Anyone underwhelmed by B&O system...

JCinTpa

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So maybe it’s just me but is anybody else underwhelmed by the stereo system of the Mach E ? I’m convinced somethings not right. I’ve taken it to the dealer already once . The sound just doesn’t sound right at medium or higher volumes. It’s almost like a slight muffle just not clear. The dealer seems convinced I’m just being picky. They used a flash drive to show an example of the highest quality music and it did sound pretty great on the stereo but any other music medium… Unpluged CarPlay, plug-in CarPlay, satellite radio… Just sounds underwhelming. The dealer convincing me that satellite radio is going to sound worse and any unplugged streaming will also. But there’s no way that this stereo system sounds no better than a Honda. Am I missing something?
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GoGoGadgetMachE

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So maybe it’s just me but is anybody else underwhelmed by the stereo system of the Mach E ? I’m convinced somethings not right. I’ve taken it to the dealer already once . The sound just doesn’t sound right at medium or higher volumes. It’s almost like a slight muffle just not clear. The dealer seems convinced I’m just being picky. They used a flash drive to show an example of the highest quality music and it did sound pretty great on the stereo but any other music medium… Unpluged CarPlay, plug-in CarPlay, satellite radio… Just sounds underwhelming. The dealer convincing me that satellite radio is going to sound worse and any unplugged streaming will also. But there’s no way that this stereo system sounds no better than a Honda. Am I missing something?
SXM is pretty terrible relatively speaking, and CarPlay is going to depend on the source that you're playing (e.g. streaming will be potentially rough).

if the high quality USB key sounded good then you know it's working right.

that said there have been others on here that said they weren't happy.
 

mburtsvt

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So maybe it’s just me but is anybody else underwhelmed by the stereo system of the Mach E ? I’m convinced somethings not right. I’ve taken it to the dealer already once . The sound just doesn’t sound right at medium or higher volumes. It’s almost like a slight muffle just not clear. The dealer seems convinced I’m just being picky. They used a flash drive to show an example of the highest quality music and it did sound pretty great on the stereo but any other music medium… Unpluged CarPlay, plug-in CarPlay, satellite radio… Just sounds underwhelming. The dealer convincing me that satellite radio is going to sound worse and any unplugged streaming will also. But there’s no way that this stereo system sounds no better than a Honda. Am I missing something?
Just adding a stupid question - Is there a CD player in the Mach E?
 

louibluey

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I sat in a MME 4X on the tour, and thought the sound was terrible, maybe "diluted" at best. Almost forgot about that previous concern during my excitement of a chance to pick up a declined FE grabber blue.

Surprisingly, the FE sounds pretty good. Clear, well defined, and nice to listen too. It's maybe 7-8/10, still a little lacking on the low end, but surprising good compared to the demo I saw months back.

I had two Honda Clarity (long story). The first, the higher end touring sounded awful and muddy, maybe 4 or 5/10. The second base Clarity was amazing, a strong 7/10. I learned later that a few Clarity owners on the forum got dealers to change out the audio system.

Maybe try to listen to one or two FCTP MME in your area, or another forum member's MME, and see if it sounds different.

I'm an audiophile light, so sound is important to me (Parasound A21+, Polk LSiM, Denon 6500)

[CD player - no]
 
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Kamuelaflyer

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Just adding a stupid question - Is there a CD player in the Mach E?
Not stupid if you don't know the answer. And if you knew the answer, you wouldn't be asking.



Oh, the answer? No, there isn't. Rip those puppies to a 2 TB thumb drive and join the folks trying to figure out how to navigate the drive. Or stream them via your choice of platforms. Put them on your iPhone, Android or (other?) and try it that way. But no CD's. Unless you're using them for coasters.

No SXM in Hawaii so I can't comment on how that works out. (But that hasn't stopped me from commenting on other things I know nothing of so ...) Anyway frankly, I listen to NPR or podcasts most of the time in my current vehicles so what would I know about music?

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KAustin

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I don't think it stands up to the hype. It definitely depends on the source and even differs by channel on SXM. I can't seem to get the balance right either. Most of what I hear comes from the bar.
 

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There has been a couple occasions where I thought something was wrong with the radio, like it couldn’t pick up an HD stream on any FM channel and every channel was getting a little bit of static in an area I am very familiar with and where only weak stations sometimes come in a bit static-y.

On another occasion, I seemed to be getting two stations coming in on the same channel in metro LA on a station I know is not competing with any other station on the same channel in the area.

So I wouldn’t rule out software bugs from cropping up, but overall, I have been very happy with the quality, particularly when I downloaded Tidal and streamed master quality music.
 

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JCinTpa

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There has been a couple occasions where I thought something was wrong with the radio, like it couldn’t pick up an HD stream on any FM channel and every channel was getting a little bit of static in an area I am very familiar with and where only weak stations sometimes come in a bit static-y.

On another occasion, I seemed to be getting two stations coming in on the same channel in metro LA on a station I know is not competing with any other station on the same channel in the area.

So I wouldn’t rule out software bugs from cropping up, but overall, I have been very happy with the quality, particularly when I downloaded Tidal and streamed master quality music.
The dealer did mention that tidal music quality was significantly better than Spotify etc.…
 

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So maybe it’s just me but is anybody else underwhelmed by the stereo system of the Mach E ? I’m convinced somethings not right. I’ve taken it to the dealer already once . The sound just doesn’t sound right at medium or higher volumes. It’s almost like a slight muffle just not clear. The dealer seems convinced I’m just being picky. They used a flash drive to show an example of the highest quality music and it did sound pretty great on the stereo but any other music medium… Unpluged CarPlay, plug-in CarPlay, satellite radio… Just sounds underwhelming. The dealer convincing me that satellite radio is going to sound worse and any unplugged streaming will also. But there’s no way that this stereo system sounds no better than a Honda. Am I missing something?
Satellite radio has sounded like garbage in every car audio system I've listened to, and I've listened to some pretty high-end ones.
 

mburtsvt

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MachE2021

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I was very underwhelmed too. I initially felt like it’s the worst sound system I’ve had since my first car (1991 Oldsmobile lol), but I’m starting to come around to it. I think it’s just a different type of sound from what I’m used to, although I still think the best sound system I’ve had by far was the HK system in my ‘09 Benz.
 
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JCinTpa

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I was very underwhelmed too. I initially felt like it’s the worst sound system I’ve had since my first car (1991 Oldsmobile lol), but I’m starting to come around to it. I think it’s just a different type of sound from what I’m used to, although I still think the best sound system I’ve had by far was the HK system in my ‘09 Benz.
Yes the stereo system in my 2018 E class was amazing.
 

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To me, it sounds best when it's put into surround mode with the bass turned up a bit, as it seems to have a great more depth in that mode. I personally think it sounds good, mostly XM radio Listening here.
 
 




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