Hi,

I recently acquired a used MY2018 and I don't think the center speaker works at all even though it exists, although this vehicle is equipped with Meridian Surround and has the premium amp. I confirmed by opening the passenger rear area and seeing the Amp itself (HX73-19C164-CD) with the AUD4-16 / PREM 16 labeling.

This somehow suggests the car is playing 10-channel instead of 12-channel since the center acts as mid+tweeter in one.

I would expect it to work on this specific vehicle unlike other F-Types which only use it for SOS. I know others are trying to upgrade their base system to surround which requires amp + software but I didn't see that 10 vs 12-channel are somehow separate options.

I only noticed it doesn't work during upgrading of all speakers to the super premium kevlar OEM ones trying to do side by side. Neither the original (BJ32-18808-DB) or the new center speaker (AW93-18808-EC) play any center audio.
In Audio Settings I have all the surround modes like Meridian, Dolby, DTS. I tried to move the position adjustment all the way forward still only left and rear doors generate sound. I can tell by ever so slightly touching the speaker membrane which has no activity whatsoever.
I used a multimeter and saw only about 200mV on the center channel plug.

Next up I will try to plug in the center speaker in the door panel while I'm upgrading those, in order to confirm the center speaker (new and old) works.

Has anyone else experienced this and was able to diagnose?

 

What came of this?

 

I think @pistol hasn't checked in for a while but I can chime in. The center speaker in my Meridian 380 system is exclusively for the SOS system. It is powered by the amp while the car is awake but does not receive an audio signal. When there is an accident and the airbags deploy or the SOS button is pushed, the TCU battery powers the speaker so that the JLR operator can communicate with the driver. If there is no answer or help is requested EMS is dispatched to the GPS location.

I tried playing music through the oem speaker (which is surprisingly good quality) from my DSP amp via the wiring harness that runs through the TCU, and it sounded pretty good. Then the TCU shuts down after a couple of minutes when the car is parked and the speaker shuts off, so a parallel or bypass speaker wire is needed for those wanting center audio.

Does anyone have a 770 Meridian surround system that actually utilizes the center speaker for music and not just SOS? Is this a model year thang?

 

Hey, I haven't had a chance to resolve my issue further (I still have an SOS limited availability code) as per https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/f...attery-281619/

I recall that the 380W system only uses the center for SOS, while the 770W premium one (the one I have) is supposed to use Center for music via the premium amp. In my case I am suspecting a faulty TCU since I did open it. I did use Pathfinder dealer software to erase all DTCs many times but the TCU code still persists, even with a new TCU battery and with a center speaker plugged in (tried several OEM center speakers).

To be honest I don't know for sure that the center speaker worked in mine, however I only bought the car several months back and quickly went down the route of upgrading all the speakers. By the time I realized my new center wasn't working I already had the lack of center + TCU issue after my tinkering with the car.

 

Did you make sure the new TCU battery is fully charged - they come with a pretty low voltage, IME (of one!). Might be worth installing it and giving the car a good run to get it charged?

 

Is there a way to externally charge it before installing? Looks like it would plug into an old landline telephone / cradle set.