Whats the hours on your system? Is it still pretty new? Ive heard three now and the Octy with no miles on sounded harsh. It was having its PDI but I was allowed to do some listening on the Canton. The other two were both older, so presumably having had quite a few hours through the system - these two sound smoother and flatter overall - not as sharp or sparkly at the top end of the first one I heard. Just a thought - maybe it needs a fair amount of bedding in time like my home hifi speakers?

Actually having said that Ive just also realised that the first car had an Amundsen and the other two dealer cars with miles on had Columbus as the head unit also!

I can say that mine has improved quite a lot from its early days. So give it time, it will get better!

+1

I have the Canton in my vRS Estate, I'm with Pumatron, quality sound, very happy.

Yes ditto. Canton upgrade is worthy of the cash and gets better with age.

It does sound less impressive when new.

Two things that are positive:-

The canton will sound better than the standard system; but then it ought to with better speakers, amplification and a subwoofer.

You seem to get a reasonable amount of improved hardware for your 400 quid, 490w of additional amplification via a dedicated digital DSP amp, uprated speakers etc

However......and its a debatable however.....is the cars build integrity any better to accomodate the vastly more powerful output.....im thinking ratting door trims and other trim items here....ive found the standard systems acheieve rattles well enough as it is.

Also whilst im not dissing it and its a nice option for those that want it.....but is the Octavia (or any Skoda for that matter) in desperate need of a £400 hifi upgrade option?

For me the standard system was good enough to warrant saving the £400, louder with more bass and a little less distortion was not that high on my list of priorities to be honest.

Also whilst im not dissing it and its a nice option for those that want it.....but is the Octavia (or any Skoda for that matter) in desperate need of a £400 hifi upgrade option?

For me the standard system was good enough to warrant saving the £400, louder with more bass and a little less distortion was not that high on my list of priorities to be honest.

This is one of those things that is always going to be subjective and higher priority for some than others. I spend 3 1/2 - 4 hours a day stuck in my car commuting to and from work and it is only enjoying the music that keeps me sane. It's also the place I'm most likely to listen to music. I'm also a bit of a stickler for sound quality, though not at any price (I wouldn't spend 000s on an upgrade). The sound system in my O2 is pretty good for a standard system, but I miss the enhanced sound quality I have had in previous cars, so for me once I'd heard the difference between the standard and Canton setups, I had no hesitation in adding it to my order and saving up a few more pennies to pay for it. My sense was that £400 was a small outlay for a much better sound with no distortion and because the bass was being generated by a subwoofer, none of the trim rattles the standard system produced even at low bass and volume levels.

 

I'm really looking forward to enjoying my iPod collection on the way to work. If I ever get the car...

The brochure makes mention that if the Canton system is taken wit the Colubu system then it is able to play 5.1 surround sound.... Im guessing this would have to be done whilst stationary any probably with a DVD?

 

Has anyone tried this? Does it work? How does it sound?

5.1 surround isn't the exclusive preserve of video.

5.1 surround isn't the exclusive preserve of video.

 

I suppose as long as the input is 5.1 compatibile it should work. Have you got it Dodgy?

I have Canton, but not Columbus. But you can buy audio content that is in 5.1, or I guess you could play 5.1 video content with audio only when on the move.

 

If it matters, I think Canton is easily worth the cost, in my car it sounds really warm and involving. I love it!

I've ordered the Canton on mine, I don't expect any trim rattle as the low frequency routes to the sub as has already been mentioned, however if there are any issues my local car audio place will put the relevant materials in the door panels etc for a reasonable sum.

Thanks for all the replies.  On the matter of the bass routing to the sub: having felt the door panels when the stereo is on, I would say that the front doors give out a lot of the bass (certainly in the Canton front passenger optimised selection) and it is these which cause the rattles.  The back door units don't sound like the lowest bass notes go through them, so I guess that the bass in the back is all from the sub.

 

The sound does seem to be bedding in, however.  I may have a chat with the local dealer to see what they say: maybe some bits and pieces just need tightening up.

I'm keen on the Canton add-on, however the configurator is telling me you have to also have a Bolero and/or satnav as well. Does anyone know what the rules are? I don't want satnav, just the audio upgrade.

This is one of those things that is always going to be subjective and higher priority for some than others. I spend 3 1/2 - 4 hours a day stuck in my car commuting to and from work and it is only enjoying the music that keeps me sane. It's also the place I'm most likely to listen to music. I'm also a bit of a stickler for sound quality, though not at any price (I wouldn't spend 000s on an upgrade). The sound system in my O2 is pretty good for a standard system, but I miss the enhanced sound quality I have had in previous cars, so for me once I'd heard the difference between the standard and Canton setups, I had no hesitation in adding it to my order and saving up a few more pennies to pay for it. My sense was that £400 was a small outlay for a much better sound with no distortion and because the bass was being generated by a subwoofer, none of the trim rattles the standard system produced even at low bass and volume levels.

I'm really looking forward to enjoying my iPod collection on the way to work. If I ever get the car...

Having had my car a week now have to honestly say the standard 8 speaker system does actually sound very good; its just not immensely loud.

Im still convinced the car is doing something to supress the output, possibly a hidden/protected infotainment coding.

Having had my car a week now have to honestly say the standard 8 speaker system does actually sound very good; its just not immensely loud.

Im still convinced the car is doing something to supress the output, possibly a hidden/protected infotainment coding.

 

Its possible that it has build in limiter and/or compressor. So when there are only - lets say - vocals with little soft music it gets louder as sound processor amplifies volume and when the bass and full music kicks in the sound processor compresses/limits the sound which results in weaker output power. So the output power remains "the same" (you need a lot less power for vocals than for bass ).  

Do you need the Bolero for the Canton upgrade or will it work with the standard stereo?

hi, I think the Canton upgrade is worth it if you don't intend to modify anything on the audio system and want a better sound than stock system.

The sound actually improves after some time.

 

now a question: what are your favourite sound setup/settings and for which kind of music do you use it?

Do you need the Bolero for the Canton upgrade or will it work with the standard stereo?

The bolero is the standard stereo. Or it is in the uk.

The bolero is the standard stereo. Or it is in the uk.

Depending on the spec level it is not standard here in Poland. You get it with elegance as standard, lower trims need to pay extra.

Edited 25 February, 201412 yr by macaaron

Depending on the spec level it is not standard here in Poland. You get it with elegance as standard, lower trims need to pay extra.

 

What do you get as standard then?

In Ireland it's listed as a "Swing" which is the basic spec unit but with the Ambition you get extra speakers. Sounds like the head unit is still a Swing though so no Bolero. I presume the Canton needs the Bolero?

What does the canton actually consist of?  An active sub in the boot, fed from the speaker line outputs of the bolero?  I assume it's much more then that but have never bothered to ask.

Amplifier under the passenger seat, sub in the boot, better speakers in the doors and an extra in the centre of the dash.

Following your wise words ppl I have opted for Canton as well - just confirmed order modification.