I was wondering if any of you ever had an opportunity to compare the sound of the reference 1200 watt B&W speaker system of say a 2012 XJL vs that of the newer Meridian speaker system? What did you think? Any difference or preference from one to the other. I know that in home audio, both B&W and Meridian are highly respected.

Many Thanks,
No Regrets

 

I have B&W system in my xj . I had a loner xj with meridian and it sounded better then my B&W.

 

Hi Miamijag,
Thank you for your reply! Out of curiosity, is your B&W system the 1200 Watt version? Whether it's true or not, I have no idea...but I have read that the 1200 watt system is worth the premium.

Thanks again.
No Regrets

 

Hey No Regrets. I owned a 2012 XJ SC with the B&W sound system and I just switched cars to a 2014 XJL with the Meridian system. My opinion is the Meridian is hands down better. I really enjoy the improved sound in this car.

Rob

 

Hi No Regrets. My current car has the 1200W B&W system, and recently I had a loaner 2014 XJ with the 850W Meridian system and was able to compare the two audio systems. I mostly listen to Heavy Metal (in addition to Classical and Opera, yea, I know, my taste in music is weird), and was able to test some of my Iron Maiden CDs in both cars.

I will hands down say that the 1200W B&W system knocks the ears of the Meridian system. This is my personal opinion, and while I am no audiophile, I do appreciate the range and depth of a good audio system, and was very pleased with how the B&W system compared to the Meridian. I felt like I was in a musical hall/theater when I heard the B&W system, which I did not feel when I was in the Meridian audio car.

Btw, I have also driven loaner cars with the base systems, both, B&W and Meridian, and I will say that in these cases, the base Meridian seemed to be better than the base B&W system.


FYI, even my service advisor agrees that the 1200W B&W system is way better than the 850W Meridian. However, the Power drain for that system, combined with the power of the speakers and corresponding vibrations which they caused, were some of the reasons why Jag switched to Meridian with the lower wattage.

 

Yes my B&W is 1200 watt system but the sound is not that good to meridian . I lessen different music styles and the meridian was producing better sound

 

I can understand the vibrations rational which is my one of my only complaints with the B&W system beside the under usage of the subwoofers and the shotty make of the woofers in door panel which I have had replaced several times because I have blown them.

 

its insane to opt to pay for a upgraded system. I have no clue as to what you would pay for it but you can add a 7 channel Kicker amp for 259, add a sub and some separates for $2k max installed.

 

Agree completely mate...I have had two speakers replaced as well, and I still get some speaker noise/vibrations during low and deep frequencies, but overall I cannot complain...I love the experience of the musical hall when I listen to music in my car.


@Polarisnavy, the upgraded system cost roughly $2,200-2,300 when it was offered as an option. I did not pay that of course, but given what I know and my experience of the system as compared to the base one, I would gladly pay that amount for this system.

 

It would be interesting to see if the people with battery issues were the same ones with the 1200 watt speaker systems?

 

I am an audiophile and so far the consensus is Meridian sounds better than B&W. Why? Check out the following specs --

B&W: 1200 watts, 20 speakers, Dolby 7.1 Surround, Audyssey MultiEQ XT
Meridan Surround: 825 watts, 20 speakers, Meridian 'Active DSP' Technologies
Meridian Reference: 1300 watts, 26 (upgraded) speakers, Meridian 'Active DSP' Technologies
Meridian Signature Reference (2013+ Range Rover only): 1700 watts, 29 speakers, Meridian Active DSP and Trifield 3D

I came across this critical rave of the Meridian Surround ("the best car-audio system I've heard") -Meridian Audio in the Jaguar XJ Sedan | The Absolute Sound
So imagine what the Meridian Reference might sound like!

Keep in mind that B&W is a maker of speakers and outsourced their DSP from Audyssey, while Meridian has been in speakers *and* DSP business since 1991, as well as high-end portable DACs (the $2000 Meridian Prime headphone amplifier).

Anyone with 'Meridian Reference' in their XJ please raise your hand!

 

More speakers or watts isn't always better... I would rather have quality 2.1 setup than crappy 7.2 setup in my home theatre. My other car has over $3000 in audio upgrades and it has 2 pairs of components and 2 12" subs. So grand total of 10 speakers with 600W RMS to components & 1200W RMS to subs. If I transfer those wattage to peak; It will be 1200W to components and 2500W to subs. I wonder how will any car company rate that system? Speaker counts & wattage is for marketing folks.

 

I dont have experience with the XJ, but I have had the B & W setup in 2 XFs and my current XKR, and the meridian setup in my wife's new XE.

It really depends on the music that you like. The B & W is better for acoustic guitar. I'm told it is great for Jazz but I wouldnt know, I dont listen to it myself. It is below average for rock or bigbeat techno (eg Crystal Method/Fluke/Death in Vegas/Bassnectar), as the bass is muddy.

The Meridian system was the best Jag system I had heard. It is much more like a decent volvo setup, suited for rock and techno, maybe not so much for the acoustics. It suits our tastes much better. We have the 360W setup in the XE and it is plenty loud enough, we usually cant get the vlume up past a third. It might be different in a bigger car, though.

 

The 1200w B&W system (radio and amp) were Harmon Kardon and had fairly high THD (total harmonic distortion) of about 10%. The Meridian radio and amp @825 watts is very low THD of .1% and lower wattage, you can get it just as loud as the B&W system but there is less underlying distortion, vibrations, and blown speakers. I had a musician in the XJ a couple of weeks ago and allowed him to turn up the volume to an ungodly level. It was clean and no clipping and, both, he and I were impressed at the quality of sound that was produced that was as good as better home systems