You've got the closest to being right so far. Using the IPOD jack only provides left/right sound. Just like using headphones. If you buy a line-out cable or an aftermarket IPOD dock then the sound will be better than CD. But with what Lexus has gave us CD will always sound better.

 

I hate to disagree, but I don't see how an iPod playing mp3's can ever sound better than a CD if your talking about the same recording on both.

 

Are you saying that a line-out cable will enable the iPod to have more than two sound channels?

 

never had an Ipod, and not that much of a music fan, 6 CDs are enough for me

 

my ipod tends to deliver more bass than CDs but in my opinion i prefer cds over my ipod

 

1. Use the adaptor instead of headphone outlet in your Ipod. Also use a slim and short cable to reduce resistance.
2. I personally think playing MP3 is better than regular cd tracks.

 

Better in what way, sound?

Either you don't buy very well produced music or you like the sound of heavy compression in digital audio because the process of loading songs onto an iPod degrades the quality ( a lot in some cases) from that found on commercial CDs. This is not my opinion but a simple mathematical fact.

 

Um, line out is still going to be stereo. And the source is stereo to begin with, so I'm not at all sure what you're trying to say. The advantage of line out is that it provides a standard and stable signal that also bypasses the lousy headphone connector in the ipod, which has a poor amplifier and bad EQ.

In theory, a car dock would be the best route, assuming digital transfer and superior processing in the car's system relative to the ipod. Most would be hard-pressed to tell the difference though, especially on typical car speakers.

 

dunno if any one said this but aac is way better quality than mp3...

 

If you ask an audiophile the ipod is no where close to being good, neither is the ML system. I was told the "perfect" system would have what is called a "flat response", which i was also told is hard to acheive. But "good" to most people, nowadays that i know is lots of treble, and lots of bass, and a slight midrange.

 

Do you plug this in the armrest cig adapter (will it fit the tight space?) or the ashtray cig adapter?

 

I was worried when I read all this that my Ipod would sound like poo in my IS but to be honest, I cant even hear a difference. I got a thick black cable from Radioshack to hook up my Ipod and it sounds fantastic!

 

yea i always try to find 196/320 bit rates on mp3s, in case I have to convert them to CD

 

Another the sik adapter is awesome

 

The quality of the MP3 player does matter as well. I have tested the Micorsoft Zune, IPOD and other mp3 players in the IS. The cheaper models(especially the flashdrive sized) sound bad as they have a cheaper internal amplification.