B&O system
 

Have driven our Q5 Prestige (Azores Green, Nougat Brown, Warm and cold weather, DAP and clear bra front/back/full hood) for a couple weeks now. Had another person approach me yesterday complimenting the color :) However, we have noticed there seems to be a weakness in the mid range reproduction on the B&O system. Songs that we know (mostly 70/80s Rock) sound somewhat empty at times. Not sure if it is an issue with our vehicle or just how this system works. Before I go back to the dealer, I want to know what others think - Thanks!

Your problem is you are expecting to much out of a factory stereo . If you amazing audio it has to be custom ...

What source are you using? If from an MP3 player or iPOD, put the EQ in a flat setting or no EQ then tweak the B&O system's treble and bass adjustment to suit. Or, use the EQ in your portable player and then set the B&O's treble and bass to flat '0'. Using EQ on both systems will ruin the quality of the sound. Also, make sure the other DSP settings in the B&O system is adjusted properly.

The B&O is NOT your "factory stereo". It's a huge step above.

I'm not an audiophile but the options for setting the equalizer on the 2018 Q5 are less than what I had for my B&O with my 2010 Q5. What format is your music playing in? Have you tried trans-coding it to a different format and trying that.

I have the system in my SQ5 . of course its a factory system . they designed and built it for mass production in our Audi's. It sounds good enough. but by no means is anywhere near a custom audio system...

To the original OP the B and O system has huge holes across the spectrum, your ear may just be use to hearing mids.. There is no adjustment for that in the system

99.99% sure your issue is the source of your music. MP3 and apps like Pandora/Spotify are very low quality. Look into high quality remastered CDs or FLAC files.

I also agree that the B&O system does not sound great. I know how source material works, but if you are comparing the same source material in other vehicles it's a completely fair comparison. Most of us listen to streaming services these days and don't bother with FLAC or carrying around our entire library with us. A system needs to sound good using these sources because it's what people want to use and other systems do a better job. It's not your car, the B&O is just a bit underwhelming. However, as others have already stated definitely try the different EQ settings you have available if you haven't already. Don't forget to adjust the positional settings as those can also effect your perception of the sound.

^^^ A stereo system is only as good as the source of music being played through it. You could have a $20k stereo system and it won’t sound as good with MP3 or streaming as it will with FLAC or remastered CDs. For now, that’s just the way it is. Hopefully someday streaming music will be much better quality.

I was very pleasantly surprised to find that my DVD-A discs will play the DTS encoded tracks via the B&O system. Very few vehicles even have the option of playing disc based media anymore, let alone DTS decoders.

Agreed. However, stating that a system sounds better with a losses source is not under debate? The system should be comparable to other OEM systems in other vehicles with the same source material. The B&O is just not as good as it's competitors (sound is subjective of course) and everyone seems quick to blame source material whenever this comes up.