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I want to start this off with a shoutout to 3r1k, who I see has also started posting here on swedespeed, without his experimentation, I never would have even thought to try this.
Also obligatory: 2006 V50 T5 AWD w/ Premium Sound, your results may vary. Also I'm pretty obsessive, so it's possible the things I point out may be imperceptible to "normal" people.
The Backstory
A year ago I put a GROM in my car so that I wouldn't be limited to 6 CDs. At first I was disappointed because the GROM bluetooth module doesn't support any bluetooth codecs with a higher quality than SBC, and I could hear the compression. Moving on from that, I elected to just use the line-in functionality of the GROM.
After driving the car for awhile in this configuration, I couldn't shake the fact that the audio quality had something off about it. Most notably there were certain parts of certain songs that seemed to generate this almost imperceptible crackling sound, almost like the audio was peaking. Fortunately I was able to find a couple songs where they had a defined segment that this distortion was audible. Science, part one.
I played the same songs from a different device with the line-in, same thing, played them on speakers in my house, no noise. Source material, not looking like the issue. This still left everything from the GROM to the speakers, and everything in between.
Moving up the chain, I disconnected the GROM, and hooked the CD player back up. Fortunately I have a CD with one of my chosen "sample" songs. After hooking up the CD player, it became immediately apparent that the audio coming from the CD player was superior to that of the GROM, and no distortion was heard in the sample track that had proven to distort through the GROM.
The Options
With the GROM as the primary suspect here, I start to look around for other options (Also including the GROM in this list just as a recap):
GROM - GROM-MST4 USB Android iPhone for Volvo S40 V50 C30 C70 06+ 6-CD Radio, Bluetooth optional
Custom Bluetooth/Aux Boards - JustTech on Tindie
Dension Gateway 500 - Gateway 500 | Dension
BluePower - Styling & Tuning online sedan 2006. Tryggt och säkert!
FM Module Things
The Solution (Factory Aux)
You might be reading and saying, "Where's the factory aux at, Paul?"
Well as some may know, Volvo offered factory aux-in starting in 2007. Oh how I have yearned for a 2007 model for that feature, but alas I've been stuck in 2006.
After some perusing on a Swedish Volvo forum, because they're smarter than us, as made evident in my findings, I stumbled across a thread where user 3r1k had successfully added factory aux-in to his 2006 V50, by swapping over the ICM "Infotainment Control Module" (the screen), and the IAM "Integrated Audio Module" (the disc changer): How-to original AUX på V50/S40/C30/C70 2004-2006 (och 2007-2012) - Sveriges Volvoforum
Google Translate will work wonders on that thread and should be able to get you all the info you need, but to summarize:
Have MOST security disabled - already done if you're in the US, otherwise you're going to the dealer, paying for VIDA, or following 3r1k's hacks in the above thread.
Grab from a 2007, mine came out of an S40:
I snipped the wires to the 3.5mm jack as close to the main harness as I could, then snipped the wires for the IAM as well, since the harness on the newer IAM will have 3 extra wires in it for the 3.5mm jack. I then de-pinned those three wires and slotted them into the connector already in my car, then you just need to join them with the wires you snipped on the 3.5mm jack.
Honestly, I didn't think it would work. I know these cars are pretty finicky about having modules swapped around, so I was really doubtful. In-fact, when I first put in the new ICM, it was showing the display for manual climate control, as that's what the donor S40 had. I thought I had lost my auto climate, but after a few seconds, the display updated itself and showed the auto climate head-explodes. Also this solution maintains the CD player functionality, just as the factory Aux would have.
The Audio Quality
The factory aux audio quality is vastly superior to my ears than what I was getting through the GROM. I also don't have to turn the volume up as much on the unit, which could be a contributing factor.
Pro tip: don't adjust the "aux volume" in settings, all the way up. That's how mine was set initially from the donor, and I the stereo was actually compressing the dynamic range in the music. You could hear it lowering the volume when the music got louder. My guess is that it's some sort of protection device. Lowering that setting (that you will now have in the menu after this swap), resolved that issue for me.
The Cons
You lose the ability to change "Car Settings". So the "flash lights when unlock", etc. settings no longer work for whatever reason. My car maintained the settings it previously had, and these aren't things I really change outside of my initial set up, so I'm fine with that, but good to note. You could also always swap ICMs back and change settings if you really wanted to, it's a pretty easy swap, the IAM is the more involved of the two.
Godspeed everyone, I hope this works for you as well as it worked for me! If it doesn't, well then you can buy my old GROM.
Also obligatory: 2006 V50 T5 AWD w/ Premium Sound, your results may vary. Also I'm pretty obsessive, so it's possible the things I point out may be imperceptible to "normal" people.
The Backstory
A year ago I put a GROM in my car so that I wouldn't be limited to 6 CDs. At first I was disappointed because the GROM bluetooth module doesn't support any bluetooth codecs with a higher quality than SBC, and I could hear the compression. Moving on from that, I elected to just use the line-in functionality of the GROM.
After driving the car for awhile in this configuration, I couldn't shake the fact that the audio quality had something off about it. Most notably there were certain parts of certain songs that seemed to generate this almost imperceptible crackling sound, almost like the audio was peaking. Fortunately I was able to find a couple songs where they had a defined segment that this distortion was audible. Science, part one.
I played the same songs from a different device with the line-in, same thing, played them on speakers in my house, no noise. Source material, not looking like the issue. This still left everything from the GROM to the speakers, and everything in between.
Moving up the chain, I disconnected the GROM, and hooked the CD player back up. Fortunately I have a CD with one of my chosen "sample" songs. After hooking up the CD player, it became immediately apparent that the audio coming from the CD player was superior to that of the GROM, and no distortion was heard in the sample track that had proven to distort through the GROM.
The Options
With the GROM as the primary suspect here, I start to look around for other options (Also including the GROM in this list just as a recap):
GROM - GROM-MST4 USB Android iPhone for Volvo S40 V50 C30 C70 06+ 6-CD Radio, Bluetooth optional
- Pros
○ Exists
○ Can do line-in, bluetooth, or USB
○ Bluetooth can control the source through steering wheel controls
○ Bluetooth shows track titles on the display
○ GROM has customer service that again, exists, in my experience, they didn't help me much, but it's more than nothing
- Cons
○ Expensive, starts at $290 :O
○ Bluetooth is another $50 :O
○ Bluetooth audio quality is garbage
○ Bluetooth pairing is wonky at best
○ Line-in quality not great
○ Lose CD functionality
Custom Bluetooth/Aux Boards - JustTech on Tindie
- Pros
○ Limited feedback available seems positive
○ Maintains CD functionality
○ Cost effective
- Cons
○ Have to have a CD in and playing to work
○ Don't have a company behind it to offer support
Dension Gateway 500 - Gateway 500 | Dension
- Honestly don't know much about this one, they're hard to find and are a million dollars
BluePower - Styling & Tuning online sedan 2006. Tryggt och säkert!
- Pros
○ Looks really cool if it actually worked
- Cons
○ Everyone says they don't actually work
○ Seriously go search for any thread about BluePower and everyone says their products are hot garbage
FM Module Things
- I didn't get into specific units with this, but I know some people have gotten devices that hook directly into the antenna so you don't have the annoying interference normally associated with local FM transmitters. Still not my cup of tea personally, but would allow you to keep CD functionality!
The Solution (Factory Aux)
You might be reading and saying, "Where's the factory aux at, Paul?"
Well as some may know, Volvo offered factory aux-in starting in 2007. Oh how I have yearned for a 2007 model for that feature, but alas I've been stuck in 2006.
After some perusing on a Swedish Volvo forum, because they're smarter than us, as made evident in my findings, I stumbled across a thread where user 3r1k had successfully added factory aux-in to his 2006 V50, by swapping over the ICM "Infotainment Control Module" (the screen), and the IAM "Integrated Audio Module" (the disc changer): How-to original AUX på V50/S40/C30/C70 2004-2006 (och 2007-2012) - Sveriges Volvoforum
Google Translate will work wonders on that thread and should be able to get you all the info you need, but to summarize:
Have MOST security disabled - already done if you're in the US, otherwise you're going to the dealer, paying for VIDA, or following 3r1k's hacks in the above thread.
Grab from a 2007, mine came out of an S40:
- ICM - apparently MUST be 2007
- IAM - can allegedly be 2007+, though I grabbed from a 2007
- Plastic tray with aux that goes behind the waterfall (bonus: this piece is way deeper and more useful than the little tray that came on my 2006)
- "Mode" button, this is kind of extra, but nice, and you're there
*Also of note, my IAM and ICM actually came out of two different cars in the junkyard, so it doesn't appear the modules have to come from the same car as long as they both have premium sound.I snipped the wires to the 3.5mm jack as close to the main harness as I could, then snipped the wires for the IAM as well, since the harness on the newer IAM will have 3 extra wires in it for the 3.5mm jack. I then de-pinned those three wires and slotted them into the connector already in my car, then you just need to join them with the wires you snipped on the 3.5mm jack.
Honestly, I didn't think it would work. I know these cars are pretty finicky about having modules swapped around, so I was really doubtful. In-fact, when I first put in the new ICM, it was showing the display for manual climate control, as that's what the donor S40 had. I thought I had lost my auto climate, but after a few seconds, the display updated itself and showed the auto climate head-explodes. Also this solution maintains the CD player functionality, just as the factory Aux would have.
The Audio Quality
The factory aux audio quality is vastly superior to my ears than what I was getting through the GROM. I also don't have to turn the volume up as much on the unit, which could be a contributing factor.
Pro tip: don't adjust the "aux volume" in settings, all the way up. That's how mine was set initially from the donor, and I the stereo was actually compressing the dynamic range in the music. You could hear it lowering the volume when the music got louder. My guess is that it's some sort of protection device. Lowering that setting (that you will now have in the menu after this swap), resolved that issue for me.
The Cons
You lose the ability to change "Car Settings". So the "flash lights when unlock", etc. settings no longer work for whatever reason. My car maintained the settings it previously had, and these aren't things I really change outside of my initial set up, so I'm fine with that, but good to note. You could also always swap ICMs back and change settings if you really wanted to, it's a pretty easy swap, the IAM is the more involved of the two.
Godspeed everyone, I hope this works for you as well as it worked for me! If it doesn't, well then you can buy my old GROM.
