Just looking at the options list on new vRS. Interested to know what peoples thoughts are on either of the above. Is this iPod connection worth it or does the sd slot do a good enough job regards ease of use and sound quality?

Ipod connection without a shadow of a doubt. It (Ipod) holds more at better quality & you don't have to create play-lists if you want the mix function to work.

Edited 16 June, 201016 yr by Evening Star

I figured SD card would be fine for me. It's not(!) Don't get me wrong it's not terrible, but it's fiddly to fill it with music compared to an iPod that hides in the glove box.

I'm in the process of retrofitting MDI / iPod, total cost will be around £250, £230 for the kit i've bought so far. Annoyingly, one of the cables you need (which runs from MDI unit -> Bolero) you have to make yourself from component parts.

You can't buy the assembled cable, you have to buy 7 wires, 2 plastic plugs, and assemble it yourself. The alternative is a pre-wired loom for 40EUR from Kauftec.

The SD card is there for free.

I tried comparing a CD to the highest quality MP3, and whilst I could argue that there was some difference, it was marginal. However this was with the car stationary, and the engine off. With the car moving I bet you couldn't tell the difference.

SD cards are cheap (£7/8 for 4 GB) and I don't mind leaving them in the car. The only hassle is putting the MP3s onto them in the first place.

Is there an easy way to transfer iTunes to an SD card?

If you are looking at retrofitting an MDI lead check out availablility on German ebay - I'm sure they are a hell of a lot cheaper than £230

Might need to check compatibility with the Bolero though

I'll post a link to a seller when I get home

Edited 16 June, 201016 yr by Brimma

Is there an easy way to transfer iTunes to an SD card?

Yeah you can drag and drop a playlist into the SD's folder. Fastest method i've found is insert SD card, right click, quick format to delete everything. Then have your playlists setup in itunes, drag into the explorer window with SD card open. Then for podcasts it's a real fiddle, they need splitting every 10 mins or so (because the Bolero doesn't do a fast-fast-forward so if you loose you place at 50mins into a podcast, you're going to get a sore finger holding that fast forward button on screen) then the split files copied onto the SD card.

What a faff. Get an iPod

If you are looking at retrofitting an MDI lead check out availablility on German ebay - I'm sure they are a hell of a lot cheaper than £230

Might need to check compatibility with the Bolero though

I'll post a link to a seller when I get home

Yeah you're right Brimma, there's kits with the MDI unit and that Kuaftec lead i mentioned for ~£150. That's the way anyone else should go. The parts from Skoda to make the ebay kit as good as factory fit are £3 for a wee holder, £1 for another wee clip thing, etc. etc. under a £10 at the dealers if you buy the ebay kit.

Having the MDI is a total waste of time and money when you can do everything on an SD card - with certain constraints which are easily overcome.

If you feel the need to go spending on the MDI for a few extra bits then go ahead but as for VFM - then the SD card wins hands down.

Personally I have the factory fitted ipod connection in my glovebox but found it doesn't work very well with my ipod touch (no playlists etc but does charge) - good with a standard ipod though. I find that an SD card + six CD's sufficient for my needs, although I may get an old ipod nano off ebay just to load up with music and leave always connected (but then I'm a gadget addict).

Is there an easy way to transfer iTunes to an SD card?

Yep. Just select your entire music library in Itunes & then tell it to convert the lot to MP3, then just copy all of the MP3s it created onto the SD card, but it's far simpler just to use an MDI cable & a Ipod, no transfers to a SD card, just plug 'n play.

But what about the songs locked in the itunes format?

With an SD card, were the songs files are stored in a directory structure like this:-

Artist

-------Album

----------------Song

Can you do a random play through all the directories?

Steve

The songs locked in Itunes format can be unlocked using a thing called SoundTaxi, otherwise you leave them behind, as for the SD card thing have a read of the Bolero & SD card saga.

http://briskoda.net/...e__hl__playlist

Still want to bother with an SD card? MDI & Ipod is the easiest route for you if you have loads of locked songs.

Edited 16 June, 201016 yr by Evening Star

Having the MDI is a total waste of time and money when you can do everything on an SD card - with certain constraints which are easily overcome.

If you feel the need to go spending on the MDI for a few extra bits then go ahead but as for VFM - then the SD card wins hands down.

That's a little strong to be fair John

The MDi lead is a luxury, but I certainly wouldn't class it as a total waste of time and money

How long did it take you to get a reasonable access speed to your SD card ?

The MDi lead is much more than an ipod connector - by getting the relatively cheap (£20 or so) USB lead you can also run a mahoosive self-powered USB hard drive as well, not to mention USB memory sticks

So, an expense, yes, but total waste of time and money, IMHO no

Edited 16 June, 201016 yr by Brimma

The songs locked in Itunes format can be unlocked using a thing called SoundTaxi, otherwise you leave them behind, as for the SD card thing have a read of the Bolero & SD card saga.

http://briskoda.net/...e__hl__playlist

Still want to bother with an SD card? MDI & Ipod is the easiest route for you if you have loads of locked songs.

I'm not reading all that!

Is the synopsis that it's a pain in the backside?

I might load a few songs onto an SD card and go and play in the dealer demo car and make my mind up then.

Steve

It will serve you well be reading all of that, it will help you make an educated decision on whether to use an SD card & all of the faffing around that needs to be done or use the plain & simple Ipod connection via MDI.

Life is too short to read that and the restaurant is summoning me!

When it comes to it, I think I'll tick the MDI box

Steve

Well I have an iphone and an iPod but my OEM Leon connector is pretty rubbish

wont an old school dension connector work on the bolero? (the one that goes into the multi-cd connector on the back). I was hoping to use mine if i get one with a bolero.

where is the sd card slot on a bolero??? {just got a vrs with autochanger in boot, i think it is a bolero system }

I'm not reading all that!

Is the synopsis that it's a pain in the backside?

I might load a few songs onto an SD card and go and play in the dealer demo car and make my mind up then.

Steve

Trouble with that is a few tracks on an SD card doesn't highlight the real issue. The difference in response between a few tracks and 600 tracks is immense. Without messing about creating playlists and folder structures at least 9 levels deep, just see how long it takes the Bolero to read 600 tracks, then imagine what it's like with 2000 (or even more)

If you really plan on seeing the Bolero shortcomings with SD, take a large SD card with you, full of music. I gave a lift to a friend who jumped out of their skin a couple of miles into the journey as the Bolero finished analysing the SD card and started playing the music... Yes, that's right, 2 miles into a journey before it started playing music. Mess about with playlists as per the thread highlighted above and it starts in seconds, but I should have to d!ck about with things like that to make it work as expected.

Really wish I'd known about the problems as I'd have ordered MDI instead of assuming the 6 CDs and an SD slot would be enough for me

where is the sd card slot on a bolero??? {just got a vrs with autochanger in boot, i think it is a bolero system }

At the bottom of the unit. The Bolero is a touchscreen unit, but doesn't have SatNav

At the bottom of the unit. The Bolero is a touchscreen unit, but doesn't have SatNav

what have i got then ? because it aint touchscreen... ive got a 07/57 plate vrs with cd autochanger in boot, and wotever system ive got, is it any good ?

what have i got then ? because it aint touchscreen... ive got a 07/57 plate vrs with cd autochanger in boot, and wotever system ive got, is it any good ?

Probably a Stream MP3, can't comment on how good it is because my current car is the first VAG group car I've owned since 2002...

Probably a Stream MP3, can't comment on how good it is because my current car is the first VAG group car I've owned since 2002...

does it take sd cards ?