B&O Sound System Sucks
12-27-2018, 08:03 AM
#91
AudiWorld Member
Here's what I've settled on:
Sound bias: All
Fader: Center (both F-R and L-R)
Surround: off. Off. OFF.
3D sound: Low. (To my ears, I find it sounds more "3D" on Low than Medium, curiously. And High is over the top for me.)
Treble: 1 or 2 clicks below 12 o'clock.
Bass and Sub: both about 2 o'clock most of the time. But depending on the music, it may be 12:00 for one or both (e.g. any of the dance/techno channels on SXM). Or for stuff with weakly recorded bass (eg 80's rock) I'll bump one or both higher depending on whether the bass is lacking just the bottom octaves (50Hz and down), or the whole bass range is weak.
Oh yeah, and then there some crazy bad recordings (Metallica And Justice For All comes to mind) where I just turn the sub down. Waaay down because the bass on that album is such a mess.
Last edited by SkiingInABlueDream; 12-27-2018 at 08:05 AM.
12-27-2018, 09:19 AM
#92
I tried your settings out of curiosity and... WOW! My impression of those settings is this: No soundstage. The music's original soundstage is replaced with 360 degrees of completely diffuse, midrange ambiance. I thought *I* liked diffuse sound in the car but this waaaayyyy too much for me. I also found that the bass rather vanishes in that midrange hyper-presence. That said, everyone has their own preferences of course! (Not to mention, we could be listening to completely different types of music.)
Here's what I've settled on:
Sound bias: All
Fader: Center (both F-R and L-R)
Surround: off. Off. OFF.
3D sound: Low. (To my ears, I find it sounds more "3D" on Low than Medium, curiously. And High is over the top for me.)
Treble: 1 or 2 clicks below 12 o'clock.
Bass and Sub: both about 2 o'clock most of the time. But depending on the music, it may be 12:00 for one or both (e.g. any of the dance/techno channels on SXM). Or for stuff with weakly recorded bass (eg 80's rock) I'll bump one or both higher depending on whether the bass is lacking just the bottom octaves (50Hz and down), or the whole bass range is weak.
Oh yeah, and then there some crazy bad recordings (Metallica And Justice For All comes to mind) where I just turn the sub down. Waaay down because the bass on that album is such a mess.
Here's what I've settled on:
Sound bias: All
Fader: Center (both F-R and L-R)
Surround: off. Off. OFF.
3D sound: Low. (To my ears, I find it sounds more "3D" on Low than Medium, curiously. And High is over the top for me.)
Treble: 1 or 2 clicks below 12 o'clock.
Bass and Sub: both about 2 o'clock most of the time. But depending on the music, it may be 12:00 for one or both (e.g. any of the dance/techno channels on SXM). Or for stuff with weakly recorded bass (eg 80's rock) I'll bump one or both higher depending on whether the bass is lacking just the bottom octaves (50Hz and down), or the whole bass range is weak.
Oh yeah, and then there some crazy bad recordings (Metallica And Justice For All comes to mind) where I just turn the sub down. Waaay down because the bass on that album is such a mess.
BTW: The other day I had put a CD in the glove box player, and I also had the exact same WAV files on a USB stick. I made sure that the sound settings were the same for CD and USB inputs, and then proceeded to switch back and forth between the same song. For some reason, sound quality from the CD player is noticeably better compared to the same files being input via the USB port. I'm not sure why they would sound different.
01-13-2019, 03:52 PM
#93
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I agree B&O sound system problem
Does anyone agree with me that the upgraded B&O sound system sucks? I'm wondering if it is just a licensing deal where Audi gets to put the "Bang and Olufsen" name on the sound system when they aren't really anything special.
Both of my older Volvos (S60 and S40) had better sound systems and weren't even the upgraded versions. Just drove a 2018 Mazda 3 rental that also had a better sound system.
My issues with it are that just about every speaker buzzes/rattles and lacks proper bass. Turning up the subwoofer and bass a little bit improves the bass but also just amplifies the buzzing and rattling. I know Audi sometimes fixes these issues by adding material around the speakers, but I doubt I would be able to complain about the entire system and see if they can stop the rattling on every door panel.
It just lacks a feeling of fullness and tightness in the sound. I've thought about installing a subwoofer in the trunk which I've heard would help quite a bit, but I would still be annoyed by all the door panel noise.
Does anyone have any suggestions or solutions?
Both of my older Volvos (S60 and S40) had better sound systems and weren't even the upgraded versions. Just drove a 2018 Mazda 3 rental that also had a better sound system.
My issues with it are that just about every speaker buzzes/rattles and lacks proper bass. Turning up the subwoofer and bass a little bit improves the bass but also just amplifies the buzzing and rattling. I know Audi sometimes fixes these issues by adding material around the speakers, but I doubt I would be able to complain about the entire system and see if they can stop the rattling on every door panel.
It just lacks a feeling of fullness and tightness in the sound. I've thought about installing a subwoofer in the trunk which I've heard would help quite a bit, but I would still be annoyed by all the door panel noise.
Does anyone have any suggestions or solutions?
02-14-2019, 07:56 AM
#94
I’m getting ready to order my car. Thinking of passing on the B&O after reading this extensive thread. Listening to a mix lot of NPR and some music that is not so bass heavy makes me think that I will not miss this and save the $950 since it’s a stand-alone option now in a premium plus. . Did anyone compare the stock system to B&O in the B9 when making the decision on a car? Or was it already packaged in with the car you wanted for other reasons? Is the stock system the Bose system? That was what was on my B7 A4 and my Q3. Seems to work great and I had no complaints.
02-14-2019, 08:08 AM
#95
AudiWorld Member
I’m getting ready to order my car. Thinking of passing on the B&O after reading this extensive thread. Listening to a mix lot of NPR and some music that is not so bass heavy makes me think that I will not miss this and save the $950 since it’s a stand-alone option now in a premium plus. . Did anyone compare the stock system to B&O in the B9 when making the decision on a car? Or was it already packaged in with the car you wanted for other reasons? Is the stock system the Bose system? That was what was on my B7 A4 and my Q3. Seems to work great and I had no complaints.
02-14-2019, 08:13 AM
#96
AudiWorld Member
I’m getting ready to order my car. Thinking of passing on the B&O after reading this extensive thread. Listening to a mix lot of NPR and some music that is not so bass heavy makes me think that I will not miss this and save the $950 since it’s a stand-alone option now in a premium plus. . Did anyone compare the stock system to B&O in the B9 when making the decision on a car? Or was it already packaged in with the car you wanted for other reasons? Is the stock system the Bose system? That was what was on my B7 A4 and my Q3. Seems to work great and I had no complaints.
The thing is everyone universally hates the Bose system, do you really want to go there?
02-14-2019, 09:32 AM
#97
02-14-2019, 09:46 AM
#98
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thanks for the input. I was just thinking coming form the Bose system in a previous A4 and a Q3, as I didn't have any issues, I would be ok. I didn't know if the stock systemic the B9 is Bose or if it is something else Audi uses. They dropped B&O it from the premium plus package this year. But they added the navigation & virtual cockpit in the package. I guess that is part of the tradeoff.
07-16-2019, 04:06 PM
#99
I rarely turn my sound up loud enough to hear any rattling from the bass - but in my car I've noticed terrible buzzing noises with higher frequency sounds even at moderate to low volumes. It is most noticeable in piano music - I guess since the notes are more sudden. I hear it from what I think is the center speaker on the dash and the top speakers on the doors. Anyone else hear this noise and know how to solve?
07-20-2019, 05:09 PM
#100
AudiWorld Member
The B&O sound system is pretty good. To me, that's pretty disappointing because B&O makes some of the best sounding equipment in the world.
Turns out the B&O car sound systems are actually owned by Samsung and aren't really associated with B&O.
And I am sick and tired of the metal trim on the woofers bending.
Turns out the B&O car sound systems are actually owned by Samsung and aren't really associated with B&O.
And I am sick and tired of the metal trim on the woofers bending.