Harmon Kardon too much bass

[Mujja]

Bought a C207 over the weekend after browsing the classifieds for months to get the right options, one of which was the HK audio.

Having never heard the audio system before I couldn't wait to give it a try once I got home, too many other things to test first like the acceleration of the 3L V6, never knew a diesel could sound so good.

Back on topic, the audio is too boomy with too much bass and I mean too much, I've had to dial it all the way down to -10. Now I don't believe this is how it should sound and wondering if previous owner has messed with the speakers.

@dry run in another thread you recommend a local business, is that Sexton's near Baffin's? Do you have the same audio in your coupe? Would be nice to meet up to compare and as I am new to Mercedes and you might have some useful tips.

 

[bembo449]

Id be more concerned the amp doesn't fail pal , i have an old 215 with BOSE and when the radio is on its also very basey , however with CD its sounds great

 

[Botus]

Since most music sources are now digitally compressed garbage, transient spikes which used to drive loudspeakers in to orbit and smash themselves to pieces are missing.

In the old days you needed a mega powerful amp to keep control of the coils or the speakers would be toast inside 5 minutes.... now those spikes are gone they can wind up "what we call bass" till its like a night club.

If its not to your taste tweak it down a bit in the settings....

 

[Mujja]

Too much bass a sign of a failing amp?

I have planned to visit a car audio specialist, I read somewhere aftermarket speakers were a worthwhile upgrade. Maybe get the amp looked at and rep!adds at the same time. In don't listen to much music or even spend much time in the car but like my music to sound as good as it can without spending too much.

 

[Botus]

in line with my earlier point, many radio stations around 5 or so years ago wound up the broadcasts so they are very bassey ( it might have been much longer ago....)

 

[Mujja]

Since most music sources are now digitally compressed garbage, transient spikes which used to drive loudspeakers in to orbit and smash themselves to pieces are missing.

In the old days you needed a mega powerful amp to keep control of the coils or the speakers would be toast inside 5 minutes.... now those spikes are gone they can wind up "what we call bass" till its like a night club.

If its not to your taste tweak it down a bit in the settings....

I don't mind a bit of equaliser tweaking but have never had to turn the bass all the way down. I usually turn the bass up as EDM is my genre of choice.

 

[Mujja]

I don't mind a bit of equaliser tweaking but have never had to turn the bass all the way down. I usually turn the bass up as EDM is my genre of choice.

Looks like I'll have to buy a CD to test, I think the last one I bought was over 20 years ago.

I've tried streaming from my phone, just the usual Spotify stream, with phones EQ disabled and it was no better.

When I say too much bass, I'm not able to listen to anything at a normal volume level without attracting attention.

 

[V6Matty]

I have to admit I have turned the base down in mine a little bit not all the way down, think it’s around -3/4, then again I mainly listen to radio 4 with the occasional flip over to music stations for shorter drives depending on my mood,

 

[dry run]

Bought a C207 over the weekend after browsing the classifieds for months to get the right options, one of which was the HK audio.

Having never heard the audio system before I couldn't wait to give it a try once I got home, too many other things to test first like the acceleration of the 3L V6, never knew a diesel could sound so good.

Back on topic, the audio is too boomy with too much bass and I mean too much, I've had to dial it all the way down to -10. Now I don't believe this is how it should sound and wondering if previous owner has messed with the speakers.

@dry run in another thread you recommend a local business, is that Sexton's near Baffin's? Do you have the same audio in your coupe? Would be nice to meet up to compare and as I am new to Mercedes and you might have some useful tips.

Happy to meet up and discuss/compare. FYI my C207 had ehe standard Comand system and music system. Give me a call on 07899 075313

 

[sl500amgsport]

Dab and USB all play fine on mine but bluetooth connected to my Samsung S8+ seemed very bassy/blurry even with phone set neutral and phone volume up.

I then introduced Amazon Car Echo to my phone and car via bluetooth and sound immediately improved, most odd.

I wonder if it is the bluetooth from your phone..

Mercedes SL500 R231

 

[Mujja]

Dab and USB all play fine on mine but bluetooth connected to my Samsung S8+ seemed very bassy/blurry even with phone set neutral and phone volume up.

I then introduced Amazon Car Echo to my phone and car via bluetooth and sound immediately improved, most odd.

I wonder if it is the bluetooth from your phone..

Mercedes SL500 R231

I'll try and get hold of a CD, might have a couple in the attic, to try another source.

 

[Mujja]

Happy to meet up and discuss/compare. FYI my C207 had ehe standard Comand system and music system. Give me a call on 07899 075313

I'm working away from home this week. I'll call/msg you when I'm back this weekend. If the weather stays like this traffic will be a nightmare heading in and out of Southsea so maybe we can meet during a weekday.

 

[John Laidlaw]

isn't -10 the bassiest you can get?
I always 'start' mine at 0 for treble and bass, then adjust from there, otherwise you are inheriting mr boombastics tastes...

 

[Mujja]

isn't -10 the bassiest you can get?
I always 'start' mine at 0 for treble and bass, then adjust from there, otherwise you are inheriting mr boombastics tastes...

The dials go from -10 to +10. Moving the dial from 0 (default) to -10 reduces the bass.

What position are your dials set to? I'll give your settings a try.

 

[LostKiwi]

Check the settings on the phone. Sometimes they can have optimisation for headphones and that can pump bass up.

 

[dry run]

I'm working away from home this week. I'll call/msg you when I'm back this weekend. If the weather stays like this traffic will be a nightmare heading in and out of Southsea so maybe we can meet during a weekday.

Fine, available pretty much any day

 

[brandwooddixon]

Has the "Loud" function been turned on? This will boost the bass, no matter what the bass setting is.

Next try adjusting the treble and balance (front-back, left-right) to check that all of the speakers are working.

I've had cars where the main bass speaker in the rear didn't work giving a tinny sound and also where the "tweeters" in the doors didn't work which gave the opposite.

 

[Mujja]

Thanks for the tip, I'll adjust balance and fader to test each speaker.

I found the loud setting somewhere but this was disabled.

I've copied some music to a USB stick, this was a pain getting the correct format and size, and I think it sounds slightly better. Not able to test BT audio for now as I've lost the feature after resetting command

 

[matthew k]

Before my HK amp popped (it just stopped working) the sound became increasingly tinny, with little bass. I had to turn the trebble right down and the bass up to get anything like a normal sound, and from what I've heard that's the usual sign of amp failure.

 

[Mujja]

Had a chance to give the audio a test on the commute back home on Friday, only my second drive in the car. I had some MP3s on USB but only at 256kbps. After switching between the radio and usb the bass didn't seem as overpowering. My initial listening was at low volumes, didn't want to annoy neighbours. At normal listening volumes the highs and mids mixed in better with the bass and everything sounded much better.

After managing to get BT audio back from my phone this afternoon played some tracks from my Spotify playlist logic 7 did a great job with some of the tracks.

I do get the parcel shelf vibrations with some tracks so may need to look in to sound dampening which has been suggested.