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      10-03-2017, 11:19 AM   #1
Renalt130
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Low audio volume via wireless CarPlay

I have noticed there is quite a difference in audio volume between eg radio and music via the wireless CarPlay option. The volume toggles on the phone don?t do anything so I?m wondering where/how/if there is a way or setting for this?
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      10-13-2017, 01:16 AM   #2
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That is strange. In wired mode in other cars it's the same, the toggles don't do anything. But the volume is maxed from the phone as standard..

I didn't notice any problem when I tried it a few weeks ago, but I didn't compare to the radio.

If you turn up the volume in carplay mode and then switch to radio, is it very loud then?
Maybe it saves the volume for different inputs?
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      10-13-2017, 01:52 AM   #3
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I have the Harman Kardon sound system and I am having the same problem.
When playing spotify via wireless carplay, volume is remarkably lower compared to radio and saved music collection.

And yes, if I turn up the volume in carplay mode and then switch to radio or saved music it is too loud for me.

I don't like to play music loud in car. I keep the volume around 40% when listening to radio. If I switch to carplay I need to turn up the volume to around 60% and when I switch back to radio 60% is too loud for my taste and I have to turn it down.
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      10-13-2017, 03:22 AM   #4
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This has been the case in my current F32 too. Volume level between radio and either wireless or wired audio from iPhone is quite different. I just turn the volume button up when I switch to the phone.
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      10-13-2017, 08:22 AM   #5
Renalt130
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ADS-UK View Post
This has been the case in my current F32 too. Volume level between radio and either wireless or wired audio from iPhone is quite different. I just turn the volume button up when I switch to the phone.
Yes, if I switch to radio it is much louder
Also note I?m referring to CarPlay wireless. Not Bluetooth music streaming. With the former the volume buttons on the phone don?t work, with the latter they do (and then yes, you can correct this but not if you?re in CarPlay).
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      10-25-2017, 04:46 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMW_Sweden View Post
That is strange. In wired mode in other cars it's the same, the toggles don't do anything. But the volume is maxed from the phone as standard..

I didn't notice any problem when I tried it a few weeks ago, but I didn't compare to the radio.

If you turn up the volume in carplay mode and then switch to radio, is it very loud then?
Maybe it saves the volume for different inputs?
Is there a way how I can make the CarPlay go WIRED only instead of wireless? That should be a good test?
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      10-26-2017, 09:44 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Renalt130 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by BMW_Sweden View Post
That is strange. In wired mode in other cars it's the same, the toggles don't do anything. But the volume is maxed from the phone as standard..

I didn't notice any problem when I tried it a few weeks ago, but I didn't compare to the radio.

If you turn up the volume in carplay mode and then switch to radio, is it very loud then?
Maybe it saves the volume for different inputs?
Is there a way how I can make the CarPlay go WIRED only instead of wireless? That should be a good test?
I would like a wired-CarPlay option also: this is how I've used it in other cars - including an Opel Corsa hire car!

In the G30, CarPlay only seems to work with Bluetooth AND wi-fi enabled on my iPhone.
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      10-26-2017, 01:06 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by en1gma View Post
I would like a wired-CarPlay option also: this is how I've used it in other cars - including an Opel Corsa hire car!

In the G30, CarPlay only seems to work with Bluetooth AND wi-fi enabled on my iPhone.
G30 is one of the first cars to offer wireless CarPlay. This is also the reason why Apple showcased wireless charging of iPhone 8 in a G30.
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      05-20-2018, 01:14 AM   #9
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Solved

Quote:
Originally Posted by ADS-UK View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by en1gma View Post
I would like a wired-CarPlay option also: this is how I've used it in other cars - including an Opel Corsa hire car!

In the G30, CarPlay only seems to work with Bluetooth AND wi-fi enabled on my iPhone.
G30 is one of the first cars to offer wireless CarPlay. This is also the reason why Apple showcased wireless charging of iPhone 8 in a G30.
The trick that did it for me is to disable sound check and volume limit in the music settings of the iPhone. This limit basically noticeably attenuates the volume. I've also noticed that for most of the music, you don't really need this volume limit and i haven't experienced any variance in volume from song to song so far, except for maybe some real oldies. Read: it typically gets them less loud and you don't have to worry that suddenly things get much louder.

There is a similar setting in Spotify (audio normalization I believe).

Solved.
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      05-20-2018, 02:37 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by emre View Post
I have the Harman Kardon sound system and I am having the same problem.
When playing spotify via wireless carplay, volume is remarkably lower compared to radio and saved music collection.

And yes, if I turn up the volume in carplay mode and then switch to radio or saved music it is too loud for me.

I don't like to play music loud in car. I keep the volume around 40% when listening to radio. If I switch to carplay I need to turn up the volume to around 60% and when I switch back to radio 60% is too loud for my taste and I have to turn it down.
I find 50% volume on CarPlay is very loud music. Not a big difference between CarPlay and DAB for me.

Previous cars - auxiliary inputs were always lower volume...
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      05-22-2018, 08:50 AM   #11
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It would be great if BMW reintroduced different sound settings per input, like they used to (in e39, for example).

Audio normalisation in Spotify is a bit of a sledgehammer implementation of trying to get all songs to output at the same volume: it might be ok in the car environment, but significantly affects overall sound quality when listening over decent headphones or on a home HiFi. All dynamic range disappears...

It's a bit like the compromised sound of compilation albums vs the original source LPs/singles.

Which is a shame, as there are 'smart gain' features in a lot of the home streaming devices that read the metadata (artist, track name, date, music genre, etc) that is held in all digital songs and automatically increase/decrease volume of each individual song to match your chosen volume level instead of squishing all to the lowest common denominator. An example is the now sadly defunct Logitech Squeezebox family...
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