Better than Harman Kardon?
I can’t believe I’m saying this but based off of memory it just may be.
I’m genuinely surprised and impressed at the amount of soundstage, separation, and imaging. I gave it an imaging challenge that only my EL-8 Titanium can accomplish with lossless files, and it passed with flying colors.
The mid-range is wonderfully natural with a beautifully detailed treble that has just enough bite, and a rich powerful bass with proper EQ.
The system’s default frequency response seems to be perfectly flat, which initially disappointed me but it’s possible to add up to 10dB of clean bass boost.
Of course the Harman Kardon has more power with its amplifier and a larger soundstage as it has rear speakers, but I’m shocked at how capable the default system is.
Thus the only downsides are that there’s no distinct sound for the rear passengers, although I find the sound from the front carries through just fine, and the bass gets limited at higher volumes, ~ 75% with the bass EQ turned all the way up. This is also fine as it limits the bass in a way that prevents distortion. The system saves me from myself since it sounds best averaging at around 80dB, with occasional 85-88dB peaks.
I prefer it to the 12-speaker system I’ve had in my 3 Series plug-in hybrid, and after growing accustomed to it it’s definitely replaced my Harman Kardon system. Larger sound systems with more speakers tend to want to manipulate the sound in ways to make it seem more impressive, but detract from the overall sound quality.
I’d have to listen to the Harman Kardon branded system again as I’ve also changed my approach to EQ: as it’s two speakers I only touch the bass and leave the treble flat. Even the world’s best headphones can be ruined with too much adjustment to the treble. But generally this will be my approach going forward. I’m admittedly obsessive with figuring out the best EQ settings.
Surprisingly my experience in an early Tesla Model 3 was that the speakers seemed distorted at higher volumes, although that could be due to a number of factors. A Model Y I tested had an excellent sound system.
Speakers have basically replaced headphones for me, as even the best headphones won’t have the same visceral bass impact or frankly even the reduced fatigue I seem to get from speakers. I would go out to my car and listen for hours if it felt socially acceptable, since it ended up being my best pair of headphones/speakers.
A meticulously-tuned audio system designed specifically for the car’s cabin, paired with CarPlay and Apple Lossless, can make for an exemplary listening experience rivaling the best headphone and speaker setups.
