Audi Sound System - lack of bass

[bobinder]

Have maxed the Bass and Treble on the Sound settings as on all previous cars to provide a fuller sound - but the Audi Sound System (***) doesn't seem to give the same richness in sound that my bog standard A3 SE had.

Any recommendations, or do the speakers need 'bedding in'?

 

[NeilHD]

Mine isn't bass-heavy either. My previous car also had a subwoofer and that had TONS of bass.

That said, after a couple of weeks it has seemed to have improved (or maybe I'm just getting used to it).

 

[bobinder]

Mine isn't bass-heavy either. My previous car also had a subwoofer and that had TONS of bass.

That said, after a couple of weeks it has seemed to have improved (or maybe I'm just getting used to it).

I can understand it would be a downgrade from having a car previously with a subwoofer - but I've come from a car with no sub and the basic sound system and find the 'upgraded' 10 speaker *** system to be in actual fact a downgrade.

Tried a few different sources and it's still the same - but hoping it improves like it did for you (or I get used to it).

 

[cuke2u]

Comparing my bog standard A3 sound with the A4 *** the A4 is superior, but improves with age...

 

[vinvinian]

When the bass kicks


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[NeilHD]

I can understand it would be a downgrade from having a car previously with a subwoofer - but I've come from a car with no sub and the basic sound system and find the 'upgraded' 10 speaker *** system to be in actual fact a downgrade.

Tried a few different sources and it's still the same - but hoping it improves like it did for you (or I get used to it).

The *** does have a sub though - under the parcel shelf (or in the spare wheel well for an Avant).

 

[bobinder]

The *** does have a sub though - under the parcel shelf (or in the spare wheel well for an Avant).

Perhaps that explains why it isn't so loud in the driver's seat as it's so far back. You would have assumed directing the balance would increase this rear volume so it can be heard in the front - but it's still a faint bassline compared to my previous car without a dedicated sub.

 

[NeilHD]

Could also try the setting to make it front-biased. It's there in one of the menus.

 

[bobinder]

Could also try the setting to make it front-biased. It's there in one of the menus.

I did try this, but it sounds almost mono - the bass does improve but it's still a far cry from previous. Will probably need to get used to it.

I can always adjust the levels on my phone if I'm streaming a playlist so there's always that.

 

[cuke2u]

Perhaps that explains why it isn't so loud in the driver's seat as it's so far back. You would have assumed directing the balance would increase this rear volume so it can be heard in the front - but it's still a faint bassline compared to my previous car without a dedicated sub.

Woofers aren't directional and they're not really that far back...

 

[blackb9er]

I disagree! the sound system is absolutely terrible! bass is non existent and the mid range is awful. There's no setting to make it any better either and it doesn't really improve with age, infact it gets worse. It rattles like crazy whenever it detects even a whiff of bass, Very disappointed, not sure what Audi were thinking (or what music they tested it with) when they approved this. I hear the upgraded B&O in the b9 isnt much to shout home about either.


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[cuke2u]

Already a debate on the two systems here http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/b9-audi-sound-system-vs-b-o.260704/page-3#post-3075636 It's like most things, down to expectations and opinions, for my use it sounds better than my A3 was and I'm happy with it...

 

[Pork]

B&O in the B9 is an improvement on the B&O in the B8 and a far cry from the *** when you play it loud

 

[ub7rm]

It gets a lot better after a few hours. For 'free' I think its pretty good.

 

[Mitz]

I totally agree the *** does lack alot of bass. I have recently set up a Equaliser profile on my phone as i generally listen to most of my music via bluetooth and I have to say once tweaked, the sound is so much more better! You can really feel the bass once it is set up. If there is a way to tap into the equaliser and change a few things it would be great.

 

[bobinder]

I totally agree the *** does lack alot of bass. I have recently set up a Equaliser profile on my phone as i generally listen to most of my music via bluetooth and I have to say once tweaked, the sound is so much more better! You can really feel the bass once it is set up. If there is a way to tap into the equaliser and change a few things it would be great.

I did the same too and it's improved it.

Hoping Audi release a software update in the near future which rectifies the issue though! Would be good to listen to DAB with the same equiliser settings as my phone amp app.

 

[Feemy]

I had a 08reg A4 with the Bose system and the bass was full and present. Very deep. I loved it. Listening to music was a pleasure.

Now I have a B8.5 A4 with B&O system and I have to say the bass is extremely underwhelming. I've done some reading on this and come to the following conclusion:

The 12 speaker setup is all marketing BS. Music simply doesn't sound good with surround sound. Movies, yes! The B&O system has no setting for the Subwoofer level, whereas the Bose did. The B&O sounds good, but you have to turn Surround off.

You also have to adjust the settings according to the music source which you didn't have to do in the Bose. I know the Bose gets a lot of bad comments, not having nice fidelity and having boomy bass, but I don't find it to be boomy at all. The bass was deep and tight. I used to have the Subwoofer setting at 2 clicks past middle and it was beautiful.

The B&O just lacks deep bass. It's present, but if I wanted the same result as on my previous car, I have to increase the bass right up, but then it makes a thudding sound rather than tight bass. If there was a separate setting for Subwoofer like for the Bose, I would be interested to see the difference.

And as I eluded to earlier, the right music source is required, and the settings need to be adjusted according to whether you're listening to BT source, DAB or CD which is a bit of a nuisance.

Bottom line is if you want the B&O to sound good, or have better bass, you have to faff around with the settings, and if you like your deep punchy bass, it's simply not there. With the Bose, you had plenty of it and you had the ability to adjust subwoofer level. The 2 speakers worked perfectly fine as well

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[S3Lol]

I have the B&O and have really noticed it lacking bass compared to the Bose I had in the 2004 Audi A8. That seemed to have a wider range, but the B&O is definitely the better system.