Audio 20 vs COMAND Sound Quality

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I've been browsing the forum and trying to find the answer on Google but I've gotten very vague answers, so maybe someone here can shed some light on this.

I have an Audio 20 NTG5 system with Harman/Kardon in my 2015 C207, and they're offering to install a COMAND unit. However, I plan to use MMI Linux for CarPlay/Android Auto. I say this because I'm not particularly interested in the navigation system; I'm more interested in the sound quality improvements the COMAND unit will bring.

If I use a Linux MMI device that supports direct Bluetooth audio connection rather than an AUX connection, will I get better sound or will I have to switch to COMAND?
What's the improvement in sound quality? Some experts have told me it's like switching from stereo to Dolby. What's the real difference?
 
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    Given by rainerwinkler
Upgrading from Audio 20 to COMAND will not give you a noticeable improvement in the sound of your HK system. Both units feed the signal to the HK amplifier digitally via the MOST bus, meaning that processing and equalization is done in the amplifier itself, not in the head unit. Thus, the sound quality of Audio 20 and COMAND is generally the same.
The real bottleneck is how your MMI module inputs the audio signal. If it only uses the AUX input, you're limited to analog conversion and will never achieve the same quality as using its own digital signal path. If your MMI module doesn't support digital transmission via the MOST bus, you won't hear a significant difference when switching to COMAND.

Furthermore, your model year's COMAND...
I have a W213 with a Burmester audio system, and the sound quality is terrible. I use a Helix amplifier with DSP and Bluetooth. When I need to listen to music in high quality, I connect the amplifier directly via Bluetooth. Maybe this is an option for you…
 
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