Dead Parrot Sketch

npaskin

npaskin

New Member
Messages
506
For those without ready access to Lagavulin 16yo and/or a good forum helper....I used http://www.fitbluetooth.co.uk/ for the Parrot installation on my Range Rover a few years back, and was very impressed by them: very clean installation and a complicated job to hook up the old steering wheel controls, speakers etc. to the new kit.
 
Parisien

Parisien

Moderator
Messages
34,927
Boys...have lost it on this thread....can either both of you explain whats going down here?!!


;)


P
 
J

jamesc69

Junior Member
Messages
495
rossyl said:
Hey,

Just wondering - what is the sound quality like? When you are playing music does is the sound quality the same as a CD?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The bluetooth and telephony worked a treat, but the ipod side of it had some limitations. Effectively when Iphone or Ipod music is being played the head unit controls are disabled. Volume, bass, and treble are controled from the suplemetary parrot remote control. Balance left, right fromt and rear could not be adjusted.

I also found the sound quality to be inferior to FM and CD inputs.

James
 
rossyl

rossyl

Member
Messages
3,312
The sound quality being inferior to CDs is my main worry. Thanks for lettig me know.

Might have to consider the Loudlink or a FM wired modulator
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,843
The sound quality is also dependant on the quality of your MP3 or whatever rips. I found it about the same before my NIT ate a CD. I did rip all my stuff at high settings though.
I thought there was a balance control but I certainly can't find a fader :(
C
 
rossyl

rossyl

Member
Messages
3,312
Am I right in saying that it is the Parrot that is acting as the amplifier? Not the In-Car Stereo?

Is that why you cannot use any of the In-Car Stereo functions?
 
TridentTested

TridentTested

Member
Messages
1,819
rossyl said:
Am I right in saying that it is the Parrot that is acting as the amplifier? Not the In-Car Stereo?

Is that why you cannot use any of the In-Car Stereo functions?
Click to expand...


Yes, I believe that's the case. The music gets played through the Parrot's weedy digital amp.
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,843
Indeed so. The parrot sits between the speaker output and the speakers.
You can, at least, use an external amp for it, but that will really stop you using the installed system.

C
 
jerkmoans

jerkmoans

New Member
Messages
366
Guess the solution is then to use really high quality mp3s: know precious little about the science but received wisdom suggests 320 Kbps is much better in terms of listening quality than 128... 2.5 times the data, I guess.
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,843
Yeah. *Probably* don't want to go there with the whole bitrate thing, there's science, there's perception and then theirs BS. People get quite shouty about ;)
128k is probably fine for just about anything, unless you're buying 'HD' music[1]
Apparently ;)

C
[1] Which I do cos it sounds loverly!
 
jerkmoans

jerkmoans

New Member
Messages
366
I downloaded one or two things in 'FLAC' format a while ago, which was supposed to bear as near as dammit to auditorium level CD quality and all the rest of it.

Colossal files, an utter pain to deal with (iTunes won't recognise them, ipod wont play them), and once you finally wrestle the things into a playable format, to my half-deafened Luddite ears, indistinguishable from anything else anyway...
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,843
jerkmoans said:
Wonder whether you can 'detail' a CD...?
Click to expand...

Ahh. Back in the day. CD pens et al :D

So seriously, about FLAC, WAV, MP3 AAC etc. There is a hard, maximal limit to the amount of data stored on a CD. Trying to get any more from a CD to another audio file is an exercise in futility. Using any kind of lossy compression means you're leaving some behind, as it were. Back in the day, this was important, but given storage capactities these days...<shrug>
As for being able to tell the difference, listening to stuff is like tasting stuff. It takes a certain amount of practice to appreciate the finer nuances. That, and more so than many other hobbies, some reasonable equipment. Very few (IMHO / E) people these days have anything approaching what would be called 'HiFi' and the vast majority of stuff that's sold is almost total rubbish.
It also makes me smile when people start talking about improving the quality of in car audio systems. It has to be the *worst* listening environment ever devised. Apart from the external noise, you're massively off centre for any kind of stereo imaging, a mix of padded surfaces with big reflective ones, and, for some reason, at least four speakers.

Personally, I recon any improvement on 'pleasant and inoffensive' is about as much as I'm willing to spend. But then I can go home when I want to listen to music :)

C
 
jerkmoans

jerkmoans

New Member
Messages
366
Sitting in my car is about the only time I do get to listen to music, free from persistent interruptions!

Bizarrely my cd changer is now working fine, although there's always the thrill of anticipation when I fire up and it says 'cd init' on the screen... Will it? Won't it..?
 
CatmanV2

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,843
Mine *never* says that.

Well, it might, but it's in the garage, so I wouldn't hear it anyway :)

C
 
You must log in or register to reply here.