Upgraded Meridian worth it vs stock?
 

I've read a lot about how the upgraded system isn't great, but is it worth getting over stock? I don't see many threads about upgraded the F-Type's sound system in general.. is it difficult to do? I just wonder if it's best to save money by opting for the non-upgraded Meridian, and do an aftermarket upgrade instead..

I have the Meridian and I find it to be decently acceptable. I cannot imagine how bad the base system would be... It also depends on how important music and acoustics are too you.

i wouldn't bother, for the price its really not that good

Depends if you're talking new or used. I went from a 2017 to a 2020 both with the upgraded stereo and it sounds better in the newer version. This was after I had the acoustic software fix done on the old one as well.

MY2019. I’m happy with the base system and when ordering didn’t think it was worth the extra money. I mainly listen to Spotify, podcasts, and CNBC. I can’t say I’m an crazy audiophile, at home I have B&W speakers for my record player. I also have B&W speakers in a 5.1.2 system with a Marantz AV receiver for a TV setup. Honestly, the engine/exhaust is the best thing to listen to.

I had a '15 Base Coupe with the 380. I later traded it in for a '16 R Coupe with the 770.

The 770 (after getting the software fix) was better, but not by much. Had it not come standard in the R, I wouldn't have paid extra for it.

Neither system has the deep, rich bass that you typically find in an American car. The size of the F-Type's cabin doesn't help much either... there's just nowhere for the sound to go.

Like others have said... stick with the 380 and enjoy the sound of the exhaust.

I have the base system and find nothing objectionable about it--head and shoulders better in every respect than the "Premium" system for which I paid $1500 extra in my old 2015 Maserati Ghibli.

Mine has the 770. Its a 2016 coupe. The system sucks. Its barely listenable. Had the dealership perform the sound deadening TSB and replaced one of the blown rear speakers. Its better, but still rattles and overall sounds like shit. Save your money or use it elsewhere in the car.

The cars in North America never got the "base" audio system, only 380W Meridian, or 770W Meridian Surround. There was a crap 180W system in other markets with no subs at all, that is "base".

So really you're talking about 380W vs 770W systems. But what you have to keep in mind is with the newer cars, it's not just the speaker-count and wattage.

The 380W has the InControl Touch screen / head unit system, the 770W Surround from 2018MY is the InControl Touch Pro, with the bigger screen, and more features/functions.

So regardless of the sound quality you are chasing, it's the features in the screen & head unit that is different, InControl Touch vs InControl Touch Pro.

And you cannot upgrade the InControl Touch to InControl Touch Pro, all of the hardware is different.

If you're looking at a 2018MY-onward car, get the 770W with InControl Touch Pro.

With MY19(US) I have 380W with TouchPro?

A very important factor is the quality of the music stream input. Spotify, Sirius and other streaming services use a low quality music source that is compressed for transmission. Such sources are likely to sound like crap on an upgraded Meridian system. However, in my experience, playing source files such as FLAC or Apple lossless files on the upgraded Meridian brings out the best in the system. It presents the best sound that I have heard in a car sound system and a number of my friends agree with that conclusion.
Crap in Crap out!

Agree on the importance of the input. I have the 770w and after the TSB fix and an upgrade with better oem door and center speakers the systems sounds very good. The weakness is the speakers behind the seats. I am not ready for the upgrade posted in the forum on those because with CD's or even streaming from my ipod with compressed music the system is more than up to the task.

How are you playing FLAC or Apple lossless files as they are the better digital approach? I couldn't get my system to play FLAC files from a USB stick.

I have the 770 in my '14 conv. I've never had the problems the coupe owners have had and no fixes apply to the conv. I've played around with it with some early forum suggestions and find it is fine. I've had this system in a RR loaner and an XE loaner and it sounds much better in a bigger space. Harmon Karden I had in my Merc roadster was better tuned for a 2 seater something it appears Jag didn't really do.

My MY 18 manual claims to play the following media types: MP3, WMA, WAV, AIFF, M4A, FLAC, AAC, AMR, LPCM and ALAC. It also notes that "other formats are available" but not whether it'll play them.

Mine is a '16 and may not be able to do it. I had a Tidal subscription for awhile and was streaming through a media player in my house to a tube amp through single driver speakers. I bought some albums that were FLAC and tried running them in the car with the thumb drive with no luck. Message was that the format was not available or something to that effect. FLAC files are quite large but with modern storage capabilities, it isn't really an issue any longer. Maybe direct streaming from a service like Tidal?

IMO, if you enjoy listening to music, yes the upgraded system is worth.

I'm not saying that because its so great. I'm saying that because most people rarely go back and update their stereo system after getting the car. I've seen a lot of people (including myself) get the base system just because they want to update it to something aftermarket. However, that rarely happens due to various reasons (not trusting a shop to leave the car with, no time to leave the car with a shop for a while to do it, not trusting a shop to do good work that will still look factory, etc).

So just go head and get the upgraded stereo if you enjoy music. If you decide to upgrade it later, you still can but at least you'll have a decent system if that never happens.

I have the 380W in my XJL and the 770W in my F-Type. I hate to say it but if anything, I prefer the sound of the 380W. Perhaps it's the small space of the F-Type but it just doesn't sound that great IMO

We have the opposite - my f type has the 380 and my missus xe has the 770. It sounds heaps better in the XE, rich and deep whereas the f type is a bit tinny and hard, but I agree the size of the cabin is key.

My entire music collection is digitized in FLAC format. I have converted a number of FLAC music files to Apple lossless format and have them loaded onto an old iPod that leave in the centre console, connected via USB. I also have some lossless files loaded on my iPhone that I play over the Bluetooth connection. IMO the wired connection to the iPod provides superior sound performance. It is also important to optimize your audio settings, including the surround sound mode and also play around with the balance settings to get the best sound.

What year is your car?