[hrishig]

Originally Posted by GTO

Excellent thread idea . Let's focus on the mainstream cars here, and those under 40-lakhs as 50+ lakh cars all generally have good sound systems.

Add Kodiaq TSI to the List. I spent the entire budget reserved for the audio upgrade on other things after testing the OEM system for all kinds of music genres. Spend some time understanding tweaking required per genre, and life will be set in this business class cabin on the road :-).

[Maky]

The Jeep Compass with the 9 speaker & Sub(Model S) combination I felt was one the best music systems I had heard <this side of 40L. Noticeably better than the well received Canton on the Octavia and Superb after hearing them all on my respective test drives.
I have a high-end 2-way Morel Elate and Zapco Z-150.4LX in my car for reference, neither was comparable but the JCs was very impressive for an OEM system. Lets just say I wouldn't bother with the headaches of installing after-market audio upgrades in tricky modern touchscreen based cars had I the Model S audio system.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by reppy

The Superb Canton setup bass was too boomy for me despite tweaking. Mids weren't as amazing and sound staging was slightly flat. Still - much better than a lot of the competitors.

True. My FIL recently got home a Kodiaq Sportline which also comes with the Canton system. I too found the sound to be unnecessary muffled and boomy. Despite tweaking the settings quite a bit, it just didn’t sound right. The audio setups on my Hexa and Compass sound a lot better, and are much easier to configure and get right. Sometimes, it is best to just keep things simple and straightforward.

[Joyb]

I find the sound system of my Ford Endeavour 3.2 amongst the best when in comes to OEM equipment. Found it better than many Audis/ BMW's and Mercedes. Even though its unbranded, the setup is much better than the Bose branded system in Seltos.

[IP_Man]

I'm big fan of Barbra Streisand. She has unique voice and can only be justified by very few sound systems that have very good undistorted high frequency response.

Humble Ignis sound system from Maruti is one of them.

[abhinavsureka]

The B&W on my XC90 is mindblowing. The only other sound system as good is the Burmeister on the S class.

The Harman Kardon on the F10 5-series was also very good for that time.

Another noteworthy sound system worth mentioning (sound quality is crap though) is the Thar's with its oddly placed overhead speakers which take to get used to but give u the flexibility to drive with the top down when its drizzling.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by abhinavsureka

The only other sound system as good is the Burmeister on the S class.

I beg to differ. The Burmeister sound system is down right average whether on the W222 or W223. Maybe the maybach ones are bit better with 4D sound
_____
I like to listen to music at average to low volume levels and prefer a good bass kick. However I am yet to come across a OEM sound system that delivers this even on high end cars. Especially if one prefers regular radio, such sound quality is unheard of quiet literally!

I loved the after market sound systems from back in the day with 12 inch independent pioneer subwoofers on the parcel tray. Such bass and crisp sound is what I really long for from OEM systems.

[ShivWason17]

I have never been an audiophile and was content with the stock audio systems in my Brezza (now sold off) and Swift.

This changed when I bought Octavia L&K two years back. That Canton sound system is something to cherish. The entire setup with Sub-woofer is simply amazing. Makes me want to immediately upgrade the system in my Swift, although I like to keep my cars as stock as it could be.

On the other hand, I once took a test drive of Hector and will agree with others in this forum that the Infinity sound system performs very well and will keep an audiophile happy on the road.

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by GTO

On the other hand, cars like the Honda City, Toyota Fortuner etc. really disappointed me in terms of the audio experience they offered.

I was initially impressed with 11-speaker JBL sound system with a sub-woofer in the 2021 4X4 Fortuner compared with my old Fortuner, but later realized it is sub par compared to other cars in the same price range

[Raghu M]

Good thread. Not to be a spoilsport here but the XUV3OO's sound systems is poor. For FM, I'd rate it at 3/10 for bluetooth broadcast, I would rate it at 5/10. Works alright only through Android auto, you get to hear some decent work by the speakers.

[PrideRed]

So far from thread appears only Volvo's audio setup seem to be good among premium cars and Hectors unit among budget cars. Most others have mixed reviews. Some prefer tight bass while others prefer clarity or loudness. As a manufacturer, it's very tough to offer a setup to please everyone. For instance Endeavour's unit sounds great while listening to trance/club music with that punchy bass but for someone looking at clarity, falls short. The Fortuners 11 speaker unit is short on bass and loudness from rear speakers is not upto mark, but clarity for front passengers is good and is comfortable to listen at higher volumes.
Most of the premium car(60L+) units sounds good to aam aadmi but then some units might be tuned against your taste. Most of branded speakers these days seem to be pure marketing gimmick especially after seeing the video of XUV700 being circulated in social media.

[Siddarth_Ramani]

I find the 8 speaker Harman Kardon music system on my Tiago to be pretty good. I'm neither an audiophile nor have heard the music system of flagship cars. But the one on Tiago is very good compared to it's peers from Honda, Hyundai and Suzuki.

[jayanttalwar]

Volvos and Lexus I feel top the game, burmesters on the mercedes are more of a gimmick.
We got a 6 series recently and I am honestly not very impressed with the harmon kardom music system, I feel its clear but lacks power and depth.

We have an e90 330i from 2012 which I feel has a nice setup, its balanced, has good bass from the under seat sub and has no premium branding too.

[MohalV]

Have not got much experience of very high-end cars, however a friend owns a GLS, with a factory-fitted Bose system. I will rate this system as a wonderful setup and a disco on wheel.

In comparison, I would definitely rate Tata Hexa XTA on very high pedestal. The stock Harman unit is paired with 8 speaker (JBL) setup. The system is capable of drumming out deep bass owing to a wonderful amplifier. The sound is crisp with a balanced orientation and provides an overall rich experience.

The system performs wonderfully with high-definition audio files and is capable of processing even low quality ones, albeit the output is not very rich. This difference is prominent to an audiophile, however for an average joe, does not really matter.

[reppy]

Any reviews of Mark Levinson on Lexus cars?

Edit: Some of the parameters that can be reviewed for all cars in general going forward are:

1. Musicality - The sound to me should be tight on the bass, forward on the vocals and smooth on the treble. Since there are personal preferences here so let your individual sound preference come through in the review. There is no perfect setup!

2. Clarity & Volume - The sound should be without distortions and vibrations at high volume. The high volume levels should not be artificially limited (as in the XUV7OO Sony audio system)

3. Dynamics - The sound should be engaging and fill the air! It should make you foot tap on that driver's footwell. A 'haze' should be lifted on turning on your favorite audio track and engage you right in.

4. Sound signature & Ear Fatigue - Does it sound warm or bassy or forward or treble heavy? Generally I've seen dynamic, warm & smooth treble audio systems induce less ear fatigue over long drives.

5. Sound Staging - Studio recordings are meant to recreate the positions of the band players. For instance, can you hear the general positional direction of the bassist or the pianist on your favorite track? Is the audio setup true to the song and the way it was meant to be heard?