+1 I had the same thoughts. Why can't people describe in detail what they are not happy with, and equally what they are happy with. This is what I talk about with people wanting to share their thoughts, feelings and having others receive these thoughts and playing back. Saying one is sick of something, then don't read the posts and move on. It does interest a group of others, and not 100% of the posts are going to interest 100% of the people, 100% of the time.

 

If I don't have a problem why would I go out of my way to find one. I am not the first to say not everyone has problem. I listened to video and it confirms that car does poor job on bass. Many members have suggested settings to reduce this problem. Why keep hitting your head against the wall and not enjoy the driving experience of the car. Every forum has complaints about the radio. Standard radios are an after thought, if I had paid $5k for a B&O or B&W upgrade then maybe the argument is different. Bottom line Harmon Logic7 is in a lot of cars and is cheap upgrade and works great. Maserati just went to it after offering the worst upgrade in history. No marketing bragging rights just works!

 

For me audio wasn't an afterthought, I do care about good audio, but in the F-Type it wasn't a top priority.

The whole point of this forum and this thread is to discuss such issues in more detail, for the audience that cares more about audio in this case.

I expected and knew that the F-Type audio system didn't have the greatest fidelity. However I didn't also expect it to have bad quality/craftsmanship leading to the rattles.

It certainly doesn't help that the dealer and Jaguar NA combo is blaming the customer and the music instead of being more engaged in working out a fix.
I don't always want the lovely exhaust note, so it doesn't help that in my case when I turn off the radio, I get to hear other cabin rattles.

To avoid the audio rattle issue in my case, I'd have to turn the bass all the way down, at which point the music sounds incredibly dull. I do not fully enjoy the experience when I can't play my favorite songs with some decent quality, where any other car does a much better job. Maybe the types of songs you listen to have a focus on voice, where you not care about the impact.

You mention 5K for an upgrade, but the way I see it, given my car has a MSRP of just over 110K, I don't think it should be acceptable to have said rattle issue, particularly as in my case it seems to happen on many of the songs on any source.

It would be great for all of us if we could also understand what are the differences in cars that other owners report no issues. Especially if it doesn't reproduce under the same conditions/songs. That may lead to a potential clue or fix, short of going out and replacing everything with aftermarket for 3-5K. Going full on aftermarket is also not great for folks who have leased the car and need to return it with the stock system, and would void any future audio and infotainment claims.

The finding around the crossover issue in the tweeters for example, may suggest an easier and cheaper workaround, such as installing a crossover or high pass filter for the tweeters alone. I'm waiting to exhaust the Jaguar CRC path before considering getting an aftermarket fix for the crossover, and if that doesn't improve things a bit, then consider aftermarket replacements for some of the parts.

 

I have tried many of the songs people have suggested over the nearly 2 years I've been here without being able to reproduce any of the issues reported. My 380w did not need the TSB. It's not just OK, it sounds very good. Mine is a 9/2013 build.

Virtually all of my listening is Bluetooth-streamed from iTunes. I set bass at just below mid-point, subwoofer is slightly above middle, and treble is at 75%.

 

Yes, settings make a huge difference on those model years. Below mid point on base creates less bottom, and depending on the type of music you listen to, it is either a mute point, or makes a huge difference. Settings are a "KEY" to this puzzle for sure.

 

Hi
I just took delivery on the F-Type R AWD '16 and have given the stereo a testing for about 35 minutes (delivery was 1.5 hours ago).

I will admit that Jaguar has made major strides in the audio on this car. Rock n Roll and Pop tested with settings:

Base - 80%
Treble - 95%
Mid - 50%
Sub - 70%

Sound was crisp, solid, not a rattle (yet I hope or never even better yet). I don't know which excited me more, the sound of the engine, or the nice sound of the stereo.

For those incurring problems still, use the 16 2nd half model builds as the baseline for whatever they did at the factory. It works, and the solution is solid as a rock!

Good Luck all, and I will keep you posted if anything should change.

 

Just a guess, but I suspect this is in Meridian mode and not DTS (or Dolby)? I find that DTS creates a better sound in general, but with very different audio settings than yours (specially a lot lower bass).

 

Hi Arne:
Actually in both modes, but your statements are accurate. Different sounds between them at the constant setting that I stated.

Sound differences as you articulated accurately.

 

Hi slojotaa,


I should also say that my sound system also sounds very good with no rattles or distortions (I have the 770W system) and with settings very much the same as Foosh indicated above.


I can also add that I did not have very high expectations of the sound-system (from what I had previously read on this forum), but I was very positively surpriced - and I came from a VW Touareg with the best sound-system you can have in that car (a Dynaudio-system). I would say that the Meridian-system in my car sounds as good or perhaps a little better that the Dynaudio-system in the Touareg. Which I think is good looking at the small cabin in the F-type compared to the Touareg.

 

Joe, I've never set bass above midpoint in any car, but always put the sub at about 75% which adds some low bass back without giving me a headache. It sounds rich and full that way to me, but everyone is a bit different.

 

I am generally happy with the sound system now that I learned from the forum that the playback device has to be set at max volume. DTS has the fullest sound. The other modes sound a bit shallow to me.

 

[QUOTE=slojotaa;1473611]Hi
.....

For those incurring problems still, use the 16 2nd half model builds as the baseline for whatever they did at the factory. It works, and the solution is solid as a rock!

Good Luck all, and I will keep you posted if anything should change.



Congratulations on delivery of your car and am happy to hear you are pleased with stereo. What was/were the music sources you tried e.g radio, cd, streaming from phone, etc?

My car is an 11/15 build 2016. Supposedly had the TSB fix at factory. I can't get anywhere near 80% base. In spirit of recent threads and trying to be helpful, I have found radio sounds best in straight stereo mode. CDs/streaming are best in DTS. This is with low bass setting (3-4 clicks from 0). Treble and sub around 50% give or take. Balance/tone needs adjustment depending on these settings/modes.

Also what are your overall driving impressions, fit and finish, etc. Maybe you can start a thread and let us know.

 

Hi
Please see below:



Congratulations on delivery of your car and am happy to hear you are pleased with stereo. ==>Thanks a lot!!!

What was/were the music sources you tried e.g radio, cd, streaming from phone, etc? ==> I tried the bluetooth stream from my phone only thus far, and it was excellent.

My car is an 11/15 build 2016. Supposedly had the TSB fix at factory. I can't get anywhere near 80% base. ==> Interesting, I got to the settings I spoke of without any hint of distortion, rattle or anything but excellent playing music.

In spirit of recent threads and trying to be helpful, I have found radio sounds best in straight stereo mode. CDs/streaming are best in DTS. This is with low bass setting (3-4 clicks from 0). Treble and sub around 50% give or take. Balance/tone needs adjustment depending on these settings/modes.

Also what are your overall driving impressions, fit and finish, etc. Maybe you can start a thread and let us know.[/QUOTE] ===> too soon to tell, as I can't drive for two more weeks per Drs. orders. However I did sneak out for a drive around the development, and it was absolutely awesome. Fit and finish the same as I sat in it for around 1 hour playing with different things, and every element of the car was done in a "Stellar manner"! Very pleased, and know I will only be happier as time roles on.

 

This morning I drove my wife's C63 to work. It has a Harmon Kardon system. Streaming from my phone sounded a lot better than the Meridian system. The highs were bright (I turned them down a bit) and lows had more punch. Even to my detuned ears it was much better. Maybe MB spent 301 hours tuning it...

 

I took out the hatch cover, sounds better with more space...

 

Congrats on the new car and glad you are pleased with the stereo system Joe. Before completely gutting my stereo for aftermarket I too can say my system sounded good for a stock system and mine was an early 2016 build. Enjoy the Car!!

 

Appreciate it, and hope you have fun in the new wheels. They did a nice job on the 16's...., learning curve I guess. I even see a bit of a difference between this and the one i traded 'my 15', subtle yet improved.

Have a great weekend!

 

What hatch cover?

 

The one Jaguar calls load space cover, trunk cover, boot space cover in the old country

 

He's talking about the Privacy panel (in the car) that goes up and down with the hatch.