I just installed the Eclipse 3434 Head unit. It sounds great. However, when I play an MP3 CD, it doesnt' sound as good as a regular wav CD. Could it be that the MP3 decoder isn't as good as the wav decoder? If so, why? When I listen to MP3s on my computer, I don't notice any decline in playback quality.

 

For one, car speakers are more transparent and revealing. Did you try using the SVC?

 

yeah, what should I have the SVC at?

 

no science to it, go up/low as you please- its meant to increase the clarity/volume or the various formats -thats what its for- my brother has the deck, and when we use mp3's or badly recorded cdR's it makes a world of a difference

 

but why would I need to increase the clarity for an MP3 disc? I encoded the music the professional way, using Lame alt-preset extreme settings, to ensure minimal, if any, loss of quality

 

What bit rate did you use to record them at? MP3's tend to sound kind of "crunchy" and hollow at the lower settings.

 

its still mp3, still compressed....the SVC will help it sound better

 

I already tried with the SVC all the way up and it still sounds really mushy. I encoded the mp3s using variable bitrate (alt-preset extreme) in Lame.

 

What should the SVC be set at to get the best playback quality?

 

Why don't you try converting your MP3's at something like 192kbps or 256kbps at a constant rate? The mushy sound you are describing sounds like they are being recorded at too low of a rate.

 

No that can't be it, cause this is variable rate, which is actually the best, most accurate way to go. And yet again, no one has answered my question about what the SVC volume should be set at to ensure the highest playback quality.

 

Eclipse has a better decoder on the high end decks I think, it's part of the commander. I believe it's supposed to enhance the quality of mp3's. As mentioned before, your car audio may be more transparent than your computer system... Not sure about the lower level decks and their decoder quality. I would check out the Mp3 on someone else's system...

 

the 8v decks have Multi-Harmonizer controls that work to that effect

Elvito-As far as SVC goes- there is NO CORRECT known setting, simply use it to where you feel it helps the sound, raise the volume of the format. If you dont feel it helps, dont use it.

 

The SVC function is for adjusting the volume of different sources to match each other, that way your volume does not change dramatically when changing over. It is not something that enhances sound.

 

Yup, the SVC is for matching sources, radio, aux in, cd etc. I think your best bet is to try a strait 192 kbps encoded file and compare it on multiple systems to see if you can hear an auditory difference. To address an earlier comment,

"Could it be that the MP3 decoder isn't as good as the wav decoder?"

wav's contain quite a bit more data content and so if recorded at cd quality settings will sound much better. It isn't so much the decoder that's important, it's the source material and mp3's have significantly less...