Related
Can anyone recommend a good 3.5mm Bluetooth adapter for my car.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
I got the scosche by adapter from walmart for $36. It plugs into the 3.5mm jack and works well for audio streaming. Calls not so much.
Dicho por el E4GT de Latinmaxima con Tapatalk.
All bluetooth adapters suck. I've tried 10+ different A2DP capable adapters over the course of 2 years and all simply ruin the high frequencies. Nothing beats hardwired Aux cable if you actually care about sound quality...
Google "tunelink"
A little pricey, but worth it for the audio quality. Plus, it is only for streaming audio.... No speakerphone function...
pojieps said:
Google "tunelink"
A little pricey, but worth it for the audio quality. Plus, it is only for streaming audio.... No speakerphone function...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but this is just a gimmick for those without knowledge in my opinion. Other than the bluetooth function, which there are a million of those out there, a person could just plug a male to male 3.5mm stereo plug into the phone to the AUX port in the car if its available.
chrisnosleep said:
Sorry, but this is just a gimmick for those without knowledge in my opinion. Other than the bluetooth function, which there are a million of those out there, a person could just plug a male to male 3.5mm stereo plug into the phone to the AUX port in the car if its available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually own it... I get WAY better quality over the bluetooth connection than I do with a direct line in. The headphone jack on your phone is designed for just that... headphones. Lining in directly reflects this. Wish there was a way for you to give it a try. I am kind of a sound snob, and I love mine. Plus, all you have to do is get in the car and once the bluetooth pairing happens, the app will open your music app and start playing.
Not trying to push this thing on ya. Just wanted you to know, I own one, and I am not "without knowledge"
Motorola Rokr T505 is small, does well with calls and music playing through blank FM stations to your car stereo. Best $40 investments plus NO CHORDS!
I had this one and used it with my EVO. Worked pretty well.
http://www.amazon.com/Miccus-BluBridge-Mini-Jack-Bluetooth-Bluetooth-Enabled/dp/B0038MA11U
I tried an AUX cable on three different phones. There was always a high pitched whine through my speakers. I started using a Samsung HM3500 plugged into the same AUX jack and got better quality music with no whine. Plus, no extra cable running through my car to the dash mount.
Did you guys all just have a car stereo that had bluetooth built in? I have an '05 Bonneville GXP but the stereo has neither a aux port or bluetooth capability...Major sad face...I really don't want to replace the stereo either because it's nice and fits the look of the car - would look stupid with anything other than a big touchscreen replacement and that's just too expensive.
Any suggestions?
You could get an FM modulator that would allow you to add a line in via your radio antenna, but they don't have great sound quality.
DutchDogg54 said:
Did you guys all just have a car stereo that had bluetooth built in? I have an '05 Bonneville GXP but the stereo has neither a aux port or bluetooth capability...Major sad face...I really don't want to replace the stereo either because it's nice and fits the look of the car - would look stupid with anything other than a big touchscreen replacement and that's just too expensive.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, just swap out the headunit for one with bluetooth build-in. Just make sure it supports A2DP (music streaming over bluetooth). I got mine from Amazon for $140, Sony MEX-BT3900U, and it been simply great. A2DP for bluetooth streaming, Aux port for wired 3.5mm audio, and it has USB port for charging the phone.
High Pitched whine is a POWER ISSUE
unplug your phone and it should go away. IE change chargers.
nerys71 said:
High Pitched whine is a POWER ISSUE
unplug your phone and it should go away. IE change chargers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not all the time. My car had that problem and there were many other factors at fault.
Here are few things to look out for:
If your car has an amplifier in the rear, make sure that the headunit-to-amplifier audio cables are at least few feet away from power wires (aka, run them on the opposite side of the car than the power cables).
Make sure that the headunit is properly grounded. If that still doesn't help, run both headunit's + and - power wires directly to the car battery.
If problem still persists, repeat #2 but for the amp (if you have it).
If all above failed, it's time to invest in a better headunit. Your old one sucks and can't suppress the noise generated by the chassy/alternator.
I had crappy stock headunit and weaka$$ stock amp that would always make the static and constant whine problems. Ended up completely redoing the car audio system. Now, even with the headunit not grounded audio quality is PERFECT.
Here are the prices for my audio remodeling, all items bought brand new:
- Sony MEX-BT3900U. Headunit with CD, Aux, Handsfree Phone, Bluetooth A2DP audio, USB ($140)
- Hifonics ZXi80.4. Amplifier with 4 channels, 80W RMS per channel ($134)
- Alpine SPS-600 speakers. 6.5" 2-way speakers, 80W RMS ($50 ea)
- Stinger Pro 3 Series Snake. 6-channel, 20 feet RCA snake that goes from headunit to the amp in the rear ($35)
- 2x22' 8AWG battery-to-amp power wire
- 2x18' 12AWG amp-to-headunit power wire
- 4x18' 16AWG amp-to-front speaker wires
- 4x2' 16AWG amp-to-rear speaker wires
- 30A fuse in the engine bay
I ran the power cables on the left side of the car and ran the RCA snake on the right. everything was exactly $525 and I did all work myself (it's quite easy if you ask). now the sound quality in my used-to-be-audio-hell car is dam near perfect now and has absolutely no noise/static at all. you can jack the volume up crazy high without any distortions for like 80Hz+. 80Hz and below can be a problem when maxing out the volume as the speakers are only 6.5" and weren't meant to deliver bass. don't get me wrong, they do make nice bass but just don't handle it too well when playing it very loud.
after years of running this setup I'd say this was one of the best investments i've ever made. my car is built for drifting so it is setup very stiff and shakes/jumps like crazy when dailying (300mi/week) and when i do take it out for a spin the amount of stress it sees it crazy. after all this time you'd think at least some wires would come loose but nope, everything is still running perfect.
so yeah, if you actually care about sound quality in your car and would like it to last, just redo it from scratch. it's fun and is totally worth it
Not trying to pick a fight but lets be clear here
If your car has an amplifier in the rear, make sure that the headunit-to-amplifier audio cables are at least few feet away from power wires (aka, run them on the opposite side of the car than the power cables).
Which is a power issue
Make sure that the headunit is properly grounded.
Which is a power issue
If that still doesn't help, run both headunit's + and - power wires directly to the car battery.
Which is a power issue
If problem still persists, repeat #2 but for the amp (if you have it).
If all above failed, it's time to invest in a better headunit.
Which is a power issue
Your old one sucks and can't suppress the noise generated by the chassy/alternator.
Which is a power issue
See what I mean?
Cars make a lot of "NOISE" this noise is a power issue. it comes from your alternator and your coil and your spark plugs IE "POWER ISSUES"
if you have bad grounds or are lacking noise suppression (cheap equipment old equipment etc.. etc..) or an older car making a TON of extra noise etc.. etc..
Power inverters (especially cheap ones) are notorious for "dirty power" that lets in noise.
when I power my phone off the USB on the cheap inverter's USB port I get big time whine noises painful even.
use the USB port in the radio and I get no noise (but then it tries to "READ" the phone instead of just charging it and won't let me use aux hehe
Sometimes you can get a coil thing to add to power to reduce this noise but usually its just cheap equipment ($7 power inverter
plug a 110v to usb adapter into same inverter and no noise. The 110v adapter isolates and prevents the noise leakage.
nerys71 said:
Not trying to pick a fight but lets be clear here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha time to clear up a misunderstanding here. my reply was referring to the "unplug your phone and it should go away" statement and thus assuming that you, by saying "its a power issue", were referring only to the inverter that was powering the phone at times getting a better quality inverter (aka, one that has capacitor or capacitor-pack to smooth out the voltage spikes and noise) is sufficient and at times it is not. I've experienced both. it's also worth mentioning that after redoing my sound system even the crappiest of crap inverters works just fine
frifox said:
Yes, just swap out the headunit for one with bluetooth build-in. Just make sure it supports A2DP (music streaming over bluetooth). I got mine from Amazon for $140, Sony MEX-BT3900U, and it been simply great. A2DP for bluetooth streaming, Aux port for wired 3.5mm audio, and it has USB port for charging the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've looked into those kind of replacements...plenty out there for reasonable prices but they would completely mar the aesthetic value of the nice interior of my Bonny. That's why I was saying that only the touchscreens that would fill the whole double (might be 1.5) din stereo spot in my car would do.
Thanks, both of you guys, for your responses...guess I'm stuck waiting till I get a much newer car
I'm not saying that you're wrong about it being a power issue, but the BT headset I mentioned came with an adapter for an AUX jack and that solved my problem. So, either solution works.
the issue is the radio is connected to the same "power source" that your "phone" is now connected to.
so if any component in that chain does not control the power noise (that is what the noise is coming from your power system)
you INJECT that noise into your audio stream the moment you "link" the devices together (power not audio)
this is why if you use a seperate battery pack to charge the phone you will not get this noise. your battery pack is "isolated" from the car's power system literally physically.
I am only talking about the typical whine pop crackle high pitched noise you get the moment you plug in your charger. IE clear no noise plug in chargers Head burster sounds start coming out of your speakers
that noise is a "power issue" you can't eliminate the power issues (except by eliminating your alternator??) but you can filter it. some devices (chargers) do this better than others
the BT unit works because you "broke" the chain. (no audio cable going from the PHONE to the RADIO)
Again, I'm not denying what you're saying. You're absolutely correct. However, OP was asking for the best BT unit to plug into the jack, not how to solve the issues with cables and power sources. I was simply providing my opinion and experience along the lines of what he was asking for.
Does anyone know if it is possible to get an LOD for the Epic 4G Touch?
In case you have no idea what this means, here's your lesson in audiophile gear for the day:
Line Out Dock (a.k.a. LOD), n.: a cable commonly used on audio devices which creates a "line out" similar to a headphone jack but with no volume control and often better analog signal quality. This is useful in that it allows a user to bypass the headphone jack of a device and run the audio signal straight into an external amplifier. This is often done when an audiophile-type individual has headphones which benefit from a audio source with greater output power than a portable device typically provides.
Examples of LOD's:
Apple iPod/iPhone
Sansa Fuze
Bazirker said:
Does anyone know if it is possible to get an LOD for the Epic 4G Touch?
In case you have no idea what this means, here's your lesson in audiophile gear for the day:
Line Out Dock (a.k.a. LOD), n.: a cable commonly used on audio devices which creates a "line out" similar to a headphone jack but with no volume control and often better analog signal quality. This is useful in that it allows a user to bypass the headphone jack of a device and run the audio signal straight into an external amplifier. This is often done when an audiophile-type individual has headphones which benefit from a audio source with greater output power than a portable device typically provides.
Examples of LOD's:
Apple iPod/iPhone
Sansa Fuze
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I googled epic 4g touch dock:
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones-accessories/EDD-D1D9BEGSTA
Samsung HM3700 Stereo bluetooth headset
I bought the Samsung HM3700 Stereo bluetooth headset which comes with one. I am sure Monoprice.com has one or even Ebay; but if it's worth 24.99 to yah you can buy the headset.
Sort of what I'm after, but not really. I don't want a dock, I want a cable. This is for portable listening on the go with an amp.
Thanks!
Gorguts said:
I bought the Samsung HM3700 Stereo bluetooth headset which comes with one. I am sure Monoprice.com has one or even Ebay; but if it's worth 24.99 to yah you can buy the headset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure I see what you're talking about; our just looks like a bluetooth headset to me.
The pinout for micro usb is the same across phones, right? If so, this should work.
fonseca898 said:
The pinout for micro usb is the same across phones, right? If so, this should work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow...if this works...
Does it mean I can listen to pandora on my phone and stream it through this LOD into my cars aux ports for superior sound quality?!
fonseca898 said:
The pinout for micro usb is the same across phones, right? If so, this should work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is quite interesting and just might work.
What remains to be seen is whether or not that provides superior sound quality to the headphone jack. It just occurred to me that the Samsung car dock (which I have) is essentially the same thing as that USB micro to 3.5mm jack plug unless the phone has software which can recognize the difference. In this case, volume would still be controlled via the phone. I might have to test and see if I can hear a difference in sound quality, but I doubt it (or at least doubt that the dock will be better.)
I have both the official samsung desk dock, and car dock. They both have 3.5mm audio line out. Isn't that what you're asking for? I didn't know it had a "fancy" term though..
Edit: Maybe it's not exactly what you're asking for. I think you're hoping to get line level straight out of the DAC, which I don't think is possible with the SGSII. The audio dock line out is around the same quality as the headphone jack (as far as my "non audiophile" ears can tell) and it's certainly volume-controlled by software. Anyhow, some of the new custom ROMs out have beats audio and dspmanager built-in, which go a long way into tweaking the way audio exits the device. You may want to look into that.
Yeah the desk dock is still less portable than I'm looking for. I have DSP Manager on my phone and it helps to some extent. Guess I'm just stuck with the headphone jack. Thanks!
im pretty sure you need usb-host first, i think a usb dac has been used back on the nook color w/cm7 but then you lose portability and all that.
related?? http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24614
Hi
I'm fed up with audio quality of my HTC when connected to my Hi-Fi Amp. On headphones my HTC one sounds amazing, but when paired to my Hi-Fi amp I have to turn the audio levels on my phone and HiFi amp turned up to max just to hear the music at "normal" levels (this introduces back ground hiss / and distortion). There's an article here that explains where this is the case (in essence the output voltage from the headphone output is insufficient to drive an Hi-Fi amplifier).
Does anyone know where I can get a device (I'll call it a pre amp) that will convert (i.e. amplify) the headphone output to Line-out level voltages. I'm guessing a dock with line out would be okay - but my GF uses iPhone (with the same issues), so Ideally the headphone jack on my phone will connect to the pre-amp, with the pre-amp connecting to my Hi-Fi amplifier (the pre amp will be externally powered my mains adapter).
I live in the UK, so UK sources / experience be most relevant, but any feedback is welcomed.
Many thanks!
if you can find somewhere locally to buy/try out something like this it might work
http://www.amazon.com/Fiio-E07K-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00A9LHLQ6
The posts I have read show some success with certain android phones, though it's by no means a guaranteed success. It works with some Samsung devices, and our phones support USB OTG/Host mode, so at least on paper it should work.
well if the amp you're looking for is anything similar to amplifying nicer headphones, theres a couple of options available for you to just flat out buy (for anywhere from $20 - $100), or you can just make one yourself from an altoids can for $10 - $20 if you know the basics of electronics and soldering.
Supposedly you can use an OTG cable/adapter to hook up the phone to an USB DAC (must be self-powered, as the OTG cannot supply enough juice to the DAC) and then DAC to the amp. I'll try it when I get home tonight to see if it works. I read that it's possible, but haven't tried it myself.
[update] I tried hooking up my AT&T HTC One to the USB DAC (self-powered, not USB bus powered) via the OTG cable. The stock music app still play music through the phone. However, fire up PowerAmp and the music comes through the stereo! Sweet sound...
why not consider a bluetooth speaker adapter like this?
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wireless-Speaker-Adapter-Bluetooth/dp/B004VM1T5S
i have one, connected to my hi-fi amplifier.
it's cheap, ands sounds very good!
I am a huge fan of the HTC Bluetooth adaptor, it works great and has great sound quality for a bluetooth.
So I found a Behringer UCA202 DAC online for really cheap and thought why not try it just for fun. Everything I've read says having one can help a bit and I figured at the least it would sound the same, but I plugged it into my Nexus 5 via OTG then plugged the AUX cord to my Jeep into the DAC and all bass and pretty much any other level of detail is gone from my music whether it's from Pandora, YouTube HD, or FLAC audio files. Audio sound quality is equal to listening to music over old mono bluetooth, you hear it fine but any highs and lows are removed. Has anyone else used this DAC that could give some suggestions?
Otherwise it's just as I assumed, DACs are pointless on good quality phones and that's why I can't find any DAC threads with the Nexus 5 involved.
herqulees said:
So I found a Behringer UCA202 DAC online for really cheap and thought why not try it just for fun. Everything I've read says having one can help a bit and I figured at the least it would sound the same, but I plugged it into my Nexus 5 via OTG then plugged the AUX cord to my Jeep into the DAC and all bass and pretty much any other level of detail is gone from my music whether it's from Pandora, YouTube HD, or FLAC audio files. Audio sound quality is equal to listening to music over old mono bluetooth, you hear it fine but any highs and lows are removed. Has anyone else used this DAC that could give some suggestions?
Otherwise it's just as I assumed, DACs are pointless on good quality phones and that's why I can't find any DAC threads with the Nexus 5 involved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummm, it's not a DAC. It's an interface.
theesotericone said:
Ummm, it's not a DAC. It's an interface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, with a DAC in it. You need a DAC to get audio output through USB, there is no analog audio output through USB/USB OTG...
herqulees said:
Yes, with a DAC in it. You need a DAC to get audio output through USB, there is no analog audio output through USB/USB OTG...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it has a DAC but it's not meant as a stand alone DAC. It's an interface or soundcard. Does your phone have enough juice to even operate the thing? Also for a device that sells for less than 30 bucks what exactly where you expecting? Get a real DAC. You will notice a huge difference. Until then do some more research on what you have and see if your meeting it's power requirements.
This is actually a pretty good review of the unit with lots of technical info.
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/behringer-uca202-review.html
theesotericone said:
Yes it has a DAC but it's not meant as a stand alone DAC. It's an interface or soundcard. Does your phone have enough juice to even operate the thing? Also for a device that sells for less than 30 bucks what exactly where you expecting? Get a real DAC. You will notice a huge difference. Until then do some more research on what you have and see if your meeting it's power requirements.
This is actually a pretty good review of the unit with lots of technical info.
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/behringer-uca202-review.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I can't see power being an issue I suppose I'll test with my Nexus 7 and laptop. I know it's a cheap DAC but I've read many reviews using this DAC with tablets and phones for car audio, along with the nwavguy in-depth review and testing showing how it's not a multi-hundred dollar unit but still does amazingly well. My issue is it doesn't even sound decent. It sounds like I'm playing rap/hip-hop through an old Nokia on speaker phone, you can hear it clearly but there's no depth.
So I tossed this DAC in a closet after I got bored of trying to make it work right and forgot about it for a year or so till earlier today when I found it while cleaning. My Nexus 5 has been retired and serves no purpose other than a security camera now. I now have a Samsung Galaxy S5 and an RCA Maven Pro tablet. The RCA Maven Pro is an 11.1inch 2-in-1 Android tablet with detachable keyboard for around $120. You'd assume it's horrible thanks to the brand and price but they managed to cut corners in all the right places it seems. Downsides are no GPS, 1GB of RAM, terrible cameras, and a horrible speaker. Other than that it has faithfully replaced my $1200 laptop with zero issues other than adjusting to ditching Windows.
Now back on track when I listen to music I'm either using an aux cord plugged into my work truck or bluetooth when using headphones or in my new car. When doing a side by side comparison bluetooth, to no surprise, shows no difference between my Maven and S5. However when using an aux cord the RCA doesn't put out as much bass and highs are... I guess not as clear? I think audiophiles are insane most of the time so it's hard for me to describe when I do notice a difference. Anyways I plugged the UCA202 into the RCA's USB port (no OTG here, it has a full size USB port) and plugged my Sony MDR-XB950BT headphones in to it with an aux cord (these headphones are 100% passive when wired, no bass boost or other enhancements) and sound quality is just as great as my S5, all bass and highs are restored. Just to further the test I plugged it into my S5 and did the same test with the same results. These are the same FLAC song files from the same network location that my Nexus 5 was playing a year ago.
The whole time the issue was something in my Nexus 5. What it was I don't know and sorry you guys I don't plan on investigating, I just wanted to inform everyone that the Behringer UCA202 is in fact a quality budget DAC since this thread is a top Google result for "Behringer UCA202 Android". If you have a cheap device that you want the audio to be on par with the high end phones this will do it, and for my original purpose of at the same time giving a bit of amplification for a weak head unit without distortion it does that decently too. To finish this off I am NOT an audiophile. Just a human with human hearing that likes songs with bass on car head units that weren't always designed for it (I glued a 80mm CPU fan to the back of the HU in my Jeep ) So take my finer details however you'd like.
the DAC works great for my Nexus 7 2013 model.
maybe otg cable is sh1tty
Sent from my D820 CAF using Tapatalk
I connect my LG G4 to the auxiliary jack in my car stereo (stock stereo in a 2007 Saab 9-3) with a standard 3.5 mm male to male audio cable. The process to get the audio to come through my speakers is rather cumbersome.
I have to follow this procedure:
1. Unplug the audio cable from the aux jack in the car stereo
2. Plug other end of the audio cable into the phone
3. Open Google Music and press play on the music I want to listen to
4. Plug audio cable back into the aux jack on stereo
5. Change stereo from Radio/band to Aux
I have to do this every single time, and if my music happens to reach the end of the album or playlist to where it is no longer playing anything, I have to repeat the above steps. When I had an HTC One M7 and M8 I didn't have to do any of this. I could just connect my phone and press play...no problems.
I really hate having to do this for two reasons. First, if while driving, I decide to listen to music on my phone rather than the radio, it really distracting and unsafe to mess with while driving. Second, I'm afraid with all the plugging/unplugging on my car stereo is going to wear out the aux jack and degrade the audio quality.
Anyone else having this issue with their G4? Any suggestions? I know someone with a G3 and they don't have any issues like this when plugging into their car stereo, although they have a different car, but I don't think it would really matter.
Kevin82485 said:
I connect my LG G4 to the auxiliary jack in my car stereo (stock stereo in a 2007 Saab 9-3) with a standard 3.5 mm male to male audio cable. The process to get the audio to come through my speakers is rather cumbersome.
I have to follow this procedure:
1. Unplug the audio cable from the aux jack in the car stereo
2. Plug other end of the audio cable into the phone
3. Open Google Music and press play on the music I want to listen to
4. Plug audio cable back into the aux jack on stereo
5. Change stereo from Radio/band to Aux
I have to do this every single time, and if my music happens to reach the end of the album or playlist to where it is no longer playing anything, I have to repeat the above steps. When I had an HTC One M7 and M8 I didn't have to do any of this. I could just connect my phone and press play...no problems.
I really hate having to do this for two reasons. First, if while driving, I decide to listen to music on my phone rather than the radio, it really distracting and unsafe to mess with while driving. Second, I'm afraid with all the plugging/unplugging on my car stereo is going to wear out the aux jack and degrade the audio quality.
Anyone else having this issue with their G4? Any suggestions? I know someone with a G3 and they don't have any issues like this when plugging into their car stereo, although they have a different car, but I don't think it would really matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do car electronics install for a living... I'm not familiar with how Saab does aux (I don't see many saabs), but in most vehicles there is a 'sense' wire in the aux plug. You will know if it has one because without a cable plugged in, you won't be able to select the aux source. In your case, the residual connection from your phone's fm radio (uses headphone cable as antenna) might be interfering with the 'sense' wire in the aux plug. I would suggest trying a different aux cable, like one with 4 bands instead of 3. They are typically used to carry audio as well as video. If that doesn't work, amazon has these universal Bluetooth receivers that plug into the aux port, which for sure will do what you need it to.
Example of 4 band cable-
http://www.amazon.com/Screen-Screen-3-5mm-Philips-Player/dp/B00D3SXPGC
The Bluetooth reciever would be my choice though-
http://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Bluetooth-Integrated-multi-point-technology/dp/B008AGQMQC
esmenikmatixx said:
I do car electronics install for a living... I'm not familiar with how Saab does aux (I don't see many saabs), but in most vehicles there is a 'sense' wire in the aux plug. You will know if it has one because without a cable plugged in, you won't be able to select the aux source. In your case, the residual connection from your phone's fm radio (uses headphone cable as antenna) might be interfering with the 'sense' wire in the aux plug. I would suggest trying a different aux cable, like one with 4 bands instead of 3. They are typically used to carry audio as well as video. If that doesn't work, amazon has these universal Bluetooth receivers that plug into the aux port, which for sure will do what you need it to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stereo in the model year range of my Saab is basically the same that GM put in Pontiacs and other makes in the 2007 year range. GM owned Saab at the time. I know someone with a Ponitac G6 (I think that is model, it is definitely a Pontiac) and I remember remarking that he had the same stereo as me. The buttons and interface look nearly identical. If I have the aux cable plugged into the stereo I can select the Aux source, even if I don't have anything else connected. If no cable is plugged into the stereo, I cannot select the Aux source.
What I don't understand is why it worked fine with no weird issues with the HTC One M8, but it doesn't work with the G4. Sounds like a software bug to me.
As far as I know Verizon disables the FM receiver in the G4 just like they did in the HTC One M8 and basically all of their phones. It's still in physically in the phone, so maybe it can still interfere in some way, but if it worked on the M8 I don't understand why the G4 is different in this respect.
I'll try a different cable and/or a 4 band cable though and see if it makes a difference.
I used my G4 in my car (2009 RAV4) without issues. I didn't do anything special, just plugged it in then started playing the podcast app. I don't recall if the sequence mattered at all. I typically plug the cable into the phone first, then start playing the audio.
I believe I have a "sense wire" that esmenikmatixx referred to, as I believe my car will not let me select Aux if nothing is plugged into the car. I have an audio cable that I always leave plugged into the car's port, to reduce wear on the jack.
I didn't try the music app in the car, unfortunately. FWIW, Google Music was fine for me with headphones, no weird issues. I have Verizon, but I have since returned my G4, so I can't check anything else for you, sorry.
So I decided to get a bluetooth adapter that plugs into the Aux input on my car stereo and it works great with the exception that the audio volume is ridiculously low. I max out the bluetooth volume on my phone as well as the separate volume on the bluetooth adapter and it is really quiet. Turn up my car stereo you say, but ah, I have to turn my car stereo up to near maximum as well to get a decent volume that could be heard while driving. When I turn the car stereo volume up this loud the speakers become overrun with static and it makes it sound like I'm listening on an FM channel that barely comes in.
I've noticed lower volume over bluetooth on my LG Tone bluetooth earbuds as well. I used these the LG Tone's with my HTC One and had no problems with volume levels. The first time I connected my LG Tones to my LG G4, I had to nearly max out the volume on the Tones (despite having the LG G4 bluetooth volume maxed as well) to hear audio at the same level that I previously did on my HTC One.
So bluetooth is not going to be an answer, the quality is too poor. I dug around on the Play Store and found an app called "Soundabout". The app will allow you to force your audio out through whatever source you want even when the output device is not connected. I set it to force audio through wired headset and it works for the most part. I don't have to do any weird unplugging and re-plugging of audio cable just plug and play. The only thing is that sometimes when I connect the phone and press play on a song you can tell that Soundabout is fighting with the crap software on the phone to force the audio to the wired headset (wired speakers) because the audio will cut in and out and then stop. After pressing play enough times that it wins out, it will finally go through the wired connection. The one downside is that if I'm out of my car and want to listen to something through the speaker on the phone I have to go back into the Soundabout app and change the output to "let the app decide".
So, I'm 100% sure it is something with the software on the phone. There is little doubt. I have no problems with any other phone connected to my car stereo. It's not like I have some aftermarket stereo. This stereo is as stock and basic as you can get. When they designed the audio controls and functionality on this phone they didn't put a lot of thought into it. It's frustrating because otherwise this is a great phone I just hate messing with this stupid audio issue. All I can do is hope it's patched. There are no built-in options on the phone to tweak audio settings.
I can't imagine I'm the only one having problems like this.
LG Customer Support has been predictably unhelpful. I may just return this and get a different phone if I still can.
RedOCtobyr said:
I used my G4 in my car (2009 RAV4) without issues. I didn't do anything special, just plugged it in then started playing the podcast app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me. Works fine in my 2008 Subaru. I've run everything from local mp3 files to Audible to iHeartRadio and Pandora through it without a problem. Even the Smart Settings for auto-starting Audible actually work.
Makster said:
Same for me. Works fine in my 2008 Subaru. I've run everything from local mp3 files to Audible to iHeartRadio and Pandora through it without a problem. Even the Smart Settings for auto-starting Audible actually work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I plugged it in with an audio cable to my girlfriend's Mazda and it works fine. Guess I'm S.O.L. Highly unlikely LG would patch this if it's software due to being so isolated. Would be interested to hear from those with a mid to late 2000's GM vehicle since they all have basically the same stereo as Saab. Maybe it is an issue with my stereo, but I don't understand then why other phones work just fine.
Frustrating because there is nothing I can do to fix it other than spend a bunch of money to replace my stereo which I can't afford, or spend an equal amount of a bunch of money to pay off the G4 so that I can get a different phone to then make more payments on, and Verizon absolutely, no exceptions, refuses to exchange it for something like a Galaxy, Note 4, anything different than a G4 because I'm 5 days past the 14 day return period. Guess I only have myself to kick in the ass for not doing sooner, but I wish someone at Verizon was kindhearted enough to make an exception.
Sorry for venting.
Sorry to hear about the issues. Did you try the 4 band cable idea?
RedOCtobyr said:
Sorry to hear about the issues. Did you try the 4 band cable idea?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not yet, but I will. I've been reading on another website that the G3, last year's model, had this exact same problem. There's a thread with tons of people reporting the same problem. Some used a cable like this one which was suggested earlier and it solved their issue. Suppose I should have tried that to begin with. I'm going to try this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K36XWG0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00
I'll report back if it worked or not at least so that if others come across this they have a starting point.
I got the 4 pole to 3 pole audio cable today and it doesn't work. I tried flipping the cable around and it still didn't work. I don't know what else to try, anyone have suggestions?
Kevin 82485, late on this thread but I just purchased a 2007 Saab 9-3 and I'm having the same issues with my LG G4. I just downloaded the soundabout app you mentioned, but have you found a better solution than that?
2007 saab 9-5 and LG Aristo on Metro PCS. Same issue as OP. Its definitely a LG issue, wifes Galaxy works without issues, no fiddling with the cable and audio pausing and plugging unplugging plugging and trying to play audio. Good phone, garbage audio coding.