Lost in music!
Discussion
was out and about quite late last night and thought i'd crank up the music for a change. i've got the Premium audio system in my V8V and it is a lovely bit of kit. when cranked up the sound is crisp and clear and the frequency range is rather impressive but you know what? i HATED not being able to hear the exhaust. it completely changed my driving experience. even though i was giving it some (as they say) it just wasn't right to not be able to hear the noise of the exhaust.
i love my car.
9 months of ownership and still loving it.
i love my car.
9 months of ownership and still loving it.
I must agree. The 700W stereo is fantastic!
Only niggle is that the rear speakers actually sound rubbish if you move the fader to the rear. I don't understand why they put crappy sounding rear speakers in with wonderful and very expensive fronts???
I assume they are just there to balance the sound and so don't need to be "that" good, but they muct make the overall sound poorer if they sound poor on their own. (?)
Is there an upgrade for the rears?
Only niggle is that the rear speakers actually sound rubbish if you move the fader to the rear. I don't understand why they put crappy sounding rear speakers in with wonderful and very expensive fronts???
I assume they are just there to balance the sound and so don't need to be "that" good, but they muct make the overall sound poorer if they sound poor on their own. (?)
Is there an upgrade for the rears?
I dont understand why they even bother with rears in such a small cabin anyway....a decent sound can be had with a pair of good components, amp, and small sub
I dont have the premium, just the "standard" stereo, and to be honest it sounds perfectly good to me also. Ive had thousands of pounds worth of fancy stereos in the past and this is the first daily driver type car Ive had where I havnt wanted to rip it out and start again LOL
I hope the change to the B & O system in the later cars is just as good.....
I dont have the premium, just the "standard" stereo, and to be honest it sounds perfectly good to me also. Ive had thousands of pounds worth of fancy stereos in the past and this is the first daily driver type car Ive had where I havnt wanted to rip it out and start again LOL
I hope the change to the B & O system in the later cars is just as good.....
I agree the rears are very dull and quiet but I think this is more to do with the crossover setup than actually the quality of the speakers. The manual states that they are 100W multi-way speakers in the rear just like the fronts.
Ive listened to the standard system and it is truely terrible if you want to listen to music loud. Im pretty sure its fine for listening to radio 4 on low-med volume if that is your thing - and one may not indeed be able to tell the difference in these circs but thats like saying the aston drives no better than a ford fiesta whilst crawling along at 5mph in traffic! Turn the volume up and put on some pop, dance or rock music (OK I know this wont appeal to the average demographic Aston owner) but the std and premium systems are chalk and cheese. The standard system is very average indeed however the premium is exceptionally good. I do agree that they should set the crossover setup on the rears could to allow more sound through. Perhaps a good local car-audio dealer could assist with this though for a minimal cost.
I'm pretty sceptical about the B&O to be honest although Ive not heard it in the DB9/DBS so I cant comment on any factual basis. My experience is of our own Beosound 4 with Beolab 6000 speakers in our bedroom. The system was bought really on how beautiful it is to look at. At the thick end of £4000 it really doesnt sound anything like what it should - its ok but nothing stunning. The Yamaha mini system I benchmarked it against at a 1/10th of the price out performed it sonically but it just didnt look like something that I wanted on display in our bedroom. Im happy with B&O for home becuase I rarely have the hifi on in the bedroom and so I look at it far far more often than I listen to it, so for me B&O was worth the price and the right solution. In a car the stakes are the other way around! Im rarely looking at the stereo - Im looking at the road and whenever Im driving I have the audio on, therefore sound quality is king. The premium audio is pretty anyway, it certainly doesnt look out of place inside the Aston.
Ive listened to the standard system and it is truely terrible if you want to listen to music loud. Im pretty sure its fine for listening to radio 4 on low-med volume if that is your thing - and one may not indeed be able to tell the difference in these circs but thats like saying the aston drives no better than a ford fiesta whilst crawling along at 5mph in traffic! Turn the volume up and put on some pop, dance or rock music (OK I know this wont appeal to the average demographic Aston owner) but the std and premium systems are chalk and cheese. The standard system is very average indeed however the premium is exceptionally good. I do agree that they should set the crossover setup on the rears could to allow more sound through. Perhaps a good local car-audio dealer could assist with this though for a minimal cost.
I'm pretty sceptical about the B&O to be honest although Ive not heard it in the DB9/DBS so I cant comment on any factual basis. My experience is of our own Beosound 4 with Beolab 6000 speakers in our bedroom. The system was bought really on how beautiful it is to look at. At the thick end of £4000 it really doesnt sound anything like what it should - its ok but nothing stunning. The Yamaha mini system I benchmarked it against at a 1/10th of the price out performed it sonically but it just didnt look like something that I wanted on display in our bedroom. Im happy with B&O for home becuase I rarely have the hifi on in the bedroom and so I look at it far far more often than I listen to it, so for me B&O was worth the price and the right solution. In a car the stakes are the other way around! Im rarely looking at the stereo - Im looking at the road and whenever Im driving I have the audio on, therefore sound quality is king. The premium audio is pretty anyway, it certainly doesnt look out of place inside the Aston.
Edited by Adam2S on Friday 31st July 13:53
Edited by Adam2S on Friday 31st July 23:26
I love sound therefore both are equally important. Love hearing the exhaust note when performing spiritied driving but equally love to hear decent sound when I cant hear the exhaust. There is an equal place for both in such a car. Aston is luxury performance - should sound great inside and out!
Adam2S said:
I'm pretty sceptical about the B&O to be honest although Ive not heard it in the DB9/DBS so I cant comment on any factual basis. My experience is of our own Beosound 4 with Beolab 6000 speakers in our bedroom. The system was bought really on how beautiful it is to look at. At the thick end of £4000 it really doesnt sound anything like what it should - its ok but nothing stunning.
The problem you have is the Beolab 6000's. They are good (I have them as rears in my surround set up), but the Beolab 5's are simply amazing. Probably better than that, stunning, and fantastic. I admit the set up is slightly more expensive, but you can tell the differance. If the price differance is x5, the sound is x20.Edited by Adam2S on Friday 31st July 13:53
I agree about the Premium sound system (Alpine I believe?), its got some quality grunt... so that even roof down being buffeted by the wind it still sounds great! Having said that the standard system I had in my last V8 was still pretty good once you had spent a little time playing with the set-up!
Adam2S said:
Ive listened to the standard system and it is truely terrible if you want to listen to music loud. Im pretty sure its fine for listening to radio 4 on low-med volume if that is your thing - and one may not indeed be able to tell the difference in these circs but thats like saying the aston drives no better than a ford fiesta whilst crawling along at 5mph in traffic! Turn the volume up and put on some pop, dance or rock music (OK I know this wont appeal to the average demographic Aston owner) but the std and premium systems are chalk and cheese. The standard system is very average indeed however the premium is exceptionally good. I do agree that they should set the crossover setup on the rears could to allow more sound through. Perhaps a good local car-audio dealer could assist with this though for a minimal cost.
I'm pretty sceptical about the B&O to be honest although Ive not heard it in the DB9/DBS so I cant comment on any factual basis. My experience is of our own Beosound 4 with Beolab 6000 speakers in our bedroom. The system was bought really on how beautiful it is to look at. At the thick end of £4000 it really doesnt sound anything like what it should - its ok but nothing stunning. The Yamaha mini system I benchmarked it against at a 1/10th of the price out performed it sonically but it just didnt look like something that I wanted on display in our bedroom. Im happy with B&O for home becuase I rarely have the hifi on in the bedroom and so I look at it far far more often than I listen to it, so for me B&O was worth the price and the right solution. In a car the stakes are the other way around! Im rarely looking at the stereo - Im looking at the road and whenever Im driving I have the audio on, therefore sound quality is king. The premium audio is pretty anyway, it certainly doesnt look out of place inside the Aston.
I disagree that the Premium system is miles better than the standard one.I'm pretty sceptical about the B&O to be honest although Ive not heard it in the DB9/DBS so I cant comment on any factual basis. My experience is of our own Beosound 4 with Beolab 6000 speakers in our bedroom. The system was bought really on how beautiful it is to look at. At the thick end of £4000 it really doesnt sound anything like what it should - its ok but nothing stunning. The Yamaha mini system I benchmarked it against at a 1/10th of the price out performed it sonically but it just didnt look like something that I wanted on display in our bedroom. Im happy with B&O for home becuase I rarely have the hifi on in the bedroom and so I look at it far far more often than I listen to it, so for me B&O was worth the price and the right solution. In a car the stakes are the other way around! Im rarely looking at the stereo - Im looking at the road and whenever Im driving I have the audio on, therefore sound quality is king. The premium audio is pretty anyway, it certainly doesnt look out of place inside the Aston.
Edited by Adam2S on Friday 31st July 13:53
Edited by Adam2S on Friday 31st July 23:26
I had Premium in my first car with the standard system in the next 2. It's a bit better but certainly not as clear cut as you suggest.
The B&O option is £5K in the Vantage.
It had better be good for that kind of money. Having heard it in a DBS, I'd suggest that you have to go some to convince yourself it would be worth it.
This Australian V8 Vantage review raves about the Premium Audio system:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocUKnn7pBcg
For me, it was a 'must have' option as soon as I heard it. The clarity and bass at higher volumes is absolutely stunning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocUKnn7pBcg
For me, it was a 'must have' option as soon as I heard it. The clarity and bass at higher volumes is absolutely stunning.
whoami said:
I disagree that the Premium system is miles better than the standard one.
I had Premium in my first car with the standard system in the next 2. It's a bit better but certainly not as clear cut as you suggest.
As per my post I think it depends on what kind of music you listen to and at what volume. For the music I listen to and to my ears the systems are as different as the vantage is to ford fiesta.I had Premium in my first car with the standard system in the next 2. It's a bit better but certainly not as clear cut as you suggest.
whoami said:
The B&O option is £5K in the Vantage.
It had better be good for that kind of money. Having heard it in a DBS, I'd suggest that you have to go some to convince yourself it would be worth it.
Well on that one we are in total agreement! It had better be good for that kind of money. Having heard it in a DBS, I'd suggest that you have to go some to convince yourself it would be worth it.
Edited by Adam2S on Saturday 1st August 16:26
Adam2S said:
whoami said:
I disagree that the Premium system is miles better than the standard one.
I had Premium in my first car with the standard system in the next 2. It's a bit better but certainly not as clear cut as you suggest.
As per my post I think it depends on what kind of music you listen to and at what volume. For the music I listen to and to my ears the systems are as different as the vantage is to ford fiesta.I had Premium in my first car with the standard system in the next 2. It's a bit better but certainly not as clear cut as you suggest.
Edited by Adam2S on Saturday 1st August 16:26
I listen to all sorts of music so can give a pretty balanced view of the capabilities of each. Had there been a pronounced difference between the systems, I have a feeling that I would have specified the Premium system in the 2nd and 3rd Vantages I bought.
ps The Vantage Vs Fiesta comparison might be just a slight exaggeration
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