Just took delivery of my wife's 2015 Porsche Macan S. Same exact issue.

 

Strange. I have a 2014 Cayenne and it works fine for me. I have the online services package which might make a difference but I don't even keep the Aha app on my phone anymore and BT streaming still works while another device is plugged into USB. I don't use it much as the Cayenne has an internal HDD that I've copied my music onto.

Our F-Types support at least AVRCP1.4 for BT audio (because we can see now playing track metadata on the console from phone) so not ancient tech.

Hopefully a fix comes in the near future.

 

So I use a USB flash drive instead of your iPad Mini and it works fine. They aren't that expensive and I can both stream from my phone and pull music off the drive. I expect the problem is that it can only control one smart device at a time but a dongle doesn't count.


I'll have to mess with an iPod and steaming on my new Kenwoods to see if I have a problem with them but I've pretty much retired the iPods now and mostly live off Slacker and streaming from my phone. Nice thing about that is if there is an alert slacker will often stream it in and Waze will interrupt the music stream.

 

What file formats will the Jaguar recognize? Will it recognize the AAC codecs used by iTunes? Can you set up playlists, etc.? How does one search music on the USB flash drive? By artist/album etc.? What track info is displayed while playing? Can you just copy your iTunes music (where all music on my computer is stored) folder onto a flash drive?

Sorry for all the questions.

 

You're correct in that the Porsche PCM stated streaming with a phone while the iPod was connected would work if AHA was installed. I tried installing it on my iPhone to see if it would then stream on my Jaguar with the iPod connected, but no such luck.

Honestly, for me it makes almost no difference because I sync the iPhone and my iPad on the same iTunes account, so the libraries are identical, and I never stream Pandora or iTunes radio anyway.

 

So you have to convert to MP3, I don't know many things that read AAC outside of Apple. The music shows up alphabetically and you can scan through it (this is a sub menu). You can also search on a song name to find and play it. I don't use playlists so not sure how they work I just put the songs I want to listen to on the USB drive and off I go. More often then not now I just stream from Slacker though. I just use USB when I have a new phone I haven't paired yet.

 

Thanks for this info.

 

Just tried a USB key and it worked fine with streaming Spotify with BT. I would just use the USB key instead of the iPod but I like a lot of variety so I keep a 160GB iPod Classic plugged in with my whole music library on it.

Oh well - not a big problem - will probably be fixed down the road. In the meantime I still get traffic and police alerts via Waze while the iPod is plugged in just no BT music.

 

If you really want to enjoy your music while driving, I recommend that you try to find .wav files and not download from itunes or stream from spotify.

eg. you can rip from CD at 44,100khz 16-bit and transfer the .wav files to your phone.

Also, you should listen via usb cable, not via Bluetooth, so as to avoid bluetooth data compression inducing distortion.

I keep a usb cable in my car. It also charges my (iphone), while driving.

You can quite clearly hear the muddy lows and low-mids and the dull crushed highs of compressed audio on the Meridian system and it isn't pleasant.

 

Agreed. I use mostly 320kbps bitrate for iTunes. Lossless takes up a lot of space but always sounds better. Tried a DVD which sounds great as well and is encoded DTS.

Just wish the Meridian 770 system didn't buzz... I turned bass and sub down quite a bit so less noticeable but I still hear it in certain songs.

 

320kbps is still compressed. Try using the 'DTS' setting in the F-Type. It sounds best. The Meridian setting is eq'ing the bass frequencies around 100hz and there are loose wires that vibrate, hence the buzz.

 

Thanks. I'm aware 320kbps is compressed but still decent to the point where I think it is really hard for anyone to tell the difference (at least to my ears). I agree if you're testing out the systems full dynamic range FLAC or ALAC is best.

I'll give the DTS setting a try instead of Meridian. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

I agree that DTS is best... On my C.D.'s or F.M. radio, the Meridian setting does not engage the rear speakers for some reason even though the sound seems good out of the front, the DTS does engage all speakers, as appropriate. I have not had any buzzing problems at all, even at high volume.
Lawrence

 

Now this starts to sound like an audiophile conversation. So: on your home system, do you mount the speakers on top of the washing machine, or just put them on the floor next to it? Also, do you find the sound quality is best when washing, rinsing, or spinning???

 

There is noticable difference between losless formats such as flac or wav and compressed audio such as mp3 and .m4a. Try playing the same song through both formats one after the other on any decent speaker system and you will hear it clearly.

The maths, if you are interested:

CD quality lossless file is encoded at 16bits, 44,100khz which represents 96db SPL dynamic range (decebals of Sound Pressure Level - signal to noise ratio) and provides a bit rate of 14411.2kbps (vs 320kbps mp3)

No audio is ever actually recorded as a lossy (compressed) file and so during the compression to mp3/m4a etc there is a loss of quality in order to compress it to 10% of its original size. There is a process called 'Psychoacoustics' but I wont bore you with that

 

Just picked up my F type last eve and was surprised when the song by Iggy Azalea "Black Widow" came on the radio, I was aghast. It is more of a hip hop song, but it sounded like chains were rattling behind me. The bass was delayed and crackling and it sounded like more than loose wires. I have the 770W system and it just sounded broken. It cut in and out, buzzed etc. Have never heard a car stereo sound so bad. Just wanted to add another post in case Meridian and Jaguar and working to help fix this issue. Thank you. Mike.

 

Hi fun,
I've tested the system quite a bit and find that while turning to DTS sounds less distorted you lose stereo imaging. Stick with the Meridian setting but use the built in EQ to adjust as its poorly balanced form the factory. I suggest the following:




DO NOT use compressed audio. DO NOT use wireless bluetooth. DO NOT pass go. DO NOT collect $200.

 

I'll try it again along the lines you suggest... I never did have any buzzing issue, but got zero sound from the rear speakers on the Meridian setting no matter what I did with the various settings.
Lawrence

 

Hi

Should any of you have any concerns regarding the function of your audio system, I would suggest seeking the technical advice of your local authorised Jaguar retailer who will be able to carry out a physical inspection and advise accordingly.

The retailer will be able to advise if there are any manufacturing defects present and resolve as necessary.

Thanks

Ryan

 

I originally started this thread almost a year ago... and what do you know, people are still complaining about something we all know is wrong with the cars.

Ryan - no service tech at Jaguar is going to be able to sit in a vehicle and say, 'yah, you're right, something is off'. Sound quality is subjective. Short of using an SPL meter (which doesn't measure sound quality), what is it that our reps will be able to do? You are hearing quite a few people complain about sound quality (for the money) and this is such a small sample size of those of us with F-types.

I had a TSB done on my top when I dropped my car off two weeks ago (for a faulty water pump). My car rattles twice as bad now... in the center console... it's so bad that I don't listen to my radio hardly ever. I know what part of the vehicle it is because I have to wedge my fingers in between the plastic molding and the carpet to get it to stop. That is fixable of course - but the sound quality is the main complaint we are all talking about here.

The solution that alexg posted above about NOT using Bluetooth and NOT using MP3 leaves a very select few ways of actually getting audio into your car. What, we are supposed to use a line out/in? We are supposed to download all our music at 192k and copy it to a USB drive?

Come on.

It's 2014. No one uses CDs. No one uses line ins. No one has hard copy music on their PCs recorded at only the highest quality. Well - I say no one. Sure, some do - but they are audio snobs and you couldn't make them happy anyways.

Point is.

I use Pandora, Soundcloud and Spotify... all of them are running at high quality and I stream them thru my bluetooth... that's how it should be. My XJ had sound quality issues as well streaming thru bluetooth. I hardly even use my BT handsfree because it has never been clear and I have a new Iphone.

It's just getting tiresome to see so many people complain about the same thing... because it isn't an ignition wire or air bag like other manufacturers, Jaguar has zero motivation to fix the problem because like I said - our complaints are subjective and don't affect safety or driveability...

...or am I just way off base?