Just got my Superb few days ago. It has the upgraded audio system with Bolero. Has anyone else had any problems with the bass from the system?

On mine it seems that the basa is very flat and not very strong. I need to enable Dance music equ from the settings and select the bass up to the 3/4 of the range to get something that about corresponds the realistic bass levels for the music. If I use linear equ setting then it's really hard to get any decent sound quality.

Does anyone else think this as a problem? I think the non-upgraded system gave better bass response than the upgrade one. Can there be a fault in the system?

Could be a fault, but it's very hard to say without hearing it, and comparing to another similar system. Is the music on an audio CD, or are we talking MP3?

Another difference for most of us here is that we will be using the Columbus as the source. I'm not sure if there are any other Superb II owners here who have the Bolero with upgraded sound system.

Personally, I find the linear setting works fine for all the music I listen, including my dance and trance stuff.

I'd be happy to try playing the track(s) you are having problems with on my system. PM me if you like, and we can sort out sending the track across (for testing purposes only).

Bagpuss.

Thanks for the info. I have mostly played MP3s but I could try out with the audioCD as well. I might send you some tracks if I cannot get this figured out.

I don't think it is a problem with the MP3 because they play great on my home system. For example a really nice song Pendulum - Hold you color (YouTube - pendulum hold your colour) requires the dance settings and much above average bass setting. Even with this setting the bass is not really strong but something I would expect from upgraded audio.

I tried playing around with the settings and I also noticed that the back speakers are nothing like in quality than the front ones. I wonder if it's possible that I have normal spec back speakers because Sound system in my car is optional extra. Maybe they forgot to upgade the back seat as well :confused:. Can anyone confirm that the 4 back speakers are different when you have the upgraded sound system?

PS. I do not use the youtube version of the song but the good quality MP3.

The rear speakers are upgraded as well, otherwise they simply couldn't handle the power output from the underseat amplifier.

Bagpuss.

Although mine hasn't arrived yet, I have similar experiences with the car I demoed...

I currently drive an Alfa GT with "Bose soundsystem" and although this is far from high-end, it produces _much_ better sound than the upgraded soundsystem in the Superb... I had the same problem: bass is very, very flat and at higher volumes (not _that_ high!) simply distorts as if it were a cheap transistor radio. I wasn't impressed at all.

At first I thought the system in the demo car was faulty, but then I started reading similar stories (on several forums, now including this one) so it simply seems as if the soundsystem isn't that great (well, at least doesn't handle bass very well)...

Personally, I have bought me an extra (active) sub: the Pioneer TS-WX77A. The car arrives in about 2 months, will let everyone know if that solves the "problem".

We must remember, that however fancy name Superb`s sound system has, it`s not "high tech", so those music lovers probably won`t give it much credit.....

It`s quite good, but far from excellent.

Just got my Superb few days ago. It has the upgraded audio system with Bolero. Has anyone else had any problems with the bass from the system?

On mine it seems that the basa is very flat and not very strong. I need to enable Dance music equ from the settings and select the bass up to the 3/4 of the range to get something that about corresponds the realistic bass levels for the music. If I use linear equ setting then it's really hard to get any decent sound quality.

Does anyone else think this as a problem? I think the non-upgraded system gave better bass response than the upgrade one. Can there be a fault in the system?

Hi there, the bass your hearing from the Superb upgrade system is controlled via a little amplifier so its smooth bass, in the ordinary bolero non upgrade radio what your hearing in distortion and resonance its a loose bass so you may think its better but really its not but I suppose its an acquired taste.

For less than €500 you really cant expect Mark Levinson or Lexicon Logic 7 sound its a pity Skoda dont offer the Dynaudio upgrade offered in the Vw Passat which I think is about £1000 GBP.These danish boys know how to make hi fi.

Hi there, the bass your hearing from the Superb upgrade system is controlled via a little amplifier so its smooth bass, in the ordinary bolero non upgrade radio what your hearing in distortion and resonance its a loose bass so you may think its better but really its not but I suppose its an acquired taste.

For less than €500 you really cant expect Mark Levinson or Lexicon Logic 7 sound its a pity Skoda dont offer the Dynaudio upgrade offered in the Vw Passat which I think is about £1000 GBP.These danish boys know how to make hi fi.

One more thing turn off all Eq s as the processors in this Blaupunkt made unit would not be up to much and the turn up the Bass up a notch and you should feel the difference then smoother cleaner bass and less distortion

I know it's not very hifi what you get but I did expect more. You can get quite strong bass with playing around with the eq but the problem is that it only affects certain frequencies.

You can boost only low frequencies so for example rock music doesn't play well on any settings. The non-upgraded version gave much more balanced frequency response than the upgraded system.

I must get to the dealer and try out different music on their test cars. I cannot believe that the upgraded sound system is as poor as it is in my car. I could try addind a subwoofer but the problem really is the mid-bass not low frequencies :(

Just went to the car and took out the amplifier casing. I thought there might be some settings to adjust different channel strenghts. Nothing... just a small amp with an adapter full of wires. The power input to the amp is very very very thin btw. The power cable is the same used in speaker wiring :eek:

Just out of curiosity, I went out and bought the Pendulum album. I've encoded it to MP3 with Lame at 320kbps VBR, joint stereo. Quite a good album, actually.

Anyway, I've transferred it to the Columbus, and I do see what you mean about the bass in Hold your Colour.

However, I'm still not convinced that it indicates a fault in your sound system.

I picked another track, Slam, which has some good bass in it. With all the controls set to normal, and the EQ to linear, the track plays back with a very well controlled bass, but it's still not go that 'pit of your stomach' kick to it. I then adjusted the bass level upwards by three notches, and the mid range by two. At this point, you can really feel the bass, and the rear view mirror was actually vibrating. With the the volume set to exactly half, this provided a very good listening experience, with no obvious distortion.

However, when I play 'Hold your Colour' with the same settings, the bass still sounded very weak.

I'm left thinking that the low bass levels are either down to the way the track is mixed, or that the frequencies are beyond the low end of what the sound system can comfortably reproduce.

So, your sound system is probably working okay, but that this particular track just doesn't play well on it.

Bagpuss.

Thanks Bagbuss for really putting effort with helping me with this problem.

The track I mentioned was just an example of the tracks I listen (including Slam). You can hear the effect better by trying out some music where the low end doesn't go that low. For example Papa Roach or similar.

I don't think my system is faulty anymore but the car is superb in any other way so this is a bit annoying. The good thing in the upgraded sound system is that it's quite simple now to replace the amps / add extra woofers now than the wiring is easy accessible. I think the music would play better if I would get some extra amplification for the 2 bass speakers on the front and maybe to the rear as well. The bass is flat all the way on the mid range with equ off so this might do the trick.

Let us know how you get on with that.

As mine is a company car, I'm not allowed to install any aftermarket hifi kit, which is why I went with the sound system. For the most part, I'm very pleased with it, and it's certainly a step up from the factory fit in my previous Octy vRS.

I still might be tempted to add an extra sub, if I could do it in a way that is totally reversible.

Bagpuss.

I still might be tempted to add an extra sub, if I could do it in a way that is totally reversible.

Mounting an active sub in the boot should be pretty painless and very reversible. You need power and a extra wire from the back speakers (seeing there is no actual possibility to hook up the sub to the amp/headunit :thumbdwn:), if I'm not mistaken.

Does anyone have any technical specs for the upgraded speakers and the amp? Is it actually a power amp or a DSP?

The bog standard Octavia II system sounds like it performs better than the Superb sound system. Playing the pendulum tracks at a decent level makes the interior mirror shake and on occasions, even the door mirrors get a rattle on. The bass is fairly clean and isn't distorted at higher volumes.

I was considering the sound system on a new Superb but reading this I will keep the dough. Maybe a Dynaudio retrofit is on the cards :P

Check out this thread:

http://briskoda.net/superb-ii/upgraded-sound-system/124607/

where we had the discussion over specs. etc. before anyone had taken delivery of a car.

Personally, I still think the sound system is worth the money, as for 99% of the music I listen to, it gives a better sound than the standard setup.

If you are thinking of going aftermarket, of with different amps and speakers, then don't bother with the sound system. It will just add complication to any aftermarket install you do.

Bagpuss.

Thanks for the info, I don't frequent this part of the forum too often what with being an Octavia driver and all

The Superb II combi is top of my list and I spend a long time in the car so ICE is a high priority. The basic Octavia setup with the Columbus is very good indeed but judging by the tech specs the 10 speaker sound system IS worth the extra dosh

Going slighty OT for a sec:

How do you find the treble? It can be overpowering on the Octavia 2 making the music sound a little 'bright' especially at higher volumes. I am curious to know if the Superb has inherited the same flaw :confused:

My previous car was an 07-plate vRS Estate, so I definitely know what you mean about the treble.

I've not heard a standard Superb, so can't comment about the treble in that respect. The sound system setup doesn't seem to have inherited the Octy problem. I find the sound to be well balanced, and most of the time don't adjust any of the settings at all. I leave bass and treble at their default settings, and the EQ on linear.

I think the better balance is probably down to higher quality speakers, and better crossovers.

Bagpuss.

Thanks for that

I am constantly messing with the mid and treble in an attempt to soften the harsh tweeter output. I am even considering drastic action as in modding/changing the tweeters to soften them down a little.

Sorry for pulling this thread off topic

A friend of mine did this. I believe he used some Infinity Kappa components, and replaced all the front speakers. Sorted the sound out very nicely.

Check out this thread:

http://briskoda.net/octavia-ii/octavia-ii-poor-sounding-stereo-fix/118870/

for details of a similar install. Personally, I don't like this chaps solution, as the tweeters are mounted on the surface of the door trim. My friend mounted his in place of the originals, so that the whole thing looks factory.

Bagpuss.

I fitted some Infinity speakers to a car of mine many moons ago and they performed really well so I might be tempted once i've finished the kitchen:rolleyes:

I also have the Bass problem with my new Skoda Superb. I have the sound system in combination with a Columbus. I've played around with all kinds of settings, but every time when I'm setting the volume a little bit too loud, the Bass is vibrating. It's really anoying. I'm going to have it checked by a professional car sound company to see what we can do about it, because I think that Skoda did a bad job with this sound system.

One question for those of you who agreed that middle bass was very thin. Was your car quite new?

When I reported this problem the car was only a few days old so not very many hours of music had been played throught the speakers. I think the sound has got a lot better and I don't actually hear this problem anymore. I wonder if it's just my ears or do these speakers take a while to start performing better... :confused:

One question for those of you who agreed that middle bass was very thin. Was your car quite new?

When I reported this problem the car was only a few days old so not very many hours of music had been played throught the speakers. I think the sound has got a lot better and I don't actually hear this problem anymore. I wonder if it's just my ears or do these speakers take a while to start performing better... :confused:

No i think you are right a lot of the harshness that i spent ages trying to tune out of the system has gone in mine as the system has run in

Very disappointed with the EQ waste of time having it on , as i spend a fair bit of time waiting in the car i find the surround sound when watching a movie fantastic though

Long term plans will be to dissconnect the rear door speakers , fit a sub in the boot replace the standard amp and fit some rainbow speakers in the front doors

Might try one of those small infinity active subs , might be able to modify the cubby box on the lh side of the boot to accomodate it

All sound systems take time to burn in, at home or in cars - I had the same experience with an upgraded system in our old Passat. It got much better over time.

Anyone (some of you dealers out there for instance) know if it would be feasible to order the VW Dynaudio system in a new Superb?