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Audi A4 B8 - ipods - torqueman

I'm still in the LP era when it comes to music and so ipods and MP3 players are beyond my comprehension.

Just traded in my B7 A4 for a second hand B8 which instead of the 6 CD player has a connection for a "music inerface" Has anyone had any experience of these? A trip to Currys has only served to confuse me even more. The Dealer will supply the appropriate cable once I tell him what storage device I've purchased. But which is best?

Ipods seem very expensive and the manual says you can use memory sticks or MP3 players as well as Ipods. The assistant in Currys seems to think that only the ipod would bring up the menu of stored items and so I would welcome advice from anyone who is successfully using this system

Thanks in advance for any advice. I should say that I am not a new member joining for this one piece of advice but an old member who has changed his email address and his identity. I hope to contribute more in future than I have in the past.. As I know from experience how threads get slightly off track, could I make a plea not to let this degenerate into a "Whatever made you buy an Audi" topic.

Audi A4 B8 - ipods - Avant

New or old, you're welcome. It may be worth seeing if you can find a car audio specialist in your area - or failing that a VAG dealer who has a mechanic who knows about audio. Anyway, someone who will come and look at the car.

If it takes SD cards, as my Skoda does, that'll be ideal as you can record CDs on to these via your computer, without having to buy an Ipod.

Audi A4 B8 - ipods - BigJohnD

Post a message in the Audi Owners Forum, to seek advice from owners for options for your model.

No doubt Audi have an expensive off the shelf answer, but there may alternatives from independent car audio specialist.

Edited by BigJohnD on 02/04/2010 at 23:12

Audi A4 B8 - ipods - torqueman

Thanks Avant and BigJohnD. I know it will connect to an iPod but I was reluctant to fork out for one of these if there was a cheaper alternative.

There is a card slot so I think that will be my first option. Thanks again.

Audi A4 B8 - ipods - rtj70

To use the SD Card you just need to copy your music files as MP3 to it. Do you have a memory car reader at the moment.

Watch out with larger capacity SHDC card of 4Gb or more which may not work in the Audi sound system - check first. You can fit a lot of high quality MP3 on a 2Gb card.

Audi A4 B8 - ipods - torqueman

I have just been researching card readers because I don't have one at present. They seem quite reasonable. The advice re the size of card is appreciated as I had been tempted to gor a large capacity.

Do you know if you need special cards for music or will a camera card suffice?

Audi A4 B8 - ipods - rtj70

The cards are the same - just an SD Card. But the larger capacity ones may or may not work. If they can work on the Audi stereo then make sure you get a card reader that works with them on the computer.

I assume you have MP3 files or are confident to convert your CDs to MP3's on a computer before copying to a memory card. Note that if you use iTunes the default audio format for imported tracks is AAC and not MP3.

Post any questions and someone on here will be able to answer.

Audi A4 B8 - ipods - R2-CMax

The cards are the same - just an SD Card. But the larger capacity ones may or may not work. If they can work on the Audi stereo then make sure you get a card reader that works with them on the computer.

I assume you have MP3 files or are confident to convert your CDs to MP3's on a computer before copying to a memory card. Note that if you use iTunes the default audio format for imported tracks is AAC and not MP3.

Post any questions and someone on here will be able to answer.

We've just got a new A4 SE which has the SD Card socket in the dash. As such we didn't take the option to have the iPod/USB interface and are using a 16Gb card that cost us around £30.

The Audi can play SDHC cards (>2Gb), but does take a few minutes to come up with the track listing for our nearly full 16Gb card. However, I read on the internet that early B8 models don't support larger than 2/4 Gb cards and I'm not clear whether the dealer can upgrade the firmware to support large cards.

There is also an Aux socket in the armrest, which can take any MP3 player via what is basically cable with a headphone plug on both ends, although this means the player's interface must be used - (by the passenger presumably - how safe is peering down to the small screen on the player when you're driving? Even using the screen in the A4 could be a dangerous distraction too.)

It sounds like the OP is quite new to the whole MP3 area, and given they've just spent presumably the thick end of £20k on a new car, they might find £100 on an iPod Nano good value because it just makes life so simple - rip from CDs and manage music on iTunes, synch with the iPod and you're home free. Alternatively there may be friends/neighbours that have iPods and memory cards you can borrow briefly to help make a decision based on things like ease of use as well as price, and find out what connectors are needed.

Audi A4 B8 - ipods - torqueman

Many thanks for all the help and advice and I've decided to opt for the iPod.

I'm not sure about the download process but all the children in the family seem to have them so I will not be short of advice. The car is one year old and does have a card slot but the iPod has gone down well with Mrs T as we can also use use it in a relatively new DAB Radio/iPod player which is only used as a radio at present.

The handbook states that a Nano 1, 2, or 3G can be connected but I have now spoken to the Dealer who advises that higher capacities will also work, unlike the cards.

Many thanks again for all the help.

Audi A4 B8 - ipods - rtj70
The handbook states that a Nano 1, 2, or 3G

The 1, 2 or 3G reference is to the different generations to the iPod Nano range and not storage capacity. You may already know this. But the second generation Nano could be had in 8Gb capacities and the fifth comes in up to 16Gb.

If you fancy something more versatile than just a music player, check out the iPod touch too, e.g. pop along to an Apple store.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipod_nano

Audi A4 B8 - ipods - ijws15

All you need for a full explanation - but one you may not understand, is a teenager!