Concert I (Bose) & 6 CD Changer options...

[FactionOne]

Hi All,

Well, as fairly quietly announced in the B5 forum, I'm back in an Audi again - I've just bought a B5 1.8TQS Avant, and she's got a Concert I (Bose) and 6 CD Changer. The CD changer is struggling a bit, with the anti-shock buffer emptying pretty quickly, leading to CD skips, sometimes throwing an error if it can't catch up. This brings me to a fork in the road so-to-speak...

I don't really want to fiddle with the factory set-up too much; I've got a Blaupunkt Woodstock DAB54 which I love to bits and does everyhing I want, but I've just found out I'll be expecting another company car in the next few weeks, and I'd rather install it in there because a) that's where I'll spend the most time, b) particularly over the summer, when DAB and LW are useful for listening to the Cricket, and c) I hear the Bose speakers in the A4 are 2 ohms, and therefore a nightmare with aftermarket HUs.

So... I could pull the CD changer out and overhaul it - I've a background in electronics/IT and I'm confident I could give this a good go; hopefully that'd leave me able to play standard CDs without much problem. However, do I have other options...

Is there a way to replace the factory CD changer with an MP3 changer of one type or another? Or perhaps another way to play MP3 audio, maybe by USB or something? I don't own an iPod and I'd rather not buy one just for the car, but I guess my phone contract's up and I could squeeze one out of Orange if that presents itself as the easiest route. Perhaps changing the HU for another OEM model (Concert II for example) might present more options?

Any suggestions/theories/advice gratefully received...

Thanks and regards,

Rob.

 

[AndyMac]

The Woodstock would work fine with the Bose system, straight swap as it uses the same bizarre mini ISO connection to feed the amp and is one of the few HU's that won't cause the dreaded popping issues with the Bose amp.
Otherwise an Dension ICELink or xcarlink would give you an AUX in via the changer port to connect mp3.
There are MP3 changer packages but this would be nearly as costly as buying a second DAB HU
Concert II will give you CANBUS issues as your A4 is unlikely to be a CANBUS model (unless it's a very late B5).

 

[FactionOne]

The Woodstock would work fine with the Bose system, straight swap as it uses the same bizarre mini ISO connection to feed the amp and is one of the few HU's that won't cause the dreaded popping issues with the Bose amp.

See now you're not supposed to go saying tempting things like that!!!

Otherwise an Dension ICELink or xcarlink would give you an AUX in via the changer port to connect mp3.
There are MP3 changer packages but this would be nearly as costly as buying a second DAB HU

Interesting, although I wasn't desperately keen to have an external player pushing to a line-in, I'd kinda like some control from the HU if possible - I'm not fussed about full textual navigation or anything like that though (and I know that'd only ever be a pipe-dream with this HU!)

Have you any experience of this type of thing: http://www.gromaudio.com/store/usb_adapters/grom-usb2-vag.html ? - They're available for around £100, and there are clones around for about £60.

EDIT: It seems Dension do a Gateway Lite, which is essentially the same thing minus the Aux-In (which as above I'm not particularly after). I guess having things in a maximum of six folders/playlists (with any of the devices of this type) will be a bit of a PITA though (and it's particularly frustrating given that the seek buttons on the concert also control disc selection, so in theory you could select beyond 6) - I'm used to fairly decent navigation on the Woodstock (the MP3 Browse mode being quite handy now and then); but again it'd be nice to have DAB and LW in the new company bus. (Finding out that the Woodstock would drive the Bose system OK has really upset the apple cart though - I'm already googling for tidy-looking DIN fascia adapters damn you! )

Also, was PhatNoise compatible with the Concert I? I'm guessing perhaps not. Can't really find much info out there though...

Concert II will give you CANBUS issues as your A4 is unlikely to be a CANBUS model (unless it's a very late B5).

Good job I wasn't so committed to that as a plan then!

Cheers Andy,

Rob.

 

[FactionOne]

OK So rather than edit the above post again, here's another... I'm starting to answer myself now (they lock em up for that!)...

I found a half-decent google string which leads me to believe that the PhatNoise is indeed compatible, and that navigation is perhaps a little more involved than on the GROM/Dension/eBay Special USB players. ...The next question of course is how large is the gulf between the two solutions in terms of pound notes? Hard to say, because it's discontinued? Perhaps it's back to Dension/GROM type devices, or the Woodstock. I'm kinda scared of ropey bits of plastic in the centre console around it though - oh, and missing the Cricket when I'm at work in the summer :s

Cheers,

Rob.

 

[Broken Byzan]

Ipod and decent headphones, SORTED !!!

LOL