. I've fiddled with the settings on my phone music player, but it's still pretty awful.

[daveyjp]

To use an ipod on the AUX system you must have the correct cable. If you are using a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable fom the headphone socket you will never succeed in getting decent sound as the output is limited to power headphones.

You need an ipod dock to 3.5mm cable as this then uses a lineout channel which produces much better sound. Plenty of choice on Amazon for a few pounds.

[lancs28]

Brilliant, thank you for your help!

[Barry W]

A belated thanks for all the info, methinks I'll go for the Ipod doc and 3.5 mm cable.

Thanks again,

B

[S_J_P]

Thanks for raising this issue, I thought it was just my iPhone!

I have noticed that since a recent iOS update I have a volume slider which, when wound all the way up, equalises the iPhone volume with the CD/radio. But as a result of this thread I've now invested in a dedicated dock lead, so I'm now looking forward to better quality audio!

[mike63]

Well I have two cars a ford C-max and the Aygo.

When I connect my I-pod to the Ford's Aux input it works fine, volume normal.

When I connect the same I-pod to the Aygo the volume needs to be at about 35+

Does anyone know if there is another aux connection at the back of the system if removed?

[We-go]

When your iPod has a pair of headphones plugged in it will be 'driving' a load of 35 ohms and its amplifier has enough power to deafen you. I suspect that the input socket on the Aygo's radio has a much higher impedance (ohms) so the amplifier will not be able to produce as much power. Nothing suffers, you'll need to turn up the volume on the iPod to a higher level (max?) but the amp in the iPod will won't be working as hard as with your 'phones, as the higher impedance means less current flow. 'Sound level' coming from the amp is less as is the hiss level and it probably can't produce the necessary power to cause its amp to distort. It is still a happy amp!

[Danyl]

Yep Common I have my phone up to the loudest which is 30 and then the radio up to 30 on motorways :)

[Jan van de Wouw]

It's been said before: it's just because of mis-matched impedances. But any iPod of iPhone before the 5th generation

with Lightning connector has a Line-Out on the dock-connector which WILL match up and sound good...

And on the models with Lightning you can use the (expensive) convertor...