Gas Hed

I've been using my IPhone for music and am wondering what your opinions are on sound quality between going Aux through the headphone jack of my IPhone vs. Bluetooth. Everything I read says the sound quality is better with Aux, but I'm a bit confused (in a good way). Although there is a volume drop when using Bluetooth with the Q5 sound system, the sounds quality is still pretty damn great. Added bonus is the steering wheel controls and displays on the Q5 operate the sound system via Bluetooth. Aux I have to work through the phone. Thoughts?

Fun4stuff

I was concerned about this years ago too... eventually I too realized I had a hard time telling the difference in quality and said screw it. I'm taking convenience - don't even have to take my phone out of my pocket and keep my eyes on the road. The difference is barely perceivable to the average Joe...

I'm guessing you don't have a usb-in to the radio? Because that's the other option. In my old car that was the only way I could get the song info to display on my console.

atc98092

You do know you can raise the volume on the phone and it only adjusts your Bluetooth audio out, right? My Q5 doesn't do BT audio streaming, but the rental I have now does, and I had to go into the car radio menu and adjust the aux in volume and also had to turn the volume level in the phone up. It is pretty much balanced now with the FM volume, so no big difference switching between BT streaming and broadcast radio.

dereitz

There is an input level adjustment you can do as well in the MMI. It's in the right menu. Try increasing this and see if it helps.

NeedMoreHP

Bluetooth at best using the newest available codecs can only produce “CD-like” quality. It will 100% degrade quality from any recently purchased music, and Bluetooth will never catch up quality wise to a physical connection. Using a lightning cable WILL produce better quality.

ThumperD

I have a 2018 Q5 and went thru a lot of different ways to get my audio, I previously had a 2016 Q5 and put a iPod Nano in with all my music. It was connected thru a special cable supplied by Audi that brought all to the MMI system. This connection brought all to the car, charged to Nano and let me have access to my playlists. It stayed in the car all the time.

When I transitioned to the 2018 Q5 it provides a USB connection. The Nano did not work and it needed a iPod Touch. While trying to make the Nano work I learned that plugging in the iPhone worked like a dream and gave access to all music features .

If you plus it in it charges while operating and if you forget it when leaving, the car tells you that you left it.

I also believe that the sound quality is better when plugged in as opposed to Bluetooth. Just an opinion, never quantified.

AndroidRobot

You could always buy a DAC and use an AUX cable if you wanted to go a little crazy. I don't think either is necessary because BT audio sounds good as is. No car is quiet enough to truely enjoy studio quality sound so I'm happy with the B&O system.

Ron.S

Well said. The Audi is quiet but not that quiet.

AndroidRobot

I don't think anything is that quiet, yet. Nothing beats wuality headphones (Senhieser) and a good DAC.

oUo

Your car is Q5? Is your AUX a AUDI build-in/stocked AUX? and shows up as AUX in MMI menu? then it is a AUDI built-in A/D converter,
after your iPhone audio(analog) out into AUX, it goes digital audio into coax or optical/MOSt system, that's also why you cannot adjust the volume.