How do you listen to your music collection?

[NorCal f80]

Originally Posted by Almaretto

You can also just use an external drive (HDD or flash), unless you really want to buy another apple product.

i wouldnt mind apple so much if you could just plug phone / device in , it pops up as another drive in windows and just drag and drop . stupid how you have to use itunes .

[jmg]

Originally Posted by NorCal f80

i wouldnt mind apple so much if you could just plug phone / device in , it pops up as another drive in windows and just drag and drop . stupid how you have to use itunes .

The entire appeal is the itunes integration. If you find itunes too intrusive you can just set it to not copy media to the itunes folder and it will link you your existing music folder. Then set your iphone/ipod to manual mode and drag and use itunes to drag and drop music to that device. IMHO that's like trying to cross a raging river with a paddle board when there is a concrete bridge right there.

[Almaretto]

Originally Posted by jmg

Using an ipod touch, however, I haven't tried yet. It's got to be so much easier to just sync it. Let me know how it turns out because I might want to switch if it's THAT much easier.

I use Beyond Compare. There is both comparison option for either folder locations or documents with ability to copy from side-to-side, as well as sync option. Once you setup your preferences, it is great and easy to use program.

[///M4ster Yoda]

iPod Classic in all our cars with my entire music collection on them (160 gigs). More music then I could ever listen to and every artist you could think of minus current lame artists if you can call them that.

At this point I do not pay for music. I let the Sirius subscriptions run out after the year and download new stuff for free.

[PhilH]

Driving home last night the iPod Classic glitched again. It happens almost every drive. I realized I had an old iPhone 5 64 GB sitting around (with a half broken screen, thanks to one of my daughters). I completely reset it and loaded a few songs to test. So far, so good. iPod Classic and iDrive 5.0 don't seem to get along.

[Ian1973]

Originally Posted by AustinGelbM4

iPod classic here with 160GB. Whatever I could do on iPod directly I can do through iDrive including random play. I can skip songs/scroll in random play using iDrive wheel or steering wheel thumb wheel. Listen to radio occasionally to hear latest tunes and download the ones I like to my iPod.

And to add the song names will show up in the instrument cluster as you scroll.

[Ian1973]

Originally Posted by PhilH

Since taking delivery of my M3 last week, I've had my 160GB iPod Classic plugged into the USB port in the armrest. However, I'm getting the same disconnection glitch that others have reported with the iPod Classic. Every once in a while the USB doesn't recognize the iPod and I have to unplug it from the USB port and plug it back in (and sometimes completely restart the iPod) to get it to load again. I hate it when this happens, it's distracting and difficult to do when you're driving, and it's happened close to 10 times to me in the past week.

Both of your iPod Classics work fine without disconnecting? (edit -->after more reading, it seems the most complaints about the iPod Classic seem to be from iDrive 5.0 users, so perhaps this is a newer problem with the older iPods...?)

I'm ready to walk down the street today to the Apple Store and buy a new iPod Touch. From other people complaining about this problem, it seems that the lightning connector is far more stable than the old Apple 8 pin connector? Do I have that right? Would an adapter from 8 pin to lightning solve the problem?

Yes mine works fine all the time. However, I would reboot the ipod occasionally. I mean I have issues with any apple product if he hasn't been cycled in a while.

Maybe the ipod is dying? Perhaps the cable is shot? Buying an ipod touch seems expensive to just stick in the center console. Not saying the Classic was cheap way back when.

If mine dies, I would probably just bluetooth from my phone as I don't want a cable sticking out of my center console to plug my phone into the car.

[Gibson6594]

Wish you could randomize the scroll wheel song selection. That's my only gripe with the car.

[Almaretto]

Originally Posted by Gibson6594

Wish you could randomize the scroll wheel song selection. That's my only gripe with the car.

You can randomize play. I am not sure why you would want to randomize the scroll list; then it would be harder to find a track.

[M Pulse]

I used to have a music collection too but with streaming music services it's just so much easier now and worth every penny.

Been using Spotify for a few years now. I use it at home through my Sonos speakers, on my laptop occasionally at work and on my iPhone.

I love the fact that I can use the Spotify app wirelessly on my 2017 F82. In previous years in order to use the Spotify app you had to plug your phone in but not any more.

So much more convenient now being able to use iDrive controller to navigate Spotify with my phone in my pocket.

[Ian1973]

Originally Posted by Gibson6594

Wish you could randomize the scroll wheel song selection. That's my only gripe with the car.

You can, hit the idrive wheel to the right and check random. I have no idea if it only does that particular playlist or album, or it's set that way until you uncheck it.

[NorCal f80]

Originally Posted by Almaretto

You can randomize play. I am not sure why you would want to randomize the scroll list; then it would be harder to find a track.

I think his point is when on random you have to use the next button way to the right of the console where we would want to skip to the next track with steering wheel . it goes to next alphabetical not random

[MFNATIK]

Originally Posted by Almaretto

I use Beyond Compare. There is both comparison option for either folder locations or documents with ability to copy from side-to-side, as well as sync option. Once you setup your preferences, it is great and easy to use program.

Wow, first person outside of work that I've run into that uses Beyond Compare haha :thumbsup

[Almaretto]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

Wow, first person outside of work that I've run into that uses Beyond Compare haha :thumbsup

I have used others in the past, but I have not found anything currently that surpasses function and functionality.

[Rempt]

Any known issues with USB drives and file systems? About to buy a flash drive and trying to determine which one to buy!

[WheelsCollection]

Bluetooth streaming with Apple music and call it a day.

[F80zcp]

Spotify works great. When my iPhone 6 is plugged in to the USB, the car recognizes when the spotify app is open and I can access/control whatever I want from the iDrive Spotify tool.

[stealth70mde]

Originally Posted by Ian1973

Yes mine works fine all the time. However, I would reboot the ipod occasionally. I mean I have issues with any apple product if he hasn't been cycled in a while.

Maybe the ipod is dying? Perhaps the cable is shot? Buying an ipod touch seems expensive to just stick in the center console. Not saying the Classic was cheap way back when.

If mine dies, I would probably just bluetooth from my phone as I don't want a cable sticking out of my center console to plug my phone into the car.

The problem with the iPod Classic is the hard drive. They don't like the extreme temperatures that a car can get (very cold or very hot).

I think I scrapped 3 and my wife the same over the years although they were fantastic while they last.

Now I either use large USB keys, my iPhone (I take it with me when I go out of the car), the internal car drive or Spotify from my iPhone.

Basically, anything that the car can support and that doesn't have a traditional hard drive will be fine with the extreme temperatures.

Still can't believe how much everything changed in the way we consume music in the last 15-20 years...

[stealth70mde]

Originally Posted by Rempt

Any known issues with USB drives and file systems? About to buy a flash drive and trying to determine which one to buy!

USB keys are fine. Anyone will do really. Music is not really taxing the USB key performance wise (unlike high performance cameras, or some computer scenarios).

Just buy the largest and cheapest you can find. If it fails, it didn't cost you an iPod.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Rempt

Any known issues with USB drives and file systems? About to buy a flash drive and trying to determine which one to buy!

I use a $30 Sandisk Ultra Fit 128gb. Works like a charm

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra...dp_ob_title_ce

[Almaretto]

Originally Posted by WheelsCollection

Bluetooth streaming with Apple music and call it a day.

BT streaming is compressed, inferior quality, if you do not mind that.

[Gibson6594]

Originally Posted by Ian1973

You can, hit the idrive wheel to the right and check random. I have no idea if it only does that particular playlist or album, or it's set that way until you uncheck it.

Originally Posted by Almaretto

You can randomize play. I am not sure why you would want to randomize the scroll list; then it would be harder to find a track.

Originally Posted by NorCal f80

I think his point is when on random you have to use the next button way to the right of the console where we would want to skip to the next track with steering wheel . it goes to next alphabetical not random

NorCal is right. I have all my music, about 3,000 songs, stored on the internal drive. When you use the thumb wheel on the steering wheel, it just gives you a list of your songs, sorted alphabetically. Ideally, I'd like that list to be randomly sorted so that I can just flick to the next random song without going to the button on the far right of the console.