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Dice Media Bridge review

21K views 30 replies 22 participants last post by  droveto 
#1 ·
Here's my review of the Dice Mediabridge after about a month of ownership. I bought the version with Bluetooth and Radio Harness from EAS. It’s hooked up to the stock BMW Professional cd player in a 2004 M3 Coupe. Hope someone finds this helpful, and if you have any more questions let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them.

INSTALLATION:
Installation was relatively simple, just took a couple of hours. I used the Radio Interface sold by EAS. EAS was great to work with and shipping was fast. I found a DIY here (thanks, Shadowpuck): http://www.kcbmwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2186
Everything is pretty straightforward, but if you've never taken the center vents off before, be warned that it is a royal pain. Also, when I put everything back together, I had room for the new harness underneath the radio (behind the HVAC controls). And speaking from experience, double check that your HVAC controls are properly functioning before putting everything completely back together. I had to take mine back out because as it turns out one of the connectors in the back was accidentally disconnected during the installation process.

I also ran the Bluetooth mic up to the stock location in the overhead panel following the DIY instructions. I’m having a couple of issues. First, the wire doesn’t really stay very well from the A-pillar to the overhead panel where it runs along the top of the windshield. I might have to put a dab of glue to hold it. Also, where I wedged it in between the A-pillar and that piece that runs all along the window (half-inch strip of headliner material), that piece is coming loose. So I might have to re-investigate my strategy there. Has anyone tried to remove the A-pillar cover to run wires in it? I see two long slots near the windshield, but I’m not sure what they’re for or if they’re removable.

As for the Mediabridge unit itself, I put it behind my glove compartment and just fed the USB connection into the glove compartment.

USE:
First off, it functioned properly straight out of the box. I didn’t have to update the firmware or anything like that. Just plugged it in and off we go. One thing that drives me nuts is that it won’t show the time on the cd player. Press the “Clock” button to the far left and it’ll show the time for a split second, just long enough to read the time if you’re paying attention. In searching the forums, it seems that the only way to do that is to completely turn off the function that sends the “Artist, Album, Song Name” to the radio. So it sucks that you have to choose. I’m not sure why it’s not coded to work like it does with a cd where you can choose to show either the clock or the music information.

Bluetooth works fine. I’ve only used it a couple of times, but I could hear the other person clearly at highway speed (~50-60 mph) and they didn’t have any issues hearing me. The unit interrupts whatever else is playing (music from a USB drive at the time) and tells me a call is incoming. Press the button on the steering wheel (the one that shows a person speaking) to answer. You do have to use the phone to hang up (or at least, I haven’t found a way yet to hang up through the steering wheel or deck buttons). I had to talk at a “slightly louder than normal conversation” tone, but nothing ridiculous. I don’t hold teleconferences from my car and, from reading other reviews, I wasn’t expecting crystal-clear call quality with the Bluetooth. But it’s perfectly functional. I didn’t have any problems holding a short conversation.

As for music, I’ve tried two different methods: I’ve hooked up my wife’s iPod touch and I’ve used a USB stick. I don’t particularly care for the iPod interface. First, you can set the music from the iPod and hook it up and it’ll just play whatever you have the iPod playing. From here, you have very limited control through the radio. You can skip ahead a song, but it’s pretty difficult to do more than that because all I can see on the radio display is “iPod unlocked.” I prefer to just use the buttons on the deck and steering wheel. With that, you can select song, artist, album, playlist, podcast, and audio book modes. However, I’ve found it to be pretty quirky. On my drive into work one morning, it got hung up on one song and wouldn’t go to another song. Also, it keeps charging the iPod after the car shuts off. I think you can change this somehow (according to the DIY author), but I haven’t figured out how. Honestly, I would be very disappointed if I’d bought this solely for use with an iPod.

However, most of the time I just use a USB stick. I currently have about 4.5 gb of music on it. I usually just turn on the random feature from the deck to randomly shuffle all of the music I have on the stick. Two complaints with this method: first, it starts with the same exact song every time I start the car. Second, after selecting random, it actually shuffles all of the music from the entire USB stick at once. So for 4.5 gb of music, it takes about 15 seconds. That’s 15 seconds of no music while it’s shuffling. Not that big of a deal, but when I’m just bouncing around town or something and I’m only driving for a few minutes at a time, it sucks to have to do that every time I start the car. It’d be much better if it’d pick a song randomly, start playing, then shuffle the remainder of the songs while the first one plays. As far as specifically choosing music, it gives me the option of choosing by song or by album. But with that much music, it’s a real pain to go either song by song or even album by album looking for anything in particular.

The steering wheel controls work fine with both iPod and USB drive (volume up/down, skip forward/backward). I haven’t used the AUX feature, so no comment on that. I also have not tried streaming music over the Bluetooth connection, but when I turn it to Bluetooth mode it plays all of my phone sounds over the car speakers, so I’m confident that the feature works. I just can’t comment on the sound quality.

BOTTOM LINE:
Overall, I would give the unit a 6 or 7/10. It’s not perfect, but I’m happy with what I got. Installation was fairly simple. Bluetooth works fine. I’m a little disappointed in a couple of the details with how it handles music. But the only thing I really wanted was the ability to play music from a USB drive so I didn’t have to carry around CDs and I now have that. Plus I’ve found myself turning my music down a lot so I can hear the intoxicating rumble of that sweet inline six. :woot:

If any of my issues are correctable and/or due to my own ignorance, please let me know and I will correct my usage and my review accordingly.
 
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#4 ·
I'm waiting for my Mediabridge 1500BT to arrive (the joys of ebay) and am really looking forward to having bluetooth. I'm running the cd changer connection so we'll see what the sound quality is like...

Speaking of, you mentioned call quality but what about the music? any complaints?
 
#5 ·
I listen to music off of a flash drive. Songs were all ripped from CDs into WMA format at 128 kbps. I can't tell a difference between the sound quality of that and a cd. So I'm completely happy with the music quality.

One other thing I've noticed that I'm not thrilled about is the fact that the Bluetooth connection with my phone usually doesn't happen automatically. Most times, I have yo go into the phone's BT settings and tell it to connect. Also, sometimes the BT connection drops. My phone is still sending the call via BT but it's not coming through. I'm using a Motorola Atrix. It's possible that these are phone issues, but I doubt it.

In addition to the issues I have with the media bridge, the display on my head unit is going out. So I'm just gonna take the plunge and get a dynavin for Xmas.
 
#6 ·
been using the mediabridge for about 3 months now w/ bluetooth.

has been rock solid, connects with phone every single time, call quality is excellent.. just wish i could initiate the calls from the head unit as opposed to the phone.

also i use the sirius module and it works great as well.

two thumbs up!

:thumbup::thumbup:
 
#7 ·
I purchased the Mediabridge with Bluetooth when cartoys.com had it for $199 during the July 4th weekend, and added the Sirius satellite tuner module. Overall, I am very pleased with the setup. It's not perfect, but considering the amount of optional music sources it lets you add to the stock head unit I really cannot complain at all. My main use is with the Sirius satellite radio, and the sound quality is pretty good overall. My only gripe is that for some reason my head unit ('01 325i) will not store any satellite radio station presets. I've followed the directions (hit RND, press the 1-6 buttons for where you want to store the preset, then hit RND again) but it just does not work. I have the latest firmware update and have sent a message to Dice but have yet to hear a reply. It is annoying having to hit the up track button on the steering wheel to get from the '90's on 9 station to Alternative Nation on channel 36-that is a lot of button presses!

As far as the Bluetooth functionality, I am pretty impressed with it also. My phone (Samsung Galaxy ICH-500) pairs almost immediately every time and works very well with the Mediabridge. Callers do say that when I am talking to them it sounds like I am in a barrel, but I blame that more on the supplied microphone that comes with the Dice. I would guess that a higher quality microphone would make a difference.

I have streamed music from my phone using Bluetooth, and although it works, the sound takes on what I would call a 'spatial' effect-and it is very exaggerated. I have the stock HK system, and the only way to reduce this effect is to turn off the HK button. For this reason, I do not use the Bluetooth audio streaming-it affects the sound quality too much for my tastes.

I know that the Dice units can have their faults, but for the $235 I paid (including the Sirius tuner) I couldn't be more pleased. Luckily mine is functioning pretty well, and maybe the failure to set the presets on satellite radio is due to my older head unit. Hopefully I will get that figured out as it is the most annoying fault for me.
 
#14 ·
My only gripe is that for some reason my head unit ('01 325i) will not store any satellite radio station presets. I've followed the directions (hit RND, press the 1-6 buttons for where you want to store the preset, then hit RND again) but it just does not work. I have the latest firmware update and have sent a message to Dice but have yet to hear a reply. It is annoying having to hit the up track button on the steering wheel to get from the '90's on 9 station to Alternative Nation on channel 36-that is a lot of button presses!
.
Did you ever resolve this? Mine is having the same issue. I think there is some combination of double pushes on the older units.
 
#8 ·
issues with media bridge

i just installed my media bridge and cannot get my phone to pair, it wont find the dice unit, also 5 seconds into every song some british broad announces the name of the song, so far after following the directions i cannot get this fixed pretty annoying:censor:
 
#10 ·
with new updates being made available all the time, i strongly suggest updating your firmware to the latest version before submitting a report to dice.
+1
 
#12 · (Edited)
good review... looking into picking one up... after all these years :)

Also :pics:
 
#15 ·
thanks for the review. im planning on getting this installed for my iphone adapter solution, but i have a few questions...

i dont have a cd changer(i have the harmon/kardon sound system and mode button) , ... but my VIN specs say i have a HUD for it or something... meaning its wired for it? maybe? so, will i still be able to use this unit even though my car didnt come with the cd changer?

and as well, as for the blue tooth function: my car does have the "talk " button on the steering wheel, but when i press it nothing happens. i asked my dealer and they said if you press the talk button and nothing happens , that mean you dont have bluetooth. so my question is, when using the bluetooth of the mediabridge, will the steering wheel "talk" button work to answer calls...? or is it completely useless, if i dont have factory bluetooth?

one more thing .. has anyone used the spec dock with this mediabridge? i really like neat way it stores your iphone in the ash tray.

ill be ordering this from an aftermarket installer and having them install it, as i have no skills in this area whatsoever.


thanks

anyone who has any ifo please chime in
 
#16 ·
i dont have a cd changer(i have the harmon/kardon sound system and mode button) , ... but my VIN specs say i have a HUD for it or something... meaning its wired for it? maybe? so, will i still be able to use this unit even though my car didnt come with the cd changer?
AFAIK, all the E46s were pre-wired for CD changers, regardless of whether you actually have a CD changer. So you can wire the DICE unit into the trunk through those connections. The reason I didn't do that is I read a few cases where people had interference issues with the wiring. Plus, I decided it'd be less of a PITA to try to cram everything into the dash area than to mess with removing the rear seats.


and as well, as for the blue tooth function: my car does have the "talk " button on the steering wheel, but when i press it nothing happens. i asked my dealer and they said if you press the talk button and nothing happens , that mean you dont have bluetooth. so my question is, when using the bluetooth of the mediabridge, will the steering wheel "talk" button work to answer calls...? or is it completely useless, if i dont have factory bluetooth?
I think this button will answer phone calls, but won't hang up. I'm not 100% sure to be honest with you. I never use it.


one more thing .. has anyone used the spec dock with this mediabridge? i really like neat way it stores your iphone in the ash tray.
Don't know anything about this.

Good luck!
 
#21 ·
I'm debating on getting the Dice The only thing I care about is having an aux and bluetooth. My c43 radio is too old to accept aux from factory. I'm between getting this and going full out Dynavin. I can't yet afford the Dynavin, but I'm not sure I want to waste my money on this.

Can anyone comment on how well the aux sounds on the HK system?
 
#22 ·
First - Nice write-up!
It was reviews like this that lead me to purchase the MediaBridge for my sister's '02 330i.

Installation was straight forward & easy, followed BSW's YouTube video.
Streaming audio via Spotify works great, easily linked iPhone 4 via Bluetooth.

Second - a bit of thread jacking...
Phone calls are great (as far as car Bluetooth systems go), until highway speeds (70 mph) are reached. At that point, the mic seems to pick up outrageous amounts of ambient noise. The mic is located in the overhead panel as per BSW installation video.

I am thinking that relocating the mic will solve this issue. After a bit of searching I read that other have mounted the mic to the steering column or gauge cluster.

I figured this forum would be the best place to get help...

Thank you in advanced.
 
#23 ·
iam having issues with the interference my DICE picks up and i just bought it:/
I installed it from the trunk to behind the glovebox like in BSW's video and now i get the chirping and the high pich sound that goes along with the engines rpms.... the chirping stays evan if i take off scroll.:(
any suggestions?
99 sedan 323i
 
#24 ·
My unit just stopped being recognized all together, went from not going into BT mode, to not going into Aux mode, to now not even going into Sirius mode, I just changed my battery because it died, and even with the new one it doesn't even show that it's connected....WTF??? I need a SOLID SIRIUS unit, not one that I pay every month for that works sometimes and doesn't work other times...what can I do?
 
#25 ·
Need advice - interference noise via media bridge

Need some advice?? :dunno:

I get tinie noise every 1-2 sec from the unit thought the speakers or interference from the mediabridge which I bought from http://www.bavariansoundwerks.com/ (BSW). Purchased the bluetooth, iPhone (usb), with microphone, and Sat Radio. My main reason to buy this was to stream music via bluetooth (BT). I don't have or care about Sat Radio. I've been debating if I want to install the mic or not. It's connected just sitting in the glove box. I have BT headset I love which allows me to call/answer from either my Samsung or iPhone which the mediabridge is not going to do.

It doesn't seem to matter if I'm playing from the USB cable or bluetooth (BT). Or if I'm playing music from my Samsung S3 or iPhone 4s. I followed the BSW installation video by using the connection from my 6 disc CD changer in the truck. I ran the media bridge cable under the back seat (easy to remove thanks to video) then laid the cable along the passenger side of the car (currently it's just laying their not tucked in under the trim until I solve this problem) and place the unit behind the glove box. Connected the mediabridge usb cable and mic that came with the unit in the glove box. Connected my apple iPhone cable to the USB in the glove box. Again not sure if I want the mic in the car or not.

The interference noise has nothing to with the engine as I can hear the noise through the speakers when the engine is off.

I do NOT hear the interference when I listen to the FM radio and I did not hear it when I listen to my 6 disc CD changer which was in the truck.

I travel for work a lot so I also use my phones every week to play music via BT in a different rental car each week so again no issues. Only time I hear interference is when I stream music or play music from my phone(s) via BT in my car.

Plus I also removed all of my BT devices from the car except my iPhone to verify the interference was NOT being caused by other BT devices. Thus did this same test with my Samsung (removed my BT headset and iPhone) from the car. Originally only had my iPhone connected to BT and not my Samsung S3 so I know it's not multiple devices. I only paired the mediabridge with my Smasung S3 after a couple of days and I wanted to see if the problem was my iPhone.

Originally after installing the unit it took some time to pair with my iPhone however that may be of been user error not the device. Now every time I get in the car it's a toss up with phone is paired first. I don't care which one get's paired first as they both phones can stream music and/or has my playlists on them. :)

When I get a call my media bridge works fine however it does get interference.

I also notice the noise when I listen to navigation app on my phones. As an fyi.. I can stream music via BT then have my navigation app will stop the music then give me voice directions as required (works perfect). :woot:

My goal was to install this in my 2001 BMW E46 seden then if things go well I will install another unit in my mini convertible.

My 2001 BMW E46 has the OEM business radio with a tape drive. I bought the car new with 8 miles so I've had the car this whole time and demanded the car be sealed (no one was allowed to drive muchless sit in my car). I LOVE my car. :thumbsup:

Any suggestions?

BTW.. I left them several messages asking them if Samsung S3 would work and they never replied. For those of you who have inquiring minds. Samsung S3 paired with the unit immediately (no issues). :thumbsup: Samsung does stream music from google music and from the device itself but it too has the interference sound. Wondering now why I bought the unit from them as I don't have any confidence they will reply to my inquiry about the noise interference as it's very annoying. I recorded it the interference on my other phone which you can clearly hear the tinie noise.

Thank you everyone who have provided feedback on this as I really want to be able to stream bluetooth music from my car._nr_
 
#27 · (Edited)
Good response from BSW & Fingers crossed swap unit will solve it!

Very surprised to received email from BSW during the holidays. Wow.. I was impressed with their good customer service. They asked me to try to unplug the 3 pin connector for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 min, which performs a hard reset. Unfortunately it didn't solve it so they are now swapping the unit out.

Very hopeful! :D
 
#29 ·
Very surprised to received email from BSW during the holidays. Wow.. I was impressed with their good customer service. They asked me to try to unplug the 3 pin connector for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 min, which performs a hard reset. Unfortunately it didn't solve it so they are now swapping the unit out.

Very hopeful! :D
I think you're hearing the noise from the scrolling display. If you turn that off, it should go away. Do the chirps happen at the exact time the scrolling advances? If so, that could be your issue. I listen to a lot of podcasts, so I'm able to hear them easier than if I'm listening to music.

My MB IS a but quirky, but it does what I want pretty well and keeps the car looking bone stock, which I like.
 
#30 ·
Bump on the thread. New firmware version 7106 is out. Anyone update? I am afraid that it will create problems. Overall the dice is still performing decently but bluetooth mike call quality is questionable. Maybe it's a placement issue vs hardware quality issue. Does anyone know where to get old firmwares if there is a problem with the update?

Sent from BimmerApp mobile app
 
#31 ·
On the firmware, I got a new unit from bavauto, updated the firmware before installing it in my car. I'm using USB/Iphone as well as Bluetooth and they both work just fine. Everything as advertised and the sound is pretty good. Audiophiles would be putting a whole new system anyway so I can't think of anyone looking for an OEM looking solution that wouldn't consider this worth the price. Pretty cool. Installation wasn't too bad
 
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