From this side of the pond, 180W sounds satisfactory.

I'm dreading getting the 770W surround in my new F, from what I have been reading though!!!

 

As it is currently being developed/installed I don't have much info to share right now. I can tell you that it will use the factory head unit, and function the same as stock. The work will be in replacing speakers, adding amps, and possibly additional speakers. The trademark of this company is retaining stock look and functionality while producing amazing sound.

The car should be done later this week, and I will be more than happy to share details with anyone interested.

 

Please do, as I have my high end guy on hold awaiting this. I WILL get to the bottom of the sound problem one way or another! Thanks a million, and look forward to your response and write-up. GOOD LUCK!

 

It looks like there are now enough responses to warrant looking at this data. I'll put something together and post on Tuesday.

 

770 system and not satisfied. For a quality car definitely sub-par. Lacking in mid range and treble. Having said that the sound system is the last thing I concentrate on in the vert. I was disappointed when I got the car and sat in the garage and listened to the audio, but I now drive to the sound of the exhaust note and don't really care.

 

I checked off satisfied, but agree with the above comments. Coming from my 2010 XF premium, the F-type's audio system is lacking. However, the XF is the best sounding audio system I've ever heard in a car, and I really wasn't concerned about the sound quality of a convertible with such an awesome exhaust note.

 

The two don't need to be mutually exclusive, though. It's clear that the implementation in the F Type isn't as good as it could be, and I point the finger primarily at Jaguar's design and build quality. These rattles come about due to poor design and build. There were no audio-induced rattles in my 911 convertible.

I do agree on the XF, I had an XF loaner and the audio was much better than it is in my F.

 

If you're system RATTLES please vote 'Rattles' not 'satisfied'. This poll is very subjective in nature and possibly not very useful as a result...

 

I think perhaps I wasn't clear. I only have the base 380W system, and I have not experienced any rattles or other audio system induced unwanted acoustics, though I purposely do not have the base cranked up. I am satisfied with this system for what it is; a slightly better than basic audio system in a stiff-structured, small, noisy (both self induced and road caused noise) convertible. I too would be dissatisfied if I had paid for the "premium" system, and/or had a coupe which has much better opportunity to drown out the exterior noises. I'm not sure I'd place the blame solely with Jaguar, since they likely rely on the audio system company (Merdian) to do the bulk of the heavy lifting for acoustic design, given that they employ more acoustic engineers and that is their area of "expertise". Ultimately Jaguar does need to sign of on it though, so they certainly deserve some blame for the quality issues that many are experiencing.

 

I'm inclined to agree with AlexG's explanation that it's likely more a problem with Jaguar's design and assembly process for component installation than it is with the Meridian components, per se. That's assuming that Meridian had an adequate budget to design decent components to begin with. You can poorly install the world's best audio components, and they won't perform as such.

It really seems to me to be a quality control issue in the F-Type's interior assembly process. It could even be a supplier problem with something as simple as door panel and speaker fasteners. How else could roughly half the reporting population report no rattle and vibration and the other half report it as present all the time? How else can a Meridian system of roughly similar cost perform well in one Jaguar model and create so much dissatisfaction in the F-Type?

 

I was going on this article about the design of the B&W system in the XJ, and also from my experience with the system in the XF, which B&W had a heavy hand in designing. My point was not that it wasn't a quality control issue, just that in these days of muddled responsibility, the exact source of blame for that quality slip may lie in a multitude of places, not just with Jaguar. Also, with Jaguar's switch to Meridian, the dynamic may have changed. I'd like to think Meridian would be unhappy to have their name associated with a less than high quality system, and would be working diligently to resolve it if they have some skin in the game. I'm also perfectly willing to believe this is all Jaguar's fault, but I just don't know.

 

I totally agree, as I'm unsure where blame should go (JLR, Meridian, both?), I decided to remedy the problem myself by having a third party design and install a system. It seemed an issue not easily resolved, and I try to avoid the stress of fighting to place blame or resolve complicated issues such as these. Life's too short...

 

I've given up on hoping for a good sound system in a sports car, or any car for that matter. They all have their problems.

On the plus side, I don't get any rattles that others have on the R coupe.

On the plus plus side, we also don't need the engine noise pumped through our speaker systems.

 

looking forward to hearing back the outcome on your third party system.

i understand that you may be getting a deal as the 'guinea pig', but is there an estimated cost for a third party solution?

 

They will assess the cost once they have completed R&D on my car. I will be asking them, and am happy to share once they provide it.

edit - I will also inquire about a forum member discount, if they are open to such things.

 

Got hung up at work. I'll do it today.

 

Either way the customer is left holding the bomb so to speak and after spending $117k on the car including the upgrade to 770w ($1300 i think) I think its reasonable to ask to be compensated that amount so we can then go about spending it to fix the issue with a specialist car audio fitter.

 

1 - Excellent 2 - Satisfactory 3 - OK 4 - Rattles 5 - Poor Quality 6 - Rattles and Poor Quality

Given the limitations of the forum's survey tool, and the inclusion of several datasets (different sound system variants and model year), it is unlikely this information will yield anything useful other than the fact that all are now finally settling into a realization that "we have a problem, Houston".

Less than 43% of the respondents are satisfied, and less than 58% in total finding the executed Meridian systems to be acceptable. These are statistically significant numbers unless you want to claim that the sample set is skewed because forums like this attract whiners. (I would guess the sample set would actually be skewed in the other direction).


Of those responding, over a third reported rattling and 23% reported poor sound quality. Since many have adjusted the sound to a lesser quality to mitigate the rattling, and if we assume the rattling was the primary cause of poor sound quality for those that experienced both issues, poor sound quality alone was reported by less than 8%. Given this low level and the subjectivity of the measure, it might be easy for JLR to ignore this complaint. However, 35% of the cars rattling is a concrete and objective result that can't be minimized.


JLR: FIX IT!

 

JLR rang me this morning to reiterate their position. As far as they are concerned they have only received 3-4 formal responses from individuals citing this problem.

As a result of the limited direct engagement they see no reason to execute a Technical Service Bulletin.

I'm personally dubious that theyve only directly received 4 complaints. But that's what they say.

Therefore, please PM Ryan and let the rest of the group know. If the 19 people who've highlighted the problem were to engage JLR via the CRC, we may finally get a proper response.

I was surprised by how much they live by process. A little balance and just doing the right thing would really help them to elevate their brand. Shame.

 

Ideally people should raise this in the 3 month satisfaction survey that Jaguar emails to buyers.