Bad Meridian Sound

(26-03-2013 06:55pm)Kojak Wrote:  I've been wondering about the 380watt system.
Thats what I have.
I have found my iPod plays at a fairly low volume. The screen indicates 20 -22 before I start to hear clarity and definition in frequencies. 26 on some tracks.

How does that compare? is it typical?

The radio is slightly louder than the iPod at the same setting and the DAB is louder still.
Back to backing it with my previous 3 series (of 2 weeks ago) I would say only the DAB reception is an improvement over it.
The radio seems to be similar but the iPod link up is significantly quieter.

On the 3 series, I had no DAB but the radio and iPod performed pretty much equally in terms of volume.
Haven't tried the CD yet.
Granted there was no 'visual' audio volume display so how do I really know the iPod is quieter on the Evoque than the BMW?
I don't...I'm just going on how long it used to take to reduce to silence and turn back up again.

Any thoughts on my system being right or not?

---

Its fairly common in my experience for levels to vary between sources and between individual tracks on MP3 in particular. So long as it is loud enough for your needs (regardless of level shown) without distortion then all is probably well.

I'm not sure whether you have tried this but I found that I needed to check my actual iPod volume. It was low so I turned it up to max. That translated into extra volume in the car system.

I have the 380 watt system in my car and it is perfectly adequate for my purposes....prior to this car I had a VW GTI with the Dynaudio upgrade and I would say the Meridian system is just as good if not slightly better.

(26-03-2013 07:12pm)jezzerboo Wrote:  

---

Its fairly common in my experience for levels to vary between sources and between individual tracks on MP3 in particular. So long as it is loud enough for your needs (regardless of level shown) without distortion then all is probably well.

Thanks

(26-03-2013 07:31pm)griff Wrote:  I'm not sure whether you have tried this but I found that I needed to check my actual iPod volume. It was low so I turned it up to max. That translated into extra volume in the car system.

Thanks Griff,
I thought of that a while back and promptly forgot again, half dismissing the idea. I'll give it a go!

Also chk that the iPod volume limiter isn't on

I never use MP3 compressed songs in my car, and never streaming over bluetooth,(crappy quality.) But with a USB cable in the iPod connection in the car and with flawless / lossless. ie FLAC or for iPhone / iPod .AAC a big difference in sound, and you can also alter the settings on your iPhone / iPod. Under settings > Music you got several different options, one thing that is mandatory is: Sound Check set that to on, all the songs are different, some with higher volume and some with lower volume.

How SoundCheck works:

The first of these settings is SoundCheck. Songs are recorded at different volumes, meaning that you might listen to one fairly loud song and then one very quiet one, causing you to have to adjust the volume each time. SoundCheck tries to prevent this. It samples the volume of the songs in your iPod/Music library and attempts to play all songs at an average volume.

If you want to use it, just move its slide to On.

I have never worked with music or anything like that, but I'm a computer technician, and the sound in the Evoque is far better than the sound I had in my old car, Dynaudio 600W with 10 speakers.

Even though I miss the EQ so I can tune the sound exactly as I like it. It's not bad for a "stock" car system.

But try .flac or .AAC for iPhone / IPod, etc and you will for sure hear the difference between 128kbit or 320kbit compression compared to non compressed sound.

I rip my CD's into lossless format or download lossless for that matter.

/Inge

---

(26-03-2013 06:55pm)Kojak Wrote:  I've been wondering about the 380watt system.
Thats what I have.
I have found my iPod plays at a fairly low volume. The screen indicates 20 -22 before I start to hear clarity and definition in frequencies. 26 on some tracks.

How does that compare? is it typical?

The radio is slightly louder than the iPod at the same setting and the DAB is louder still.
Back to backing it with my previous 3 series (of 2 weeks ago) I would say only the DAB reception is an improvement over it.
The radio seems to be similar but the iPod link up is significantly quieter.

On the 3 series, I had no DAB but the radio and iPod performed pretty much equally in terms of volume.
Haven't tried the CD yet.
Granted there was no 'visual' audio volume display so how do I really know the iPod is quieter on the Evoque than the BMW?
I don't...I'm just going on how long it used to take to reduce to silence and turn back up again.

Any thoughts on my system being right or not?

Change the settings under Settings -> Music and turn Sound Check on, make sure that Volume Limit is off.


/Inge

Hi I am very interested in this thread. Has evofan told us yet whether he has the 825W system? My experience tells me there's quite a difference:

The sound system was one of the unique features that tempted me to the Evoque. I did not pay for the upgraded sound system - I thought the difference would be in booming bass etc.. However, at the same time, I was underwhelmed compared with my high expectations.

BUT THEN when my car had a problem (see another thread abou that!) I had an upgraded Evoque for a few days with all the bells and whistles. I was really peeved to hear instantly a quality in the courtesy car that I wasn't getting in my own one. Specifically, there was a well defined sound stage in front of me with the artist positioned nicely above the dashboard instead of just vaguely filling the car.

As people say, the source will be important: we have got used to compressing files for the car/phone etc. because the system reproducing the sound is not good enough to reveal the difference. When I noticed the quality, I was playing an original CD (e.g. Nina Simone in old recordings), as it happens, but when I put the same CD in my own car with the basic system I was underwhelmed again.

It's still possbile that there's random differences between installations, but based on my experience I would say to serious listeners that the upgraded audio system might be what you're looking for. Thinking back, I don't think I was offered a demo of the difference & wish I had been more inquisitive & open-minded (open-walleted!).

Having said I was underwhelmed, I've spent a couple of weeks now playing actual CDs in the car, instead of MP3s, I am VERY happy with my new sound system.

I can listen to quiet/loud classical as well as all the rock and rap I like, and hear all the details. (The eco stop-start even helps to create a quiet ambience in traffic too). I am listening joyfully to all sorts of things and playing music for the love of it where I would have had Radio 4 before. This is exactly what I chose this car for. Apart from that, of course with albums like Dark Side of the Moon or A Night at the Opera you get that long-lost joy of the tracks running into each other just like they should. BLISS!

(Makes you wonder whether cheaper car audio systems would also sound better if we fed them the original CDs....too late now!)

John

I have all my songs on one of the small square iPod Nano's plugged into the iPod USB input (I never used it). Sounds great! I always rip the CD's on the highest settings in iTunes.

(22-05-2013 08:45am)RRSteve Wrote:  I have all my songs on one of the small square iPod Nano's plugged into the iPod USB input (I never used it). Sounds great! I always rip the CD's on the highest settings in iTunes.

+1