B&O sound system report...

[Jet Jockey]

Well I haven't had that much time to investigate the B&O sound system in our cars until now.

I have been listening to FM and Sirius/XM since I got the car but no iPod yet but CDs and Hi DEF DVD Audio in 2 track PCM or 5.1 DD for the last few days.

The FM is very good but I'm a bit disappointed in the XM quality although the two "Classic Rock" stations seem to be better than others in sound quality. I don't know if this is digital compression but some of the songs being played on those two channels really come out in excellent quality.

I'm sure the iPod crap won't be all that great but it is practical.

Now back to the CDs and especially some of the recordings on the HI DEF Audio DVDs... Man does that B&O sound system sound great! Best stock sound system I have heard so far and way better than my custom sound system in my F150 that cost thousands to install.

More experimenting to continue in the months to come.

[moonlights4]

Thanks for the write up! I am excited to hear that the quality is still so good. I will look forward to hearing more. I love the B&O system in my B8.5 S4, and am anxiously awaiting the release of the B9. I test drove a BMW 435i Gran Coupe a couple of weeks ago and was completely underwhelmed by the HK sound system in that car. Didn't hold a candle. For that and several other reasons I have no interest in making my next car a BMW...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dseag2]

I had the B&O sound system in my '15 S5 (which I traded for my '17 A4) and the A4 sound system is light years ahead of it. I always found the sound in my S5 "tinny" and if I turned it up it got distorted. Not so with the A4 system.

I listen mostly to my iPod and there is so much more power and clarity to the A4 system. It even has speakers up high on the A pillars so the highs and instruments come from above your ears. IMHO it is the best stock sound system I've ever heard, and that includes the Mark Levinson system in my '13 Lexus GS.

[Tiggz911]

The only thing i dislike is bluetooth audio on this system. It sounds completely distorted and weak. I had BT audio in my old '10 Acura TSX (base model) and that stereo, specifically with bluetooth, destroys this B&O. Not sure what the deal is.

But aside from that, it is a fantastic stereo. Playing FLAC or even lossless from an SD card sounds amazing. Very much enjoying it. But like the OP stated, XM does come in terribly wrak sometimes and on certain channels.



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

[Kevinb656]

The only thing i dislike is bluetooth audio on this system. It sounds completely distorted and weak.

I play my music from a tablet over the MMI using Bluetooth. The sound quality is excellent. There must be a problem with yours.

[Jet Jockey]

Playing FLAC or even lossless from an SD card sounds amazing. Very much enjoying it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Yes FLAC and lossless music on the SD card is next on my list. Glad to hear it is also great. I'll probably use that instead of an iPod to keep audio quality.

[dbuxton13]

I play my music from a tablet over the MMI using Bluetooth. The sound quality is excellent. There must be a problem with yours.

Bluetooth quality depends very much on the emission source (the phone/tablet). I am sure Audi's Bluetooth receiver is top notch.

[Tiggz911]

Bluetooth quality depends very much on the emission source (the phone/tablet). I am sure Audi's Bluetooth receiver is top notch.

Well, I guess I should add that this is the first time ever that i've used an android phone for music playback via BT. They were all iPhones previously. I'll bet you are right.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

[JavikoA4]

I dont use CDs, most people dont use CDs anymore but bluetooth streaming from the phone or via apple carplay with the cable sounds really good!! i have noticed it sounds better from spotify high Q than apple music tbh. B&O on PPlus vehicles is top!
Im already used to it but when i sit inside a premium A4 with regular speakers at work, is day and night difference.

[Tiggz911]

I had a 2016 A4 S-Line loaner for about a week. Couldn't stand it. As for CDs, I do carry a CD case in the car and always have one loaded. I think it sounds fantastic!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

[Mitchfin]

That's because Spotify can stream at 320kbps while apple musics high quality is only 256kbps.

I absolutely love the B&O in this, the B8 was good for light listening but I listen to everything from house music to hip hop to aucoustic and each one sounds so full and true to sound. The only system I've heard that's better is the new XC90s Bowers and Wilkins.

[Nikoman]

My report says the B&O system sounds shitty past 60% with XM Sirius. My observation is the satellite radio sounds louder than Pandora through Android Auto. Bass level on 0.

Overall, it's sounds great if you don't crank it up too much. 60% is still very loud in my car. My past vehicles with high end brand audio would allow 100% with minimal or no distortion. Kind of surprised on this one.

[Mitchfin]

My report says the B&O system sounds shitty past 60% with XM Sirius. My observation is the satellite radio sounds louder than Pandora through Android Auto. Bass level on 0.

Overall, it's sounds great if you don't crank it up too much. 60% is still very loud in my car. My past vehicles with high end brand audio would allow 100% with minimal or no distortion. Kind of surprised on this one.

Well XM has some of the worst bit rates and streaming compression around (like max 96kb/sec) and pandora isn't that much better, the max for them is 192k/sec. So on a good sound system poor audio streams sound even worse, these systems sound so much better with high bitrate direct connected audio.

[jcallip]

+1 on the SD card and using FLAC....

[Azz123]

+Another for FLAC playback. I've got a 3.5" portable HDD in the centre console as I've got too many of them for SD cards. Works a treat.

Also Spotify on the iPhone sounds pretty good.

[blakspark]

sounds a world better than the B&O system in the B8, so glad i ticked this box!

[VipinLJ]

The only thing i dislike is bluetooth audio on this system. It sounds completely distorted and weak. I had BT audio in my old '10 Acura TSX (base model) and that stereo, specifically with bluetooth, destroys this B&O. Not sure what the deal is.

But aside from that, it is a fantastic stereo. Playing FLAC or even lossless from an SD card sounds amazing. Very much enjoying it. But like the OP stated, XM does come in terribly wrak sometimes and on certain channels.



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

I agree. Music over Bluetooth sounds so weak in comparison to Sirius. I stopped playing music over Bluetooth. I haven't checked out the wired connections yet. Sirius sounds a hundred times better compared to the same song over Bluetooth.

Edit - My phone is a Samsung GS7 Edge. I'll see if my wife's iPhone is any different.

[SafariTT]

Weird. Why I don't have the same feel as you guys? Maybe I have to try CD or FLAC. Have to find where is the SD card slot though


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VipinLJ]

Weird. Why I don't have the same feel as you guys? Maybe I have to try CD or FLAC. Have to find where is the SD card slot though


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's inside the glovebox, along with the CD player.

[blakspark]

Ok guys, give me the best settings to use for this system

[AK1991]

I just had a B9 as a loaner for a couple of days and found the sound quality of Bluetooth audio from my iPhone 7 on the B&O to be excellent. I had the treble and bass maxed out, along with 3D effect and surround on full. Bass isn't as punchy as I expected but the vocals are crystal clear.