Superb iV L&K (without subwoofer)

[Richmix]

Hello,

 

First post on here. I'm interested if anyone knows what the Canton sound system sounds like without the subwoofer? The L&K version has the Canton as standard but the iV hybrid removes the subwoofer from the boot. 

 

Just interested to find out if anyone knows what the sound is like?

 

Thanks

 

[FraggaZagga]

17 hours ago, Richmix said:

Hello,

 

First post on here. I'm interested if anyone knows what the Canton sound system sounds like without the subwoofer? The L&K version has the Canton as standard but the iV hybrid removes the subwoofer from the boot. 

 

Just interested to find out if anyone knows what the sound is like?

 

Thanks

 

 

I too am interested in this, I must say I was a little disappointed to find out about this, all of the literature I read  before ordering did not have any mention of the lack of sub of the L&K spec with the hybrid drivetrain, it was only when using the configurator that it was highlighted.

 

I have since complained to my dealer, and sent an email to Skoda customer services, as they really need to add that detail to the brochure, and make it clearer. The dealer was very apologetic but there is nothing they can really do, I've yet to get anything beyond an auto response from customer services.

[penguin17]

A bit of an odd move considering the Canton system was designed specifically for the Superb 3.  You would *think* that the sub would be an important part of the system, integral to getting the best out of the setup. 

 

Out of interest what's in place of the sub/the rationale for this?

 

I have tried various settings with the sub and have even turned it off ('0') but it's not the same IMO so I now have it at '+3'.  I really like the Canton system and though I spend less time in the car these days, I'd spec it again. 

Edited 12 March, 2020 by penguin17

[Richmix]

Yes, seen as though it's designed around the car, its annoying and fystrating that they have taken this out.

 

The battery now occupies the boot space where teh sub goes. I currentkly have the Golf Estate with the DynAudio and the sub is under the boot cover. 

 

I'm sure it will still sound good but I do love the bass sub 

[FraggaZagga]

4 hours ago, penguin17 said:

A bit of an odd move considering the Canton system was designed specifically for the Superb 3.  You would *think* that the sub would be an important part of the system, integral to getting the best out of the setup. 

 

Out of interest what's in place of the sub/the rationale for this?

 

I have tried various settings with the sub and have even turned it off ('0') but it's not the same IMO so I now have it at '+3'.  I really like the Canton system and though I spend less time in the car these days, I'd spec it again. 

 

My contact at my dealer claimed that it was due to the space being used by the battery, but I am still sceptical for several reasons:

 

1. The sub in both the saloon & estate is housed in the space on the passenger side of the boot, and not under the floor where the battery is located, so there should still be room for it?

2. in the online configurator the word CANTON, is totally omitted from the list of standard equipment on the L&K once you select the hybrid drive train?

 

This leads me to believe that the system in the iV is NOT even the same Canton system, minus the sub, but something completely different. The dealer had no answers to these points when I put them to him, he said he would try and find out, but as yet nothing. Add to that the total lack of response to my email inquiry to customer services (over 2 weeks now), something fishy is going on!

[MiniEggs]

I'd guess it's just cost savings to fit a more run of the mill speaker setup/wiring (maybe no room for back to front cables with all the thick electrics down the transmission tunnel) to help keep the price down and offset all the hybrid drive train costs

[Richmix]

Yes, I notoced they'd taken out the "Canton" part of the tech spec and worded it "Digital sound package with center speaker, without subwoofer"

 

Maybe it isn't Canton?

 

Unless there are any vidoes or images out there of an existing L&K iV where you can see the Canton badge on the door speakers?

 

I'll be mega pi**ed off  if it's not very good!

[FraggaZagga]

8 minutes ago, Richmix said:

Yes, I notoced they'd taken out the "Canton" part of the tech spec and worded it "Digital sound package with center speaker, without subwoofer"

 

Maybe it isn't Canton?

 

Unless there are any vidoes or images out there of an existing L&K iV where you can see the Canton badge on the door speakers?

 

I'll be mega pi**ed off  if it's not very good!

 

You and me both, the main reasons I went for the L&K were the stereo and digital dash, if its not a Canton, then I might as well have ordered an SE L and just added the digital dash, would have been cheeper.

 

Guess I'll know for sure in about 4 weeks when mine turns up.

Edited 12 March, 2020 by FraggaZagga

[JR RS]

I agree - I highly doubt it's the "Canton" system, but rather the standard sound system.

 

A Canton System without the Subwoofer is not a Canton anymore and will never sound the same without it.

 

https://www.canton.de/en/skoda-en

Edited 12 March, 2020 by JR RS

[sula_rob]

This, other than the difficulty in keeping it under £40k & the hassle of plugging in (I don't always have access to off-street parking), is the main thing putting me off an iV. I've been pondering how feasible it could be to add a not-too-intrusive or expensive subwoofer & amp to the 'Sound System' (how pony does that look on the speaker grilles compared to the Canton!). 

 

It's interesting that other than the use of the word Canton & the subwoofer / speaker count, the wording in the brochure for the two systems is exactly the same. I wonder why the Canton endorsement had to be removed. I too would be interested in hearing some opinions on it versus the normal L&K Canton system.

 

Rob

 

[digifish]

On 13/03/2020 at 07:14, JR RS said:

I agree - I highly doubt it's the "Canton" system, but rather the standard sound system.

 

 

Why have I never been impressed with this Canton system?

 

The rear passenger speakers have no high-end.

 

The bass is flabby and boomy.

 

It reminds me of Logitech PC speakers - the satellite + sub style sound.

[Graham Butcher]

I have the Canton in my 63 plate L&K superb and it sounds great to me and I like my bass. It does not have a subwoofer but it does have 4 very high quality woofers in the doors and the level of bass can be felt as the speakers fire inwards towards the occupants thighs and the system can put many home Hi-Fi's to shame with the detailed sound it reproduces.

[Sagalout]

I was not impressed with the Canton system in both my L&K. I certainly wouldn't have paid for it as an extra. It lacked the ability to present any sort of premium dynamic range and as said above the rear speakers are a non-event. If I recall correctly I couldn't determine any REAL difference between the standard and Canton when doing my first test drives back in 2015.  What I can say is that the standard sound system in my Volvo blows the Canton out of the water. (through my ears anyway) But, as we all know, when it comes to sound is that one man's headbanger is another man's headache.

I do empathise with you though; you were expecting to get something that was billed as premium and then you didn't get it so you are bound to be a bit miffed.

[JackySi]

On 15/03/2020 at 17:38, Sagalout said:

I was not impressed with the Canton system in both my L&K. I certainly wouldn't have paid for it as an extra. It lacked the ability to present any sort of premium dynamic range and as said above the rear speakers are a non-event. If I recall correctly I couldn't determine any REAL difference between the standard and Canton when doing my first test drives back in 2015.  What I can say is that the standard sound system in my Volvo blows the Canton out of the water. (through my ears anyway) But, as we all know, when it comes to sound is that one man's headbanger is another man's headache.

I do empathise with you though; you were expecting to get something that was billed as premium and then you didn't get it so you are bound to be a bit miffed.

See I would totally disagree. I loved my Canton is Superb. I have V90 with Bowers & Wilkins now that cost wooping 3700€ as extra. Compared to 500€ on Canton, it's not worth the price difference. It's better, far better. but 3200€ for car audio? Hmm... Canton vs standard speakers, how the heck can you compare that? The difference is HUGE there... I wonder what you listen to, Stereo FM? :O...

Using flac/high quality mp3 files, Canton was superb for the price... 
P.S.: Um I'm talking about Standard Canton. The iV one I would say without Sub it's much worse, as the only thing that I hated in my Superb was lack of punch in bass, so I upgraded subwoofer later on too. 
P.P.S.: Before someone miss understoods me, I'm talking about various cars and various speaker systems. In Superb Canton is best u can get in Octavia canton is not as good. But 500€ price for such speaker system is not a lot. If you buy home Hi-fi in good quality you will pay over 2.000€ as well. I have very expensive audio at home. But at home I will keep it 30 years. In car when I replace car sound system goes away... Bowers in my Volvo sounds SUPERB. It really is something out of this world, even my home audio is just little better and I spent twice as much. But we're talking about really expensive car here compared to Skoda. Most people buy Skoda for their "price - money" performance, not because its the best. So its same for the audio system.... 

Edited 18 March, 2020 by JackySi

[Sagalout]

Hi JackySi. 

I dont have the B&W in my volvo. Like you said the cost was prohibitive and given that we are talking about listening in a moving vehicle etc I just couldnt imagine it would noticeable to me. 

As the Volvo is so much quieter on the road than the Skoda I guess I might just be hearing a wider range which is leading me to make that comparison. My point however was that I couldnt appreciate a real difference twixt Canton in my L&K  and the standard unit in the Superb SEL that I tested before buying first time around. 

Hope you enjoying your Volvo as much as I am enjoying mine 🙁

[JackySi]

16 hours ago, Sagalout said:

Hi JackySi. 

I dont have the B&W in my volvo. Like you said the cost was prohibitive and given that we are talking about listening in a moving vehicle etc I just couldnt imagine it would noticeable to me. 

As the Volvo is so much quieter on the road than the Skoda I guess I might just be hearing a wider range which is leading me to make that comparison. My point however was that I couldnt appreciate a real difference twixt Canton in my L&K  and the standard unit in the Superb SEL that I tested before buying first time around. 

Hope you enjoying your Volvo as much as I am enjoying mine 🙁

That's possible. I did a lot of extra noise insulation on my Superb and the sound was improved highly after spending 30 hours and approx. 400€. in reducing noise. But my primary concern is the price difference in cars. It's just very hard to compare. Skoda is so cheap compared to Volvo, that its impossible to compare sound systems in general. A lot of sound depends on other factors than just amplifier/speaker. Like positions of speakers, the way it moves air (I have some real annoying "rattles" in my V90 when you listen music really loud, I never had that in Superb with 1200w subwoofer and man it was SHAKING...), etc... So a lot depends on car itself right.

Anyway, I love my new V90... But it's far from perfect. It slightly lacks noise insulation (in this matter, I'm sort of sorry I didn't go for MY19 E class, it has superb noise insulation), there are some rattles (panoramic sunroof is driving me nuts, once this Corona thing is gone, I have to replace rails where sunroof sits in as those have "play" so there is noise over bumps) and fuel consumption is bit high. But other than that I'm extremely satisfied. Sound system is just 😎, transmission with polestar optimization is perfect, engine pulls like crazy with 240hp, AWD works superb in snow/dirt (extensive test), navigation works well, suspension is nice (not as comfortable as DCC on Superb/Audi though, feels bit "stiffer"), seats are amaaazing (drove 1540km to Denmark, no problems with anything), lights are superb and so on... Its great improvement over Skoda, but the costs are hard to justify. If I wouldn't love cars so much, idk if this would be my choice  

[sula_rob]

Some interesting reading here as a V60 is one of my other choices of next car. 

 

I think I've gone off the iV for other reasons and will stick with a 2.0 TSI Superb L&K. However, to return this to the original question (as I'm still interested), what retrofit subwoofer options might we have to add to the Skoda 'Sound System' to bring it at least in line with the standard Canton? 

 

And indeed, not that I'm much into DIY 'ICE' anymore, what upgrades have people done to the Canton system (without pulling out the Colombus)?

 

Rob

[jpalo]

iV has Skoda Sound System, not Canton Sound System. 

[sula_rob]

39 minutes ago, jpalo said:

iV has Skoda Sound System, not Canton Sound System. 

Indeed. What this thread was about was trying to get the first opinions on it and what it's like without a subwoofer compared to the Canton with a sub. With no sub I'm reluctant to believe it's worth £550 as an option over whatever the standard sound system is. 

 

I'm interested too in what aftermarket sub options we could maybe add to it (and indeed why Skoda removed it for the iV, as surely it doesn't run off the batteries that power the hybrid motor?).

 

Rob

[jpalo]

I guess they just needed to bring the price down when launching the car. For £550 extra I'd assume you also get more speakers (11, or how many does the basic one have, can't find any details?), which in itself is of course a brings tiny bit of improvement. I assume the basic one doesn't have 5-step equalizer?

[jjc]

Hi,

 

I can confirm that it is not a Canton system. The reason  you cannot have the Sub is the LV battery is in that space.

However I turned the base up on the equaliser and must say it sounds as good if not better than the Canton in my ex 2019 Superb.

Time will tell as with the lockdown doing much driving 😞

 

John

[numskull]

The sound in our ‘16 L&K is good, but put it up against our 1979 £200 JVC amp, £700 1987 KEF speakers and 1992 £299 Sony CD player, it sounds mediocre at best, but then again, a good stereo sound stage and midrange seems to be irrelevant these days. So IMHO, anyone who pays £500, let alone €3,000 (SERIOUSLY???) for car audio wants their head examined. All OE audio manufacturers use poor quality components, have poorly executed installations, which are additionally limited by a tiny listening space and because of that, there’s no sound stage whatsoever. It’s seems the main criterion these days are there’s lots of bass, lots of treble and it’s as loud as can be and if so, that’s a winner.

[newbie69]

On 02/04/2020 at 21:51, jjc said:

Hi,

 

I can confirm that it is not a Canton system. The reason  you cannot have the Sub is the LV battery is in that space.

However I turned the base up on the equaliser and must say it sounds as good if not better than the Canton in my ex 2019 Superb.

Time will tell as with the lockdown doing much driving 😞

 

John

I find it highly unlikely that the low end can be represented "just as good" by a system that lacks a properly tuned sub-woofer (let alone it doesn't seem to be Canton anymore but a no-name one but that's not my point here) , unless there are no real low frequncies in the music you are listening to. Adjusting the EQ will have the speakers promote the bass against other frequencies so it will seem as the bass is there but you'll be trading off detail elsewhere. Even so, the speakers can only go as far bass-wise (not comparable to a sub-wooder), which as I wrote earlier may just be enough if your music is not too bass-heavy or you don't really prioritise bass too high, but a better bass performance? Doesn't sound possible.

Same as with (example) a set of speakers. They can have a punchy and crisp low end and you could be thinking they are all there is to it, but pair them with a decent sub-woofer and it goes to a different - felt before heard - level., and I'm not talking about loudness here, but simply of perceivable range.

PS. I am not judging the new system overall as I haven't heard it, it could be that it's better balanced than a Canton (i do find that harsh in certain occasions), i am only referring to the bass performance/ability when lacking a sub-woofer.

[eurotripwagen]

I am with the minority who were unimpressed with Canton. Listened to it in the showroom but decided not to check this option. It is louder at high volume setting, can't argue with that, and the central channel does rectify the stage a little bit. If there was an option of a central speaker and no subwoofer taking space in the boot, I would totally go for it.

[Riolux]

I'm lifting this thread as I'm awaiting delivery of my Superb iV L&K.

 

The Canton system is included in the L&K spec, but if I choose the lower "Style" spec, it is an option, even for the iV, in the configurator, where it says 12 sepakers including subwoofer.

 

In the price list (downloadable pdf) it says "iV without subwoofer".

 

In the spec sheet for the car I've ordered, it says that a 12 speaker Canton system is included (including sub and center).

 

I've also had a discussion on youtube with a couple of persons who claims that the sub is stil there under the floor of the iV.

 

It will be very interesting to see if there actually is a sub!