Hi all, just got an mk4 iv SEL lovely car but the sound system is a big downgrade from my previous company car which was a seat Leon fr sport. 
 

Can see there is some basic adjustment available in the radio for bass treble etc. has anyone happened on a good setting for the best sound? 
 

 

There is no "best sound", it's not a one size fits all otherwise they'd lock it down and give you no adjustment

 

It's completely down to the individuals music taste, the media source/format, the sound system in the car, your ears. There's so many variables 🙂

That's true , but it's easy for the non audiophile to keep messing around and then up putting up with something worse. Such a shame car companies still cheap out so much on a few hundred quid of audio gear on a £35k car

 A see where you’re coming from but I’d rather have sound upgrade as an option - so I don’t have to pay for it. Whilst I like a quality audio system at home there is too much other noise in a car that gets in the way. 
Perhaps you could share your best settings.

4 hours ago, East_Yorkshire_Retrofits said:

There is no "best sound", it's not a one size fits all otherwise they'd lock it down and give you no adjustment

 

It's completely down to the individuals music taste, the media source/format, the sound system in the car, your ears. There's so many variables 🙂

 

I tend to disagree. There should be a sound which sounds good to most people, and imo it is not achievable with the equalisers Skoda give us. There is an upper midrange/lower treble boost which you cant get rid of with the 3 band equalizer.

 

Here's a review:

 

https://youtu.be/kuujeasVz_s?si=gTAv6jDA3ZgHEmdq

Edited 18 November, 20232 yr by mccririck

4 hours ago, East_Yorkshire_Retrofits said:

There is no "best sound", it's not a one size fits all otherwise they'd lock it down and give you no adjustment

 

It's completely down to the individuals music taste, the media source/format, the sound system in the car, your ears. There's so many variables 🙂

 

7 minutes ago, mccririck said:

I tend to disagree.

I have to agree with @East_Yorkshire_Retrofits, the sound I like is completely different to what my brother likes and what my SO likes.

2 minutes ago, PetrolDave said:

 

I have to agree with @East_Yorkshire_Retrofits, the sound I like is completely different to what my brother likes and what my SO likes.

Perhaps. But one person is likely a more neutral sound, I would think. And neutral is the most realistic and true to the recording. And imo neutral is better.

Edited 18 November, 20232 yr by mccririck

2 minutes ago, mccririck said:

And imo neutral is better.

The key phrase there is IMO, there are multiple opinions all of which are right for the individual.

Just now, PetrolDave said:

The key phrase there is IMO, there are multiple opinions all of which are right for the individual.

My point is if you can't achieve a proper neutral sound with the adjustments available then that's not good. They need a better parametric equaliser system. i hope they can add one in an update at some point. It's either that or an upgrade of the stock speakers may help.

2 hours ago, mccririck said:

Here's a review:

 

https://youtu.be/kuujeasVz_s?si=gTAv6jDA3ZgHEmdq

 

I'd always considered the sound system OK, and plenty good enough for me; perhaps one of the best I've had in any car I've owned (putting it down to the assumption that these things improve over time). Reading some of the comments here I started thinking, even though I'm happy with it, so I watched the review shared in an earlier post - which is pretty positive : "...I really do like .... and it gets our overall value award". 

 

Yep, I'm happy with it as is.

7 minutes ago, SteveTheElder said:

 

I'd always considered the sound system OK, and plenty good enough for me; perhaps one of the best I've had in any car I've owned (putting it down to the assumption that these things improve over time). Reading some of the comments here I started thinking, even though I'm happy with it, so I watched the review shared in an earlier post - which is pretty positive : "...I really do like .... and it gets our overall value award". 

 

Yep, I'm happy with it as is.

 

I think it's good but I do think there's a midrange dip that irritates me. 

I am shocked how bad the basic sound with swing radio is in Octavia 4! Today i had a opportunity to drive with kamiq with bolero radio and standard  4 speaker sound system just like octavia 4 and it was MUCH better.  Technically both devices  Octavias SWING radio and Kamiq BOLERO have 4X20W sound output so they should sound similarly. The audio source in both cases were the same so it is not an isssue. Is there any known fix for poor sound performance in octavia 4? It becoming so depressing that i am already planned how to set up aftermarket amplifier and wire it so it would work, but not quite ready for that much work.

I know for a fact that octavia 4 have poor sound even with CANTON, it is not comparable with Kodiaq or Superb for example. 

6 hours ago, User-C said:

I am shocked how bad the basic sound with swing radio is in Octavia 4! Today i had a opportunity to drive with kamiq with bolero radio and standard  4 speaker sound system just like octavia 4 and it was MUCH better.  Technically both devices  Octavias SWING radio and Kamiq BOLERO have 4X20W sound output so they should sound similarly. The audio source in both cases were the same so it is not an isssue. Is there any known fix for poor sound performance in octavia 4? It becoming so depressing that i am already planned how to set up aftermarket amplifier and wire it so it would work, but not quite ready for that much work.

I know for a fact that octavia 4 have poor sound even with CANTON, it is not comparable with Kodiaq or Superb for example. 

Can you describe in what ways you find the audio in the Octavia 4 to be poor?  I'm not 100% happy with it either - I feel there's a peak in the upper midrange/lower treble which I find irritating. I've actually just a few days ago ordered a measurement microphone to try to measure the frequency response from 20Hz to 20kHz to see if it can help identify where the peak is and I can then use an equaliser app to fix it.

I too wasn’t initially impressed with the Canton Sound System in my Octavia Mk4. On the default settings I found the bass and vocals very muddied or lost in each other.

 

However I found these settings on a German Forum and to my ears it helps to make the base crisp and the vocals clear.

 

I would also say that this system thrives on quality input. I’d suggest if you stream via Apple Music or Spotify, then adjust the bitrate to at least Lossless.

 

if you’re using wireless Apple CarPlay it’s worth noting that the highest quality is lossless. But if you use a wired connection then you can get Hi-Res Lossless. It’s a subtle difference but in songs with a lot of detailed percussion it helps them to become less distinct.

 

lastly, set the system to surround. In my option it shines best this way. The tweeters in the rear doors act as rear channels for the driver. It also counteracts the vocals being over-centred.

 

Give it go and let me know what you think.

 

I’d suggest a song like I Want You by Moloko or  Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac to try it out.

Edited 3 December, 20232 yr by aaaaplay

On 30/11/2023 at 11:56, User-C said:

I am shocked how bad the basic sound with swing radio is in Octavia 4! Today i had a opportunity to drive with kamiq with bolero radio and standard  4 speaker sound system just like octavia 4 and it was MUCH better.  Technically both devices  Octavias SWING radio and Kamiq BOLERO have 4X20W sound output so they should sound similarly. The audio source in both cases were the same so it is not an isssue. Is there any known fix for poor sound performance in octavia 4? It becoming so depressing that i am already planned how to set up aftermarket amplifier and wire it so it would work, but not quite ready for that much work.

I know for a fact that octavia 4 have poor sound even with CANTON, it is not comparable with Kodiaq or Superb for example. 

It's probably a frequency response issue. And the tone controls are not capable of tuning it to a fine enough degree. Ideally we'd have a parametric IQ option. Or at least a 10 band equaliser. I use the USB Audio Pro which has parametric IQ to play music from my phone. I think I dip 3 and 4kHz a bit and boost 1kHz slightly 

 

 

Would be I tested to hear if others have found any other adjustments helpful.