jonno1
Member Since: 16 Jun 2010
Location: London
Posts: 133
  
|
That settles it then . Many thanks for your time and trouble Trev.
John
|
 Mon Jan 09 2012 10:02pm |
|
|
D4JWW
Member Since: 20 Oct 2009
Location: London, UK
Posts: 789
 
|
Rocko what's the sound quality like? Would appreciate more info on connecting the unit to the LR sound unit? If one have already got a iPod connection is the fm transmitter the only route? From the post in here: http://www.whathifi.com/blog/on-the-road-w...dab-radio, would appear that UK has got poorer quality DAB system to EU
"The FM radio/cd player in my 07 Jaguar XJ is a complicated combination of wire and optical fibre installation. There is no way Halfords will get near that. It is a nightmare just to connect an IPOD. The TV in car is analogue too( a different nightmare to change)
DAB can be lower quality than FM as the broadcasters can cram in more stations into the bandwidth available.
The British DAB system is an early version and Europe has a "MK 2 " DAB system which is incompatible with the one in the UK.
So there we have it..potentially poorer quality. does not work in Europe, and difficult if not impossible to upgrade an older car.
That is progress for you, stick with FM!"
I need DAB system for 2001 VW Bora( fm radio is failing to receive good signals in London), will the FM transmitter option delivery decent quality sound or will it be hunting for free FM band like the perviouse fm transmitting iPod connection from a few years ago, which was also effected by High tension pilons and electricity cables? Advice would be appreciated . A few mods... and keeping it all running...Faultmate MSV2
|
| Tue Jan 24 2012 10:59pm |
|
|
rocko
Member Since: 15 Apr 2010
Location: King's Lynn
Posts: 44
|
Personally I think the sound quality is good.... But it all depends on the compression.
I find all the BBC stations are way better than their FM equivilents, and any compression is outweighed by the fact there's no hissing. There's no distinguisable difference (to my ears anyway) than to most people's iPods.
Other stations (I've noticed on Absolute radio) you can notice the compression, but then you still don't get the background his that you would on FM.
I only evey swap to FM when there isn't a DAB signal, and the only place I've found that is deep in the Lake District, and a couple of places near Lands End.
For connection to the stereo, I've used the AUX in so there's no worry there, but the FM option I believe it takes over all outside stations so there's no interferrence when it's on, but as I've not wired mine that way I'm afraid I can't say for sure.
|
| Wed Jan 25 2012 10:24am |
|
|
bkehoe
Member Since: 25 Feb 2006
Location: Wexford
Posts: 1481
 
|
I've had a 300di since just before Christmas. I wasn't letting Halfords anywhere near my D3 and decided to fit it myself.
Interestingly it has an input for vehicle illumination which doesn't seem to do anything (i connected it to the illuminated ring on the cig lighter). The Pure manuals explain very little about the function of the various leads in the loom to be honest. Got switched ignition from the lighter too and permanent live from the radio loom.
I've had the ACM and dock fitted since 2007 which has worked perfectly with all my iPhones however it doesn't charge very fast. So I decided to remove the ACM dock, put the Highway screen where the ACM dock was, just to the right of the steering wheel. For my iPhone I purchased a Brodit holder with integrated dock connector (not cheap!) to mount beside the radio using a 'Dashmount' bracket I've had for years. Audio output from the Highway is fed into the Aux input via the ACM. I put the Highway box itself in the space to the right of the radio and below the air ducting. Fits in there perfectly.
For the antenna as I'm a radio enthusiast and desire the best possible reception, I didn't even bother trying the included antenna and just connected up my existing external amplified DAB antenna, a Hirschmann ( http://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/Hirschmann_AU...erial.html ) one which I'd installed around a year ago. As I haven't used the cradle for the phone since 2006 I modified the aerial pod on the roof and integrated the Hirschmann antenna into the housing for it so didn't need to drill any holes or modify anything other then cutting a bit of plastic.
The audio quality from the 300di on DAB is excellent and on par with any other aftermarket DAB receiver and perhaps even better than the old Pure Highway and Revo units I had previously.
However my great plans for the perfect iPhone integration the new 300di offers haven't really worked out. I'm very disappointed by the audio quality that the Highway produces when set to iPod mode when playing audio or streaming radio from the iPhone. The audio lacks bass and sounds like it's been compressed at a lower bitrate. Very disappointing - I'm going to have to dangle a 3.5mm connector on the Brodit holder to connect to the phone when I want to play music from it as I just can't live with the quality the Highway produces.
So my conclusion; if you want the best aftermarket DAB radio available, get the 300di. Just don't buy it if you're used to the audio quality offered by the standard aux in or the iPod ACM dock and desire better integration like I did.
It's also very expensive and the build quality of the controller is poor with very cheap shiny plastic used. The buttons feel cheap to press too and I wouldn't have confidence that they'd last many years. Knock £50 off the price and I'd feel it's more appropriate.
As an aside, the software seems a bit buggy. There was an upgrade to version 1.2 recently which didn't improve things. I frequently get a situation where the Highway claims that various stations are not available when they actually are. Restoring it to default settings results in it working happily again. It seems to happen on cold mornings so maybe it's due to a low battery voltage while starting the engine.
PS. Tip if installing it - consider positioning the controller in an accessible location or use an extension USB cable to an accessible location in order to facilitate software upgrades!  IE - 05 D3 TDV6 HSE - Zambezi Silver
SA - 07 VW Golf TDI - White - Sold!
|
| Sat Jan 28 2012 7:02pm |
|
|
DG
Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 27005
|
 Brendan......you're alive  Existential Phenomenologist.
|
| Sat Jan 28 2012 7:26pm |
|
|
DSL
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Heading here ^^^^ :)
Posts: 24237
 
|
Thought you'd flown off into the Burmuda Triangle.
|
| Sat Jan 28 2012 7:43pm |
|
|
SlowJohn
Member Since: 12 Apr 2012
Location: Sedgebrook
Posts: 41
|
I had a 300DI fitted to my Disco3 and the problems are on-going:
Halfords subbed the fitting out to a company called Hyde Park Corner
The fitter turned up at my house and had been allowed 30 mins to fit a head unit (apparently the Halfords system didn't allow them to properly inform Hyde Park Corner what they were doing)
After a couple of hours he left but the iPhone connection didn't work and the DAB reception was terrible
I took the Disco to Halfords who spent a lot of time trouble shooting (to be fair the staff at my local Halfords (Grantham) couldn't have been more help)
Eventually they found Hyde Park had wired the live to the CAN-BUS, when they rewired it the iPhone worked fine (via a Brodit holder)
However, reception is another problem altogether ... so far new head units (no difference), new aerial (no difference), move aerial to passenger side (marginally better), run aerial wire as far away as possible from any other electrics (much better). But it's still pretty poor.
I do of course have the option of returning it and getting a refund but all things considered I'd soon have it than be without it (despite the DAB being nigh on unusable on some journeys)
|
| Thu Apr 12 2012 1:02pm |
|
|
|
|
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 2320
|
SlowJohn, how and where did you fit the above magnetic aerial on your D3? I
|
| Wed May 02 2012 5:02pm |
|
|
SlowJohn
Member Since: 12 Apr 2012
Location: Sedgebrook
Posts: 41
|
Unnecessary quote removed
It's a mag mount so I put in on the roof, I'll post a picture in a minute. Just one thing to note though, I've had a leak that may have started at the time I did it 
|
| Wed May 02 2012 5:04pm |
|
|
SlowJohn
Member Since: 12 Apr 2012
Location: Sedgebrook
Posts: 41
|
 | | Click image to enlarge |
I ran the cable under the rubber strip on the roof, inside the trim on the outside of the A pillar, through /under the door rubbers then as low down in the dash as possible before going to the main 300DI unit which is behind the trim with the two heater vents that surrounds the heater controls etc.
If you want any more pictures of what's where or how I bodged the cabling just ask.
|
| Wed May 02 2012 5:15pm |
|
|
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 2320
|
Thanks. I was wondering about routing the cable and if you drilled throught the roof. Assuming you don't just put the cable through the top of a window.
Edit: Sorry your last post beat me to it.
|
| Wed May 02 2012 5:17pm |
|
|
SlowJohn
Member Since: 12 Apr 2012
Location: Sedgebrook
Posts: 41
|
Unnecessary quote removed
I didn't drill the roof (although some marginally better aerials on the dabonwheels website do require drilling).
This is how I got the cable inside:
 | | Click image to enlarge |
|
| Wed May 02 2012 5:25pm |
|
|
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 2320
|
Thanks SlowJohn 
I was wondering if it would be possible to somehow use or adapt etc. the existing roof pod (2006 HSE) to incorporate a DAB aerial?
|
| Wed May 02 2012 5:29pm |
|
|
|
|
