Harman Kardon stereo?

All Volvo XC40 related discussions
Post Reply
varavital
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2018 2:53 pm
Location: Belgium

Post by varavital »

Brandyman wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 8:22 pm Have you tried altering the settings in the Sound Experience App? I didn't find this at first but I found that playing about with the "surround sound " setting in there improves the sound immeasurably. Have to say after initial disappointment, I'm really impressed with it now.
Which settings did you use exactly? I testdrove 2 FE's months ago, first one sounded very good, second one sounded bad, both had the HK system.
The road is more important than the destination.

q3billy
Posts: 187
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2018 12:55 pm
Location: Kent

Post by q3billy »

This is my only worry, if it comes to it I'll have to take it to an audio specialist for them to do their magic and upgrade it somehow. I don't have a spare wheel so I could get a sunken sub fitted if the bass isn't good enough.
I changed from a Ford Focus CC3 with Ford's Sony upgrade and it was fantastic very deep bass, clear highs with a customisable sound engine. Probably not as good as the old Volvo Dynaudio in the C70 convertible but it was hands down one of the best I'd heard in a mainstream convertible.
R-Design Pro T3 | Bursting Blue | Xenium | Convenience | Intellisafe Pro | Smartphone Integration | Harman/Kardon | Powered Tailgate
Ordered: 04/04/18 | Delivered: 19/11/18 | Sold: 15/02/19

Replaced with: Mercedes-Benz E400 in red
Brandyman
Posts: 62
Joined: Mon May 14, 2018 1:36 pm
Location: West Yorkshire

Post by Brandyman »

varavital wrote: Thu Jul 19, 2018 9:12 am
Brandyman wrote: Wed Jul 18, 2018 8:22 pm Have you tried altering the settings in the Sound Experience App? I didn't find this at first but I found that playing about with the "surround sound " setting in there improves the sound immeasurably. Have to say after initial disappointment, I'm really impressed with it now.
Which settings did you use exactly? I testdrove 2 FE's months ago, first one sounded very good, second one sounded bad, both had the HK system.
In the sound experience app, there is a setting for surround sound which is set by default to off. Turn it on and adjust the level of surround sound to your taste. Makes a big difference.
XC40 D4 Inscription. Onyx Black, Winter Pack, 360 degree Camera, Sensus Connect Premium Sound
Arrived July 4th :)
lhaldy
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2018 1:52 pm

Post by lhaldy »

I am somewhat disappointed with the Harmon Kardon sound system. It is the only thing in my new XC40 that doesn't meet my expectations. It isn't bad but just not what I think it should be for the upgrade. I tried playing with the equalizer but just can't seem to get a clean crisp sound from it. And don't even think about playing music through Bluetooth, the sound quality is absolutely horrible! Much better when using USB port though.
tdp
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:07 pm

Post by tdp »

Hello

The car is a great car to drive and a beautiful design, however.
I am really disappointed with the Harman Kardon sound system. It was an expensive upgrade and it completely lacks presence. Not at all what I was expecting from a modern vehicle with an expensive sound system.
I DJ'd for years in nightclubs and used to produce music so know how to fiddle with eq's and settings and in all honesty it barely makes a difference when you alter the Equalisation.
It looks amazing and the design is flawless but the sound isn't anywhere near the power i would have expected. It sounds far too controlled and it seems to compress the sound at high volumes which is why I think it lacks presence.
I had a Bose sound system as an upgrade in my previous vehicle and that sounded incredible, deep warm punchy bass and clear mids and highs. The sound pumped when you turned the volume up.
This seems incapable of that kind of performance know matter how many speakers they have dotted around the vehicle. It softens the sound even more when you turn the Surround Sound on so have switched that off completely.
User avatar
pjm007
Posts: 940
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2018 8:26 pm
Location: UK

Post by pjm007 »

Suspect you may have a fault somewhere in the setup. By the way, are you talking about playing through Bluetooth, CarPlay, USB, all of the above ..... ? The source does make a difference. My system sounds like you describe it ought to, so that's why I suggest a full check of the whole system.
Two XC40s - so far! Inscription Pro T5 AWD Auto - Glacier Silver/Blond/21”, fully loaded, from Jan thro Sep 2021. Polestarred. :) Also one of the first FEs - a D4 AWD Auto - Bursting Blue/Charcoal/20" from Mar thro Aug 2018. Also Polestarred. :o
mrkbrk
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:35 pm

Post by mrkbrk »

I am disappointed by the HK too.
I have tried different setups but no matter the settings it doesn't sound as it should.
I will ask the garage to check it but I fear it is just like that by design.
XC40-Aus
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2018 1:42 am

Post by XC40-Aus »

I think it is crisp and plenty of bass but I do find that it seems all the sound is coming from the front speaker despite being surround sound setting, I just need to play with it more, but the bass is good, the sound clear and it is quality just taking some getting used to and playing around with the setting.

Keen to hear what others have set. There are the dedicated Harmon Karden settings and the car settings. Not sure if these work together or whether one over writes the other.

I welcome others thoughts
Dc1743
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:10 pm

Post by Dc1743 »

I am also in the disappointed camp. The HK system is probably the worst premium sound system I’ve ever had in a car.

My main gripe, as described by the previous poster, is that all the sound appears to come from the central dash mounted speaker. There doesn’t appear to be any stereo separation. I have tried the surround sound settings and optimization for the driver, alll to no avail.
XC40 FE | D4 | Fusion Red
XC40-Aus
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2018 1:42 am

Post by XC40-Aus »

Update.

I have to say, initially I was not sure, but I was sat in the car this evening, and some dance music was playing at a medium sound, maybe even on the quiet side, and I was emersed sound. Whilst the main sound and base was coming from the front, there were all sorts of surround sound moments in the song coming from all around the car it was fantastic. The nice thing is, even with the sound on low, it was full, rich and bassey.

Play with the settings and find what works for you but I recommend the full surround sound is switch on under the Harmon Kardon settings.

I have not had a premium sound system in a car before, my last Volvo V40 had a great sound system but it wasn’t a premium upgrade so I have nothing to really compare this with but i do have premium sound systems at home and I really like this in the Xc40.
Post Reply