..........CRAP!!
For a car worth almost a 100 G's (new) it sure doesn't have the sound system I would expect.
My buddy has a Merc E 320 and his stereo has 14 speakers and sounds like pure heaven.
My Dodge Ram has better sound then my Jag!
Anyone else not happy with the music box?

 

Have a 2009 XKR with Bowers & Wilkins and I think the sound system is fantastic. No complaints here.

 

I have virtually the same car and agree 100%.

My iPod is my primary music source and I can't believe how good the Eagles sound at 70 mph with the top down! Of course, the sound quality is a lot better with the top up, but to crank it up at 70mph and still be able to clearly hear Life in the Fast Lane is, well,

 

my xkr is much better than my 7 series. very happy with my sound system and I have convertible

 

Love mine too! Have Bowers & Wilkins as well. Love the separate adjustment for the sub.

 

Mine is the Alpine.

 

I had the Bowers and Wilkins in my first XF (2008) and I thought it was wildly overrated. It sounded muddy if I was playing anything with a decent bass beat, so I'd have to turn the subwoofers off. Apparently it sounds great playing jazz, but that isnt my cup of tea at all. I had the standard stereo in the second XF which was good, but not great. Certainly nowhere near as good as the volvo systems I used to have pre-jag. I have the bowers and wilkins in the XKR which is much better in this car than it was in the XF. I'm not sure whether it is a change in the stereo, or the shape of the cabin. Still not as good as the prologic systems in the volvos, but then with the XKR I'm more interested in listening to the engine than the stereo anyway.

 

yep.. same here... almost embarrassing...

 

Wow, I am quite happy with the Alpine in my XK. Friends have thought it rocks as well.

 

I hear you on volvo. I had an s60r that would rival anything. It had more bottom end than my jag but not as defined. My newer e class is nowhere near as good as my jag and I'm amazed at the sound of the jag with the top down!

OP- I'd be willing to bet that you have a blown speaker or two. ..

 

Everyone's ears and tastes are different though and most systems will tend to sound better with certain types of music than others. I love my B&W system but I've never heard an Alpine in the same model of car so can't comment between the two. Most of my music is of some variety of electronica or other so a lot of it is bass-heavy, I certainly can't say the bass in mine sounds muddy to my ears.

@Versatile, what source are you using for the music and what sorts of music (give examples of albums if you can) are you playing on it?

 

I have yet to find an OEM (ie lowest bidder) system that can match a sub-$2000 setup put together by a respectable car stereo shop.
That said, the Jags system despite the poor sound-stage, has better sound quality than my old Audi/Bose or my Lexus/Mark-Levinson. I too wish it was better, considering some of the custom setups I have built in the past which spoiled me. But hey, I'm old now and Classic Rock does just fine at 80% volume!

 

My 2013 XKRs B&W sounds great and I was actually suprised by the sound quality.

 

Sorry 8bit, the Bowers & Wilkins was muddy in the XF, but seems much better in the XKR. Strange, because when it came out in the XF it won audio of the year etc, but I thought it was very underwhelming in that car. And I'm a big beat techno guy, so it does get a bit of a workout. And r rated - I had the s60R as well (best stereo and seats ever), and before that the c70T5 coupe which had an awesome pro logic system too. Volvo cant get the ride right, and they understeer like mad, but there are some things they do really well. I'd think the mid range stereo in my missus' s40T5 is much better than the system that was in the XF portfolio I had (not bowers and wilkins).

 

Radio and Sirius sound awful. But CD sounds ok. I don't have aux input, so I don't know about that.

 

Bose car audio is awful.

I do miss my Audison amps and Focal Utopia be 3 ways though...

 

My Sat, CD, iPod all sound great. I get poor regular radio reception though, even on close stations.

 

My premium Alpine sounds great in mine. I'm not one who wants the deep base and to "rattle" the trunk and windows either.

 

I have the same issue with poor reception of the am/fm radio. Basically can't even use those. I recall something about it possibly being a grounding problem but I have no idea where to start looking for a bad ground connection. Anyone have any ideas? Other than that the B&W system sounds great on Sat and CD.

 

This is definitely a personal preference kind of thing. The same system can be outstanding to one person's ear and intolerable to another's - and both are accurate. There are things you can do to change it if you're in the latter category. YouTube 'XKR Audio' to see what I did, search the forum for words like audio, aftermarket, upgrade and the like, or PM me if you're thinking about upgrading and I'll share some learnings.