So I have been looking at a few VRS’s lately and one of the option boxes I wanted to find ticked was the Canton sound system upgrade, but after reading a few reviews online It’s apparently not that good - which is a shame as the standard speakers and setup is awful according to other reviews I have read. 
 

so I wondered if it’s worth looking for a VRS without the canton upgrade and then paying for a custom audio install instead?

 

 Has anyone here done such a thing? I don’t want anything too crazy, just a decent sub built into where the canton sub would go and an amp under the drivers/passengers seat etc and upgrade the speakers all round (do the speakers come out easy, or is it the whole door card off type job to get at them?)

 

 from a quick search tonight it looks like prices would start around a grand or so for a custom install - too much/too silly? 

Yes the Oct 3 speakers are shocking, even the standard setup in the Oct 2 is better.

Have a look at this

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/457076-adding-an-aftermarket-sound-system-keeping-the-original-radio/?tab=comments#comment-5136331 

Disagree that sound systems are all are shocking. Depends what year the car is. I had a work colleague who had 2014 Elegance and he had to put in a sub in the boot to get any bass out it. I got my 2016 SEL last year, he came out in it and was amazed how different it was. I've had quite a few bigger systems in cars over the years...small boot subs amps etc and in my car I'm quite happy with the quality to be honest. Changing the door speakers looks quite easy and also the tweeters too. Local audio centre quoted me around 400 to change them to some pioneers. Or Focals with separate cross overs for a bit more. I've not bothered as yet though and drive alot and love my tunes. I use mp3 on an SD card to Bluetooth streaming music from my phone.

 

I do agree that the tweeters let too much mid through and can distort on some volumes but a simple capacitor mod can alter that. 

 

Just my pence worth. 

I have the Canton system and dont have any issues with the sound quality. I think the main issue people have with it is that it can sound flat. However that is how music should sound and not over eq'd with bass boost this and that. We have too many digital filters nowadays and music is heavily over processed, which might sound good to some ears but not mine. The subwoofer could do with a bit more oomph but not much more. I dont want some max power type system in my car.

The canton system is a decent system 

The standard speakers are by no means shocking. They're not bad at all. Yes there are better systems out there, but the sound quality is by no means offensive. Set the specific settings up right and it works well, clear tones and good bass, I'd say the problem with the Octavia is lack of sound proofing making the cabin boomier in turn effecting how well you can hear the speakers. 

... the transition in 2016 with the head units also made a difference. My previous late-2016 and present 2020 octavias are a world away from the 2014 I drove at that time in terms of sound quality. 

It's not *that* good; too much screech over a certain volume level, limited deep bass and not that much clarity or seperation, but it's not complete junk. (it has been well used, now, though, with probably 200+ hours on it). I still want a sub and will install some DSP at some point simply because I really don't like the treble and miss some air. I also happen to have a Mini-DSP C6x8 in the garage, which makes decisions easier.... 

 

On 23/12/2020 at 23:03, Ecomatt said:

I have the Canton system and dont have any issues with the sound quality. I think the main issue people have with it is that it can sound flat. However that is how music should sound and not over eq'd with bass boost this and that. We have too many digital filters nowadays and music is heavily over processed, which might sound good to some ears but not mine. The subwoofer could do with a bit more oomph but not much more. I dont want some max power type system in my car.

The canton system is a decent system 

 

I agree I think Canton is pretty good. There's plenty of adjustment to suit your tastes. I have boosted the bass on mine as it suits taste and genres I listen to. Treble is already fairly sharp without tweaking. I added sound deadening to my boot floor which seemed to boost the subs "oomph". Setting the focus to driver and turning the sub volume up also had positive effects too.

I recently upgraded the stereo on my octavia III FL. If you do go down the route of upgrading there are two options

 

a) just change the speakers but do deaden the sound doors. 

b) if you do add an aftermarket amplifier do make sure you have one with a DSP to flatten the head unit's unique EQ. I made the mistake of just adding an Amp + speakers and realised the EQ on board the headhunt circuit transforms the sound quite a bit. The sound is not bad, but just doesn't do service to the excellent amp (Hertz HCP 4D) and speakers (Hertz Mille component speakers). The amp has very limited eq options and as a consequence I have had to do all sorts of contortions to get a reasonable sound out of the amp. I am now in the process of adding a DSP to fix the issue.

On 05/01/2021 at 16:09, makemywish said:

I recently upgraded the stereo on my octavia III FL. If you do go down the route of upgrading there are two options

 

a) just change the speakers but do deaden the sound doors. 

b) if you do add an aftermarket amplifier do make sure you have one with a DSP to flatten the head unit's unique EQ. I made the mistake of just adding an Amp + speakers and realised the EQ on board the headhunt circuit transforms the sound quite a bit. The sound is not bad, but just doesn't do service to the excellent amp (Hertz HCP 4D) and speakers (Hertz Mille component speakers). The amp has very limited eq options and as a consequence I have had to do all sorts of contortions to get a reasonable sound out of the amp. I am now in the process of adding a DSP to fix the issue.

Late to this post, but it's worth nothing that if you set the MIB to external amplifier vcds). It will flatten the EQ and change the output to low line.

You can get the helix spare wheel well subwoofer. It's specifically made for the mqb cars, come with all wiring and harnesses etc. It's not exactly cheap but it's worth the money imo.

 

It has a built in amp which powers all the car speakers so they aren't reliant on the head unit for power. Then the sub will take control of the bass. Works really well, especially once coded to the specific model of car that it's installed in.

 

They aren't particularly easy to get hold of anymore, I could only find 2 companies in the UK that sell them but they will only sell them supply and fit at over £1000. I managed to find one on German ebay for around £450

On 05/01/2021 at 10:25, ahenners said:

I think the main issue people have with it is that it can sound flat

I think that if you perform a firmware update on the MIB system, it really makes a difference.  My MIB2.5 Columbus with Canton sounded flat and horrible - underwhelming.  A firmware update made the audio far more dynamic and the sound was a lot warmer.