# Audison Bit Play HD info/reviews?



## cyantist

I've been curious about the Bit Play HD as a media hub. Haven't been able to play with one yet, but my dealer is ordering one in. I want to connect it via optical to my H800 and via HDMI to my Kenwood DNX891HD. This should work, right? I know a few of you guys around here are running them, so I gotta ask, how do you like them? What about the iOS app? I installed it but I can't play with it without an actual connection to a Bit Play. Can't seem to find much real-world info...


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## jtaudioacc

J0ey Knapp has one. I'm sure he'll come around and give his impressions.


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## cyantist

subterFUSE has one too. Was just checking out the photos of his build. Damn impressive to say the least.


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## bigaudiofanatic

Ok this looks like what I have been searching for! Does anyone know the limitations on storage size or folders?


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## cyantist

I've read that a 2TB drive works just fine.


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## bigaudiofanatic

What is the price on these babies?


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## cyantist

My dealer told me his cost the other day, which was reasonable and about what I'd consider paying for one. AFAIK, MSRP is around $700 with the 240GB SSD.


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## subterFUSE

I've been meaning to write up a full review. I'll try to get to it later tonight. Cooking dinner now.


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## bigaudiofanatic

subterFUSE said:


> I've been meaning to write up a full review. I'll try to get to it later tonight. Cooking dinner now.


Please do! Looking forward to this one.


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## cyantist

subterFUSE said:


> I've been meaning to write up a full review. I'll try to get to it later tonight. Cooking dinner now.


I was going to PM you, but I knew you'd be around to give us your thoughts! Don't hold back. I've got one coming in soon and I want to know if I should pull the trigger. Running optical to my H800 is a major consideration since I'm not running an Alpine HU.


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## Babs

Sub'd! Love new tech!


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## [email protected]

subterFUSE said:


> I've been meaning to write up a full review. I'll try to get to it later tonight. Cooking dinner now.


Curious to see your thoughts... I got one of the first ones to hit the US soil....


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## subterFUSE

The Audison Bit Play HD is a new media player with optional SSD storage. It is capable of playing WAV, MP3 and FLAC audio files up to 24 bit 96kHz resolution. It ships with a 240 GB SSD drive, but it can be swapped up to 2TB.

The Bit Play offers a stereo Optical Digital output which can be routed into most of the DSP units. It also has an HDMI output, and analog RCA composite A/V outputs.

The Bit Play is installed in my Audi. The audio is routed via Optical Digital directly into my Helix DSP Pro. The video is routed directly into the Audi MMI via the AMI adapter. This allows the Bit Play to display video on the Audi MMI screen. The video output is required for browsing the OS.


I purchased the BitPlay primarily because I have a large music collection which was residing on several iPod classics which I kept in my car. The iPods worked well, but I was forced to connect them via the Audi MMI. The MMI can only receive an analog signal from the iPods, so the audio was being processed by the iPod's internal DAC and then fed into the Audi MMI. Then the MMI was converting the analog signal to digital and sending it to the OEM Bose amp in the trunk. My goals were to have a solution that eliminates the multiple iPods, and gives me an audio signal path which avoids the car's electronics.


The Bit Play ships with 2 wireless remote controls. The remote control has been my preferred method of operating the device. There is an iPhone app, but it is clunky and it also disables the iPhone from its cellular data connection while being accessed by the Bit Play.

There are 2 USB ports for connected external hard drives or USB thumb drives. Music can be streamed directly from the external drives, or can be copied to the internal SSD drive.

The Bit Play takes about 15-25 seconds to boot up when the car is started. There is a splash screen that plays while the boot process is loading. Once it loads, the OS is fairly simple. There are options to browse the library, or change the settings. The on-screen text is a little small, but I can read it fine.

The OS is fairly quick and responsive to the remote control presses.



Overall, I am happy with the Bit Play HD.
There are only 2 complaints I have about it:


1. As of now, the Bit Play does not support artwork or tags for FLAC files. Art and tags work fine on MP3 files, but FLAC tags are not yet supported.

2. The Bit Play does not currently support gapless playback. This was a huge shocker for me because gapless playback is a native feature of the FLAC format. This is a bummer for me because I listen to a lot of electronic music that is mixed together seamlessly.

So, for now, I have to rip my mixed albums as single files so there won't be a pause between sequential tracks.


Hopefully gapless playback and artwork/tags can be implemented in a firmware release?


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## cyantist

Thanks for the write up. Short of the glitches encountered with FLAC files, would you say it feels finalized or still a beta product? Has there been any firmware updates since you've owned it? Have you played any video files through it? Where have you mounted the remote? And why two remotes? I'm guessing there's a basic and more full-featured remote? Could you post a pic of them? 

Sorry for all the questions, but there's not a lot of info out there yet...


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## Aw335tt

To who ever has used it, did you guys notice an improvement in sound quality? I am also looking to pick one of these up soon.


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## offbrandracing

SSD modded ipod with AIFF files for SQ. Add external cap mod and gen 5 ipod for the very best SQ i have heard via mass storage.


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## jtaudioacc

[email protected] said:


> Curious to see your thoughts... I got one of the first ones to hit the US soil....


first ones! wow!


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## Aw335tt

offbrandracing said:


> SSD modded ipod with AIFF files for SQ. Add external cap mod and gen 5 ipod for the very best SQ i have heard via mass storage.


I'm assuming you've used the Audison piece. Most of my files are FLAC or WAV, don't have to much AIFF. How was the iPod connected? I want to go digital from the bit play into my ps8.


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## Hoptologist

To get the most out of this, I'd have to buy a separate display right... like a double-din with HDMI?


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## offbrandracing

I demo'd the bit play but not hooked up in either of my cars. You can convert flac to other formats the ipod will play. 

I went this route to ease of use connected via 30pin to my kenwood dnx891. 

For me it was easier to deal with it that way. 

I demo'd my ipod via pure i20 into my bit 10d but didnt notice better sq but i understand the desire.


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## Aw335tt

offbrandracing said:


> I demo'd the bit play but not hooked up in either of my cars. You can convert flac to other formats the ipod will play.
> 
> I went this route to ease of use connected via 30pin to my kenwood dnx891.
> 
> For me it was easier to deal with it that way.
> 
> I demo'd my ipod via pure i20 into my bit 10d but didnt notice better sq but i understand the desire.


Ya I know, I convert FLAC to WAV with Winamp to burn CDs but it usually drops down to 16/44. I'm currently on a stock head unit and am thinking of completely bypassing my cars stereo with the bitplay. I never listen to the radio and very rarely play through AUX. I try to use CDs as much as possible. I can get the regular bit play without the internal SSD for a little over $500. I do have a good amount of music that's 24/96.


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## subterFUSE

cyantist said:


> Thanks for the write up. Short of the glitches encountered with FLAC files, would you say it feels finalized or still a beta product?


It's not beta. The OS is solid and smooth, and responsive. I think they can still improve the graphics, but functionally it works just fine. The iOS app is a little clunky, but I don't even use it because I need my cellular data to work in the car.



> Has there been any firmware updates since you've owned it?


I am running firmware 1.0.0.0
I know for a fact there is a new firmware, but Audison has not posted it to their website. I was talking to the Audison guys at SBN and they said they can send me the new firmware. I just haven't followed up yet. I don't think the firmware will address any of the things I want to see, like gapless playback and artwork/tags.



> Have you played any video files through it?


No. I have absolutely no need for video in my car, so I don't have any digital video files to even test out.




> Where have you mounted the remote?


 The remotes are wireless and work on IR. I mounted the IR Receiver on my driver-side horn, just above the gas pedal.



> And why two remotes? I'm guessing there's a basic and more full-featured remote? Could you post a pic of them?


Yes, there is a full feature remote and a smaller, basic one. I just use the big remote.


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## subterFUSE

Aw335tt said:


> I want to go digital from the bit play into my ps8.



You will have to control volume on the BitPlay. Fortunately, the Bit Play remote controls have volume buttons.


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## subterFUSE

Hoptologist said:


> To get the most out of this, I'd have to buy a separate display right... like a double-din with HDMI?


You need a video display in order to navigate the OS.


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## [email protected]

If you use one of the apps you don't need a display

I watched movies on mine during my drive back from California

I have the latest firmware on mine. Biggest thing I noticed? The internet widgets were gone.

I am surprised that "resume play on power up" was not mentioned as a "biggest issue".

Mine sounds great, it goes to my 6to9v8 via toslink fiber cable. 

I don't necessarily care about gapless or art. 

I am using mine composite to my Alpine DD for the video. I wish there was a way to zoom the display in, it's very tiny at times.

The app thing has to be restarted every time the car powers down.

I know they are working on fixing more of the bugs. I have high hopes this will one day be a really great piece...


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## jb4674

How does it interface with a Bit One?


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## subterFUSE

Gapless playback is my #1 feature request.

That is such a HUGE issue for me because without it I basically have to rip my entire CD collection again.  Unfortunately, my general feeling is this will never happen on the current hardware. I hope I'm wrong. 

I had not noticed resume play not working until you mentioned it, but you are correct.


Artwork and Tags are not as critical to me, but I have to say I'm beyond flabbergasted that these basic features are not implemented. How does a media player in this day and age, that was SPECIFICALLY designed to run FLAC, not have FLAC tags? How are you supposed to search for music in the Media Library without tags? 
The only way to do it is to browse by file name. So you better make good and sure to use a hierarchical folder/file naming scheme that you can navigate manually.


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## subterFUSE

jb4674 said:


> How does it interface with a Bit One?


You run Optical from the BitPlay into the Bit One, and then select the Optical Input on the Bit One.

The DRC can plug into the Bit Play to control volume via AC Link cable, too.


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## subterFUSE

[email protected] said:


> I have the latest firmware on mine. Biggest thing I noticed? The internet widgets were gone.



What version number do you have?


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## cyantist

[email protected] said:


> I am surprised that "resume play on power up" was not mentioned as a "biggest issue".
> 
> The app thing has to be restarted every time the car powers down.
> 
> I know they are working on fixing more of the bugs. I have high hopes this will one day be a really great piece...





> Gapless playback is my #1 feature request.


These are the kind of things I was afraid of. When you pay the kind of money that they're asking for a piece of hardware, you expect things like this to not be an issue. It's 2015. Resume on power up? Why would this not function as expected? Gapless playback? Have you ever tried to listen to 'The Wall' with gaps? Kinda ruins everything.

This is what I meant by 'beta' product. Thanks for confirming my initial concerns. I feel it's not going to be for me. I will stick with my iPad / iPhone sources. Hopefully some of these issues will be resolved with a firmware update, but it should never have been released with these 'flaws', although the hardware itself looks solid, at least on paper.


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## jtaudioacc

if it had a great graphical app on android and ios, it would be easy to control. but what i've seen looks like DOS 6.22. maybe it's DOS 6.23 beta? :laugh:


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## subterFUSE

The iPhone app works via WiFi.

As such, when you are connected to the Bit Play it disables the cellular data.


Consequently, I never use the iOS app. The IR remote is what I use.


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## Babs

It appears the head unit revolution will not be a head unit at all.. But rather hi-if source/processing like this little guy. 

So if a "head unit" can talk to such a device, that might be the UI for us all.. Control the source and sound processor via "app" maybe on a 2-din. I sure wish I had a higher end dealer in town who dabbled in such things. 


Sent from iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Instaburn

I don't know much about the Bit Play... but my idea was to just use an Intel NUC running PLEX and get some kind of HDMI output adapter that brings either digital coax or optical output to a jack that can be routed to a DSP.

The Intel NUC accepts ssd's and can run Linux or Windows... and could easily fit in a glove box or center console even.

With PLEX you'd get all of the box art etc. And it would play FLAC or just about any media file you wanted.


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## james2266

Anyone know if this thing can down sample a 192/24 flac file and play just fine? I have several of these higher res files and really don't want to have to convert anything ever again. Been looking into several options and kind of walked away from this one when I saw it was 'limited' to 96/24 resolution.




Instaburn said:


> I don't know much about the Bit Play... but my idea was to just use an Intel NUC running PLEX and get some kind of HDMI output adapter that brings either digital coax or optical output to a jack that can be routed to a DSP.
> 
> The Intel NUC accepts ssd's and can run Linux or Windows... and could easily fit in a glove box or center console even.
> 
> With PLEX you'd get all of the box art etc. And it would play FLAC or just about any media file you wanted.


Hmm, didn't even know Intel had an answer to Apple's mini. Might just look into this a little further for both the car and the house (depending on funds of course). Right now, I think that the new Pioneer NEX units are my answer but I doubt it outputs at 96/24 and definitely not 192/24 even if it can supposedly play 192/24 FLAC files. Would be nice to eliminate at least that one conversion in the system.


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## Instaburn

So long as the optical audio extractor does it's thing without degradation..
It seems as though the PLEX server will pass along the FLAC audio over the HDMI output..
This guy seems pretty jazzed about the sound quality output from his mini pc box running PLEX...
Plex is magical – Part 1: Music Nirvana | Musings
http://musings.silvertooth.us/2014/02/plex-is-magical-part-1-music-nirvana/


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## [email protected]

Ah, I think you brought up another issue... IIRC it wouldn't even play 192/24. I haven't tried it since the firmware update.

If I think about it tomorrow I will try and see....






james2266 said:


> Anyone know if this thing can down sample a 192/24 flac file and play just fine? I have several of these higher res files and really don't want to have to convert anything ever again. Been looking into several options and kind of walked away from this one when I saw it was 'limited' to 96/24 resolution.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hmm, didn't even know Intel had an answer to Apple's mini. Might just look into this a little further for both the car and the house (depending on funds of course). Right now, I think that the new Pioneer NEX units are my answer but I doubt it outputs at 96/24 and definitely not 192/24 even if it can supposedly play 192/24 FLAC files. Would be nice to eliminate at least that one conversion in the system.


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## edzyy

If I have an ipad in the dash, I won't need another screen to view the OS, correct?


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## james2266

[email protected] said:


> Ah, I think you brought up another issue... IIRC it wouldn't even play 192/24. I haven't tried it since the firmware update.
> 
> If I think about it tomorrow I will try and see....


If you could that would be great. If it can play them then it might get back on my list. I am so done with converting music. You lose some quality each time that is done.


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## Instaburn

I can't find any difinitive information about FLAC down-sampling or transcoding to a lesser quality when running PLEX locally on the same PC that is running the server.


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## [email protected]

edzyy said:


> If I have an ipad in the dash, I won't need another screen to view the OS, correct?


Correct. You could use the iOS app. It would be an awesome piece for that application because you could use the iPad to control any size hard drive that you wanted....


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## [email protected]

Ok, tried it out. The highest it looks like it will play is 96/24. I played a 192/24 and it showed it was playing, but there was no audio output.


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## james2266

[email protected] said:


> Ok, tried it out. The highest it looks like it will play is 96/24. I played a 192/24 and it showed it was playing, but there was no audio output.


Thanks for testing Joey even if the results were not what I hoped for. Oh, well. Maybe someday...


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## [email protected]

james2266 said:


> Thanks for testing Joey even if the results were not what I hoped for. Oh, well. Maybe someday...


Yeah, I hope they get the bugs worked out, it has great potential!

Side note, using golden ear, the 6to8v8 with AMAS will play 192/24


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## james2266

[email protected] said:


> Yeah, I hope they get the bugs worked out, it has great potential!
> 
> Side note, using golden ear, the 6to8v8 with AMAS will play 192/24


Yeah, but did they fix the sub out volume issue? When I moved to the Alpine H800 from the 6to8, the sub absolutely came alive. Always sounded anemic with the Mosconi. Weird.... Also, the H800 gives me full control at any time and surround capabilities. BTW, what is golden ear too?


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## [email protected]

Maybe you had something set wrong? You know we use the 6to8 all the time and don't have any issues with it??




james2266 said:


> Yeah, but did they fix the sub out volume issue? When I moved to the Alpine H800 from the 6to8, the sub absolutely came alive. Always sounded anemic with the Mosconi. Weird.... Also, the H800 gives me full control at any time and surround capabilities. BTW, what is golden ear too?


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## subterFUSE

[email protected] said:


> Ok, tried it out. The highest it looks like it will play is 96/24. I played a 192/24 and it showed it was playing, but there was no audio output.


The Audison website only claims support for 24/96.

Audison bit - bit Play HD


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## james2266

[email protected] said:


> Maybe you had something set wrong? You know we use the 6to8 all the time and don't have any issues with it??


Yes, I know you guys use many of those and that was my only issue with the previous version. I have heard the same complaints from a few that have made the same swap to the Alpine unit. The main reason for my swap was as I stated before tho (more hands on control and surround ability). 



subterFUSE said:


> The Audison website only claims support for 24/96.
> 
> Audison bit - bit Play HD


Yes, I know. A fatal flaw IMO. At least for my purposes anyways.


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## palldat

[email protected] said:


> If you use one of the apps you don't need a display
> 
> I watched movies on mine during my drive back from California
> 
> I have the latest firmware on mine. Biggest thing I noticed? The internet widgets were gone.
> 
> I am surprised that "resume play on power up" was not mentioned as a "biggest issue".
> 
> Mine sounds great, it goes to my 6to9v8 via toslink fiber cable.
> 
> 
> Wow....you have a 6to9?


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## [email protected]

palldat said:


> [email protected] said:
> 
> 
> 
> If you use one of the apps you don't need a display
> 
> I watched movies on mine during my drive back from California
> 
> I have the latest firmware on mine. Biggest thing I noticed? The internet widgets were gone.
> 
> I am surprised that "resume play on power up" was not mentioned as a "biggest issue".
> 
> Mine sounds great, it goes to my 6to9v8 via toslink fiber cable.
> 
> 
> Wow....you have a 6to9?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh yeah, limited edition.. VERY limited..
Click to expand...


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## Instaburn

Golden Ear = Like the badass arcade game Golden Tee... except less physical interaction and more "hands folded in your lap" type stuff... ya know?


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## Syper

subterFUSE said:


> What version number do you have?


I got FW 1.1.0.0


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## subterFUSE

Syper said:


> I got FW 1.1.0.0


Where did you get it?


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## bigaudiofanatic

subterFUSE said:


> The Audison website only claims support for 24/96.
> 
> Audison bit - bit Play HD


Could it be possible that future firmware will support the 192/24 sense it showed it was being played?


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## Syper

bigaudiofanatic said:


> Could it be possible that future firmware will support the 192/24 sense it showed it was being played?


I just tested, track upsampled to 24/192 FLAC saved in Sony Sound Forge 11 works ok via RCA output.


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## subterFUSE

Well, the Bit Play HD has been in my car since March and I thought it was about time to update my review.


In Short, I give it a solid thumbs down.


Positives

Well, it can play FLAC files up to 24 bit 96 kHz.
Optical Digital output to my DSP.
Sound quality is excellent.
Video out works on my Audi's MMI screen.


Negatives

No Artwork on FLAC files.
No Tags on FLAC files.
No Gapless Playback on any format.
No Resume Play on any format.


The only way to navigate the music is by file/folder storage.
You literally must drill down through your file structure to find your music manually. That means you better keep your music in a good, logical folder hierarchy and use a good file naming scheme. Otherwise, you'll never find your music. I have been forced to create folders as follows:

[Genre]
-[Artist]
--[Album]
---(File Name) (File Name must be: "[Disc#]-[Track#] [Title]"



When you turn off the car and return, it will not resume the music you were last playing. You have to click the remote a bunch of times to go through the File Manager menus to find your music again. This is odd because there is an option in the Settings to turn Resume on or off. Regardless of the setting, this thing will not resume play.

Without gapless playback the player will add 2 second pauses between consecutive tracks, even when there should be no silence. Think about any live albums, electronic mix compilations, Pink Floyd Dark Side, etc... All are ruined by the lack of gapless playback.

Without FLAC tags, you can't do a search or browse by genre, artist, etc...


Frankly, I can't believe this thing has been sold to the public. It's such an unfinished product. I was so excited about the prospects of having an SSD based media player in my car, but the Bit Play just doesn't deliver on the most basic requirements. It's shocking, really. A basic, portable FLAC player would have artwork, tags, gapless play, resume play and search. Heck, even the interface would be better.


I'm going to keep it in the car and will likely continue to use it some, under a faint glimmer of hope that perhaps Audison will update the software and add some of these features.

Just think everyone here deserves to know these things before they dive in with a hefty amount of cash expecting a full-featured FLAC player that commands the price they are charging.


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## SkizeR

****. i was literally saving up for one. all of those problems seem way to annoying to deal with. thats such a let down. is there ANY other way to play lossless formats in a car via usb? god damn it


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## subterFUSE

SkizeR said:


> ****. i was literally saving up for one. thats such a let down. is there ANY other way to play lossless formats in a car via usb? god damn it


It will play them, but with the above-mentioned limitations.


I have been forced to combine all of my gapless albums into single track files to avoid the audible pause.
And that means I don't have the ability to skip tracks anymore on those albums. Can only do FF or REW like an old tape player.


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## SkizeR

subterFUSE said:


> It will play them, but with the above-mentioned limitations.


well i mean is there any other way to play lossless formats in the car without using the bit play, and CD (lets face it, CD's are to annoying to deal with. to many to carry around and you have to fumble around between however many before you find one with the couple of songs you want to listen to at that moment)


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## subterFUSE

SkizeR said:


> well i mean is there any other way to play lossless formats in the car without using the bit play, and CD (lets face it, CD's are to annoying to deal with. to many to carry around and you have to fumble around between however many before you find one with the couple of songs you want to listen to at that moment)


iPod or almost any other portable player can play lossless.

I'm really wishing my iPod Classics had not been stolen last year.


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## SkizeR

subterFUSE said:


> iPod or almost any other portable player can play lossless.
> 
> I'm really wishing my iPod Classics had not been stolen last year.


oh yeah i forgot they can play WAV. now.. to find an ipod with a boat load of storage :laugh:


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## subterFUSE

SkizeR said:


> oh yeah i forgot they can play WAV. now.. to find an ipod with a boat load of storage :laugh:


Apple Lossless works on iPod.


I had 2 iPod Classics in my car for the past number of years. Both were 160GB. Unfortunately, they got stolen last September and Apple discontinued making them. 

I was so excited about the Bit Play because it was going to have up to 2TB of SSD storage so I could keep my whole music collection there. But 95% of the music in my collection is in gapless album format, so that really shot a hole in my dreams. It's like taking a backwards step by 10 years.
Then I think about all of the time and effort I put into ripping my music collection, and adding artwork and tags to it. All that work rendered useless by the Bit Play.


One idea that I've been tossing around is maybe running a MacMini with an SSD drive internally. I know I could easily get a power supply for one, and I could run the video on my MMI screen. The only problem is how to interface it. I would basically need a bluetooth keyboard/trackpad or something like that, and that's not very practical in a car.


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## jtaudioacc

subterFUSE said:


> Well, the Bit Play HD has been in my car since March and I thought it was about time to update my review.
> 
> 
> In Short, I give it a solid thumbs down.
> 
> 
> Positives
> 
> Well, it can play FLAC files up to 24 bit 96 kHz.
> Optical Digital output to my DSP.
> Sound quality is excellent.
> Video out works on my Audi's MMI screen.
> 
> 
> Negatives
> 
> No Artwork on FLAC files.
> No Tags on FLAC files.
> No Gapless Playback on any format.
> No Resume Play on any format.
> 
> 
> The only way to navigate the music is by file/folder storage.
> You literally must drill down through your file structure to find your music manually. That means you better keep your music in a good, logical folder hierarchy and use a good file naming scheme. Otherwise, you'll never find your music. I have been forced to create folders as follows:
> 
> [Genre]
> -[Artist]
> --[Album]
> ---(File Name) (File Name must be: "[Disc#]-[Track#] [Title]"
> 
> 
> 
> When you turn off the car and return, it will not resume the music you were last playing. You have to click the remote a bunch of times to go through the File Manager menus to find your music again. This is odd because there is an option in the Settings to turn Resume on or off. Regardless of the setting, this thing will not resume play.
> 
> Without gapless playback the player will add 2 second pauses between consecutive tracks, even when there should be no silence. Think about any live albums, electronic mix compilations, Pink Floyd Dark Side, etc... All are ruined by the lack of gapless playback.
> 
> Without FLAC tags, you can't do a search or browse by genre, artist, etc...
> 
> 
> Frankly, I can't believe this thing has been sold to the public. It's such an unfinished product. I was so excited about the prospects of having an SSD based media player in my car, but the Bit Play just doesn't deliver on the most basic requirements. It's shocking, really. A basic, portable FLAC player would have artwork, tags, gapless play, resume play and search. Heck, even the interface would be better.
> 
> 
> I'm going to keep it in the car and will likely continue to use it some, under a faint glimmer of hope that perhaps Audison will update the software and add some of these features.
> 
> Just think everyone here deserves to know these things before they dive in with a hefty amount of cash expecting a full-featured FLAC player that commands the price they are charging.



just think how long it was hyped up and delayed, and this is the final product. just having to use a remote made me not ever consider it. then i thought, oh, cool you can control it with a tablet. then i saw the software...left a lot to be desired.

but most of all, i'm not on the high res bandwagon anyway.


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## SkizeR

jtaudioacc said:


> just think how long it was hyped up and delayed, and this is the final product. just having to use a remote made me not ever consider it. then i thought, oh, cool you can control it with a tablet. then i saw the software...left a lot to be desired.
> 
> but most of all, i'm not on the high res bandwagon anyway.


is it me or is audison on the decline?


----------



## Babs

Makes me wonder if any/all of these issues could be remedied by a software update? 

If Audison doesn't intend on updating/fixing/improving the shortcomings, that's a dire shame and doesn't speak well for a company that's supposed to be "high end".


----------



## peterch

Babs said:


> Makes me wonder if any/all of these issues could be remedied by a software update?
> 
> If Audison doesn't intend on updating/fixing/improving the shortcomings, that's a dire shame and doesn't speak well for a company that's supposed to be "high end".


Hi, I am an Audison dealer and installer here in Malaysia. Over this past weeks I have installed 2 units of Bit Play for my customers. 

I managed to get it to work with the cars steering controls for some of the common buttons on the remote, hence less need to use the provided hand held remotes. There are 2 white wires on the bitplay for steering control integration but I tried these and it did not work. There isn't any documentation for it as well. In the end I ended up using the PAC-SWIX to get it working. The usability improved tremendously once the steering buttons were implemented. None of my customers were very keen on the thought of using a handheld remote to control a player costing so much. What was Audison thinking when they released this product at this stage ? 

Auto resume. This is a big disappointment for both my customers, as one of them had a 1tb hdd connected. The lack of this function means having to scroll through the numerous folders he has to find and continue the music from where it left off right after stopping the car for a gas fill up. And the cheek of it, this function apparently available in the settings, but it does not work !!!

The boot up sequence forces you to listen to an introductory music, its fine for the first few days, but try listening to it every time you start up the car, and it does get to you. There isn't an option to turn it off. 

In conclusion, it sounds good (Audison strengths), but they should have worked out all these major annoying problems before even putting it out to the market. After all they are charging quite a bit as a media player. 

Anyone thought of using a home media player (e.g AcRyan) instead of the Bitplay ? Hooked up via optical, I wonder if there is any difference ?


----------



## edzyy

I wonder if a home media streamer can be implemented in a car

Something like the western digital TV player or popcorn hour a-400


----------



## Hoptologist

So would my iPod Classic 160gb + Pure i20 still be the best way to go optical to DSP?

If they release the iPhone 6s+ this year with 256GB, I'll get that. My iPod is constantly full. Having it constantly charged for the past 4 years has also depleted its ability to keep a charge when not plugged in, so its pretty much useless portability-wise.


----------



## SkizeR

Hoptologist said:


> So would my iPod Classic 160gb + Pure i20 still be the best way to go optical to DSP?
> 
> If they release the iPhone 6s+ this year with 256GB, I'll get that. My iPod is constantly full. Having it constantly charged for the past 4 years has also depleted its ability to keep a charge when not plugged in, so its pretty much useless portability-wise.


or just get an android with sd cards


----------



## subterFUSE

jtaudioacc said:


> just think how long it was hyped up and delayed, and this is the final product.


That's one of the reasons I am so shocked by some of the basic features that are missing. This thing has been in development for so long, and there was so much hype about it.



> just having to use a remote made me not ever consider it. then i thought, oh, cool you can control it with a tablet. then i saw the software...left a lot to be desired.


The remote control is only a minor letdown for me. Of course, I would prefer more integration with my car but, in all fairness, it wouldn't be very easy at all to integrate this with modern vehicles. Just look at how many different cars are out there and everyone seems to have their own proprietary media systems. Audi's MMI. BMW's iDrive. MB Comand. etc....
A simple remote control makes sense.

The smartphone app is not something I have spent more than about 10 minutes with. Once I learned that using WiFi on my iPhone 6 causes the cellular data connection to stop working, I gave up on the app. I want to be able to receive email and stuff while driving. This isn't Audison's fault, it's Apple's.... but it's a bummer regardless.


----------



## Hoptologist

SkizeR said:


> or just get an android with sd cards


Do accessories exist to go optical out from an android phone? /and charge it at the same time? I'm completely in the dark when it comes to android. I'm assuming you can since some people use Android tablets.


----------



## SkizeR

Hoptologist said:


> Do accessories exist to go optical out from an android phone? I'm completely in the dark when it comes to android.


the i20 is just usb to optical. ive never used the i20 but maybe you can get an apple connector to mini usb connector (which is a standard, screw apple for trying to make money off something like that)


----------



## subterFUSE

peterch said:


> Hi, I am an Audison dealer and installer here in Malaysia. Over this past weeks I have installed 2 units of Bit Play for my customers.
> 
> I managed to get it to work with the cars steering controls for some of the common buttons on the remote, hence less need to use the provided hand held remotes. There are 2 white wires on the bitplay for steering control integration but I tried these and it did not work. There isn't any documentation for it as well. In the end I ended up using the PAC-SWIX to get it working. The usability improved tremendously once the steering buttons were implemented. None of my customers were very keen on the thought of using a handheld remote to control a player costing so much. What was Audison thinking when they released this product at this stage ?


That is very cool you were able to get steering wheel controls to work!
I'm not sure I would ever have that option in my car, however. I don't want to lose any of the MMI functionality.


I think the remote control was the only logical choice. Think about it.... you have a media player that stores audio and video files, and it has a GUI that needs to be navigated. It sounds simple, but it's not. Companies like Apple have spent billions over the years trying to come up with intuitive means of control for their portable devices. The iPod's click wheel was possibly the most elegant design ever crafted for that purpose, short of a touch screen.

There was always going to be a need to use buttons or a controller of some kind to operate this thing. A wireless remote is really the only logical option I can think of.

I'm willing to cut some slack on the remote.
It's the other features that are missing which concern me more.




> Auto resume. This is a big disappointment for both my customers, as one of them had a 1tb hdd connected. The lack of this function means having to scroll through the numerous folders he has to find and continue the music from where it left off right after stopping the car for a gas fill up. And the cheek of it, this function apparently available in the settings, but it does not work !!!


Exactly the same as I have experienced. There is a Resume setting in the Setup Menu, but it does nothing.




> The boot up sequence forces you to listen to an introductory music, its fine for the first few days, but try listening to it every time you start up the car, and it does get to you. There isn't an option to turn it off.


Yes, I forgot to mention that. Obviously this device takes about 20 seconds to boot up, and to distract from the wait time the designers saw fit to add a Splash Screen video with music. Well, not music exactly but more like some drums and and a couple of bass sounds. It's not horrible, but it does get old after the 150th time. :laugh:




> In conclusion, it sounds good (Audison strengths), but they should have worked out all these major annoying problems before even putting it out to the market. After all they are charging quite a bit as a media player.


This player is nearly $1000 retail, if you get it with the 240GB SSD drive. Considering that price point the feature deficiencies are inexcusable.




> Anyone thought of using a home media player (e.g AcRyan) instead of the Bitplay ? Hooked up via optical, I wonder if there is any difference ?


I'm not very familiar with the home media players that are out there.
I guess the big issue will always come down to how you interface with it.

I'm generally an Apple/Mac guy, but my car is not very well suited for adding an iPad in dash. I already have the MMI system with a retractable video screen on the dash. There really isn't anywhere I could mount an iPad permanently that wouldn't disrupt the operation of the car in some way.

I would love to do a MacMini based carputer, but again.... the issue is how do you control it? You would need a keyboard and mouse, which are not practical while driving.

My iPhone 6 works with the MMI quite well, but the MMI forces iDevices to use their internal DAC to convert to analog and then the MMI converts back to digital. That was one of the benefits of the Bit Play, that my music would stay in the digital domain all the way to my DSP, with only 1 DA conversion before the amps.


----------



## subterFUSE

SkizeR said:


> is it me or is audison on the decline?



The Bit Play is the only Audison piece left in my car.

I got rid of my Bit One and Voce amplifier when I graduated to the Helix DSP Pro and my Sinfoni amps. 


To be fair, I always had a good experience with my Bit One. It was purchased in 2009, and was installed in 2 cars. It always worked for me. Never had problems. The only issue I had was with the DRC. I went through 2 of them over the years. Screen went bad on one, and the case fell apart on the second.

I got rid of the Bit One for a few reasons:

1. Ironically, the main reason was because of the Bit Play I needed a DSP with two optical inputs. The Helix DSP Pro is one of the few products with that option.

2. I wanted a DSP with parametric EQ.

3. I just felt like something new. 


The Voce amp was also very good, but I wanted more power and once the Bit One was taken out of the picture it made little sense to keep the Voce amp.


----------



## Babs

SkizeR said:


> the i20 is just usb to optical. ive never used the i20 but maybe you can get an apple connector to mini usb connector (which is a standard, screw apple for trying to make money off something like that)





Hoptologist said:


> Do accessories exist to go optical out from an android phone? /and charge it at the same time? I'm completely in the dark when it comes to android. I'm assuming you can since some people use Android tablets.





Hoptologist said:


> So would my iPod Classic 160gb + Pure i20 still be the best way to go optical to DSP?
> 
> If they release the iPhone 6s+ this year with 256GB, I'll get that. My iPod is constantly full. Having it constantly charged for the past 4 years has also depleted its ability to keep a charge when not plugged in, so its pretty much useless portability-wise.


Off topic and being discussed now in another thread titled as such, but I'm planning to try Airport Express optical to a Helix DSP. Works with any wifi device I think, so not just iDevices... If I can ever get the time to mess with it. The airport's still sitting in the bag from the store.


----------



## Babs

What's interesting about the interface and brains issues on this Bit Play is I thought I saw from CES this year, Audison had a Bit Play / DSP combination product in the works.. So quite possibly there is some hopes for improving the software on it, but that may be taking a back seat while they get the new product prototyped. One box DSP/server combo.. Interesting concept.


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## subterFUSE

If they are working on new hardware then I would have even less hope of the software being addressed on the existing Bit Play. Their development efforts will probably be focused on the new product.

Besides, none of us even knows whether or not a software update would fix these issues. The lack of gapless playback might be a hardware limitation.


----------



## LBaudio

lol....It would be best to send this messages direct to AUDISON.

Audison Dealers should stop selling this half-products to customers...maybe that would make some people in Audison start thinking what crap they produce and sell.....tho, design is OK


----------



## subterFUSE

LBaudio said:


> lol....It would be best to send this messages direct to AUDISON.
> 
> Audison Dealers should stop selling this half-products to customers...maybe that would make some people in Audison start thinking what crap they produce and sell.....tho, design is OK



If I were a dealer, I would probably stop selling the Bit Play and return any unsold inventory. The customers are not going to be happy with all of the shortcomings given the almost $1000 price tag.

If Audison can update the firmware to include Resume Play and FLAC Tags then that would be a very good step. Gapless Playback should be the next focus after those features, and lastly the Artwork support. Artwork is minor, but the other three features are critical to proper operation of any media player.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Babs

Wow.. About all it's got going for it is straight-from-disc media play, HD capability and great fidelity. Goes to show there's a heckuva lot more that makes a good media streamer than just SQ components.


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## subterFUSE

Babs said:


> Wow.. About all it's got going for it is straight-from-disc media play, HD capability and great fidelity. Goes to show there's a heckuva lot more that makes a good media streamer than just SQ components.



I have zero complaints about the sound quality. It sounds great.

It is just not very convenient to use the device when you can only browse the hard drive by file structure. And then, every time you turn off the car you can't resume where you left off.


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## Qmotion

Glad I read this post tonight. My car is in the shop now as I was about to add a Bit-Play to my system. I can save a lot of money but I was looking forward to not shuffling cd's.


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## subterFUSE

Qmotion said:


> Glad I read this post tonight. My car is in the shop now as I was about to add a Bit-Play to my system. I can save a lot of money but I was looking forward to not shuffling cd's.



I know.... That was my hope, too.

Sorry to ruin it for you, but I just had to inform everyone of the shortcomings. The Bit Play is a half baked product, at best.

No resume play.
No tags with FLAC.
No artwork with FLAC.
No gapless playback on any format.
No cellular internet when using iPhone app.


If Audison can add those features to the software, then it will be a very nice product. Without them, it's a big waste of money. A $200 pocket media player can do all those things.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Qmotion

I called ElettroMedia USA and spoke with Jason at extention 107. Their number is 1-877-567-3030. He stated that the Bit-Play is the first and only product of it's kind designed for auto. He suggested that people address the issues to Audison so that they would be aware of the issues so that they can address them. 

I'm still on the fence about installing one now myself. I have never play any FLAC files so I could start my collection using the necessary filing system. I do have over 250 gigs of mp3's. I even suggested to Jason to come to the forum and speak on Audison's behalf.


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## LBaudio

...send this message to Elettromedia...lol


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## subterFUSE

LBaudio said:


> ...send this message to Elettromedia...lol



They already know. They knew about all of this long before this thread was started.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Qmotion

Can you really hear a difference between 24/96 and 24/192 music files?


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## subterFUSE

Qmotion said:


> Can you really hear a difference between 24/96 and 24/192 music files?



It won't play 192, I don't think.

I tried and got no sound.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mrpeabody

Qmotion said:


> Can you really hear a difference between 24/96 and 24/192 music files?


Snake oil IMO. Especially in a car driving down the road. I believe it can help in the studio while mastering, but I think it's not a big deal in playback. 16/44 is fine.

Based on what I've read from audio engineer opinions as well as A/B'ing on my home system.


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## Qmotion

Well I'm going to take my chances and install the Bit-Play in my system. At least I can consolidate all my music in one place. I'll get it without the HD and pickup a 500gb drive for under $200 and install it. I have about 250gb of mp3's that I did in 256kbps. They should play fine till I build a FLAC collection. 

Since I have a bit-one and two AV-5.1's digitally connected it should be a no Brainer.


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## Dannotech

Another issue is the iOS app doesn't support landscape mode. For all you iPad-in-dash users


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## Qmotion

I think Apple had a change of heart and screwed Audison a little. Hence other glitches also. Apple probably had hopes of being able to get paid some how. They were hoping that it would increase iTunes sales somehow.


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## Babs

Apple along with many are pushing crap-resolution streaming. The push continues to keep the actual media and simply disperse it. Large capacity media storage players naturally are not in the club. 


Sent from iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lxxgreen

I just had audison bit play installed in my porsche panamera. It was part of a package including existing PCM HU, audison Voce speakers, Voce amps, bit one, and bit play. Here are my thoughts. First, it sounds very good, better than all the other sources. Steaming tidal does sound pretty good through Bluetooth but not as good as through bit play. This is because all the other sources have to go through porsche HU and Bose amp through speaker line outs to bit one. The biggest issue is that if I m listening to bit play, I have to switch off wifi if I want to listen to Bluetooth. I can receive phone calls while listening to bit play but have to switch the DRC from Optical to Master. The iphone app works fine but occasional freezes. Overall, happy with purchase. I'm not expecting any software upgrades anytime soon.


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## subterFUSE

I just updated my Bit Play firmware today to version 1.1.1.0

Not had a chance to listen to it yet, but I'll report back any findings ASAP.


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## will.

I was also saved from spending almost a grand on this piece..given that here in Toronto there are almost no high end audio dealers with product to demo, I was almost going to buy a Bit Play on spec and screenshots (and frankly, Audison reputation).

I am now thinking to go portable player (ie FIIO X3) coax out into a Helix DSP Pro. I am currently using a stock honda source which has heavy bass dsp built in but would like to be able to retain this functionality (Navigation etc). I would be switching sources via the DSP.

Can anyone recommend a better way to keep both sources with a switch between the two - portable FLAC player and stock navigation unit with the ability to switch between the two?


----------



## subterFUSE

will. said:


> I was also saved from spending almost a grand on this piece..given that here in Toronto there are almost no high end audio dealers with product to demo, I was almost going to buy a Bit Play on spec and screenshots (and frankly, Audison reputation).
> 
> I am now thinking to go portable player (ie FIIO X3) coax out into a Helix DSP Pro. I am currently using a stock honda source which has heavy bass dsp built in but would like to be able to retain this functionality (Navigation etc). I would be switching sources via the DSP.
> 
> Can anyone recommend a better way to keep both sources with a switch between the two - portable FLAC player and stock navigation unit with the ability to switch between the two?


The Helix DSP Pro has a few options:

1. The DSP Pro has auto-sensing on digital inputs, but with a Priority option. It can switch when it detects the digital source, but you can leave the Main Source as "priority" so that when it plays it will take over the source selection temporarily. For example, if you are listening to the Fiio but also using Navigation, the DSP Pro can switch when the Nav voice gives directions, but then immediately swap back to listening to music on the digital input.

The amount of time before the source selections is released can be adjusted in the DSP software.


2. The UC-2A remote control has a button that can be programmed to switch sources. This is what I am using currently since I have 2 optical source units in my car.


3. The new Director controller will also feature source selection. It should be available soon.


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## will.

Thanks for the info Subter.

The priority feature you mentioned on the DSP Pro..Is it also available on the DSP non-pro model? If so, I may consider this and finding another portable player with optical instead of coax as I do not need 10 outputs and could potentially save some $$.

Beside the additional input/outputs, what are some other significant advantages of the Pro model?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## subterFUSE

will. said:


> Thanks for the info Subter.
> 
> The priority feature you mentioned on the DSP Pro..Is it also available on the DSP non-pro model? If so, I may consider this and finding another portable player with optical instead of coax as I do not need 10 outputs and could potentially save some $$.
> 
> Beside the additional input/outputs, what are some other significant advantages of the Pro model?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


I am not 100% certain, but I think this is a feature in Version 3 of the DSP software. The Helix DSP can use v3, I think.

Can anyone else confirm?


----------



## will.

subterFUSE said:


> I am not 100% certain, but I think this is a feature in Version 3 of the DSP software. The Helix DSP can use v3, I think.
> 
> Can anyone else confirm?


Subter, just curious.. did your A6 quattro need any electrical system upgrades to run your multiple Sinfoni amps? Stock alternator?

I've always limited myself to about 1000wrms of total power (Current running JL HD 900/5) due to not wanting to invest in electrical system upgrades.


----------



## subterFUSE

will. said:


> Subter, just curious.. did your A6 quattro need any electrical system upgrades to run your multiple Sinfoni amps? Stock alternator?
> 
> 
> 
> I've always limited myself to about 1000wrms of total power (Current running JL HD 900/5) due to not wanting to invest in electrical system upgrades.



No, my electrical system is 100% stock.
The S6 has a 240 amp alternator. Maybe even 260?
That's one of the many advantages to cars with V8 engines. Bigger engine; bigger alternator.

The A6 probably has a smaller alternator. Maybe 200 amps or slightly less?


Another advantage to some German cars is the battery in the trunk. Short power runs to the amps help a lot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> No, my electrical system is 100% stock.
> The S6 has a 240 amp alternator. Maybe even 260?
> That's one of the many advantages to cars with V8 engines. Bigger engine; bigger alternator.
> 
> The A6 probably has a smaller alternator. Maybe 200 amps or slightly less?
> 
> Another advantage to some German cars is the battery in the trunk. Short power runs to the amps help a lot.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


And he won't say it, but I will.. That car is beyond gorgeous!! It's made me an Audi fan again.  The build thread shots don't do it justice.


----------



## hunde

Not sure if I am getting this completely, and I just bought my first ipad, a mini 3, to use as the HU in my VW GTI.

So, if you are using the bit play app via wi-fi, cellular data is turned off? Cannot use both? Crap. Need cellular data for nav, spotify, and everything else one uses an ipad for.

I have an iphone 6 which will always be with the ipad. I've never messed with setting up a "hot spot", but maybe doing so through the phone would work?

Using the apple lightning to HDMI connector, then a cheap HDMI digital audio "stripper" gives me optical out, which has sounded pretty good on my relatively high-end home system with a good DAC. That was (and still may) feed my bit one, then running digital over CAT6 to a audison AV5.1k amp, and out to the OEM Dynaudio drivers in my 2010 VW GTI. Had OE HU, replaced OE amp with bit one and JL audio XD600 amp and it TOTALLY brought the Dyns to life. I am imagining that getting rid of all the crap from the OE HU, pure digital to the AV5.1k is going to be KILLER.

Figured out a way to add external storage to ipad with Kensington mobile-lite which takes SD and USB flash drives, and broadcasts over wifi. It has worked pretty well in the house, and there is a feature that allows the unit to log on to another wifi network, making it somewhat "transparent". 

But if the same issue with killing cellular data happens, that ain't gonna work.

I was going to scrap all of the above and get the bit play and be totally happy (except for the issues noted above), but now it's looking like that might not work.

Emailed elletromedia USA for some answers, hopefully they have some good ones...

Cheers,

Tom


----------



## subterFUSE

The no cellular data while connected to wifi issue is an iPhone problem, not the fault of Audison.

The same thing happens when I am at home. Wifi shuts off cellular data, which normally is a good thing because it saves your mobile data usage.

But in this situation with the Bit Play app in the car, it's an inconvenience.

The easiest solution is to not use the app and just use the wireless remotes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Qmotion

I use an android phone for my cellular. Sound like I won't have that issue. I think even the glitch that locks up the app ocassionally is an iPhone issue.


----------



## hunde

Thank you for the explanation. I confirmed that to be the case when using my kensington mobilelite via wifi without a second wifi network selected - no cellular data. Makes perfect sense.

Navigating a ton of files with the remote (and no display) sounds like a pain in the ass. So i have a few thoughts:

I have a spare iphone 5 that i could dedicate to control / display - but that means yet another device in the car.

Also have a spare Alpine monitor that I could flush into visor that would accomplish a)bit play display and b) reverse camera (kinda cool, integrated into VW logo and pops out when engaged) c) a low-mounted front end camera with scale to tell me if I'm gonna grind on something - sitting low and static.

I guess I will digitally wire the ipad into the bit one as my 'regular" source covering spotify, nav and things like that, then run bit play as second source for music library on road trips and when i'm just in the mood to hear some fantastic sounding audio.

I got an email back from Youseff at elletromedia (who has always been helpful to me) and here are his responses:

Here are some answers to your questions:
- Resume on car start, yes we are aware of this and will be corrected in a update in the future.
- Tags, I am not sure what you are referring to on this
- Artwork is shown on the app and when used on the video out to a screen. It just depends on the album and how may file the bit play HD is trying to store and sort through.
- Gapless, yes we are aware and this only affects a small handful albums. When listening to a live concert, there are pauses in between songs. There is approximately a 2-3 second delay when the bit play HD goes to the next song in the album
- Wifi, the bit play HD is creating a network point and when you connect to this yes you will lose your cellular data when using a mobile phone. But since you are using a iPad in your dash that should not be a issue. This is the same technology used in dash cameras, you connect to that wifi network to be able to communicate back and forth with that device.


So, all that said, I ordered one today and despite some shortcomings, many of which may be fixed, I think I am going to be extremely happy with the product, the ipad as a HU and the rest of my audison upgrades.

I cannot wait to hear how sweet the Class A channels of my AV5.1k sound driving my Dyn tweeters...

Cheers,

Tom 






subterFUSE said:


> The no cellular data while connected to wifi issue is an iPhone problem, not the fault of Audison.
> 
> The same thing happens when I am at home. Wifi shuts off cellular data, which normally is a good thing because it saves your mobile data usage.
> 
> But in this situation with the Bit Play app in the car, it's an inconvenience.
> 
> The easiest solution is to not use the app and just use the wireless remotes.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Qmotion

I'm about to order my Bit-Play also. What's a good price for one without the hard drive. Best price I'm getting locally (Philly) is $550 cash. Can I beat that anywhere?


----------



## hunde

Hard to say - none of the dealers I spoke with in LA had them in stock so they are "special order" and probably not discounted much. I have a "hookup" so i got a smokin deal with the drives.

Found an old Alpine monitor in my car audio junk bins, thinking i will install it in drivers' visor, flip down and use remote when i want to browse drives...

Should have it next week! Car is a few weeks off from driving, loads of mechanical / performance work underway and little time to them.

Will def mock system up in car asap and see how well (or not) it works.


----------



## jtaudioacc

has the video gotten any better? anytime i've seen one on composite, it looked really blurry.


----------



## hunde

I personally haven't seen the video output, but I'd imagine its crap. 

Putting monitor in visor also solves my backup camera issue, and has a third input so i can put a camera low in lower grill section to see if I will clear things like driveway entrances. the car is not super low, but now enough to cause damage. Full aluminum skidplate / belly pan being installed as well. Man i thought the roads in SF were bad - LA is FAR worse!


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## subterFUSE

hunde said:


> I got an email back from Youseff at elletromedia (who has always been helpful to me) and here are his responses:
> 
> Here are some answers to your questions:
> - Resume on car start, yes we are aware of this and will be corrected in a update in the future.


That's good news. I hope the update comes along soon because this is the single biggest feature needed right now.




> - Tags, I am not sure what you are referring to on this


This is disappointing if they don't know what we are referring to.

FLAC tags do not work on the Bit Play at all.

MP3 tags work fine, but not FLAC tags.

Since this thing is a FLAC player, tags should work on it.





> - Artwork is shown on the app and when used on the video out to a screen. It just depends on the album and how may file the bit play HD is trying to store and sort through.


FLAC artwork does not display on the BitPlay display output.

MP3 artwork works just fine, but not FLAC.

See the above issue with FLAC tags not working, as I'm sure they are related.





> Gapless, yes we are aware and this only affects a small handful albums. When listening to a live concert, there are pauses in between songs. There is approximately a 2-3 second delay when the bit play HD goes to the next song in the album


Any plans to address this? From the way the question was answered, they sound very dismissive of the issue. A "small handful" is not a very accurate description of the number of albums affected by this. Not only would any live recording album be affected, almost any classical music album, opera, symphony orchestra, etc... Plus, just about any electronic music album will be affected by this, too.

I sincerely hope they are not dismissing the importance of gapless playback.
This was a big deal for Apple with the older iPods.


----------



## will.

subterFUSE said:


> The Helix DSP Pro has a few options:
> 
> 1. The DSP Pro has auto-sensing on digital inputs, but with a Priority option. It can switch when it detects the digital source, but you can leave the Main Source as "priority" so that when it plays it will take over the source selection temporarily. For example, if you are listening to the Fiio but also using Navigation, the DSP Pro can switch when the Nav voice gives directions, but then immediately swap back to listening to music on the digital input.
> 
> The amount of time before the source selections is released can be adjusted in the DSP software.
> 
> 
> 2. The UC-2A remote control has a button that can be programmed to switch sources. This is what I am using currently since I have 2 optical source units in my car.
> 
> 
> 3. The new Director controller will also feature source selection. It should be available soon.



Subter, any idea on the release of the Director Remote for the Helix DSP Pro? Idea on price? Also, do you forsee and adjustments possible via this device or just preset recall? Are you happy with your DSP Pro?


----------



## jtaudioacc

subterFUSE said:


> Any plans to address this? From the way the question was answered, they sound very dismissive of the issue. A "small handful" is not a very accurate description of the number of albums affected by this. Not only would any live recording album be affected, almost any classical music album, opera, symphony orchestra, etc... Plus, just about any electronic music album will be affected by this, too.
> 
> I sincerely hope they are not dismissing the importance of gapless playback.
> This was a big deal for Apple with the older iPods.


there are tons of albums that need gapless. i remember those old ipod days, and how stupid i thought it was that it wasn't gapless. i wouldn't hold my breath with the way it was worded though.


----------



## subterFUSE

jtaudioacc said:


> there are tons of albums that need gapless. i remember those old ipod days, and how stupid i thought it was that it wasn't gapless. i wouldn't hold my breath with the way it was worded though.


Remember the fiasco with Apple?

They said the iPod hardware could not do gapless, but all the guys with Rockbox firmware were already enjoying gapless on the very same hardware that Apple said couldn't support it.


----------



## subterFUSE

will. said:


> Subter, any idea on the release of the Director Remote for the Helix DSP Pro? Idea on price?


I think it's coming soon. Possibly by end of summer?




> Also, do you forsee and adjustments possible via this device or just preset recall?


Not sure, but I think just preset recall and source selection.




> Are you happy with your DSP Pro?


Very happy. It's my favorite processor.


----------



## Baz..

Great thread and interesting to read the reviews.

I have had a Bit Play HD for a few weeks now and it has its positive and negative points. 

Positive:

FLAC, wow, very nice detailed sound (was using OEM speaker connection to the Bit One from the oem stereo) - even 320kbps MP3s sound very detailed, the sound difference is very apparent and warm. 

Internal HDD, the option to install a 2TB HDD is awesome, I have installed a spare 80gb HDD (non SSD) as a trial and it works very very well, even on bumpy roads I have no issues. With the 2 USB ports also, you can add either a pen drive or a external HDD for more expansion. 

Negatives:

Well, this unit has its problems which can get annoying after a while. The pops/clicks when the unit is turning on or when an album has been selected.

Its boot up time, is too long! If you start the engine with the Bit Play on, it usually reboots itself, so you need to wait then reselect the album all over again - strangely this doesnt reboot every time, just most of the time. 

I wish It would remember what I was playing last, that could solve the above annoying problem. 

Having said that, the sound quality is awesome and Im happy that I took the plunge and bought one.

I found the app to be rubbish, so I installed a 5" screen to view what I was selecting etc, and connected it using the video out connector, as many of you already know, the resolution is poor and the writing is almost unreadable. I have since upgraded the screen to a 7" HD screen and connected it using HDMI, and its a LOT better, very clear writing etc. I have not tried video on it yet, thats something for the weekend maybe.

Im yet to update the firmware on both audison units, so hopefully some of the issues have been addressed.


----------



## hunde

Going to pick mine up right now!


----------



## Aw335tt

Qmotion said:


> I'm about to order my Bit-Play also. What's a good price for one without the hard drive. Best price I'm getting locally (Philly) is $550 cash. Can I beat that anywhere?


I got mine for $500 from a shop is LA.


----------



## Aw335tt

I've had a bitplay installed for about 1.5 months. My experience is about the same as a few other people in here. The little pops and stuff when booting is annoying, iPhone app is very annoying, but once the music is on, I forget all the annoying things. The difference in sound quality and detail is amazing. I'm running it digital into my PS8.


----------



## Qmotion

My bit-play was ordered last week. Should be in this week. Probably installed by next week. Reconfiguring my whole system and having the DRZ-9255 installed as the head unit instead of the factory radio.


----------



## Aw335tt

I ran into a bit of a problem. A couple days ago, my playlist disappeared from the iOS app. Audison said it can be from a corrupt file and they asked me to reformat the jump drive and try it. I reformatted the drive and added a file that has been working from day 1 and it's still not loading the list. Anyone had this issue before? 

Music from my phone still plays fine via imediashare.


----------



## daltonxx

subterFUSE said:


> I think it's coming soon. Possibly by end of summer?
> Not sure, but I think just preset recall and source selection.
> 
> Very happy. It's my favorite processor.


Where did you get the 1.1.1.0 Firmware from ( Elettromedia USA or Italy ) ?
Is it possible to upload it somewhere so all of us can download and update ?

What changes happend in new version ? Is there any change-log ?


----------



## subterFUSE

daltonxx said:


> Where did you get the 1.1.1.0 Firmware from ( Elettromedia USA or Italy ) ?
> Is it possible to upload it somewhere so all of us can download and update ?
> 
> What changes happend in new version ? Is there any change-log ?



Contact your dealer. They can get the firmware.

Frankly, I don't know what the update fixes.... If anything. I have noticed no difference with my device after the update.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## daltonxx

subterFUSE said:


> Contact your dealer. They can get the firmware.
> 
> Frankly, I don't know what the update fixes.... If anything. I have noticed no difference with my device after the update.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


There is no dealer in my country that's why I'm asking for your help on uploading the firmware file or forward the email if it's possible.


----------



## beemarman

Hi,

I have my bit hd installed, but can't control the volume using my Helix director. I can only control the volume using the remote. Is this normal? Can I not control it via the Director?


----------



## Babs

beemarman said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have my bit hd installed, but can't control the volume using my Helix director. I can only control the volume using the remote. Is this normal? Can I not control it via the Director?


Director = Helix
Bit Play HD = Audison
Not compatible


----------



## subterFUSE

Helix Director controls volume of the Helix DSP, not a source unit like the BitPlay.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## beemarman

subterFUSE said:


> Helix Director controls volume of the Helix DSP, not a source unit like the BitPlay.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks a lot for that info.


----------



## subterFUSE

Volume on bit. Play should be left at 100%. Control DSP volume with Director. Have you checked DCM menu in Helix software to enable the Director?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## beemarman

Please help!

Why is the vol so low when using the bit play remote compared to using my DMI input?

The bit one is connected using the Hec input on the DSP, but at maximum volume it's very low.


----------



## subterFUSE

beemarman said:


> Please help!
> 
> Why is the vol so low when using the bit play remote compared to using my DMI input?
> 
> The bit one is connected using the Hec input on the DSP, but at maximum volume it's very low.



Do you have a volume control on the DSP?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## beemarman

subterFUSE said:


> Do you have a volume control on the DSP?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No volume control on DSP for the bit HD.

I can't control it from thr director, but can from the DMI input.


----------



## subterFUSE

What DSP do you have?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## beemarman

subterFUSE said:


> What DSP do you have?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have the Helix DSP PRO with the director Installed.


----------



## subterFUSE

Have you enabled the director in the DCM menu?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## beemarman

beemarman said:


> I have the Helix DSP PRO with the director Installed.


I think I got it working. Just selected the HEC vol control from the DSP hidden menu.

:laugh:


----------



## subterFUSE

Yup. Figured that was it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## beemarman

subterFUSE said:


> Yup. Figured that was it
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you very much for all your help.


----------



## beemarman

Hi,

My car has Stop and Start and whenever the car stops the engine cuts out, and when it restarts the bit HD reboots itself. This is so annoying. How can I stop it from happening without having to remember to turn off Stop Start?

The sound is amazing, but the software is really bad.


----------



## subterFUSE

Maybe this?

Crux STPWR-01


----------



## beemarman

subterFUSE said:


> Maybe this?
> 
> Crux STPWR-01


I take it this is the same as the Audison ES3 Bit Energy?


----------



## subterFUSE

beemarman said:


> I take it this is the same as the Audison ES3 Bit Energy?



Looks like you have your answer. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## beemarman

subterFUSE said:


> Looks like you have your answer.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Thanks. Just ordered it.


----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> Maybe this?
> 
> Crux STPWR-01


Slick!!


----------



## Qmotion

Did anyone have to use an Audison (SFC), sampling frequency converter to get their bit play to work with a bit one? Audison is saying it's needed to keep it from clicking and popping.


----------



## Qmotion

I think the question might be better asked if anyone had any popping or clicking issues using a digital optical input from a headunit such as my Clarion DRZ. I would like to think that there shouldn't be any capatibility issues with the bit-play since it's all Audison stuff.


----------



## subterFUSE

Qmotion said:


> I think the question might be better asked if anyone had any popping or clicking issues using a digital optical input from a headunit such as my Clarion DRZ. I would like to think that there shouldn't be any capatibility issues with the bit-play since it's all Audison stuff.



The BitPlay max output resolution is 24/96.kHz.

The BitOne max input resolution in 24/48kHz.

If you only play 24/48 files then you don't need the SFC. But if you want to play 24/96 files then the SFC might be necessary.


Of course, there is a better way to prevent clicks and pops on the BitOne. Take it out and get a Helix DSP Pro. It can accept 24/96 natively. Problem solved 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Qmotion

subterFUSE said:


> The BitPlay max output resolution is 24/96.kHz.
> 
> The BitOne max input resolution in 24/48kHz.
> 
> If you only play 24/48 files then you don't need the SFC. But if you want to play 24/96 files then the SFC might be necessary.
> 
> 
> Of course, there is a better way to prevent clicks and pops on the BitOne. Take it out and get a Helix DSP Pro. It can accept 24/96 natively. Problem solved
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I was trying stay all digital through to the amps. Looks like the Helix DSP Pro is only analog out. I have the Bit-Ins on both amps that I had to invest in and now it seems I have to invest in this SFC. All this aggravation appears to be a marketing ploy by Audison just to make more money. Why design what suppose to be such a great, innovative, industry first, one of a find,etc., etc. ******** that's not compatible with their own processor. Oh but we have a fix that's going to cost you another $300 bucks.

For me to use the Helix Pro I'd have to lose the Bit-ins. Then again the cost of the SFC could go towards the Helix DSP Pro.


----------



## subterFUSE

Qmotion said:


> I was trying stay all digital through to the amps. Looks like the Helix DSP Pro is only analog out. I have the Bit-Ins on both amps that I had to invest in and now it seems I have to invest in this SFC. All this aggravation appears to be a marketing ploy by Audison just to make more money. Why design what suppose to be such a great, innovative, industry first, one of a find,etc., etc. ******** that's not compatible with their own processor. Oh but we have a fix that's going to cost you another $300 bucks.
> 
> For me to use the Helix Pro I'd have to lose the Bit-ins. Then again the cost of the SFC could go towards the Helix DSP Pro.



I think you're actually giving too much credit to Audison by saying it's a scheme to make more money. I don't think they have that much forethought. :laugh:

The truth is more likely that they engineer products and then figure out after release that they have major limitations and have to issue other products to fix these major problems. The SFC looks like a case of: "Oops.... we never thought about that." 


Just look at the Bit Play HD. The product was released without the ability to resume play, even though there is an option in the menu to resume play. :laugh::laugh: WTH is that option supposed to do?

Bit Play doesn't support FLAC tags. Or Flac artwork. Or gapless playback.
All major features that any media player should have. I am honestly willing to bet they never even thought about these things. They just built the player and then when someone asks about the features they are like: "Wow... we never thought about that."


----------



## Qmotion

subterFUSE said:


> I think you're actually giving too much credit to Audison by saying it's a scheme to make more money. I don't think they have that much forethought. :laugh:
> 
> The truth is more likely that they engineer products and then figure out after release that they have major limitations and have to issue other products to fix these major problems. The SFC looks like a case of: "Oops.... we never thought about that."
> 
> 
> Just look at the Bit Play HD. The product was released without the ability to resume play, even though there is an option in the menu to resume play. :laugh::laugh: WTH is that option supposed to do?
> 
> Bit Play doesn't support FLAC tags. Or Flac artwork. Or gapless playback.
> All major features that any media player should have. I am honestly willing to bet they never even thought about these things. They just built the player and then when someone asks about the features they are like: "Wow... we never thought about that."


Yeah and it sucks to have over $5k invested in Audison and have to deal all these issues. I want to just rip it all out but my current budget won't afford me to spend another $5k to replace all the stuff with Helix/Brax.


----------



## serlvz

Wow. After reading all this, I can now see that Bit Play HD is definitely off my planning list. I have a brand new Honda Accord Coupe and was thinking out the system I plan to put in it. I don't play many CDs anymore and don't listen to radio much, so I was hoping that I could use the Bit Play instead of an HU. Think again.


----------



## lxxgreen

i echo the no go for the bit play. i posted a review previously saying it was ok but now with more experience this product should never have been released. After three weeks of use, it crapped out. my installer sent back to electromedia, the distributer, and they said it would be 4-6 weeks for repair since they needed parts from Italy. They would not send a replacement unit. Then, after reinstallation, the app didnt work again, and they told me to reboot. This is no easy task since it is installed out of sight. The biggest problem i see with this product is the interface with the app. it is extremely difficult to find your song of choice while you are driving. If you want to stream bluetooth after listening to bitplay, you have to go to your phone settings to turn off wifi since it is connected to the bitplay wifi which effectively blocks out your blue tooth. Im surprised i havent gotten into an accident while doing this. 

DO NOT BUY THIS UNIT at this time. The SQ is nice but not so much better than my bluetooth from spotify that it is worth the crappy technology and app. They tell me they are working on updates but still waiting.


----------



## meducky

Damn, I just ordered one of those. Don't even have it yet and I regret it. Hope the sound quality will be worth it..... If I would have seen this thread before going all in I would have held back.


----------



## hunde

I have been using a bit play in my home system, since car is in pieces and gotta get it running first...

SQ on my fairly high-end Dynaudio, Audio Research, etc., home system is fantastic, bettering any digital source ive had recently by quite a lot. 

Been talking with ellectromedia about issues mentioned above, but my biggest concern is control. ipad mini is replacing OEM nav unit in '10 GTI, which gives me ability to run APR's ECU setup with engine data logging and important gauges when running loads of boost. its an OBDII dongle that communicates via bluetooth and works great.

Why audison (and many other accessory mfgs) decided on point to point wi-fi control of bit play is beyond me, and makes this way complicated due to ipad shutting off cell data when on wi-fi - thereby disabling navigation and all that in my application.

They told me a few days ago updates will be coming out soon that will address this issue (and many others as mentioned in this thread), but couldn't give specifics yet.

I've got no problem waiting for them to sort it out but would not be too happy if i had expected it to work right out of the box, hah ha. Not cool to "beta-test" products like this, but i've also worked in the home audio / automation world so long i never expect complicated products to be perfect as shipped...

If it, with updates, and bit one HD (whenever that comes out) work semi-harmoniously for me, its all good. been lucky with original bit one and didn't have issues with it that plagued others. a little finicky, sure, but a great sounding processor with good feature set when introduced, hopefully the HD version has improvements across the board as well...


----------



## subterFUSE

hunde said:


> Why audison (and many other accessory mfgs) decided on point to point wi-fi control of bit play is beyond me, and makes this way complicated due to ipad shutting off cell data when on wi-fi - thereby disabling navigation and all that in my application.


One word answer: Quality.

Bluetooth cannot stream uncompressed, hi-res audio. It just can't. Even the best Bluetooth audio streaming, AptX, still uses a lossy compression scheme to transmit the sound. It's a little counterintuitive to have a 24/96 capable media player if you're going to compress the audio and stream it over Bluetooth. Backwards step.

Optical is the way to go with this thing, and the IR remotes are the best way to control it.





> They told me a few days ago updates will be coming out soon that will address this issue (and many others as mentioned in this thread), but couldn't give specifics yet.


Man, I sure hope this is true.


----------



## hunde

Absolutely - for audio signal transmission, but this is only for control - the app / ipad don't have any audio functionality with the bit play. 

For spotify or any app based audio, i'm using a lightning to HDMI adapter, and HDMI to optical converter, passing digital audio into bit one. I have a few other ways i can go with that as well, but i'm not too concerned about SQ for streaming apps, and don't store music on ipad. 

Bluetooth works perfectly well for control, but is crap for audio, agreed. 

If I am able to use the app, which works well in a "bubble", then there is no need for remotes once it is all set up. I would not need to add a display or anything either - everything would be on ipad...


----------



## Babs

There is a way to keep cellular data working while attached to wifi. I've done it with the airport express. 

Maybe try this:
http://evolver.fm/2013/06/06/airplay-on-the-highway-put-apple-airport-express-in-your-car/

Set it up as a static IP. Leave router, DNS and search domains blank. 


Sent from iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## hunde

Babs - interesting, thank you! I'm not sure that its possible to set it up this way since the bit play creates a "network" you need to be connected to for the app to work. Maybe it's possible to use a similar process to configure the bit play network, but seems they would have mentioned this throughout our conversation. 

I'll give it a go tomorrow though and see if its possible - thanks again!

Tom


----------



## Babs

hunde said:


> Babs - interesting, thank you! I'm not sure that its possible to set it up this way since the bit play creates a "network" you need to be connected to for the app to work. Maybe it's possible to use a similar process to configure the bit play network, but seems they would have mentioned this throughout our conversation.
> 
> I'll give it a go tomorrow though and see if its possible - thanks again!
> 
> Tom


You aught to be able to do this in the wifi settings for that network in your phone. I'd think it'd be just like any wifi network.


----------



## hunde

That'd be funny if it worked and NOBODY i've spoken with mentioned it as an option. will bench test it tonight!


----------



## hunde

Didn't get a chance to test it out last night - actually worked til dawn on the mechanicals - was just in the groove...

Sooo, a little interesting news from audison - DRC MP! Certainly better looking in black, with custom color lighting and "navigation is also possible through the 'Navy Command' function if the system features an Audison bit Play HD with video output connected to a monitor". Hey! Progress! I think? There is a data sheet on their FB page.

Grrr have to have a monitor - unless there is an easy way to get HDMI into an ipad NOT using wi-fi? Started looking into this last week then decided to wait for news from audison. Hoping for firmware update for bit play & bit one HD info soon so i can finalize design...

cheers

tom


----------



## daltonxx

hunde said:


> Didn't get a chance to test it out last night - actually worked til dawn on the mechanicals - was just in the groove...
> 
> Sooo, a little interesting news from audison - DRC MP! Certainly better looking in black, with custom color lighting and "navigation is also possible through the 'Navy Command' function if the system features an Audison bit Play HD with video output connected to a monitor". Hey! Progress! I think? There is a data sheet on their FB page.
> 
> Grrr have to have a monitor - unless there is an easy way to get HDMI into an ipad NOT using wi-fi? Started looking into this last week then decided to wait for news from audison. Hoping for firmware update for bit play & bit one HD info soon so i can finalize design...
> 
> cheers
> 
> tom


Is the DRC MP available now ? let me know the price and if there is any new firmware update available for bit play


----------



## subterFUSE

daltonxx said:


> Is the DRC MP available now ? let me know the price and if there is any new firmware update available for bit play


Bit Play is still on 1.1.1.0 firmware. No update beyond that yet.


----------



## hunde

Elletromedia is being tight lipped about this, vaguely referring to "updates' that will specifically address MY control issues. My "dealer" (or just the guy that sidesteps stuff to me at cost + 5%) is going there Tuesday. I sorta jokingly asked if I could go along, he didn't find that amusing and said no. I don't bug him at all with tech questions, and he is the one that offered to sell me stuff at those terms in the first place...

DRC MP looks like a good part of a new "front end" for audison, and if bit one HD steps up to be competitive and less buggy, i'll be stoked, as will many, and they might move out of their current semi bad-rep phase.


----------



## hunde

BTW subterFUSE - i mis-spoke or didn't really complete my thought on this:


hunde said:


> Absolutely - for audio signal transmission, but this is only for control - the app / ipad don't have any audio functionality with the bit play


Should have clarified that i meant in MY theoretical application...

Cheers,

Tom


----------



## hunde

Tried the network settings in the article linked by Babs and no go - none of my ios devices will connect to bit one. In DHCP, they snap right to it. Admittedly not my area of expertise but fairly decent with it. I'm gonna stop wasting time on this until they release firmware updates or whatever along with DRC MP - no dates given on either...


----------



## Aw335tt

So I've had the bitplay installed since March and aside from a hiss in between tracks it's been working fine.. Until today :/ 

I turned on my car and when the load up beat was playing I noticed a bunch of popping and crackling sounds that continued after it booted up. I haven't changed anything at all, not sure why it just randomly went to ****. 

When I play music, the popping/crackling sound kinda goes away but it's still very noticeable. This is very frustrating because I just finished making some custom pods which I was going to install in about a week or two, upgrading my mids. 

I sent Youseff an email, hoping I can get this sorted out.


----------



## Aw335tt

Update on what I posted yesterday. I was in the car today trying to figure out the problem and it turns out the issues is the fiber optic cable. I usually fold my rear seats down so the sub but when I park I fold the seat back up so nothing is visible to people walking by. I guess all the folding down and up destroyed the fiber optic cable that runs through there. 

I'm glad the issue isn't from the bitplay, I just ordered a new cable.


----------



## #1BigMike

Subbed as I am looking for a way to have a media server that can play wav or flac while navigating through the files with the VW RNS850 (media center).

Really hoping they work out the bugs.


----------



## Oefla

1. NEW GRAPHIC INTERFACE a. b. We will renew the design making it more appealing, more readable, more usable. The new graphic interface will be presented during the 2016 Vegas Show. 2. UPDATE OF APPLE AND ANDROID APPS a. b. c. d. e. f. g. Dedicated versions: smartphones and tablets will have their specific ones. Improved connection speed (resulting in a much higher stability of the connection). Playlist function. “Pairing” function (protection against undesired external connections): resettable password. .wav and .elec files supported by Apple App. Artwork displayed with .flac files. Screen rotation function supported. 3. WI-FI DIRECT COMMUNICATION FOR ANDROID DEVICES In order to grant the use of the APP keeping the 4G connection at the same time. 4. AIR-PLAY COMMUNICATION FOR APPLE DEVICES In any case there will be no 4G connection (this is a limit imposed by the Apple technology). 5. OPTIMIZATION OF THE INTERNAL CODE a. b. Remarkable improvement of the speed when using the bit Play HD. Remarkable start-up timeframe reduction. 6. NEW DRC COMPATIBILITY We can control the bit Play HD with the DRC MP (play, stop, skip…) 7. RESUME FUNCTION You will have the possibility to restart from the same listening point where you had switched off your bit Play HD.


----------



## Waves4dayz

Very glad I read this entire thread....I'll revisit this thread in a couple months, but as of now: this thread just saved me hundred$ of buck$ and hours of :surprised:


----------



## subterFUSE

Nice to see updates coming. All very necessary. I don't see any mention of Gapless Playback which is my most desired feature. But something is always better than nothing. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## sunilbass

Hi Guys..

This is for ones that have fitted their own ssd in to the bit play.

I have just bought baz's bit play off him and well tried to install a sandisk ultra ii in but the bit play wont detect it on the play. I have connected it to a pc and it reads and write on it so i know the ssd is ok.

So i'm wondering what other people have used in their plays?? what brands and what sata speed they are..


----------



## maximus5403

subterFUSE said:


> Nice to see updates coming. All very necessary. I don't see any mention of Gapless Playback which is my most desired feature. But something is always better than nothing.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Check out Audison's Facebook. They just uploaded a video of the new firmware. Looks like they touched on nearly every issue people seem to have with it. Including Gapless Playback!


----------



## subterFUSE

maximus5403 said:


> Check out Audison's Facebook. They just uploaded a video of the new firmware. Looks like they touched on nearly every issue people seem to have with it. Including Gapless Playback!



Sweet!

Can't wait for the update.

With gapless playback and resume play, it's a game changer for me. Everything else is just icing on the cake.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## JakeG37

This sounds like good news but I have no experience with the current firmware. It seems like most who have owned the Bit Play HD found it very cumbersome to navigate through their music library. Do you guys feel all the real negatives have been addressed to the point where owning one would be completely worthwhile now?


----------



## subterFUSE

New firmware isn't out yet. No one knows yet


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Muz1k

subterfuse

How would you rate the Bit Play? Has all or most of the issues you had with the unit been addressed? Please inform of any bugs and how long is the boot up time. What if anything would you like to see done differently and are you happy with the overall performance?


----------



## subterFUSE

Muz1k said:


> subterfuse
> 
> 
> 
> How would you rate the Bit Play? Has all or most of the issues you had with the unit been addressed? Please inform of any bugs and how long is the boot up time. What if anything would you like to see done differently and are you happy with the overall performance?



The BitPlay is still in my car and I do use it.

What does it do well?

1. The sound quality is outstanding.
2. The video output works perfectly with my Audi MMI screen.
3. The internal storage means no need to plug in an iPod or other media device. Your music is with you all the time.



The issues I have mentioned are not fixed yet, but there is a firmware update in the works right now that is supposed to fix them.

On Facebook, Audison said the new update is due in April.


The big features I wanted to see were all mentioned in their media release during CES. Those features are:

1. Resume play after shutting car off/on.

2. Gapless playback.

3. Artwork and tags for FLAC files.



With those 3 features the BitPlay will be an absolutely outstanding piece of equipment for Hi Res audio fans.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> The BitPlay is still in my car and I do use it.
> 
> What does it do well?
> 
> 1. The sound quality is outstanding.
> 2. The video output works perfectly with my Audi MMI screen.
> 3. The internal storage means no need to plug in an iPod or other media device. Your music is with you all the time.
> 
> 
> 
> The issues I have mentioned are not fixed yet, but there is a firmware update in the works right now that is supposed to fix them.
> 
> On Facebook, Audison said the new update is due in April.
> 
> 
> The big features I wanted to see were all mentioned in their media release during CES. Those features are:
> 
> 1. Resume play after shutting car off/on.
> 
> 2. Gapless playback.
> 
> 3. Artwork and tags for FLAC files.
> 
> 
> 
> With those 3 features the BitPlay will be an absolutely outstanding piece of equipment for Hi Res audio fans.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


That's awesome.. Actually considering the price of the thing and what it does and how well it does it, especially after the update coming, it's actually not bad at all. I'd love to get a nickel tour of how this goodie works at the meet.


----------



## edzyy

Dannotech said:


> Another issue is the iOS app doesn't support landscape mode. For all you iPad-in-dash users


Hope this is fixed in the next firmware update.


----------



## jtaudioacc

i knew 5 people who had one. they don't have one anymore. lol


----------



## Aw335tt

Anyone have any news on when the update will be coming out?


----------



## subterFUSE

Aw335tt said:


> Anyone have any news on when the update will be coming out?



April is what Audison said on their Facebook.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## falcon

What is the street price of the non-SSD version?


----------



## JakeG37

I think its in the $500-$600 range. I cant wait for April to see what the verdict is on the firmware. I want one so bad but I need to know its going to meet my expectations.


----------



## meducky

I just got mine up and running yesterday and the sound quality is "just" ridiculous! Very pleased with it so far and I hope the update will make it even more of an awesome experience.


----------



## jb4674

meducky said:


> I just got mine up and running yesterday and the sound quality is "just" ridiculous! Very pleased with it so far and I hope the update will make it even more of an awesome experience.



How are you using it in your car? Are you plugging it into a processor? I was reading the specs for the Bit One and I'm not sure that I'd get any high fidelity if I ran it into the toslink aux input..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## meducky

I have the bit one processor and I'm using the fiber optic cables and digital signal to my Voce amps.


----------



## laroid

I've ordered the bit play hd and a Samsune 850 evo 2tb ssd. I hope the updates fixes everthing! I think a alpha/numeric selection would be nice for the very large library. It would speed up and make a desired music/video selection easier. something on the line of some of the newer Alpine head units iPod control. What do you guys think?


----------



## JakeG37

Ok, so its April, any idea on a date for firmware release?


----------



## laroid

Not really sure as I have not received the bit play yet. You must register your device first, before you can download a update. Here is the link in case you need it. You must follow the directions in the manual too.

Audison 

let us know 
I figure we will be installing and updating in about 3 weeks.


----------



## JakeG37

I can understand needing to register the device before you can download the firmware, however, I do not have one yet. I have been waiting for the update before I decide to purchase. Were you trying to imply the download is now available, or just merely stating what you will need to do before being able to get it once it is released?


----------



## SkizeR

I thought they pushed the update back even more..?

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

SkizeR said:


> I thought they pushed the update back even more..?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk




Seriously?

Ugh... Typical.


----------



## SkizeR

subterFUSE said:


> Seriously?
> 
> Ugh... Typical.


this is what i heard. not from a reliable source though, but yeah. this source said until summer or fall i think. dont quote me, this is just what i was told. i go back to work thursday and can email our audison rep soon to find out


----------



## JakeG37

Jesus, Audison really cannot get out of its own way. I would commend them on their efforts to make this a solid firmware release, but it should not take this long to improve a product that was Beta ready at best when they released it. Im sick of having to plug/unplug my phone every time I get in and out of my car.


----------



## jb4674

Isn't the latest update out on their site already?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## SkizeR

jb4674 said:


> Isn't the latest update out on their site already?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


i dont see anything


----------



## fcarpio

So what is the reasoning behind getting the bit play vs just getting a hard drive? Just curious as I use a hard drive.


----------



## subterFUSE

jb4674 said:


> Isn't the latest update out on their site already?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Version 1.1.1.0 is the latest firmware on the website, which is not the new one.


----------



## subterFUSE

fcarpio said:


> So what is the reasoning behind getting the bit play vs just getting a hard drive? Just curious as I use a hard drive.


Because it's a media player that outputs video, you don't need a head unit to control it. It's a perfect solution for modern vehicles that have factory head units that can't be removed. You get a standalone source unit which does not have to be installed in the dash, and the video output can be fed into the factory video screen. But the audio never goes through the factory electronics. It's direct optical into your DSP.


----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> Because it's a media player that outputs video, you don't need a head unit to control it. It's a perfect solution for modern vehicles that have factory head units that can't be removed. You get a standalone source unit which does not have to be installed in the dash, and the video output can be fed into the factory video screen. But the audio never goes through the factory electronics. It's direct optical into your DSP.



That's a whole lotta 'because' for sure I'd say. Would like to see more companies get into that concept with outboard DSP in mind. As a non-head unit outboard high-res player.


----------



## fcarpio

subterFUSE said:


> fcarpio said:
> 
> 
> 
> So what is the reasoning behind getting the bit play vs just getting a hard drive? Just curious as I use a hard drive.
> 
> 
> 
> Because it's a media player that outputs video, you don't need a head unit to control it. It's a perfect solution for modern vehicles that have factory head units that can't be removed. You get a standalone source unit which does not have to be installed in the dash, and the video output can be fed into the factory video screen. But the audio never goes through the factory electronics. It's direct optical into your DSP.
Click to expand...

I see, nice. Thanks for the explanation.


----------



## jb4674

subterFUSE said:


> Because it's a media player that outputs video, you don't need a head unit to control it. It's a perfect solution for modern vehicles that have factory head units that can't be removed. You get a standalone source unit which does not have to be installed in the dash, and the video output can be fed into the factory video screen. But the audio never goes through the factory electronics. It's direct optical into your DSP.



Ok, now you've got me intrigued. Can it tap into Honda's "iMid" display and send video to it??? Does it have the ability to mirror a phone's video output wirelessly?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## JakeG37

Anyone been able to find a credible source to say if the firmware is being delayed?


----------



## Oefla

Contacted support sunday, with automatic reply answer within 2 working days, no reponse yet..


----------



## Oefla

Not yet where the answer from local rep. after he contected audison :-( 

Can there be implementation issues?


----------



## JakeG37

I was at the audio store today getting some work done. While I was there I asked the owner if he had heard anything about the firmware release date. He called his rep and was told they were unaware of any delays with the release. The #2 guy at Elettromedia (USA) currently has the firmware in his car and has been using it for a while. I would assume this might be a beta of the firmware but maybe there is hope it will be available in the not too distant future.


----------



## SkizeR

I asked our audison rep. No word. Even asked audison on facebook. They said "not yet"

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## maximus5403

Audison posted today that the update will be released in June. I guess we will see if they stick to that target.


----------



## JakeG37

They just keep moving the carrot.


----------



## maximus5403

Spoke with one of the guys in tech support @ Elettromedia and he is running the beta of the new firmware on his Bit Play and said it's what the Bit Play should have shipped with when it was released. The target update is still June.

I put my New Bit Play HD w/ 500gb SSD up for sale in the classifieds this morning since I got a good deal on a Sony GS9 head unit to use with the iPad i'm installing in my dash. If anyone is looking for one it's a great deal for a brand new unit w/ 500gb ssd.


----------



## JakeG37

maximus5403 said:


> Spoke with one of the guys in tech support @ Elettromedia and he is running the beta of the new firmware on his Bit Play and said it's what the Bit Play should have shipped with when it was released. The target update is still June.
> 
> I put my New Bit Play HD w/ 500gb SSD up for sale in the classifieds this morning since I got a good deal on a Sony GS9 head unit to use with the iPad i'm installing in my dash. If anyone is looking for one it's a great deal for a brand new unit w/ 500gb ssd.


Funny how they comment on how the firmware they are testing is what should have been released in the first place. Piss poor on Audisons part to release a substandard product and force unsuspecting customers into being alpha testers. I say alpha because what they are testing over 1yr later is now what most would consider beta.

Either way, I look forward to buying the product once they release this firmware.


----------



## JakeG37

Ok, its June. Anyone able to check for the update on the Audison site?


----------



## Hugg727

JakeG37 said:


> Ok, its June. Anyone able to check for the update on the Audison site?


I keep checking but nothing yet...

For those that have the Bit Play installed......I recently installed this in my car and have it hooked up in the same manner that SubterFuse has it installed. The unit seems to be working properly, video on MMI screen, optical out into HEC card on Helix DSP. I am getting no sound when playing 24/96 FLAC files either on a USB or files that I have copied to the SSD. I can see them playing but no sound. I know that I have my HEC card configured properly because I can play MP3s from the SSD with no problem.

I created a folder for each artist so my file structure is Artist/Album/Track

Thoughts?


----------



## laroid

Android app doesn't work well
It does list all artist/albums/songs, but cannot play anything selected.


----------



## Hugg727

BTW.... my issue was with a bad Toslink cable

Mine works as discussed earlier in this forum. I updated to the recent FW v1.1.1.0 and still no tags or resume play.

It does sound pretty good though


----------



## Hugg727

Found another strange bug...

If I leave a USB stick or portable USB hard drive plugged onto the unit and I then start the car, the bit play doesnt see the drive. It only shows the internal SSD. If i leave the car running and turn the bitplay off/on with the remote, I can them see the USB drive as a source.

Still no word on the update yet.......


----------



## laroid

Audioson Facebook says July now. I have contacted Audioson support twice now in the last 5 weeks never got any answers. Bit play HD will be the only Audioson piece I'll ever purchase. I'm glad I got the Ps8 instead of Bit 1.


----------



## Babs

laroid said:


> Audioson Facebook says July now. I have contacted Audioson support twice now in the last 5 weeks never got any answers. Bit play HD will be the only Audioson piece I'll ever purchase. I'm glad I got the Ps8 instead of Bit 1.


It's kind of a shame though.. I'm kinda hoping this concept of an outboard player device would take off and more would get into that. Head units being kind of a dying breed of antiquated tech except for feeeeatures, bells and whistles but still no digi outputs except for just a handful if you have three fingers.


----------



## JakeG37

Well they have 8 more days to make the release in this month. After that they just look even more like a company who cant get out of their own way.


----------



## Hugg727

Babs said:


> It's kind of a shame though.. I'm kinda hoping this concept of an outboard player device would take off and more would get into that. Head units being kind of a dying breed of antiquated tech except for feeeeatures, bells and whistles but still no digi outputs except for just a handful if you have three fingers.


Great point! With many newer cars moving away from the old standard DIN/Double Din headunits, this type of device could and should be the way to go. 

Audison had an opportunity to get ahead of the pack on this one but they failed. I am surprised that Sony doesnt have a unit like this other than the RSX-GS9. Something that you tuck away in the trunk, integrates into the DSP and control it from an app or remote. Its still a DIN sized radio that you have put in the dash.


----------



## Babs

Hugg727 said:


> Great point! With many newer cars moving away from the old standard DIN/Double Din headunits, this type of device could and should be the way to go.
> 
> 
> 
> Audison had an opportunity to get ahead of the pack on this one but they failed. I am surprised that Sony doesnt have a unit like this other than the RSX-GS9. Something that you tuck away in the trunk, integrates into the DSP and control it from an app or remote. Its still a DIN sized radio that you have put in the dash.




Guys are putting the Sony's in their trunk and doing just that. Treating it like a bit play. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

Babs said:


> Guys are putting the Sony's in their trunk and doing just that. Treating it like a bit play.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Not easy to control without a display output, however.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> Not easy to control without a display output, however.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I tell ya, if Audiotec-Fischer did a lossless wifi (not a compressed bt) hi-rez streaming from ios/android as a HEC card, it'd be all over.. Market owned. Game, set, match!


----------



## Hugg727

Babs said:


> I tell ya, if Audiotec-Fischer did a lossless wifi (not a compressed bt) hi-rez streaming from ios/android as a HEC card, it'd be all over.. Market owned. Game, set, match!


+10000000  

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk


----------



## JakeG37

Time is running out Audison... 3 more days until July and another missed delivery of the firmware...


----------



## MrGreen83

Asked my guy about the Bit Play HD twice, he cringed both times. That was enough for me. Still intrigued tho


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SkizeR

Did anyone actually expect audison to release the firmware when they said they would? 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## subterFUSE

No. Audison never hits their deadlines.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## musicalsound

Would be very nice if there is a carplay app for bit play so it can be control just like Apple Music.


----------



## subterFUSE

musicalsound said:


> Would be very nice if there is a carplay app for bit play so it can be control just like Apple Music.




CarPlay is a bad joke. It only works with the Apple native apps. I doubt Apple would approve any 3rd party apps for CarPlay.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> CarPlay is a bad joke. It only works with the Apple native apps. I doubt Apple would approve any 3rd party apps for CarPlay.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Yeah it's simply Apple attempting to infiltrate the car screens with their iOS look and UI and wiggle their way into that market. I've not used it but have been told it's a hot mess of bugginess. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Pariah Zero

subterFUSE said:


> CarPlay is a bad joke. It only works with the Apple native apps. I doubt Apple would approve any 3rd party apps for CarPlay.



There are many 3rd party apps for CarPlay; unsurprisingly, they are mostly Audio entertainment apps: Spotify, Pandora, Slacker, iHeartRadio, NPR, Audible...

There's even Amazon's Alexa to replace Siri...

The big thing "missing" is navigation apps...

It isn't "big bad Apple" keeping Google Maps from CarPlay.

We won't see any of Google's ecosystem for CarPlay. Google has said from the beginning that they will not develop for CarPlay. Waze is also owned by Google, and the story is the same.

It's not a big surprise; Google has no reason to support a competitor's platform.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## laroid

Bit play has alot of problems, I have had to unplug the power on Bit play four times now, to reset the unit. Not really sure whats going on, but it will at times go into full distorted volume. the first time it happened I was slow turning the unit off (turn off Alpine head unit), I saw the mid lighting up (high voltage on the voice coil)when unpluging the Bit with the Alpine off a dimmed red flashing light is displayed on the bit.

I have several 24/96 files that play with a very low distorted sound, I have to convert them to 24/44.1 to get them to play correctly and they sound very good. I have invested a lot of money in these high res tracks and am disapointed that I cannot play them. Some Flac files won't play at all. Bit will not play Aiff or Apple lossless files.

The remote will display music but playback is muted (shows the file is playing though). Slow to display artist/album too. Wifi not connecting auto, have to go into settings and force connection

Still no gapless or resume or album art on Flac files. Still Hard to read info while playing files.

Hey this thing sounds great, it's a shame all these problems are present.

Not sure when Audison is going to get around to fix all these and other problems, I think they are waiting on some show, any way I understand they have a firmware being used by a testing group and they say its much better than what is out. Why they don't release this until the newer version is ready, who knows.

Ken


----------



## subterFUSE

Audison rarely, if ever, updates firmware on their products. I will be surprised if they ever release that update at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## JakeG37

Well they have failed to deliver for another month. They keep deleting their posts on Facebook and all I ever hear is "soon". I know I will never buy a product that is not well tested and reviewed. They act like amateurs when it comes to product support for something they released over two years ago. So sad.


----------



## subterFUSE

Not surprising. Like I said, Audison is not known for updating their firmware.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## laroid

Bitplay was ahead of the pack, it's a true shame they don't take pride in this product and fix it right. I was looking forward to the new firmware release. I did read somewhere that the testing firmware was so much better and should have released with the units. I did get responded too on facebook over two months ago that they should have something ready at some show in the future, I think it was sometime in November. I think that will not be the case because I believe the project is shelved. I was kinda hopefull that after the update they would be releasing info on the steering wheel control feature.


----------



## subterFUSE

Bit Play is an excellent concept. As I have said so many times, the days of DIN head units are numbered. More and more cars do not include DIN spaces as navigation and video become standard features in cars. Back up cameras are almost a legal requirement in the USA, and blind spot monitoring will be enforced by the DOT before 2020. If aftermarket companies don't evolve they will lose out.

The Bit Play is an excellent idea to deal with these newer cars. The unit is designed to be hidden away. It has a video output to integrate with your car's OEM video display. You leave your car intact while getting the benefits of hi res music piped directly into your DSP via optical. The SSD drive can be upgraded to 2TB, so you have all your music with you all the time. It's really quite brilliant.

It's just too bad Audison did not do a better job in developing the product before release.

IMO the biggest problem with Audison is that they are notorious for over-hyping their product pipeline far too early. This happens with every product from them. They make some announcement and then begin blasting their Facebook page with pictures and emoticons saying how proud they are of themselves. Guess what guys, your product is still vaporware. Stop patting yourselves on the back and finish the product. When you are finished with the work and have made a worthy product that people enjoy, THEN you can bask in the praise.

The Bit Play should never have been released in the state it currently exists. How can someone charge $1000 for a media player that can't resume playing where it left off when the car shut down? Or a media player that can't support tags or artwork on FLAC files, something that is native to the format for over a decade. These are not bonus features. They are standard features on any $100 pocket player.

The Bit Play was product that Audison teased us about for more than a year. Hell maybe 2 years? And when it finally got released I think they were just tired of dealing with it. They got it to just work well enough to turn on and press play and then kicked it out the door.

I'm sure they are not selling well and therefore they have a bad taste in their mouths about the product. But it's not customers' fault the product wasn't ready for release and was pushed out anyway. The complaints that I have voiced are not nitpicky. They go to the most basic functionality of a media player.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Pariah Zero

subterFUSE said:


> It's just too bad Audison did not do a better job in developing the product before release.
> 
> IMO the biggest problem with Audison is that they are notorious for over-hyping their product pipeline far too early. This happens with every product from them. They make some announcement and then begin blasting their Facebook page with pictures and emoticons saying how proud they are of themselves. Guess what guys, your product is still vaporware. Stop patting yourselves on the back and finish the product. When you are finished with the work and have made a worthy product that people enjoy, THEN you can bask in the praise.



Not that they are unique in such behavior. Audiocontrol's "new" DSP is still vaporware, and has been since CES in January. Ditto for the JBL Legend head unit.

Or pretty much everything made by Samsung, from appliances to electronics (though I have to give them credit: it takes real talent to get a washing machine to explode)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## n_boost

I recently sent them an email regarding the serious issues with the bit play, from freezing up, to just turning off and restarting. No response yet, hopefully they haven't just blown me off. Is anyone else having these issues with the bit play??


----------



## laroid

I did have my bit play restart 1 time, It was struggling to go back to the music list folder. I recently noticed that a music file corrupted, play back started to slip forward with clicks mid song and it got progressively worse. That song played fine the morning before. I will recopy the file from my desktop today.


----------



## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> Bit Play is an excellent concept. As I have said so many times, the days of DIN head units are numbered. More and more cars do not include DIN spaces as navigation and video become standard features in cars. Back up cameras are almost a legal requirement in the USA, and blind spot monitoring will be enforced by the DOT before 2020. If aftermarket companies don't evolve they will lose out.
> 
> The Bit Play is an excellent idea to deal with these newer cars. The unit is designed to be hidden away. It has a video output to integrate with your car's OEM video display. You leave your car intact while getting the benefits of hi res music piped directly into your DSP via optical. The SSD drive can be upgraded to 2TB, so you have all your music with you all the time. It's really quite brilliant.
> 
> It's just too bad Audison did not do a better job in developing the product before release.
> 
> IMO the biggest problem with Audison is that they are notorious for over-hyping their product pipeline far too early. This happens with every product from them. They make some announcement and then begin blasting their Facebook page with pictures and emoticons saying how proud they are of themselves. Guess what guys, your product is still vaporware. Stop patting yourselves on the back and finish the product. When you are finished with the work and have made a worthy product that people enjoy, THEN you can bask in the praise.
> 
> The Bit Play should never have been released in the state it currently exists. How can someone charge $1000 for a media player that can't resume playing where it left off when the car shut down? Or a media player that can't support tags or artwork on FLAC files, something that is native to the format for over a decade. These are not bonus features. They are standard features on any $100 pocket player.
> 
> The Bit Play was product that Audison teased us about for more than a year. Hell maybe 2 years? And when it finally got released I think they were just tired of dealing with it. They got it to just work well enough to turn on and press play and then kicked it out the door.
> 
> I'm sure they are not selling well and therefore they have a bad taste in their mouths about the product. But it's not customers' fault the product wasn't ready for release and was pushed out anyway. The complaints that I have voiced are not nitpicky. They go to the most basic functionality of a media player.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well said! I see a huge gaping hole with this concept for the other companies to jump into if someone would simply do a good and solid 12v external DAP, which is all the bit play is.


----------



## n_boost

laroid said:


> I did have my bit play restart 1 time, It was struggling to go back to the music list folder. I recently noticed that a music file corrupted, play back started to slip forward with clicks mid song and it got progressively worse. That song played fine the morning before. I will recopy the file from my desktop today.


I also noticed some lagging during playback this morning as well. I am wondering if it is because my hard drive is almost full. Is there any way to defragment the SSD within the bit play itself??


----------



## MrGreen83

Lemme guess. Still no update huh lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## n_boost

MrGreen83 said:


> Lemme guess. Still no update huh lol
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No update from what I have gathered. I found a small update on the site which gives me a little better control of my DRC MP. I am now able to control file information from my controller.....

As far as the media firmware update, not yet...


----------



## subterFUSE

It's never going to happen. This is Audison we are talking about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## MrGreen83

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## n_boost

I am beginning to agree....


----------



## n_boost

Has anyone heard anything? Updates???


----------



## subterFUSE

No update yet. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## MrGreen83

Smgdh


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----------



## subterFUSE

It's never going to happen.

Just get a Helix Pro and the upcoming USB HEC module.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## DC/Hertz

Does anyone know if the app will work with Spotify?


----------



## n_boost

subterFUSE said:


> It's never going to happen.
> 
> Just get a Helix Pro and the upcoming USB HEC module.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I am leaning heavily towards the new 8 or 10 channel helix unit. This completely bites with Audison!!!


----------



## PiciuZ

Hello,
Has anyone listen to the RCA of the bit play? Is the quality ok?


----------



## subterFUSE

Never used analog out of it. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## n_boost

PiciuZ said:


> Hello,
> Has anyone listen to the RCA of the bit play? Is the quality ok?


I have not ever used the analog output. I would imagine that it should play okay, as long as the source material is clean.


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## n_boost

According to facebook, the update should have been out end of January.....


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## MrGreen83

Update yet???? 


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## SkizeR

I think they said that last year too..

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## subterFUSE

Audison never delivers on their promises. Get used to it. Or better yet, get over it and buy something else. I'm done with them. Will never buy anything Audison ever again.


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## MrGreen83

Lmao


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## PiciuZ

Thanks for your answers!
My dilema is that Audison uses all the high tech in the "digital zone" and the "analog zone" is only for marketing. And it seems they're right! Nobody use the analog output.


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## subterFUSE

Audison is not high tech. They are a marketing company that makes mediocre stuff but acts like it's the cats pajamas.


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## MrGreen83

I'm sorry but that Bit One HD is far from mediocre....lol. I'll agree their support could use an upgrade tho! 


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## subterFUSE

MrGreen83 said:


> I'm sorry but that Bit One HD is far from mediocre....lol. I'll agree their support could use an upgrade tho!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I have used the Bit One HD software. It is a joke.

9 bands of para EQ. LOL


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## SkizeR

MrGreen83 said:


> I'm sorry but that Bit One HD is far from mediocre....lol. I'll agree their support could use an upgrade tho!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


What about it isn't mediocre? Assuming it even works completely

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## PiciuZ

Has anyone here used CarDSP, a handmade DSP from Rusia?
It seems to be better than Helix pro and Audison in many tests made in Rusia!!!


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## subterFUSE

Is it as reliable as Chernobyl?


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## PiciuZ

for 2000$ it should be!!!!


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## PiciuZ

more reliable!


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## n_boost

subterFUSE said:


> Is it as reliable as Chernobyl?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


LMBO!!!!


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## HOIRiIZON

Just curious if you think this would be better than say, an Astell and Kern player? Also does this sound better in your opinion with the 24/96 files? Thanks.


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## n_boost

HOIRiIZON said:


> Just curious if you think this would be better than say, an Astell and Kern player? Also does this sound better in your opinion with the 24/96 files? Thanks.


I am not sure. I was also thinking of the Fio/Flio player as well, which is supposed to be able to play high res files, but I cannot remember the output of the portable player.


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## HOIRiIZON

The fiio two bottom players have coax outputs. But if I was going to go this route I would go Astell and kern at least the AK70 or up. But I'm still curious about the Bit play HD and price wise in Canada there close to $1,000.


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## MrGreen83

HOIRiIZON said:


> The fiio two bottom players have coax outputs. But if I was going to go this route I would go Astell and kern at least the AK70 or up. But I'm still curious about the Bit play HD and price wise in Canada there close to $1,000.




People been having issues with the Bit Play HD. My Audison dealer cringes at the mention of them lol. Audison has been promising MANY dates for a software update, I wanna say for like a YEAR now. I'm not sure if they ever even pushed it out to this day. 


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## SkizeR

MrGreen83 said:


> People been having issues with the Bit Play HD. My Audison dealer cringes at the mention of them lol. Audison has been promising MANY dates for a software update, I wanna say for like a YEAR now. I'm not sure if they ever even pushed it out to this day.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well over a year. This is typical of them with all of their electronics though. Pretty sure they gave up on it. Horizon you should check it out anyway

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## HOIRiIZON

Thank you, that's good to know, ya it's sad that some of these companies promise updates or added features but never deliver. I have been holding on to my IPod 5.5 gen enhanced until they get the whole 24/192 right lol maybe I will wait a few more years, just wanted something for the next build before the summer.


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## SkizeR

HOIRiIZON said:


> Thank you, that's good to know, ya it's sad that some of these companies promise updates or added features but never deliver. I have been holding on to my IPod 5.5 gen enhanced until they get the whole 24/192 right lol maybe I will wait a few more years, just wanted something for the next build before the summer.


the thing is, this isnt the first, second, or third time audison has done this. now you see why i dont recommend them?


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## n_boost

Well, it seems they have released another update to the DRC MP, but no bit play!!!


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## subterFUSE

n_boost said:


> Well, it seems they have released another update to the DRC MP, but no bit play!!!



Nope, and I think we all know they never will.


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## n_boost

I have already purchased a newer head unit to replace my factory unit. Kenwood DNN992. Plays FLAC, every bit of what Bit Play can do. So upset!!


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## subterFUSE

I took my Bit Play out 2 weeks ago and installed the Helix USB HEC module.


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## n_boost

subterFUSE said:


> I took my Bit Play out 2 weeks ago and installed the Helix USB HEC module.


Yep, it is just a shame that they are doing this!! I know that it can be difficult, but they can at least keep the public up to date with progress.


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## n_boost

subterFUSE said:


> I took my Bit Play out 2 weeks ago and installed the Helix USB HEC module.


Thing looks complicated!!


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## subterFUSE

n_boost said:


> Thing looks complicated!!


Plug in USB. Press play.


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## subterFUSE

n_boost said:


> Yep, it is just a shame that they are doing this!! I know that it can be difficult, but they can at least keep the public up to date with progress.



I think the bottom line is that nobody is buying the Bit Play, so Audison has likely decided that the project was a wasted effort and no longer wants to waste resources on it.

It's too bad. The concept was a good one. They just didn't think about making it a useful addition to our systems. They just figured that if it plays music, it's good enough. But for $1000 the user is going to expect a good media player, not a basic one.


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## n_boost

subterFUSE said:


> I think the bottom line is that nobody is buying the Bit Play, so Audison has likely decided that the project was a wasted effort and no longer wants to waste resources on it.
> 
> It's too bad. The concept was a good one. They just didn't think about making it a useful addition to our systems. They just figured that if it plays music, it's good enough. But for $1000 the user is going to expect a good media player, not a basic one.


Correct. I will use it to play movies, that's it. The headunit has a SD card which I will load FLAC files on. Loved the optical output.... So sad

Hoping that I can get the resolution of the optical output through the RCA's. Not likely, but hoping.


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## Babs

subterFUSE said:


> I took my Bit Play out 2 weeks ago and installed the Helix USB HEC module.



How you liking that HEC?


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## subterFUSE

Babs said:


> How you liking that HEC?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


It works very well. I just need to find the USB cable that is stashed under my center console so I can use it from in the car.

Right now I am just testing it with a USB cable in the trunk.


I have a USB cable already ran from the trunk to the front, but it's under the center console and I have not had time to take the car apart to get to it.


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## subterFUSE

Audison Bit Play firmware 2.0.0.0 was just released.

I have downloaded and will try to hook mine up this weekend to test it out, and report back.


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## hunde

i cannot find a link to download?


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## iyamwutiam

Waiting on some news about the update.


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## brewmastr

the update is out and available on the bit drive portal, I am anxiously awaiting reviews of the new firmware as I have been interested in the Bit Play HD for awhile but i know it was full of bugs.


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## n_boost

subterFUSE said:


> Audison Bit Play firmware 2.0.0.0 was just released.
> 
> I have downloaded and will try to hook mine up this weekend to test it out, and report back.


How ya liking the new firmware? Any new bells and whistles??


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## n_boost

subterFUSE said:


> Audison Bit Play firmware 2.0.0.0 was just released.
> 
> I have downloaded and will try to hook mine up this weekend to test it out, and report back.


Any new info on the firmware?


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## Mattyb1975

subterFUSE said:


> I've been meaning to write up a full review. I'll try to get to it later tonight. Cooking dinner now.


could you possibly tell me the style hard drive this takes? will an m2 style work on a 3.0 2.5 adapter?


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## Cilent1

Curious did anyone ever give impressions on the last fw ver. for the Bit Play?


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## dobslob

The BitPlay still works great as a music server with your stored music. The app for streaming and control has never been good, but if you use the remote control and a screen it is very nice to have. I still run them in 2 of my vehicles.

Unfortunately, I think the piece has run its course and they will have a new WiFi piece available to stream that will hopefully work better for the masses.


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## Cilent1

Thanks for the reply. I'm a bit late to the party I know regarding the Play, but since I picked one up on the cheap I figured I'd give it a try hooked up to my bit one.

I'll use the HDMI out to my screen and I have the DRC MP controller so hopefully navigating won't be too much of an issue. That WIFI model sounds promising. Something to look forward to it seems.

....Just noticed my "cheap" bit play didn't come with any remotes OR the wifi dongle, I see why it was so cheap . Anyone know where I could track those down? TIA


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