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Canton sound quality improvement help, and does it change with different headunits?

docl
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docl Explorer

docl

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I have the Bolero radio and Canton and must admit I am a little disappointed by the sound quality, and especially the equalizer possibilities in the Bolero/Canton combination.

I have found it very difficult to have one setting that fits most music.. In generel it is the treble I have issues with, the bass is great. But with the treble I am unable to have a setting where most music sounds good, a lot of songs end up having a very loud whiny (in lack of better words) treble sound. The surround setting seems to make it worse so I have turned it down quite a bit which helped. But when lowering the treble and mid level below 0 a lot of music sounds to flat and lacks the treble. So not really a perfect allround setting for my ears :-)

Any good advice on this very subjective matter?

And also very important.. Does anyone know if sound quality and equalizer options improve with the Columbus, as I am considering upgrading?

Edited by docl
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pipsyp Experienced

pipsyp

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Laymans terms no, it would sound little or no different whether you have bolero or columbus.

Its fed optically by the HU to the amp under the front passenger seat and id wager the hardware in each of the units that handles this (as is the internal amplification without canton) is the same.

I gather the canton is quite source sensitive. Columbus doesnt have any different DSP/EQ settings over the other units.

The only thing is does do is decode 5.1 surround from DVD's played via a Columbus unit but its all but pointless in a car IMHO.

No one as far as I know in the UK has successfully retrofitted a Columbus to a non nav equipped car....VAG have made it very difficult as the car now employs audi style component protection...only way to get around it is via a dealer.

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docl Explorer

docl

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Laymans terms no, it would sound little or no different whether you have bolero or columbus.

Its fed optically by the HU to the amp under the front passenger seat and id wager the hardware in each of the units that handles this (as is the internal amplification without canton) is the same.

I gather the canton is quite source sensitive. Columbus doesnt have any different DSP/EQ settings over the other units.

The only thing is does do is decode 5.1 surround from DVD's played via a Columbus unit but its all but pointless in a car IMHO.

No one as far as I know in the UK has successfully retrofitted a Columbus to a non nav equipped car....VAG have made it very difficult as the car now employs audi style component protection...only way to get around it is via a dealer.

Great answer, I was not quite sure if the amp and equalizing part was actually done in the HU or the Canton system. Was hoping that the Columbus had an extended equalizer but apparently not..

In DK quite a few shops can retrofit original headunits.

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kallekilponen Rising Star

kallekilponen

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I gather the canton is quite source sensitive. Columbus doesnt have any different DSP/EQ settings over the other units.

Really? So Bolero also has the manual EQ settings? I've thought it only has presets to choose from.

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Gromle Proficient

Gromle

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Really? So Bolero also has the manual EQ settings? I've thought it only has presets to choose from.

I think its canton who decides what eq options are available.

I dont think Columbus without canton has the advanced eq.

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docl Explorer

docl

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It does. I have Columbus without Canton and it's there.

And with advanced eq, you mean three band eq (bass, middle and treble)?

That is what I have with Bolero and Canton (+ canton surround and canton subwoofer adjustment)

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butchvrs Proficient

butchvrs

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mmm, I have a Bolero + canton and don't seem to have those equaliser options (separate bass, mid and treble), or the Sub adjustment.

 

I think I need to have a play again tomorrow and find out, or back to the dealer she goes. 

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docl Explorer

docl

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Could this problem not be more to do with the music that is feeding it. Low grade MP3 sounds terrible in cars.

I normally dont care to much about the quality of mp3s, it sounds the same to me whether it is 128 or 256 (let the flaming begin :-)). Most is 192 kbps ripped from my cds.

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fabdavrav Experienced

fabdavrav

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I have Discovery (not Pro) & Dynaudio & the sub level is there also there is a separate screen for individual personal adjustment of the bass, treble, etc............I have to go sound, sound character, then hit the top right box I think to bring the drop down menu for "individual" press this the it brings up the graphic equaliser adjustments/sliders..............

 

as for sound..................I had to down sample my 192kHz 24bit music to 320 MPS & it still sounds good in the car.................but very compressed to my ears.............but the Dynaudio is very good way better than many others & so the Canton should be also............. 

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butchvrs Proficient

butchvrs

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But you don't have the menu options for the subwoofer or the surround? Seems a little odd .....

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Oooops, my bad!

 

Went out to the car purposely to check, turns out I was talking bo**cks.

 

Found it, adjusted it.

 

Now sound much better :sun: .

 

I also found lots of other things like the central locking, auto wiper controls etc.

 

Me technophobic, never!!

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mannyo Veteran

mannyo

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The canton is a good system, BUT it highlights any weaknesses in the audio source as a result.

 

DAB in the UK will for example always sound poor because we use such poor encoding at such low bitrates that it sounds poor on anything other than cheap home DAB radios.

 

Shop bought CDs should sound really good, but anything music from SD card should ideally be at least 320kbps, many have found that less can sound very harsh in the treble and/or lacking in the bass department.

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fabdavrav Experienced

fabdavrav

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The canton is a good system, BUT it highlights any weaknesses in the audio source as a result.

 

DAB in the UK will for example always sound poor because we use such poor encoding at such low bitrates that it sounds poor on anything other than cheap home DAB radios.

 

Shop bought CDs should sound really good, but anything music from SD card should ideally be at least 320kbps, many have found that less can sound very harsh in the treble and/or lacking in the bass department.

 

 Most DAB radios should show the "quality" of the radio station. My Denon does & most DAB stations in UK are transmitting MONO.............& only a few in stereo & way below the 320MP3 quality...... :S ..........hopefully we will get the DABplus quality soon, anyway my Denon will do DABplus........... B)

 

Oh & spinning a CD on my Dynaudio (say from Naim or Linn) sounds very good............. :rock: ...............just that it cant cope with flac (as not the Pro version).but MP3 at 320 (constant bit rate) sounds very good & is adequate for a moving car due to tyre noise etc............even though it's a quiet car

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Genoa1893 Proficient

Genoa1893

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Yesterday I enjoyed some uncompressed wav track, carefully ripped with EAC to be honest, and it sounded beautifully through bluetooth by my mobile. At "adequate" volume level, there was a lot of detail and of macrodynamic. All in all, very satisfied.

 

Of course, when the car is moving the (too) many savings on noise damping affect the final result.

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chelon Collaborator

chelon

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I've also been a little disappointed after paying for the Canton - although more with the bass output, even whilst playing CDs so nothing to do with MP3 quality.

 

Another thread mentioned there was word of a sw update to address this issue; does anyone know more?

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Gromle Proficient

Gromle

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I've also been a little disappointed after paying for the Canton - although more with the bass output, even whilst playing CDs so nothing to do with MP3 quality.

Another thread mentioned there was word of a sw update to address this issue; does anyone know more?

Supposedly the 0390 software gives the sound abit more omphf.

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Exeterj Rising Star

Exeterj

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Saw on a German forum that 0390 introduced som nasty bugs. Any experiences on that?

Only bug I've noticed so far between 0360 and 0390 is that the door speaker now rattles but think this is something loose in the door - being checked out by Skoda on Friday. IMHO 0390 seems to make the mid range better and 'fill' more acoustically but be interested what others think as they get this as it's rather subjective

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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