Disappointing stereo - '63 plate R Line Touareg
Discussion
Hi all,
We've just bought a lovely 1 owner from new '63 plate R Line Touareg. It's fabulous and we love it.
However, one issue I didn't think we'd have coming from a 13 year old A6 is that the stereo is nowhere near as good in the VW. The A6 stereo was a 10 speaker set up with a sub hidden somewhere and it was very good - having said that I think it was just the standard stereo.
The VW hasn't got the Dynaudio upgrade so it's also just the standard stereo.
The radio is OK, but audio from Bluetooth is not as good as the radio. Neither are very loud and the actual quality of the sound is not great.
I've tried fiddling with the treble/bass but it doesn't really help.
I managed to improve the Bluetooth sound a fraction by setting the Apple Music EQ to 'Loudness' in the iPhone settings.
It's quite frustrating.
Is there anything I can do, or any aftermarket upgrades to speakers, etc. that would help?
Thanks in advance!
We've just bought a lovely 1 owner from new '63 plate R Line Touareg. It's fabulous and we love it.
However, one issue I didn't think we'd have coming from a 13 year old A6 is that the stereo is nowhere near as good in the VW. The A6 stereo was a 10 speaker set up with a sub hidden somewhere and it was very good - having said that I think it was just the standard stereo.
The VW hasn't got the Dynaudio upgrade so it's also just the standard stereo.
The radio is OK, but audio from Bluetooth is not as good as the radio. Neither are very loud and the actual quality of the sound is not great.
I've tried fiddling with the treble/bass but it doesn't really help.
I managed to improve the Bluetooth sound a fraction by setting the Apple Music EQ to 'Loudness' in the iPhone settings.
It's quite frustrating.
Is there anything I can do, or any aftermarket upgrades to speakers, etc. that would help?
Thanks in advance!
The standard DSP audio system on the C6 A6 is actually really good. Some say the Bose system isn't hugely different on that car. It beats our X5's factory optioned professional sound system (£300 odd), only thing I'll say is the X5 has much better bass due to two dedicated subwoofers under the front seats. I'm guessing the standard system in the Touareg simply doesn't live up to it, by the sounds of it. Bluetooth sound can significantly decrease quality too, does the car have an AMI of some sort? Like a port which a cable can be attached to, it allows you to view albums and playlists on your phone. They are able to provide the best quality, as it doesn't use bluetooth or even the AUX, but uses lightning/USB.
Hi, thanks for the reply!
Yes, it does have a lightning connector in the centre armrest. It's just a pain in the arse - who wants to plug their phones in every time they get in the car?!
And it still doesn't get over the problem that the sound is neither particularly loud or actually that great. Sounds like we've been spoiled in the A6!
Such a shame - everything else on the car is fantastic. There must be something I can do to get a better sound....?
Yes, it does have a lightning connector in the centre armrest. It's just a pain in the arse - who wants to plug their phones in every time they get in the car?!
And it still doesn't get over the problem that the sound is neither particularly loud or actually that great. Sounds like we've been spoiled in the A6!
Such a shame - everything else on the car is fantastic. There must be something I can do to get a better sound....?
Rosscow said:
Hi, thanks for the reply!
Yes, it does have a lightning connector in the centre armrest. It's just a pain in the arse - who wants to plug their phones in every time they get in the car?!
I do, to enable Apple Carplay.. I find plugged into the USB the sound is so much better compared to Bluetooth. It sounds like you need some sort of amp and speaker upgrade. I have B&O in the RS5 and Bose in the S1, both sound pretty awesome. Are you able to retrofit the Dynaudio system?Yes, it does have a lightning connector in the centre armrest. It's just a pain in the arse - who wants to plug their phones in every time they get in the car?!
G
Rosscow said:
Hi, thanks for the reply!
Yes, it does have a lightning connector in the centre armrest. It's just a pain in the arse - who wants to plug their phones in every time they get in the car?!
And it still doesn't get over the problem that the sound is neither particularly loud or actually that great. Sounds like we've been spoiled in the A6!
Such a shame - everything else on the car is fantastic. There must be something I can do to get a better sound....?
Have to admit, you are better off. Your car, with its much more modern ICE, likely has Apple CarPlay, which is much better than what we get in our A6. We 'only' get Apple Music in the car, which we do use luckily, so it all actually very nicely integrates into the car. Can change songs, playlists etc. straight from the steering wheel. If it doesn't change sound quality, then it will still be an issue, so would look at a speaker upgrade to the Dynaudio system (very good apparently), or even a cheaper alternative and 1/2 underseat subwoofers.Yes, it does have a lightning connector in the centre armrest. It's just a pain in the arse - who wants to plug their phones in every time they get in the car?!
And it still doesn't get over the problem that the sound is neither particularly loud or actually that great. Sounds like we've been spoiled in the A6!
Such a shame - everything else on the car is fantastic. There must be something I can do to get a better sound....?
No. it hasn't got Apple Play.
I spoke to a company in Kent yesterday called Enhance Car Audio (Sittingbourne).
They quoted for the following:
Hertz Energy ESK 165 front speaker set up http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-e...
Hertz Energy ECX 165 rear speakers http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-e...
Rainbow 10" underseat intelli sub http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/rainbow/activ...
Hertz D Power 500w amp https://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-...
Supplied and fitted, them coming to me, for around £1275.
I've had a Google and I can get all of the above for around £680 online, which suggests their install costs are expensive!
But I know nothing about ICE so not sure if the above are good components or not......
I spoke to a company in Kent yesterday called Enhance Car Audio (Sittingbourne).
They quoted for the following:
Hertz Energy ESK 165 front speaker set up http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-e...
Hertz Energy ECX 165 rear speakers http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-e...
Rainbow 10" underseat intelli sub http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/rainbow/activ...
Hertz D Power 500w amp https://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-...
Supplied and fitted, them coming to me, for around £1275.
I've had a Google and I can get all of the above for around £680 online, which suggests their install costs are expensive!
But I know nothing about ICE so not sure if the above are good components or not......
Google how to access the hidden "green screen menu". This will allow you to fiddle with the audio settings for each individual source input.
I've got a 2015 Touareg with the basic audio system (RNS850). The radio and SD card inputs sounded fine. Bluetooth and USB MMI sounded awful. Tweaking the levels etc. using the green menu fixed it. For some reason these inputs were set very low.
I had to buy a Carista dongle to enable the menu, but I also used it to change the way start/stop worked and enable dipping passenger mirror when reversing. I think I paid £25 on Amazon.
I've got a 2015 Touareg with the basic audio system (RNS850). The radio and SD card inputs sounded fine. Bluetooth and USB MMI sounded awful. Tweaking the levels etc. using the green menu fixed it. For some reason these inputs were set very low.
I had to buy a Carista dongle to enable the menu, but I also used it to change the way start/stop worked and enable dipping passenger mirror when reversing. I think I paid £25 on Amazon.
Rosscow said:
No. it hasn't got Apple Play.
I spoke to a company in Kent yesterday called Enhance Car Audio (Sittingbourne).
They quoted for the following:
Hertz Energy ESK 165 front speaker set up http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-e...
Hertz Energy ECX 165 rear speakers http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-e...
Rainbow 10" underseat intelli sub http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/rainbow/activ...
Hertz D Power 500w amp https://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-...
Supplied and fitted, them coming to me, for around £1275.
I've had a Google and I can get all of the above for around £680 online, which suggests their install costs are expensive!
But I know nothing about ICE so not sure if the above are good components or not......
Believe VAG use CANBUS in their cars, so it is quite complicated to sort out wiring for these, leading me to believe that pricing is mainly for fitting. I have a slight feeling that it may be easier to do a straight drop in of the Dynaudio system instead, the parts can be found in an online catalogue similar to RealOEM that BMW have. That price is simply so expensive, I would be looking to do a factory retrofit instead. I spoke to a company in Kent yesterday called Enhance Car Audio (Sittingbourne).
They quoted for the following:
Hertz Energy ESK 165 front speaker set up http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-e...
Hertz Energy ECX 165 rear speakers http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-e...
Rainbow 10" underseat intelli sub http://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/rainbow/activ...
Hertz D Power 500w amp https://www.fourcaraudio.co.uk/brands/hertz/hertz-...
Supplied and fitted, them coming to me, for around £1275.
I've had a Google and I can get all of the above for around £680 online, which suggests their install costs are expensive!
But I know nothing about ICE so not sure if the above are good components or not......
On the other hand, that setup seems to be very powerful. The BMW system, was around £300 option in the X5, and is about 200-220W. The subwoofer alone in that quote is 500W! But, the audiophile inside me says that power is important, but clarity and quality of the speakers is really important, which again has me thinking that a Dynaudio retrofit may do it.
t load of sound deadening which isn’t cheap. Then you have 1 or 2 guys working on it for the full day fitting and tuning it, that’s probably about right really.clockworks said:
Google how to access the hidden "green screen menu". This will allow you to fiddle with the audio settings for each individual source input.
I've got a 2015 Touareg with the basic audio system (RNS850). The radio and SD card inputs sounded fine. Bluetooth and USB MMI sounded awful. Tweaking the levels etc. using the green menu fixed it. For some reason these inputs were set very low.
I had to buy a Carista dongle to enable the menu, but I also used it to change the way start/stop worked and enable dipping passenger mirror when reversing. I think I paid £25 on Amazon.
Hi I've got a 2015 Touareg with the basic audio system (RNS850). The radio and SD card inputs sounded fine. Bluetooth and USB MMI sounded awful. Tweaking the levels etc. using the green menu fixed it. For some reason these inputs were set very low.
I had to buy a Carista dongle to enable the menu, but I also used it to change the way start/stop worked and enable dipping passenger mirror when reversing. I think I paid £25 on Amazon.
Do you have a video how you did it ? How you tweak the speakers volume etc… I have a Carista just need to know how to ! My front speakers working fine , is just my back doors one , if you have a video that’s will be amazing ! Thanks
MarioVersus said:
Hi
Do you have a video how you did it ? How you tweak the speakers volume etc… I have a Carista just need to know how to ! My front speakers working fine , is just my back doors one , if you have a video that’s will be amazing ! Thanks
Sorry, no video, and I sold the car 2 years ago.Do you have a video how you did it ? How you tweak the speakers volume etc… I have a Carista just need to know how to ! My front speakers working fine , is just my back doors one , if you have a video that’s will be amazing ! Thanks
This video shows you how to access the green menu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN3S4-xOU1A
If you can't get to the green menu, you have to enable it using the Carista app
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