I have the Canton sound system but the speakers sound harsh and overbright with slight distortion on strings and vocals. I emailed Canton but they were useless and said it's a Skoda issue. My Skoda dealer says they've never heard of this problem. Has anyone with this Canton system looked into what might be causing the poor sound? Is it the speakers, the crossovers, the amp, or all of them? The only part of the system I like is the subwoofer and the head unit. The rest can be replaced with better components if it fixes the problem. But will it? And who can do this for me?

Only have the Bolero unit which sound pretty decent but I have seen other threads commenting, as yours, on the Canton system worth a search here on on the (other) Karoq forum 

What's the "other Karoq forum"?

Wow  three threads on the same subject  with a sneaky mention in a fourth. 

 

Boy, you're a trier, I'll grant you that! 

 

I may have mentioned this in one of your many other posts on this subject.

 

If you think you have a genuine issue with the sound quality from this speaker, take it back to the dealer, get a tech to sit in with your and see what they say. Then sit in another Karoq fitted with Canton and compare. 

 

Did you try the Canton system before you ordered it, if so, how does it compare between the two vehicles?

 

There is also the possibility that it is your hearing that is the issue. In a previous job I had an annual hearing test. I was fantastic at detecting high pitch, but not so good with deep rumbling base. 

 

Pity I was Comms, and not ASW! 

 

 

Edited 19 July, 20187 yr by Guest

Thanks for the comments - and yes, you're right, I am a tryer. I'm taking the car to the dealers on Monday because all the DAB and FM radio presets have all disappeared. Hopefully a reset will sort everything out (not holding my breath). I actually did listen to this Karoq Canton sound system in the showroom 6 months ago but with all the windows down and people talking around tables it's always hard to turn it up really loud. Last week I tried the Beats Audio system in a Seat Arona but that was struggling with the bass when I turned it up. This Canton system can take all the bass I can throw at it but it's the harsh, forward sound with a little high frequency overload distortion (?) and excessive treble that really grates on me. Treble is turned all the way off. I might listen to other showroom cars over the next few months although many people complain about the Dynaudio sound upgrade in the VW Tiguan so I'm not looking forward to it. My ears are fine (for a 64 year old) and I have my TV through a Yamaha amp with subwoofer and Aiwa speakers and it sounds a million times better than the Canton. The next car I buy I will hire for a week to really appraise the sound before committing myself.....

So how much ££££££ extra is this canton system?

£550

A friend recently bought a Honda and was prepared to pay the extra for their 3D sound system and even the sales man advised it wasn’t worth it!

In hindsight all I wanted was an amp and a subwoofer to bolster up the stock system. But who would I get to install this stuff for me? And could I have connected this stuff to the 9.2" head unit without any hassle?

There was a programme on years ago, possibly 5th Gear or the Gadget Show, where they ran a comparison test between various car audio; standard, aftermarket, bespoke.  Their conclusion was if you were really into your audio, you either bought high end componentry and fitted it yourself, or you buy a high end vehicle where the manufacturer worked hand in hand with the audio company.  The cheapest option was obviously go with the standard set up and potentially spend the dosh you would have spent on upgrades or the highend vehicle by buying a you-can't-bend-it hifi system for your home.

 

I was quite happy with the sound quality from the standard fit Bolero in my Octy Scout, and would listen to the radio on my hourly commute to work or when going Weekenders from Pompey or Guzz..  However, over the last 5 years or so, I find I very rarely listen to music or the radio in the car, even when the journey involves driving hundreds of miles. 

1 hour ago, Fin69 said:

I find I very rarely listen to music or the radio in the car, even when the journey involves driving hundreds of miles. 

Me too.

I cringe when I see my wife turn the home hi-fi up loud and ...... start vacuuming.

Edited 19 July, 20187 yr by agedbriar

Im the opposite, I enjoy my music and only really get to enjoy it when driving without the mrs and kids in the car.

 

I sympathise with you FabFabFabia, I have added the Canton to my Edition (currently enjoying a months holiday at Emden) and I know I'll be frustrated and dissappointed like you if it doesn't live up to my expectations.

Hopefully your visit to the dealers brings a positive outcome.

I am surprised by all the negative feedback. I picked my Karoq up on Wed with the Canton system.

 

I have had a lot of high end hifi equipment over the years and to me I think it sounds great. It is certainly a huge improvement over my older Passat. Only thing I have done so far is to change the setting to "Driver".

10 minutes ago, FrankfurtDave said:

I am surprised by all the negative feedback. I picked my Karoq up on Wed with the Canton system.

 

I have had a lot of high end hifi equipment over the years and to me I think it sounds great. It is certainly a huge improvement over my older Passat. Only thing I have done so far is to change the setting to "Driver".

I tried the Driver setting and it is better than the other profiles, especially with the Surround on zero. It also seems to shut off that dreaded centre dashboard speaker(s). But I find that while the Classical sound preset has the least amount of strings/high vocals distortion it is still a little too trebly. Are you using the "Individual" EQ profile so that the equalizer works? I find if I select this rather than a fixed preset then the distortion is back even with the treble all the way to the left. I leave the subwoofer on full.

Edited 20 July, 20187 yr by FabFabFabia

I read somewhere that the Canton is also fitted as standard on the Bentley.

Sorry duff gen but can't delete it

Edited 20 July, 20187 yr by MacFadyin

I think you have a technical issue with yours by the sound of it (no pun intended) and need to take it back to the dealers if you haven't already. It appears you are the only one reporting this issue unfortunately.

Could it be a loose connection?

One thing you mention is the amp under the front passenger seat in one of your threads, if its accessible check all the terminations / plugs are secure. Failing this it may be inaccessible behind the hu or behind one of the many speakers.

But I'd get it into Skoda, if your having no luck with your nearest dealer couldn't you book in with the next nearest?

Without gloating mine has none of the issues you have reported.

Hopefully you get it sorted because it sounds excellent and then you can enjoy your music without trying to think of how to re-phrase your query in another thread 

Good luck!

Thanks for your constructive advice Gaz1985, I know I keep harping on about it but it really is a bug-bear for me and could even see me getting rid of the car if I can't get it sorted. The amp is not really accessible under the seat but from what I've read it's just one optical cable back to the amp. I suspect it's a crossover frequency mismatch which sounds harsh whenever there's a plethora of female singers or high strings. I'm glad your Canton sounds fine (I notice you have an Octavia - maybe your combination is fine but other posts reveal that I'm not the only Karoq-with-Canton listener that has this sound problem). I'll persevere and see what I can do about it, but I might not post anymore on here because people are fed up with hearing about it.

Edited 5 August, 20187 yr by FabFabFabia

 

1 hour ago, FabFabFabia said:

I'm glad your Canton sounds fine (I notice you have an Octavia - maybe your combination is fine 

No sorry I had an Octavia, I've now taken delivery of my Karoq fitted with the Canton of which I am referring to 

Another option for you is to get a report done either by a hifi specialist or in car audio specialist (not Halfords!). If they agree with you then you can use this in your complaint/report to the dealer/SUK. 

 

Or.... 

 

Take a recording of music playing in your vehicle and send it to the people at Canton and ask for their opinion. They may not respond as they only supply the componentry, it is up to Skoda to fine tune it to their vehicles. It's the same principle that applies to home cinema, the same setup will sound different in different rooms, you need to tailor the set up to that location. 

Did you sort the issue ? 

 

 

I am upgrading basic Karoq speakers with Focal Performance Expert at front and and IS 165VW at the back. So far draftly install front tweeters and sound is already completely different.  Need to made podiums for tweeters in the A-pillars or bend plastic with heat gun as the current location direct tweeter strait down to the dashboard  😞

But the main recipe is always to do sound deadening of at least your doors. No matter how good your speakers and apms are doors and plastic resonate and ruining everything. I did sound deadening on few my cars and sometimes even default speakers sound acceptable after that ( Last one was Skoda Superb mk3). I am not musician and my ears are not perfectly adjusted , but even I can hear HUGE difference.

 

On 19/07/2018 at 16:10, FabFabFabia said:

I have the Canton sound system but the speakers sound harsh and overbright with slight distortion on strings and vocals. I emailed Canton but they were useless and said it's a Skoda issue. My Skoda dealer says they've never heard of this problem. Has anyone with this Canton system looked into what might be causing the poor sound? Is it the speakers, the crossovers, the amp, or all of them? The only part of the system I like is the subwoofer and the head unit. The rest can be replaced with better components if it fixes the problem. But will it? And who can do this for me?

 

Did you try sound deadening ?  Ideal solution is new speakers , something like Focal Performance Expert or even ES165K2 ( if you have a money and AMP can run on 2 Ohms) .

I am also adding inline AMP with DSP  which saving me rewiring.

I solved my sound issues of Canton/Karoq Edition by first of all disconnecting the centre speaker which adds midrange distortion and narrows the stereo imaging. The grill just prizes up and then just unclip the speaker terminals.

 

And I fixed the harsh higher-mid EQ by playing all my music through the free iOS/Android app "Onkyo HF Player" which has graphic/parametric EQ's to pull out the nasty peaks around 3.5kHz, and it also preserves my custom iTunes playlists.