Difference in sound quality between Premium and GT?

[mlhunt856]

I just took delivery of my GT Saturday. My wife has had a Premium since July. We both immediately noticed that the GT's sound system is much better than the one in Premium. Is this attributable to some difference in the systems installed on the two models or is it just a luck of the draw thing?

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[breeves002]

In theory they are identical. Mine sounds no different than my premium did. Were you using the same source in both for the audio?

 

[mlhunt856]

Yes, just picked a random Sirius XM channel to be sure we were comparing apples. GT sounds cleaner, crisper, better channel separation, more gain. Just better all the way around.

 

[Scooby24]

There was an issue with some of the B&O systems that needed an update where I believe the amp was not coming on.

 

[mlhunt856]

There was an issue with some of the B&O systems that needed an update where I believe the amp was not coming on.

Thanks. We have the car scheduled for its 10k service and the recalls next week. I'll ask them to look at it.

 

[strangeengine]

Yes, just picked a random Sirius XM channel to be sure we were comparing apples. GT sounds cleaner, crisper, better channel separation, more gain. Just better all the way around.

Are you sure that the SXM channel you picked was not streaming vs. satellite? The streaming will sound WAY better due to much higher bitrate.

 

[mlhunt856]

Are you sure that the SXM channel you picked was not streaming vs. satellite? The streaming will sound WAY better due to much higher bitrate.

No, I'm not sure. I'll have to sit down and really examine it making sure to match sources. But I'm pretty sure it's a real significant difference. My wife isn't really what I'd call an audiophile and she volunteered a comment about how much better my car sounds than hers on our first drive together.

 

[krafty81]

Use a song ripped to a USB for highest fidelity or a hi fi stream like Tidal. Sounds great on my Premium. Sxm is compressed.

 

[mlhunt856]

I'm not talking about the quality of any given track, which I understand world be dependent on the file's bitrate and codec among other things. I'm talkng about the fact that *the same track from the same source* sounds noticeably better in my GT than it does in my wife's Premium.

 

[Jimrpa]

Are you sure that the SXM channel you picked was not streaming vs. satellite? The streaming will sound WAY better due to much higher bitrate.

Any way to force SXM to use streaming?

 

[strangeengine]

Any way to force SXM to use streaming?

I don't know about the built-in client (my MME is not here yet), but you could always use the phone app via CarPlay / Android Auto.

The iOS app has settings for streaming quality that make a sizable difference - I assume the Android one does as well.

The app really is a steaming pile otherwise, though. Super buggy. But the sound quality is a massive improvement vs the over-the-air version of SXM.

 

[Jimrpa]

I don't know about the built-in client (my MME is not here yet), but you could always use the phone app via CarPlay / Android Auto.

The iOS app has settings for streaming quality that make a sizable difference - I assume the Android one does as well.

The app really is a steaming pile otherwise, though. Super buggy. But the sound quality is a massive improvement vs the over-the-air version of SXM.

I’m an Apple fanboy and I’ll only say this: CarPlay is total crap.

 

[dml105]

Sounds like the DSP needs to be reset in your Premium so that it uses the B&O subwoofer.
It’s not about the quality of the inputs. This is a problem some early premium owners described.

 

[benk016]

I noticed an improvement in sound quality going from my First Edition to the GT. But, my FE did need the DSP update that never got done before I traded it in.

 

[mlhunt856]

Sounds like the DSP needs to be reset in your Premium so that it uses the B&O subwoofer.
It’s not about the quality of the inputs. This is a problem some early premium owners described.

Thanks, you're the second person on the thread who's mentioned something like that. I have the car scheduled in for service/recalls next week and I'll add that to the service order.

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