Gateway 100 - very disappointed :(

[danny addick]

Just bought the dension gateway 100 from mikey (quick delivery) and fitted it myself.

Im very disappointed with the sound. I know it comes recommended but I can't really see why - waste of money really as the sound is very poor in comparrison to CD. I have tried fiddling with the EQ on the radio and on the Ipod and it's improved MARGINALLY but still there's a HUGE difference between ipod sound and cd.

Very disappointed

(Not Mikey's fault - just the product).

Anyone else had the same thoughts?

[DaFlake]

Could it be that you have a faulty unit? I have used the Dension unit in the past and it was great.

[danny addick]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaFlake (original)

Could it be that you have a faulty unit? I have used the Dension unit in the past and it was great.

The sound is ok but it's noticeably poorer than the CD. A fault would show the sound to be awful surely

[DaFlake]

MP3 is always poorer than a CD. The reason is that you are compressing the audio. Even lossless is still not the best.

That being said, my Dension sounded just as good as my Ipod and that means that it did its job.

[danny addick]

Yup - im sure its as good as the ipod itself, just didnt realise the sound quality would differ so much from cd.

Perhaps it would be better to go old skool and lugg Cds round everywhere? Any suggestions?

[DaFlake]

MP3 is ok but is best for portability. Apple lossless is probably even better and has been compared to CD. I do know that I can clearly tell the difference between a MP3 and one that I bought from Apple. There is a huge difference in sound.

That being said, it is a car and you will always have other sounds mixed in like engine and road noise. So, I don't mind the sacrifice for portability.

Last but not least, you can use ITunes to create m4a (the unprotected version of the m4p) files rather than MP3. This will give you better sound quality. If not, those CD's are the best for now.

[danny addick]

[quote=DaFlake;3541395]MP3 is ok but is best for portability. Apple lossless is probably even better and has been compared to CD. I do know that I can clearly tell the difference between a MP3 and one that I bought from Apple. There is a huge difference in sound.

That being said, it is a car and you will always have other sounds mixed in like engine and road noise. So, I don't mind the sacrifice for portability.

Last but not least, you can use ITunes to create m4a (the unprotected version of the m4p) files rather than MP3. This will give you better sound quality. If not, those CD's are the best for now. [/QUOTE]


Thanks a lot - does a classic ipod take this format? does it take up more room?

[DaFlake]

It does and yes but not a lot more. MP3 is the format of choice for most because it can cross platforms (zune to ipod). However, if you are running only an ipod and ripping our own CD's then the apple format may be the best way to go.

[mikeythemini]

on iTunes I have it set to mp3 but at the highest bit rate

[danny addick]

Quote: Originally Posted by mikeythemini (original)

on iTunes I have it set to mp3 but at the highest bit rate

Does that improve the sound much?

[DaFlake]

The higher the bit rate the better the quality. Yes, it can but there will still be loss across it due to the compression.

[PMB]

I use MP3s all the time in the car. You need to rip at 192kbps before the sound quality is any good. If you have already ripped at a lower resolution you will have to rip it again. Although you can convert a low bit rate MP3 to a higher bit rate the data is already missing so you will not get any improvement. Apple lossless is ok but it is not really lossless. That said, CD is a lossy format if you want to take it to extremes!

One way you can test if there is a problem is by creating a MP3 disc to play in the car. If the sound via the CD is better than the gateway then maybe there is a fault.

[Richard Crofts]

My deni is grate....not quite as good on clarity as a direct CD, but its the MP3 compression not the deni in my case. TBH I hardly notice it as I'm still running a stock CD boost with no amp or HK!

[humph]

Agree with Richard. My Dension 300 is great, wouldn't change it for the world, although I would tweek the firmware. Quality is not that different to CD, and is obviously no different to the ipod through headphones, or any other speaker. If you quality is lower than your pod then sounds like you have a faulty unit or connection. Mine will play with reduced quality if the pod isn't plugged in properly, check your connection.

That said mp3 is a lossy format, so expect some loss compared to CD, but it shouldn't be that noticable.

[DaFlake]

I can hear a difference between MP3 and M4P files. That being said, it is a car and I don't let it bother me as anything rolling is not the best for music.

For those that are musicians or musical in some manner it can be bothersome when bass is not responsive and treble is tinny.