I've just had some *rsehole reverse into my beloved V8 XF then flee the scene - the car's a total write-off (to say nothing of my insurance premiums). So I'm in the market for another one. The thing is I'm a bit confused about the stereo options for the XF here in the UK. Mine had a very very loud stereo, with a subwoofer in the boot, and I liked it a lot. I *think* it was a 13? speaker system upgrade from the original, which I seem to recall was called the Meridion. I think I have (had) the Bowers Wilkins. I've seen another XF advertised with Harmon Kardon - a good manufacturer. Does anybody know what the options were for these?

Was it Meridion (default)
Harmon Kardon 8 speaker
Bowers Wilkins 13 speaker

Or some other set of options. Sorry for dimwitted question - I've not managed to track down a useful answer. Incidentally I'm looking to buy a used XF so in the 2008 to 2012 sort of category.

 

Number of speakers and manufacturer name are just marketing BS. In my experience, HK (which is owned by Samsung) is not very good. The Meridian systems in my Pace's aren't bad and oddly enough, the base version in my S sounds better than the premium "Surround" version in my R-Sport. The Meridian system (surround or base) in the Type is just awful, thus the full blown aftermarket upgrade. The system in my XF isn't named but looks like it's got B&W drivers (Kevlar) and a Ford amp. It's a fully active crossover system in the doors and has a decent sub under the spare. It could use a better DSP to correct the sound stage. You really need to listen to the cars to make any informed decision.

 

I've got a Bowers nd Wilkins unit in my XF. It wasn't the orginal as fitted unit when I got the XF new in 2008. The B&W unit was purchased new in 2021 and the car audio supplier was requested to ensure it could be installed without any alteration to the vehicle at the same time as the infortainment system was upgraded to accommodate apple car play. The B&W system is superb. Recently we also brought a volvo S90 T6 and this also features a B&W system also producing excellent quality sound so for me I wouldn't go past B&W. I'm no hi-fi enthusiast but just enjoy lovely rich sound that the B&W unitdelivers. I do ultra long distance cruising in my XF and in September will undertake a 10,000km transcontinental round trip in the XF. Having both the OEM fitted CD stacker and Apple Car Play streaming with the B&W system will make for a great xperience.
I would imagine especially in the UK that second hand B&W systems are avialable so if it is that your replacement XF doesn't have a B&W system acquiring a used unit and having i installed caould be an option. Good luck and terribly sorry to hear about the accident. I'd be devastated.

 

New Jag owner but long time Audio and Video enthusiast. The first thing Imdid when I bought my vehicle was researching upgrading the audio. Not such good news here because everything revolves around the proprietary jaguar info center. The other important consideration is the actual vehicle and how the system was originally designed. Although upgrading between speaker and manufacturer quality may help, the original system and specs were set up and installed for each particular vehicle. Before doing anything I would obtain a good audio equalizer and play around with various settings. Jaguar lacks big time with their audio settings from what I have seen. That’s my next step I am working on myself. After setup, it can be hidden and hopefully never adjusted.