We are considering upgrading from my wife's TSX to a 2012 TL SH-AWD Tech package, and have some iPod integration questions:

1) I notice the owner's manual shows menu options for song shuffle and album shuffle. Does that depend on support in the iPod? E.g. if I am using an iPhone or iPod touch that doesn't natively support album shuffle, will the system still do album shuffle? (For that matter, which device actually does the digital to audio conversion--the iPod? Or does the system treat the iPod as an HD and decode the bitstream internally?)

2) Is anyone using iTunes Match? Does the USB interface work properly with it enabled?

3) Can you use other audio apps on an iPhone? e.g. Pandora, or internet radio? I assume you could over bluetooth or aux in, but can you via the USB interface?

4) What's the sound quality like over bluetooth? How does it compare, for example, to XM radio (which sounds pretty bad to my ear on her TSX).

Thanks!

 

3. Yes you can stream pandora, or any internet radio over usb and bluetooth. All you need to do is close the ipod app and use what you want.

4. Sound quality over bluetooth is excellent. Not quite as good ans usb but close.

 

Although it has not happened to me yet, I would expect there to be hiccups when using cell downloads, however, compared to in home wifi. A workaround would be to download songs to the device before leaving home. It is pretty quick for an album or two.

 

I use iTunes Match in my Miata. Most of the time it works fine, but if you're in a slow network area it does hiccup. Unfortunately there's a number of areas in my neighborhood where ATT reports a strong 3G signal but data is still slow or nonexistent.

If you go long enough without network, the iPhone gets confused, and sometimes you have to restart the playback it manually. My concern was that the USB interface might get even more confused.

 

I've not used it with match, but use it heavily with Pandora and what is effectively airplay. It's nice with the airplay, when you get back in the car, it will remember what you were listening to and where it was when the source stopped.

Bass hits harder / clearer music over the cable, but the bluetooth is by no means bad, on Pandora even.

 

I was wondering how you all are streaming over USB with your iPod? Are you using iPhone/iPod Touch? My iPod classic gets "taken over" when I plug it into the USB port so that I can no longer control things on the screen. I assumed it would be the same with my iPod Touch, which is why I decided to go ahead and just use my old iPod classic in the car. I guess I'm wrong? I know I could just plug in my iTouch and see what happens. I'm just on the road without my iPod Touch to try it out at the moment.

I found the sound quality streaming over Bluetooth with my phone to be just acceptable so would rather go over USB if I can help it.

Will my Android phone send the sound over USB as well?

 

I wasn't able to correctly play music from my Android phone over USB due the way USB mounting works on Android.

When you connect the phone to the car you have to enable USB mounting on the phone. When you do that, it mounts two devices (for my phone since it has a Micro-SD slot) The first drive mounted (internal storage) will be the drive the car sees. So the music has to be on the internal storage, or you won't be able to play it correctly. (This depends on the phone, as stated before my phone mounts internal storage first, then mounts the SD card)

As for the Audio quality, Bluetooth quality suffices, but there is a noticeable difference between USB and bluetooth on my iTouch when I use it in my TL.