Have a 3 month old Elegance (1.8tsi) and I have some issues with the Stream unit:

Bass I find more than adequete & deep - really good extreme low response on mine usually set at +1 ... + 3

Mid tends to be rather squawky (hi end - transistor radio type sound) - not great so I reduce it to -5 ...-7

Treble - depends on source. FM radio ....cr*P no extreme high frequencies & harsh sounding if you turn up beyond -1

Aux,MP3 or cd quite ok on all counts - usually reduce trevble to about -1 Mid -6 Bass +1....+4

I reckon the FM section rolls off the high frequencies too early(de-emphasis ) and you can't get them back properly by increasing treble - just sounds like piercing upper midrange. Pretty rubbish but listenable....just

I am tempted to dismantle the Stream and "edit" the FM de-emphasis section.

Anyone know where I might get a schematic from - Visteon unit I believe?

AM on mine is good - no interfereance on MW & pretty sensitive. Lw a little ignition crackle on weaker signals e.g. 252 from Eire is a bit weak here in Norfolk. R4 is 100%

Just the 8 speakers. I haven't tested each individual speaker, but will give it a go.

I've been using audio CD's rather than MP3's.

After more tweaking today, I've found that I can improve things if I bias the balance over to the other side of the car - which isn't going to sound great for the passenger!

If you have more depth of bass with the speakers faded to the left or right that would indicate that the woofers are our of phase surely?

ATB, Jon.

Yes - it is always worth doing a phase check. If the speakers are out of phase, you will get hardly any bass at all and an awful 'ear popping' 'hole in the middle' effect. The stereo image will be completely off too.

I just noticed today while playing with the fader : the rear speakers sound quite different to the fronts. They have nearly NO decent high frequencies comming from the tweeters - very strange as they look identical tweeters.

Anyone else noticed this? (or have an explanation - seems like the Stream unit has different sound reponse from the rear channels!)

Until recently I had a Mk1 vRS with the Symphony radio/cassette, which had a few oddities. The bass was weak, even with the very decent speakers I had fitted, and the sound quality of CDs from the autochanger was inferior to both FM radio and cassette. I had that for over 6 years and recently traded it for a new Mk2 L&K with Audience HU.

I am still completely and utterly disappointed with the sound quality of various apsects. Getting AM radio out the way first, it sounds like listening to it on the phone - dreadful. The FM reception is OK, but as in one of the earlier posts, voices just don't sound right. The worst part is the CD sound. I have yet to find an acceptable setting for the tone controls. The bass is fine, but the quality of the mid-range and treble is mind numbingly awful. My son, who has some experience in studio mastering can barely bring himself to listen to it. I cannot believe the mush that is supposed to be the treble. I would like to think that it could be fixed easily with new tweeters, but I suspect the problem lies in the amplifier stage.

Given the additional display features I would be reluctant to change the HU, but I cannot live with such poor quality sound. The latest version of the L&K has 8 speakers only and there is no option to go to 12 (+amp?) Please can someone suggest a solution to save my ears? By the way, I have found that the older the CD, in manufacturing that is, the worse the sound. Generally the lack of bass in my vRS was far preferable to the harshness in the L&K.

HELP!

I have found that the older the CD, in manufacturing that is, the worse the sound.

Doubtful due to ageing.....

The other thing it might be is that CD's have differerent recording, processing and mastering methods. Some recordings were only ever made in analogue (A) and not digital (D). Same goes for processing and mastering.

Most cd's these days will be DDD. If they even put that on the back these days?

Chris

Until recently I had a Mk1 vRS with the Symphony radio/cassette, which had a few oddities. The bass was weak, even with the very decent speakers I had fitted, and the sound quality of CDs from the autochanger was inferior to both FM radio and cassette. I had that for over 6 years and recently traded it for a new Mk2 L&K with Audience HU.

I am still completely and utterly disappointed with the sound quality of various apsects. Getting AM radio out the way first, it sounds like listening to it on the phone - dreadful. The FM reception is OK, but as in one of the earlier posts, voices just don't sound right. The worst part is the CD sound. I have yet to find an acceptable setting for the tone controls. The bass is fine, but the quality of the mid-range and treble is mind numbingly awful. My son, who has some experience in studio mastering can barely bring himself to listen to it. I cannot believe the mush that is supposed to be the treble. I would like to think that it could be fixed easily with new tweeters, but I suspect the problem lies in the amplifier stage.

Given the additional display features I would be reluctant to change the HU, but I cannot live with such poor quality sound. The latest version of the L&K has 8 speakers only and there is no option to go to 12 (+amp?) Please can someone suggest a solution to save my ears? By the way, I have found that the older the CD, in manufacturing that is, the worse the sound. Generally the lack of bass in my vRS was far preferable to the harshness in the L&K.

HELP!

I know exactly where you are coming from That's why I was asking a related question here... http://briskoda.net/forums/octavia-ii/stream-mp3-what-s-your-sound-settings/107359/

Some have said it is down to positioning but to be honest that will only upset imaging. A good sounding tweeter is a good sounding tweeter wherever it is situated in the car.

However, I would like to think that the tweeter is at fault with the crossover resistor but need some more time to play. I also know the difference a good head unit makes having come from a Pioneer system in my old Leon. (The standard head unit in that wasn't that good either!) But as I want more intergration in this car I'm aiming toward getting an MFD2, if I can raise the funds, as they are reported to be an improvement in SQ.

Have a play again with the settings that are suggested in the thread and see what you think