Amundsen and MDI - Random Stereo Channel Swapping (Advice please!)

[6stringer]

A week and 1100 miles in with my new Superb and a shortcoming has reared its head - I'm grateful to any members who can shed some light.

 

I have the Amundsen Nav Unit and it's working well on Nav, DAB and other radio but I'm struggling with the random swapping of stereo channels when my iPod Classic is attached to the MDI socket in the centre console storage. Whilst this isn't so apparent with more recent music, I like my 60's music (when the approach to stereo was "band on one side, vocals on the other" and variations on that theme). At first I thought my hearing was going twisty! For no apparent reason, the channels would swap sides. I gave up with it in the end because my ear was picking up on any sound with a bias to one side and found it too was moving and shifting. It also seems unable to start a track cleanly - instead catching on about 1/4 a second in as if caught by surprise!

 

I'm assuming that the Amundsen has downloaded some files to the iPod as its screen displays white with a "MediaIn" logo when plugged in.

 

Any advice really appreciated (with thanks in anticipation) as this is so far the only taint on an extremely good first impression with the car.

 

[100andthirty]

I would start by copying some of the offending tracks to SD card (not certain but might have to be in mp3) and see if the effect is still present. This will help to see what aspect of the system (file, iPod, cable, MDI, Amundsen) is causing the problem. SD card will eliminate all but the file (song) and the Amundsen.

[6stringer]

I'm very grateful to you for the suggestion. I was wondering if this was something simple to sort out or some simple error on my part.

 

I have gone some way towards isolating the issue today by using the AUX input and the tracks played with no problem, as they also did on my hi-fi at home today. This puts it as something between the MDI and the Amundsen, The car was new only a week ago, I'll be having a chat with the dealer and it will be for them to resolve it now.

 

 

[ric04vrs]

The tracks on my iPod start a touch abruptly, but I just thought it was something to do with the way iTunes rips them from the CDs

Never noticed any issues with how the music and vocals sound, although I probably don't listen to the same sort of music

[wokwon]

I notice weird effects with the 3d enhancement thingy.  I believe that this option is only available when the car has the optional underseat amplifiers.  Dunno about amundsen, but on the columubus:

Tone button -> Surround Mode (it's right at the bottom)

 - If it's on Front or Driver, with some types of music there are weird effects with the stereo imaging so I leave it on whatever off is.

[Xylaquin]

Did the dealer diagnose the issue, 6stringer?

 

I have MDI in my Fabia and it often swaps the channels over seemingly randomly. I get around it by quickly switching the source to Radio then back to MDI and that sorts it until it randomly happens again.

 

It's definately the MDI:

- It affects any track (although you might not notice it on some tracks purely because of the song's stereo mixing is balanced)

- The channels are never swapped if listening to Radio or CD

- You reported an issue with your Amundsen, I'm using a Swing, so it's not the headunit.

 

I've owned my car from new for six months and have just beared with it, it's a bit annoying, but recently I'm getting tired of it... especially when you sometimes here the 'clipping' sound that occurs when the channel swap happens.

[6stringer]

Xylaquin, many thanks for taking the time. It is frustrating, especially when the MDI is something I had put in.

 

I've not put the car in yet (as a new arrival to the family is due and that's taking precedence over whether the Beatles are coming out the passenger or driver's side) but have raised it over the email with them and their reply suggested that they hadn't any awareness of this issue. As everything else with the car is perfect, I decided to go over to what I had in my previous cars which is an AUX lead from the iPod headphones to the AUX socket on the front of the Amundsen and this, of course, works perfectly well. Like you, no problems with any other aspect of the head unit.

 

I'll definitely report back as, when this reared its head, I did a trawl through Google search of whether it's cropped up elsewhere and it does seem to be mentioned occasionally in VW forums as an issue.

 

Let's keep in touch with this as two different Skodas with the same problem and only one common aspect has to prove something. I'll respond via this when I book mine in.

 

Again, thanks for replying on this...

 

 

 

 

[lowedb]

I have a feeling, that when you use an iPod on the MDI, it takes the analogue output of the iPod, digitises it and then after processing converts it back to analogue to send to the radio. Seems an odd way to do it but I'm sure I saw something some years ago that makes me think that. So if its true, it would have to be a software (well firmware) error in the MDI which maybe an update would fix?

[Supurbia]

Are you sure this isn't simply a setting to jump to the strongest radio signal it finds?

 

iPods are also flakey and a lot of it depends on using a genuine Apple patch lead rather than a £1.99 Asda one.

[Xylaquin]

Although iPods can be troublesome we can't put the blame specifically on them since I use a USB stick and the official Skoda USB-MDI cable.

 

Since changing the audio source to Radio and then back to MDI effectively fixes the issue, this rules out the possibility that it's a physical connection issue (otherwise the channel swapping would continue). Would be great if there was a firmware update, although I don't have the means to find out what firmware I have. Regardless, since the latest MDI firmware on the internet seems to date from 2012 and my car was built in 2014, I'm sure it has the latest anyway.

 

I too have a 3.5mm AUX port, it's next to my handbrake rather than directly into the headunit. I don't use it often enough to remember if also has the same problem... will need to test that.

 

It's as if some sort of voltage is being tripped, because as far as I recall the audio doesn't switch back itself once it's made the swap. Then again I never leave it long enough to wait and see.

[volkscraft]

Did this ever get resolved? I have the same issue. I have run many tests and can only come to the conclusion it's the MDI itself that's to blame.