Which is best: iPod, SD Card, or USB drive?

JRaschke11 · December 16, 2015

I've never tried using a USB drive or SD card in my 2015 Denali. I have tried two different iPod Nanos, one a few years old and one brand new, and they are dreadful.

I can't skip more than one song at a time without a 15-20 second wait in complete silence. The display takes 10-15 seconds to change song info when it finishes one song and starts another. It randomly restarts a song from the beginning in the last 30 seconds. When I turn on "shuffle" it will play a few songs from the current genre/playlist/etc., and then something completely off the wall. Like I'll put on my Country playlist and hear Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Eminem, George Strait. Super annoying. Navigating through playlists or artists or albums is horrible. There is a 3-5 second pause on every click.

Anyway, I am just wondering if an SD card or USB stick would be better? Or if nobody else has this problem, is my radio messed up? Or is this just the quality of infotainment system we live with?

lawnboy-5247 · December 16, 2015

Use a sd card even with my base audio system I get decent quality using a sd card and it is quick to load.

robvas · December 16, 2015

Are you skipping using the radio or hitting the button on the iPod?

I use my iPhone but never had any problems. More convenient to use the USB/SD though so I can goof with my phoen and not have it have anything to do with music. But it's handy to plug into someone's car that isn't mine ;) Or someone else's phone into my car.

GMC-AT · December 16, 2015

get a fast SD card... used my 2014... worked great. never liked using my phone for music...seemed slow.

JRaschke11 · December 16, 2015

Are you skipping using the radio or hitting the button on the iPod?

I use my iPhone but never had any problems. More convenient to use the USB/SD though so I can goof with my phoen and not have it have anything to do with music. But it's handy to plug into someone's car that isn't mine ;) Or someone else's phone into my car.

The iPod stays in the center console and never moves. Has a lightning cable plugged in to the USB port next to the SD card slot. So I only use the actual radio touchscreen and knobs to navigate, along with volume up/down and next/back on each side of the back of the steering wheel.

entreri · December 16, 2015

Either SD or USB I have used both and they work great. Only thing to watch for is you should be a quality SD card it wont last due to the heavy reads from the card for music.

royrjs · December 16, 2015

I don't own an Ipod, I've only tried AUX from my phone (LG G3) and a USB drive, and volume and sound quality seems better when coming from the USB rather than from the AUX from my phone. Yes it's got a delay when scrolling through the contents of the USB, but mine's a 2014 Work Truck Silverado with the "basic" sound system, no touchscreen nor bluetooth or controls on the steering wheel.

royrjs · December 16, 2015

(how the hell do I delete a post?)

lsxrx7 · December 16, 2015

Phone. Bluetooth

Cosmic Charlie · December 16, 2015

(how the hell do I delete a post?)

you can't & these forums screw up alot (double post BS)

crewl1 · December 17, 2015

I use the SD card and an iPhone 5 via lighting cable.

Both are about the same in terms of responsiveness when switching from song to song.

The SD card is a 64GB with a bunch of music folders and playlists on the root.

The stereo can take awhile when first reading in all the playlists but once it loads them it changes from song to song inside a playlist quickly.

Going back to browse the playlists can take a little while though.

I tried an old iPod with the 30 pin connector but it wouldn't read it or play music from it. If I want to use it I need the aux cable.

2004lebanshee · December 17, 2015

My 13 Silverado worked great with the ipod through the USB. My new 15 Silverado is dreadful as well. Very slow changing songs. Sometimes I hit it to many times and the dam thing will change songs for a few minutes. Drives me nuts. I usually just burn good MP3's. They sound good and work well. Ill have to try a USB.

2004lebanshee · December 17, 2015

My I pod is the older style. Old nano. Also the usb sounds better then the single prong plug. What ever that's called.

Eddie 70 · December 17, 2015

I have an ipod classic with 160 gig hard drive and it seems to work fine. When I listen to music it's usually on random and it moves right along like I would expect it to do. Lately I have been listening to podcast and again it works fine. It does the some time to skip from podcast to podcast but it is only a second or so. I am thankful mine works correctly. Saves me on xm subscription.

JRaschke11 · December 17, 2015

I have a brand new Nano hooked up to USB. I really don't want to use AUX because I don't want to touch the iPod, I want it to work as it should. It's been hooked up for weeks, but still horrible to use. I was hoping it was indexing or something the first day or two but it has never gotten better.

I guess I'll get a good SD card and see if that is any better. Everything in my iTunes library is MP3 so that is not an issue. I get all my music DRM-free from Amazon.