Bolero SD card question

[jhp168]

Hi all. Just taken delivery of my nearly new vRS hatch, and it's fitted with (only) the Bolero system. I'm prepping my music files on my computer to copy them over to an SD card to use in the car, and realised that even in mp3 form I've got way more than my 32Gb SD card can handle. 

 

I'm a bit OCD with music - I like to have my entire library with me if I'm going portable, and this goes for the car library as well. Does anyone know what is the maximum capacity SD card that can be used in Bolero. It's a 64 plate and so, I guess, the MY13 version of the system?

 

Thanks in advance.

[MoggyTech]

I believe these units will support 128GB SDXC

[jhp168]

I believe these units will support 128GB SDXC

 

Thank you!

[TheWanderer]

I've put a 64Gb USB 3.0 stick in and its accepted that quite readily.

[alancha]

I been using a Transcend 64GB card without any problems for the last year.  

 

I'd be interested to hear what you think about the sound quality - a lot of us are very disappointed and have come up with innovative hardware and software techniques to improve it (see the thread here http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/302836-bolero-sound-system-on-octavia-rs-iii/?p=3613295 - but perhaps make up your own mind before reading it).

[Paulbrown]

What's the biggest size SD card they can take?

[Rodge]

SDXC cards are supposed to be able to go up to 2 TB.

[jhp168]

Well, I've bitten the bullet and bought a 128GB card which should be big enough to copy all my ripped music. Rather foolishly my tired brain decided to go ahead with the 20 hour (!) copying process before checking to see if the system would recognise it. But the handbook says it will accept any card formatted in Exfat, which used to be the issue with bigger cards in older systems.

 

The biggest pain so far has been realising the Bolero won't play ALAC encoded lossless rips, only FLAC. So I've had to re-encode everything in a duplicate iTunes library and then load it up.

 

If all else fails there is always Google Music on Bluetooth, the venerable CD and the DAB radio, so I shouldn't be at too much of a loss! 

[jhp168]

I been using a Transcend 64GB card without any problems for the last year.  

 

I'd be interested to hear what you think about the sound quality - a lot of us are very disappointed and have come up with innovative hardware and software techniques to improve it (see the thread here http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/302836-bolero-sound-system-on-octavia-rs-iii/?p=3613295 - but perhaps make up your own mind before reading it).

 

Before I bought the 128GB I had a 32GB SD card in there. I'm a developing audiophile but I haven't noticed any issues with sound quality using the SD card to play from. Bluetooth is a bit less reliable, with occasional pops and jitter, and the USB socket barely charges the phone quick enough to maintain a level charge when it is playing music.

[TheWanderer]

All my music is encoded at a medium quality (192kbps), which to me gives me the best balance of quality & portability. I'm quite happy with it at that level.

[jhp168]

I went for 320 so I wouldn't have to compromise listening to tracks available either on my SD card to on Google Play through the bluetooth connection. Mine suffers a bit from jitter and it's nice to know I won't be trading sound quality for the lack of annoying pops. 

[Paulbrown]

This has got my thinking that I should upgrade my 32gb one then too a bigger card ....

[jhp168]

I been using a Transcend 64GB card without any problems for the last year.  

 

I'd be interested to hear what you think about the sound quality - a lot of us are very disappointed and have come up with innovative hardware and software techniques to improve it (see the thread here http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/302836-bolero-sound-system-on-octavia-rs-iii/?p=3613295 - but perhaps make up your own mind before reading it).

 

Just to follow up on the sound quality question. I read the thread you linked, and it sounds like there is something of a consensus that the Bolero isn't much cop. 

 

Saying that, I've just been down to the car and happened to listen to a few tracks. They varied from Daft Punk's Tron Legacy soundtrack, some singer/songwriter stuff, close miked rock with a lot of sibilance and Also Sprach Zarathustra with the 15-20Hz bass pedal at the beginning. I can't say I noticed much harshness, nor anything lacking particularly in the bass.

 

I don't expect it to sound like my living room hifi, and it's a big step up from my nine year old base spec Passat estate, so perhaps that subjectivity is deafening me to the system's faults relative to higher end car audio. 

[jhp168]

Hmmm...hit something of a snag. Downloaded my 424 albums all in the same format. Only the first five are playing. The rest, according to the Bolero, contain no playable files. According to the manual there is a limit of 1000 sub-folders but there are only 424.

Not sure what's going on here. Any thoughts?

[jhp168]

Well, I shall bring this unintentional monologue to a close by saying that the issue turned out to be the fact that the first time round I copied the top folder "Music". Second time around, I copied the individual artist sub-folders instead and we're off to the races.

All the music in my library available in my car. Now if only the Bolero had a search function...

[alancha]

Just to follow up on the sound quality question. I read the thread you linked, and it sounds like there is something of a consensus that the Bolero isn't much cop. 

 

Saying that, I've just been down to the car and happened to listen to a few tracks. They varied from Daft Punk's Tron Legacy soundtrack, some singer/songwriter stuff, close miked rock with a lot of sibilance and Also Sprach Zarathustra with the 15-20Hz bass pedal at the beginning. I can't say I noticed much harshness, nor anything lacking particularly in the bass.

 

I don't expect it to sound like my living room hifi, and it's a big step up from my nine year old base spec Passat estate, so perhaps that subjectivity is deafening me to the system's faults relative to higher end car audio. 

How interesting.  I've suspected for some time that not all cars suffer from this problem of poor sound quality.  Clearly there are several of us who find it unacceptably poor but others like you who are happy.  The difference could of course be subjective, or it may perhaps the result of different musical tastes as some certainly sound much worse than others, but the sound is so bad in mine (and the other identical car I tried at my dealer) that I do think most people would agree with me about my car.  Like you I'm not expecting hi-fi quality in any car system, let alone the bog-standard setup, just something that isn't positively unpleasant to listen to.  All my previous cars - most of them VWs - and my wife's current car (a 2007 Beetle Cabrio) have had a far better sound balance than my Octavia.  

 

Anyway, I'm delighted for your that yours sounds as good as it does.   It is wonderful to have one's entire music collection on tap in the car - a luxury I've never had before.

[jhp168]

How interesting.  I've suspected for some time that not all cars suffer from this problem of poor sound quality.  Clearly there are several of us who find it unacceptably poor but others like you who are happy.  The difference could of course be subjective, or it may perhaps the result of different musical tastes as some certainly sound much worse than others, but the sound is so bad in mine (and the other identical car I tried at my dealer) that I do think most people would agree with me about my car.  Like you I'm not expecting hi-fi quality in any car system, let alone the bog-standard setup, just something that isn't positively unpleasant to listen to.  All my previous cars - most of them VWs - and my wife's current car (a 2007 Beetle Cabrio) have had a far better sound balance than my Octavia.  

 

Anyway, I'm delighted for your that yours sounds as good as it does.   It is wonderful to have one's entire music collection on tap in the car - a luxury I've never had before.

 

I would say it isn't the deepest and most rounded bass I have ever heard. I have Focal Chorus 706 speakers in my living room which, for standmounts, have very good bass response. Relative to those, the standard speakers in the Skoda are lightweight. Even so, I can still clearly pick out bass tones in a way that remain pretty well integrated with the rest of the music. I suppose if pushed I would probably push the bass volume up a notch, but it's a marginal decision.

 

My car was an early 2015 registration, although I don't know for certain when it was built. Perhaps they improved the quality of the speakers, connections and/or Digital-Analogue conversions over time?

[alancha]

Yes - your description of the sound makes it clear mine is different.  Not only is the sound thin and tinny but even trying quite hard on a lot of music you really can't hear the bass and even the lower mid-range notes at all.  And that's with the bass setting turned a long way up - although given my analysis in the thread I referred to above it's not surprising the bass control doesn't help much.

 

Mine's a MY15 car, bought new in July 2014 - a VRs TDi.  

 

I'm really glad yours is OK as you obviously love music as much as I do.