MCAR versus Dension 500s

[u brain]

I'm lacking a bluetooth connection and easy flow of music into the car sound system.

It's been suggested I put the MCAR unit in instead of the CD changer.
Thing is though, there's very very little to be found about the MCAR other than the manufacturer's site and a few comments on this forum.

However, the Dension 500s-BT seems to do everything the MCAR does and is clearly far more widely adopted.

So... have I missed something? Is there anything that is clearly better about the 'mysterious' MCAR unit that makes it a Dension beater?

 

[richard]

a) mCar sound much better than Dension (better digital sound processing and its digital all way from iPod to amp - not sure the latter is the case on Dension.

b) mCar works properly in the R230 SL and W220 S and W215 CL - whereas we've had massive issues installing Dension in those. Haven't tried recently to see if they fixed the software

c) Dension has slightly better navigation of Artist/Album in that you can go Artist -> Album -> Tracks, whereas on mCar you go Artist -> Tracks and see multiple album's tracks in a long list

d) Dension, you can plug a DAB adapter into, but rather fiddly to use

e) mCar works on USA cars as-well as EU cars.

e) mCar is marketed under different names in different countries. In UK you see it as mCar, and can be bought online from comandonline.co.uk or fitted by comand.co.uk


Richard

 

[u brain]

a) I'll be using USB or Bluetooth streaming so it'll be digi all the way either way. The DAC will be in the amp so that's the same either way too.

b) Massive issues with the Dension? Care to elaborate?
Here, SL (R230) 2004-2008 | SL Class | Mercedes By Model | Comand Online Ltd they/you offer the Dension specifically as an option for the R230 SL. Oddly though, the MCAR is not on that list.

c) That sounds good.

d) DAB = n/a

e) Fortunately my car's not in America.

e (again) ) Then that adds to the difficulty in getting a decent cross-section of opinion on the unit or, for that matter, finding out very much about it at all. In this day and age, I'm not used to buying technology blind.

 

[richard]

a) I'll be using USB or Bluetooth streaming so it'll be digi all the way either way. The DAC will be in the amp so that's the same either way too.

In that case, all the timing makes a difference to sound quality, so still significant difference

b) Massive issues with the Dension? Care to elaborate?
Here, SL (R230) 2004-2008 | SL Class | Mercedes By Model | Comand Online Ltd they/you offer the Dension specifically as an option for the R230 SL. Oddly though, the MCAR is not on that list.

Phone system didn't work, when it did work (occasionally) address book transfer didn't work.
mCar now listed there ...

e (again) ) Then that adds to the difficulty in getting a decent cross-section of opinion on the unit or, for that matter, finding out very much about it at all. In this day and age, I'm not used to buying technology blind.

Yup, hopefully some mCar owners will post here, we've fitted/sold enough of them over the last few years...


Richard

 

[richard]

By the way, in both cases I recommend not using USB, but buying an old iPod and leaving it in the glovebox. The reason for this is that the index of artists/album/playlists/etc works properly if you have an iPod. You can't do that with USB.