Hi, im just going through the process of deciding what to have in a new build Octavia vRS Estate, a stumbling block, in fact theres a few but i'll stick to one subject for now...

What options are there for Audio, it seems from the skoda website, that nothing more than a standard 4 speaker system is available, although on a Yeti theres an 8 speaker option. does anyone know any different?? and is the columbus head unit better in the audio department compared to the bolero? hopefully the same as the 1500 quid 'tomtom; columbus has got me scratching my head over its value.

The vRS has 4 speakers like all of the Octavias but then has an extra 4 so 8 in total.

I was unsure about the sound in the vRS coming from the standard 10 speakers in my A3 which also comes standard with a dedicated bass. My worries though were unfounded, the speakers and Bolero are great, nice and loud, nice and punchy. Just listen to In For The Kill (Skream Remix) in an Octy and you'll see what I mean.

There should be a "Sound System" option available which gives you an extra 4 speakers (12 in total) and an external amplifier which is located under the passenger seat. On top of this, the original door speakers are of a higher quality than the originals.

Well worth the money in my humble opinion.

There should be a "Sound System" option available which gives you an extra 4 speakers (12 in total) and an external amplifier which is located under the passenger seat. On top of this, the original door speakers are of a higher quality than the originals.

Well worth the money in my humble opinion.

Yes. I have the 12 speaker package with digital equalizer on my Scout, and it sounds wonderful on Columbus.

Is that package a factory fit option? or after market? I do not see a audio upgrade option in the brochure.

Factory fit: RA1 - SOUND SYSTEM (12 loudspeakers, digitalequalizer) - 324 Euro. I'm in Europe so check with dealer is it available in UK spec, but i know for sure that Yeti in UK has this option.

The vRS has 4 speakers like all of the Octavias but then has an extra 4 so 8 in total.

I was unsure about the sound in the vRS coming from the standard 10 speakers in my A3 which also comes standard with a dedicated bass. My worries though were unfounded, the speakers and Bolero are great, nice and loud, nice and punchy. Just listen to In For The Kill (Skream Remix) in an Octy and you'll see what I mean.

Can't agree there. Bolero with stock speakers is nothing to write home about.

If you are able to get any sort of upgrade it would be better.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/163318-oct-iibolero-sound-too-bright/

Thanks for those replies, a mixed bag of views, its a pity Skoda dont offer the Dynaudio option like VW but I guess they cant be too similar, good to hear that its an 8 speaker system, not that more is better but at least in an estate it should fill out the space better.

Thanks for those replies, a mixed bag of views, its a pity Skoda dont offer the Dynaudio option like VW but I guess they cant be too similar, good to hear that its an 8 speaker system, not that more is better but at least in an estate it should fill out the space better.

Sadly the sound system upgrade is not available in the UK I had the dynaudio upgrade in my previous volvos and was concerned how the stock octavia system would compare. It's certainly not as good but it's adequate for my ears and not as bad as I feared.

Sarge.

you'll be more than happy - as for columbus over bolero - well - depends if you want sat nav in a way that's nice and clean or if you wanna save your cash for bluetooth, mdi and a decent tomtom.

Hi, im just going through the process of deciding what to have in a new build Octavia vRS Estate, a stumbling block, in fact theres a few but i'll stick to one subject for now...

What options are there for Audio, it seems from the skoda website, that nothing more than a standard 4 speaker system is available, although on a Yeti theres an 8 speaker option. does anyone know any different?? and is the columbus head unit better in the audio department compared to the bolero? hopefully the same as the 1500 quid 'tomtom; columbus has got me scratching my head over its value.

You can not have factory fit option " Sound Sistem"(12 speakers and digital amplifier) whit Colombus.

I have " Sound Sistem" whit Bolero and is great sound.

Matjaz

You can not have factory fit option " Sound Sistem"(12 speakers and digital amplifier) whit Colombus.

I have " Sound Sistem" whit Bolero and is great sound.

Matjaz

Depends on what country you are in. In the UK the Sound System isn't available on any Octavia...

Can the extra bits be retro fitted?

Can the extra bits be retro fitted?

good question, but I suspect the parts from the dealer would cost more than a set of Focal or Rainbow components!

Have you guys got super powers or something? :S

The bolero is the best ICE Ive ever had in a car

I love it....complete with 8 speakers..

Just checked "Skoda" website, no option for more speakers or amplifier only head unit upgrades.

Well for what it's worth my view of the Bolero/8 speakers is mixed.

Good points - Bolero is a joy to operate, nothing fiddly. The 8 speakers seem enough to my ears and the sound is well mixed inside the car. It goes loud. The ability to vary the volume gain with any speed increase is a nice touch (as is the ability to vary the start up volume to your own taste). It takes SD cards. The 6 cd changer works fine. Voices sound natural enough (so R4 listeners should be happy!).

Bad points: The 'equaliser' is in reality just 3 settings, bass, mid and treble. Music can sound harsh (rather than distorted) at higer volumes, which I think is a speaker issue, certainly for me reducing the midrange setting on the equaliser helped a lot here. There are problems with the 'mix' setting on MP3s via SD cards depending on how many layers down a track is (see other threads on this for solutions) as the Bolero doesn't seem to like to read down too many layers.

Overall it is good and I like it, and it is better than a lot of car syetems out there, but yes, of course you can get better quality sound if you pay a lot more I'm sure...

There are quite a few threads about the sonic ability of the Bolero and having had motors before with decent incar systems have to admit to being a little dissapointed in its lack of real grunt! It just sounds so over bright that you end up changing the music or becoming sensible and reducing the volume.

From a functionality point of view I cant fault it though! As has been said in previous threads there are ways and means to create a better balance using 3rd party bits of kit!

The cause of all the evil is the tweeters - they are basically crap - too fierce by far and this harshness is aggravated by their placement. There is a thread on here about replacing the crossover (sic) network but this just drops a chunk of the frequency spectrum out of the equation and smooths the treble to untrained ears.

The biggest single upgrade you could make would be to junk them and replace with something a little more suitable. Personally I'm moving the tweeters to the dash and firing them at the windscreen. This will be part of a Focal based front speaker upgrade. I'm just gonna discionect the rear door speakers altogether!

I wonder are there any better quality speakers/tweeters available from the VW/AUDI spare parts list that would be compatible with the Octy mounting points, I'm thinking maybe Dynaudio or Bose ??

I wonder are there any better quality speakers/tweeters available from the VW/AUDI spare parts list that would be compatible with the Octy mounting points, I'm thinking maybe Dynaudio or Bose ??

why stick with stock speakers. Look at after market speakers, will be much better if you want hi fi quality sound.

I wonder are there any better quality speakers/tweeters available from the VW/AUDI spare parts list that would be compatible with the Octy mounting points, I'm thinking maybe Dynaudio or Bose ??

Or the harman kardon stuff out of the Golfs?