Audi MMI DOES play FLAC

[Stephen C]

Pleasantly surprised by the fact that my new MY15 8V plays .flac files via the SD card.

Strangely, as a non-Connect car, it also supports the Audi Music Stream Wi-Fi app (by broadcasting a Wi-Fi hotspot)!



It does not, however, play .m4a Apple Lossless (ALAC) files.

 

[Vertigo1]

Useful info on the FLAC, thanks

Oh and yeah, the Audi Music Stream via Wifi stuff works just fine without Connect providing you have the latest software update

 

[snakehips]

Always has, at least with tech pack. Interesting about the wifi thing though.

 

[Stephen C]

Sorry, didn't realise that was the case. I must have got confused with Apple lossless!

 

[bturkel]

Pleasantly surprised by the fact that my new MY15 8V plays .flac files via the SD card.

Strangely, as a non-Connect car, it also supports the Audi Music Stream Wi-Fi app (by broadcasting a Wi-Fi hotspot)!

View attachment 37228

It does not, however, play .m4a Apple Lossless (ALAC) files.

Mine does not play Flac in US - 2015 S7

 

[camoto]

Mine does not play Flac in US - 2015 S7

Well a 2015 S7 isn't an 8V now is it?

My US Spec '15 A3 8V does.

 

[bturkel]

Well a 2015 S7 isn't an 8V now is it?

My US Spec '15 A3 8V does.

Just a ques do not have to be rude - your A3 does not have a supercharged v8 now does it - nice

 

[camoto]

I guess the little guy with the smiley didn't indicate that I was only teasing and not trying to be rude. Nice comeback though. Sorry if your feelings were hurt.

 

[bturkel]

JUst playing around - 1st Audi - came over from 10 BMW's - nice product - feelings were not hurt

 

[camoto]

Well done, sir. LOL

 

[MrSparks]

Pleasantly surprised by the fact that my new MY15 8V plays .flac files via the SD card.

Strangely, as a non-Connect car, it also supports the Audi Music Stream Wi-Fi app (by broadcasting a Wi-Fi hotspot)!

View attachment 37228

It does not, however, play .m4a Apple Lossless (ALAC) files.

What Software revision are you on? My March 14 does not play FLAC

 

[veeeight]

Only Tech Pack, or Tech Pack with connect will play FLAC from SD Card.

Non-Tech Pack does not play FLAC AFAIK.

 

[MatthijsR]

other question, the standard MMI radio + satnav (not +), does it have a harddrive to store music on, or is it just from the memorycard / streaming?

 

[Audi Ultron]

My apologies for bumping a year old thread but I couldn't find a more recent one.

I have just tried to play some .flac files via an SD card but it didn't work, I received a message along the lines of "No playable media found".

It was due to finding the OP/thread that I thought I'd try it. Any idea's as I have an MY14 8V with the Tech Pack (no connect)?

 

[Simon L]

My apologies for bumping a year old thread but I couldn't find a more recent one.

I have just tried to play some .flac files via an SD card but it didn't work, I received a message along the lines of "No playable media found".

It was due to finding the OP/thread that I thought I'd try it. Any idea's as I have an MY14 8V with the Tech Pack (no connect)?

Just tested Flac on mine and working. Tech Pack High & connect (although not activated).

Mine's MY16 though, so not sure if that helps much?

 

[Simon L]

................BTW, whether you get the flac working or not................stick this one in the car.............one my favourite driving tracks at the moment (especially at night)

 

[Audi Ultron]

Thanks Simon as that's interesting to know it works for you. I'm going to add that track to my library.

The only thing I can think of is a difference in Model Year and what Software Revision/Version the MMI is running. This would concur with MrSparks's post above as mine is also of March 14 'vintage'. Having checked the manual, FLAC isn't listed under the supported formats.

Therefore, it would appear that FLAC is supported from MY15 onwards. It's not really a big deal at present as I've been using 320kbps MP3.

Out of interest, anyone with a MY15 or MY16 able to check their MMI Operating Manual and the supported formats (P32/3 in MY14)?

 

[Simon L]

Thanks Simon as that's interesting to know it works for you. I'm going to add that track to my library.

The only thing I can think of is a difference in Model Year and what Software Revision/Version the MMI is running. This would concur with MrSparks's post above as mine is also of March 14 'vintage'. Having checked the manual, FLAC isn't listed under the supported formats.

Therefore, it would appear that FLAC is supported from MY15 onwards. It's not really a big deal at present as I've been using 320kbps MP3.

Out of interest, anyone with a MY15 or MY16 able to check their MMI Operating Manual and the supported formats (P32/3 in MY14)?

Absolutely, not a big deal really. Like you, I rip all my music to 320 MP3's ..........FLAC sounds great but not really practical if you carry a large music collection round with you.

 

[Audi Ultron]

Absolutely, not a big deal really. Like you, I rip all my music to 320 MP3's ..........FLAC sounds great but not really practical if you carry a large music collection round with you.

Yeah practicality is the problem given the difference in file size, but that's the trade off when you want the best quality.

I've never really got into the FLAC thing myself and seen as a lot of people are into it these days I thought I'd see what all the fuss is about. Of course you need a pretty good sound system to appreciate it and the B&O in the car is probably the best thing I've got (other than the 5.1 surround system & the old HiFi, but neither support FLAC). Never mind, this has fallen at the first hurdle and I'm quite happy enough with my MP3s. Time to start playing Top Gun again haha.

Shame really as I wanted to hear if there was any considerable difference between the formats on a decent system.

This therefore begs another question? Can the MMI OS be updated to the latest software? Probably wishful thinking I know.

 

[Audi Ultron]

Contrary to my post above and not wishing to be defeated I have got FLAC working after some lengthy investigation.

I used the following software packages:

Exact Audio Copy (EAC) - Import CD to computer and encode to FLAC.
Foobar2000 - Covert FLAC to FLAC in order to try different bit-depths & compression levels / file sizes.

I couldn't see anywhere to alter the sample rate so all files were left at the default 44KHz (44100 Hz).

In each test I used the same audio track and the original file properties (from the EAC import) were:

FLAC - 941 kbps / 16-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / 27.0 MB

Tests Carried Out:

1) FLAC - 311 kbps / 8-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 8 Compression (Smallest File) 8.96 MB -> File detected & played
2) FLAC - 937 kbps / 16-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 8 Compression (Smallest File) 26.8 MB -> File detected & played
3) FLAC - 1032 kbps / 24-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 8 Compression (Smallest File) 27.0 MB -> File detected & played
4) FLAC - 362 kbps / 8-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 0 Compression (Biggest File) 10.4 MB -> File detected & played
5) FLAC - 1031 kbps / 16-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 0 Compression (Biggest File) 29.5 MB -> File detected & played
6) FLAC - 1032 kbps / 24-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 0 Compression (Biggest File) 29.6 MB -> File detected & played

Note: As expected, using an 8-bit bit depth resulted in poor sound with a lot of background chuff (so I wouldn't recommend this).

All the above files were played from an SD Card -> SanDisk Ultra 32 GB SDHC 40 MB/s (and artwork displayed).

All the files also worked fine after I had transferred them to the Jukebox Internal HDD (and artwork displayed).

It sounds great in the car on the B&O but I'm not sure if I can hear a huge difference from my 320 kbps MP3's if I'm honest.

Not exactly clear on what's changed for FLAC to suddenly work, but hopefully the above info may help if anyone is considering using FLAC.

 

[Simon L]

Contrary to my post above and not wishing to be defeated I have got FLAC working after some lengthy investigation.

View attachment 74792

I used the following software packages:

Exact Audio Copy (EAC) - Import CD to computer and encode to FLAC.
Foobar2000 - Covert FLAC to FLAC in order to try different bit-depths & compression levels / file sizes.

I couldn't see anywhere to alter the sample rate so all files were left at the default 44KHz (44100 Hz).

In each test I used the same audio track and the original file properties (from the EAC import) were:

FLAC - 941 kbps / 16-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / 27.0 MB

Tests Carried Out:

1) FLAC - 311 kbps / 8-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 8 Compression (Smallest File) 8.96 MB -> File detected & played
2) FLAC - 937 kbps / 16-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 8 Compression (Smallest File) 26.8 MB -> File detected & played
3) FLAC - 1032 kbps / 24-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 8 Compression (Smallest File) 27.0 MB -> File detected & played
4) FLAC - 362 kbps / 8-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 0 Compression (Biggest File) 10.4 MB -> File detected & played
5) FLAC - 1031 kbps / 16-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 0 Compression (Biggest File) 29.5 MB -> File detected & played
6) FLAC - 1032 kbps / 24-bit / 44KHz / Stereo / Level 0 Compression (Biggest File) 29.6 MB -> File detected & played

Note: As expected, using an 8-bit bit depth resulted in poor sound with a lot of background chuff (so I wouldn't recommend this).

All the above files were played from an SD Card -> SanDisk Ultra 32 GB SDHC 40 MB/s (and artwork displayed).

All the files also worked fine after I had transferred them to the Jukebox Internal HDD (and artwork displayed).

It sounds great in the car on the B&O but I'm not sure if I can hear a huge difference from my 320 kbps MP3's if I'm honest.

Not exactly clear on what's changed for FLAC to suddenly work, but hopefully the above info may help if anyone is considering using FLAC.

Well done for getting it working, you're obviously like me once you get the bit between yer teeth!!

I agree, very little difference in the audio quality and simply not worthwhile due to the filesizes!

 

[simonali]

your A3 does not have a supercharged v8 now does it

Neither does an S7. Does it?

 

[Rob2k68]

Roberta ? Only Flac I've ever heard of ?!

 

[Simon L]

Roberta ? Only Flac I've ever heard of ?!

Gotta be honest Rob.....................I really can't decide if yer kiddin or not !!

 

[Audi Ultron]

Well done for getting it working, you're obviously like me once you get the bit between yer teeth!!

I agree, very little difference in the audio quality and simply not worthwhile due to the filesizes!

Cheers Simon, I wasn't expecting it to work and it was a pleasant surprise when the files appeared on the MMI.

I don't like dead ends or things getting the better of me, so at-least it was a fun few hours in this dismal winter weather.

I'm currently importing a load more albums to FLAC as we speak (taking quite a while to do!). As my MMI hard disk is pretty much full of MP3's I'm going to keep the new FLAC stuff on the SD card for now. I really need to sort out the car music as I don't listen to all of it.

 

[Palacemads3]

I've recently converted all my music to FLAC, how have people here managed with the album art and album details?

 

[Audi Ultron]

I've recently converted all my music to FLAC, how have people here managed with the album art and album details?

Not sure if it's of any help Palacemads3 but with Exact Audio Copy (EAC) you can retrieve the album art and details from an online DB.

This only seems to work during the initial CD import as I've checked. If you've already got the music on your PC/MAC then I don't think EAC can change or modify it. If you need to do that then you'll need another software package, but as yet I'm not familiar with any others.

I followed the following guide for using EAC: http://www.cnet.com/uk/how-to/how-to-rip-your-music-cds-to-flac/

Step 1: After you've inserted an audio CD into your optical drive, look up your CD in the freedb database so you don't have to enter the album and track details manually. Go to Database > Get CD Information From > Remote Metadata Provider, or use the shortcut Alt-G. When prompted, add the album cover and lyrics (optional).

For example, here's how I imported one of my Genesis Albums and retrieved the album art and details with EAC:

1) On first inserting the CD we can see that no album info is displayed.

2) Go to Database > Get CD Information From > Remote Metadata Provider

3) If there is more than one record in the online database you'll be prompted to select one of the entries that matches the album/track list. This is where I cross reference with my physical album and the printed track list info.

(If you're not prompted to choose an entry this means there is only one record in the DB, you'll be asked to go to album art / CD cover).

If you hover over each entry it should show the record details as below...

Select one of the entries and then press OK, you'll then be asked if you wish to go to choose the album artwork / CD cover.

4) As per the screenshot below, select small, medium or large (I use small) and some CD covers will be returned in different sizes.

(I have been using roughly 500x500 in size and all display on the MMI. The MMI manual states that up-to 800x800 can be used).

As you can see some of them are not relevant, but choose the artwork / cover which matches the album you're importing.

Click on your desired cover and select "Transfer selected cover to EAC" (double clicking on the cover has the same result).

5) After a few seconds or so your album should be populated with the track details and cover.... hey presto as below...

Now the album is ready to be imported to your music collection.

Note: Other software packages are available which do this, I am not connected to/nor work for EAC.

Hope this helps (not teaching anyone to suck eggs) and apologies if any of these screenshots are against forum rules or something.

 

[Palacemads3]

I will have a look at thanks, although my CDs are already imported on to my Mac so I may need to find an alternative!

 

[Prasanth]

Dear Experts , I am having an Audi Q5 3.0 S line 2014 model., i have tried to play FLAC from SD card, but system says No supported formats available to play.
Do you think FLAC will work in Audi Q5 2014 model Audi Q5 2014 model.? I need help on this please.

 

[Reggie3]

I tried it on my 2015 RS5 but the FLAC file I loaded was not recognized.

 

[mr gee]

FLAC file recognition is only limited to 16/24bit and 44khz. any higher and it's not recognised

 

[Chets]

Hi Guys,
This is the only thread I could find regarding MMI playing FLAC. I've loaded a SD Card with FLAC files but they do not appear on the MMI.
I have a B8.5 S4 (appreciate this thread is for 8V, but hoping someone might be able to help) with MMI 3G Plus.

Current Media version: HN+_EU_AU3G_P0782

Does anyone know whether my MMI 3G Plus supports FLAC and if so do I need to update the MMI in order to do so (I have seen newer firmware versions for the MMI are available).

Any help greatly appreciated.

Chets

 

[DJAlix]

Hi Guys,
This is the only thread I could find regarding MMI playing FLAC. I've loaded a SD Card with FLAC files but they do not appear on the MMI.
I have a B8.5 S4 (appreciate this thread is for 8V, but hoping someone might be able to help) with MMI 3G Plus.

Current Media version: HN+_EU_AU3G_P0782

Does anyone know whether my MMI 3G Plus supports FLAC and if so do I need to update the MMI in order to do so (I have seen newer firmware versions for the MMI are available).

Any help greatly appreciated.

Chets

Not possible on any systems before the MIB1 and 2 units like those within the A3 platform, which are also known as MMI4G.

 

[Chets]

Thanks for the quick response.

Not possible on any systems before the MIB1 and 2 units like those within the A3 platform, which are also known as MMI4G.

 

[gamegenie]

I did not know about this flac, will try to find Laura Branigan music in flac and put on my MMI. Her song has been playing in my head non-stop lately.

 

[peter_58_ha]

Pleasantly surprised by the fact that my new MY15 8V plays .flac files via the SD card.

Strangely, as a non-Connect car, it also supports the Audi Music Stream Wi-Fi app (by broadcasting a Wi-Fi hotspot)!

View attachment 37228

It does not, however, play .m4a Apple Lossless (ALAC) files.

Hello from Germany!

My A3 8V from 2013 is equipped with Bang&Olufsen and does NOT play .flac files from SD.
It just stated "no files in this directory". MP3 works like a charme!
Is there a software update/upgrade for the car or the B&O sound system? If so, I need some advice where to get the update and how to install.

Best regards

Peter (Audi A3 rookie)

 

[DJAlix]

Hello from Germany!

My A3 8V from 2013 is equipped with Bang&Olufsen and does NOT play .flac files from SD.
It just stated "no files in this directory". MP3 works like a charme!
Is there a software update/upgrade for the car or the B&O sound system? If so, I need some advice where to get the update and how to install.

Best regards

Peter (Audi A3 rookie)

Needs to be MIB High