B&O Sound System Volume

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ShoRock

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Hi all,

I wanted to get some feedback from owners who have experienced the B&O sound system upgrade in the A3.

I ordered an A3 Saloon S-Line with the Audi Sound System in January which was due to be delivered last week. I received a call from Audi last Monday apologising saying that they had ordered me the 'Sport' version by mistake. To compensate, they have given me an A3 demo car to use whilst my original order is being built (again) and are also throwing in around £500 worth of extras.

My first thought was to remove the *** and get the B&O upgrade as I am very much an audiophile and love to play my music loud. It was either that or to get the *** + Sat Nav which I would also like but I have gone ahead and asked for the B&O.

I have found that the stock sound system in the temporary car (also S-Line Saloon) is just not loud enough. The sound quality is excellent but it is too quiet, especially when travelling on the motorway. After searching around and reading various reviews, it seems there are mixed opinions as to whether the B&O is any better. The general consensus is that the quality is awesome but some people say that it needs to be louder.

I guess my question is, should I have stuck with the *** and get the Sat Nav or is there enough of a difference (specifically in volume) between the B&O and the 2 lesser spec systems?

Thank you
Ashley
 
Not a sound nut but I've had the standard sound system, it lacks..in everything!

Tested B&O in the S3 and found it crisp clear, though I'm not into music much so stuck with the Audi sound system.

If you've tried BOSE in the 8P A3 the Audi sound system is on par with that (almost exactly the same - if not the same).

Sat Nav though..it's wonderful having it integrated rather than using the charger and sticking it on the window.

Choices choices.
 
Thanks for the reply.
I agree........it really does lack! It feels as though the system has so much more to give but its been purposefully restricted.

I've not experienced the Bose to be honest, this will be my first Audi ;)

Choices indeed, I may just go with the B&O and hope it's loud enough.
 
If you think the B&O system is quiet your very deaf! It's mega loud, in fact i've never had it on full volume. I'd go far as to say it's my favourite part of the car and well worth the upgrade
 
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'30' is what I would call extremely loud (obviously can depend on the source). I think this is just over half way.
 
I'm saying that the stock system is very quiet which is why I've gone with B&O.

Its good to hear you say it's "mega loud", now i'm glad Audi messed up my order in the first place
 
I was very surprised that even at high volumes it doesn't distort and I haven't had the crackleing that some people report.

Guess good things come of a bad situation sometimes! Enjoy the temp car :)
 
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ShoRock said:
I'm saying that the stock system is very quiet which is why I've gone with B&O.

Its good to hear you say it's "mega loud", now i'm glad Audi messed up my order in the first place
Click to expand...

I would say that if the standard system in the car is "very quiet" then it has a fault. Accepted its quality is not as high as AAS or B&O, but I certainly could not stand mine turned up anywhere near full. And I'm going deaf - my wife says so.
 
20 with full sub full bass is plenty loud a Crisp, ayyyyyyyy?
 
Yes, I tried once to see if my B&O had the crackling issue so I turned up the volume to 30, it was deafening. Couldn't leave it at that volume for long at all, I generally have it between 18-20.

So I would say, it should be plenty loud for anyone's needs.
 
The B&O is very loud.
I usually have it between 8 - 12.
Loudest I've had it on is 20 (with the roof down) and you can still hear it loud and clear.

Sat Nav is useful to have as it's integrated, although I do find it a slow and fiddly operation to use.
You really couldn't (shouldn't) programme it on the move - I can't anyway.

Out of the two choices, I think you have gone with the best one.
 
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Not head the standard system but very pleased I went with B&O - 705watts, 14 speakers and a sub don't disappoint !!
 
I have found that the input source makes a massive difference in volume/quality - SD (filled with FLAC files) delivers the best results. While the bluetooth option is 'ok', it's a huge disservice to the quality of the B&O system.
 
I have had my B&O all the way up to 49 and if you think it's quiet then you have a serious problem!

Even at 49 it is crystal clear and sounds lovely... I wouldn't recommend it for long periods though as my ears were ringing afterwards and I only had it up there for around 10 seconds just to say I had :jester:
 
Thanks for all the responses.

Sounds like i've made the right decision!

Roll on May 20th (according to Audi) :)
 
I'm a pro musician and can vouch for the B&O clarity and mega volume, it's a great system. At lower volumes I hear little details in recorded music that I normally only hear on my studio monitors. Integrated nav is nice but a handheld GPS would nestle in quite nicely on the centre console next to the 12V outlet
 
elpaulio said:
I have had my B&O all the way up to 49 and if you think it's quiet then you have a serious problem!
Click to expand...

I thought the maximum volume was 40, but I may be wrong. Anyway, the highest I ever run mine is around 25 and that's only if I really like the music in question. Even at that level it's very loud!

To the OP - don't forget you can get the SD sat-nav retrofitted later, so that might be an option once the finances have recovered if you still want sat-nav. The B&O can't be retrofitted.
 
I'm also an audiophile to a fairly obsessive level, so car audio quality is important to me. B&O is amazing, excellent quality and goes louder than I'll ever need.
In my opinion whilst it is nice to have integrated sat nav, the SD version with 2D maps is very poor value at £500. I use Copilot on my android phone, it's about £30 with Europe maps, and £8 a year for live traffic updates. If I had to choose between the two it would be B&O every time.
Having said all that, I did also listen to the ***, and thought that was pretty good, and excellent value as it was a lot better than the stock system for only £250 extra, but having heard the B&O I couldn't resist.
 
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[QUOTE="I use Copilot on my android phone, it's about £30 with Europe maps, and £8 a year for live traffic updates. If I had to choose between the two it would be B&O every time.
[/QUOTE]
Thank you for the reply. Are you able to route the CoPilot audio announcements through the B&O system on your Android?
 
No, couldn't get it to work on my last car either, but haven't experimented much in the Audi. On the phone in Bluetooth settings you turn media device off, then it can connect to the car for phone calls, but use the phone speaker for CoPilot announcements.
 
The Challinor said:
I think it goes to 50, tried it once and jesus its loud!

I must admit if I'm in the mood I have it on 30 but that's too loud for driving really lol
Click to expand...

No Challs, only goes to 49...unless mines is broken, wonder what Audi would say if I complained that the volume didn't go up far enough?! Lol ;)
 
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Love my B&O sound system......metallica sounds superb at 30
 
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Yeap 49 it is.. tried that one tonight :D
 
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My ocd side is killing me.. why oh why couldn't they make it go up to 50 :(
 
Why couldn't they just make 10 louder and make it go up to 10?!
 
I've found the *** to be quite adequate. I play my music quite loudly and it's a decent hi-fi system built into the car. I can't imagine what B+O does that's better, but that's probably just because I've not heard it.
That said, I'd definitely get the B+O system over the Sat Nav. If you've transferred your portable telecommunication device to the 21st Century, then you'll have it built into it. Why pay for something you already have which also connects through the bluetooth system perfectly well. B+O you don't have on your phone.
 
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