# B & O Setup



## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

There has been lots of comment on here about how the B & O sound system in the TT is not the best, but given its the best available from Audi, what setup do people use?

Here is some pretty useless blurb on the system that does not aid setup in any way, just sounds like a load of marketing speak https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/solutio ... i/tt-coupe Has anyone found a more technical explanation.

I am new to B & O so I have had little time to experiment but so far my preference is:-

Bass & Treble on 60%
Surround on 60%
Balance/Fader - set in middle just behind front seats
Speed Dependent Volume off
When streaming music using Android phone, graphic equalizer on, set to Pop


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

Not the B&O, but what I do on the ASS is this:

Focus: Front
Treble: about 3rd setting from the bottom

Reason why: Setting the focus to the front, for some reason, lowers the mid range, meaning the treble and bass at their middle setting is naturally boosted. Its a different way of boosting them, because the mid range is lowered in a different way to how the treble and bass is boosted (different frequencies). Also, you don't have to "boost" the bass past the middle setting to get stronger bass. I think it sounds a bit better. The downside is it doesn't go as loud. Another thing you can do with this, if you wanted, is boost the bass about twice as much (relative to mid and treble) than you could normally do.


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## Sticks (Sep 3, 2008)

I have mine much the same, but slightly towards the front. I don't worry about it too much as, using the USB, the music will be compressed anyway so not top quality. DAB sounds good enough though.


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## tt3600 (Apr 8, 2006)

Pugliese said:


> There has been lots of comment on here about how the B & O sound system in the TT is not the best


Huh? Majority are saying it's good me included.


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## rizo9 (Jun 16, 2016)

I think the system is pretty decent. It does lack that deep low bass you get from having a separate sub.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I think the B&O is pretty good in the TT tbh. The TT's small interior doesn't lend itself well to good acoustics so you have to be somewhat forgiving I think, but the power and clarity are more than acceptable.

The previous Bose in the mk2 was inferior with power, loudness, clarity and generally lacked bass however did manage to reproduce more sub-bass than the B&O especially when fiddled with in VCDS, setting it to cloth interior instead of leather.

The lack of true deep bass is apparent on some tracks I have in the car eg Michael Jackson's Earth Song and Lol Jon's Get Low.

I wonder if it's possible to add a sub to the existing setup? Doesn't need to be amazing, just enough to fill in the missing bottom end.


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## Reasty (Feb 6, 2015)

have the B&O in my TTS and its more than adequate,the clarity is super clear even at high volume especially if you feed it hi res tracks (FLAC) i don't really understand why people say it isn't good because its just not the case at all,everyones ears are different i guess but everyone who has been in my car has commented on how good it sounds.


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## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

Reasty said:


> have the B&O in my TTS and its more than adequate,the clarity is super clear even at high volume especially if you feed it hi res tracks (FLAC) i don't really understand why people say it isn't good because its just not the case at all,everyones ears are different i guess but everyone who has been in my car has commented on how good it sounds.


Hi Reasty, totally agree about quality but as the OP I really didn't want to get into this debate again. i am really interested in how others have theirs set up. Like surround - haven't found that makes that much difference - maybe I am going deaf!


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Great votes of confidences... "adequate", "acceptable"..
it sucks ass, go and listen to a decent setup in the other models in the range.

If you are comparing to a 10 year old car as a ref point.... :roll:


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## rizo9 (Jun 16, 2016)

Toshiba said:


> Great votes of confidences... "adequate", "acceptable"..
> it sucks ass, go and listen to a decent setup in the other models in the range.
> 
> If you are comparing to a 10 year old car as a ref point.... :roll:


I've got Bose in my a6 and apart from the base it is decent.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Great "apart from..." 
And that would be the standard fit BOSE, not the B&O i suggested people compare the TTs B&O setup to.. :roll:

It's better than nothing, I agree. But i repeat it's just not a patch on the other B&O setups.


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## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

Toshiba said:


> Great "apart from..."
> And that would be the standard fit BOSE, not the B&O i suggested people compare the TTs B&O setup to.. :roll:
> 
> It's better than nothing, I agree. But i repeat it's just not a patch on the other B&O setups.


With respect Toshiba you have made this point many times, we get it!

The purpose of this post was to find out what are the preferred B & O settings other forum members use to maximise the potential.

I for one followed the advice, of Reasty and ripped some tracks as FLAC files. Wow what a difference, on one track I even heard the artist cueing in the band and had never heard that before.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

And with equal respect, changing out the source doesn't change anything or make a setup "better".
I'm sure it will sound "better" on your TV and $20 ear phones , but it doesn't change the starting point - the B&O setup installed in the TT. How do you make a DVD/CD or streaming service sound better too?


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

But with continuing respect - there's limited value in comparing the B&O system in a TT to other larger cars. Quite probably no matter what system you put in a TT it wouldn't sound as good as it would in a different car. 
Bearing in mind that we are stuck with the TT the question really is only about how does it sound in the TT and is it worth it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Anthony_Manton (Feb 12, 2018)

Hi Pugliese 
I don't think your getting an answer to the question you actually asked and it's just turned into a "Is the B&O System any good" question! I'm picking my TT up with the B&O System included on Saturday so I'll have a play and see what settings I think work best for me then I'll answer your question and let you know so you can try the same settings and see what you think. Unless of course you get some settings from another forum member that work for you earlier.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

Anthony_Manton said:


> Hi Pugliese
> I don't think your getting an answer to the question you actually asked and it's just turned into a "Is the B&O System any good" question! I'm picking my TT up with the B&O System included on Saturday so I'll have a play and see what settings I think work best for me then I'll answer your question and let you know so you can try the same settings and see what you think. Unless of course you get some settings from another forum member that work for you earlier.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks for getting the post back on track AM, look forward to finding out your preferred setup


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## Number86 (Oct 20, 2017)

Toshiba said:


> Great "apart from..."
> And that would be the standard fit BOSE, not the B&O i suggested people compare the TTs B&O setup to.. :roll:
> 
> It's better than nothing, I agree. But i repeat it's just not a patch on the other B&O setups.


No one is asking this question though. I even said in another thread, as have others, you're limited in options on. It's the best you can get in a TT, and it's a decent sound system. Is it as good as in an A4+? No. So what? It's all we have, and better than standard. Besides, this thread is about B&O setup, not about whether or not it's better in larger cars. :roll:


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Number86 said:


> Toshiba said:
> 
> 
> > Great "apart from..."
> ...


So if the last part is true why post again.... 
better, than the 4 speaker system, 12 speaker version hmmmm, maybe but not £600. admit it's shit and move on rather than hide behind "it's not an A4" and changing the "source quality" then claiming a revelation... that is a joke let's be clear..

As for "best settings", there's not a magic combo. What's the source? What's the type of music....?
It's a variable,


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## Number86 (Oct 20, 2017)

Toshiba said:


> Number86 said:
> 
> 
> > Toshiba said:
> ...


Why are you so aggressive on this topic? It's not a bad system, fullstop. Is it great, no, but it's definitely not shit. It's decent, which is what you can expect out of a small car. You must of been awfully spoiled if you think it's shit! To directly answer, is it worth 600 quid over the stock? In real terms, no. In practical terms yes.

FYI, I have no vested interest. I have a £2k audio setup at home in my lounge, and I run Sennheiser HD700s as my headphones for watching movies etc. They're arguably some of the best headphones in the world for reference audio, for a reasonable price.

Why do I mention that? It's not a boast, it's just I'm not coming from a position of complete ignorance...The system isn't bad.

Chill. Your. Face. Toshiba

Alright Tosh, got a Toshiba?


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## ChadW (May 2, 2003)

If anything it likes classic rock, Led Zep came on Radio 2 on the way home and sounded awesome on mine. No settings changed apart from Bass being 4 over.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

ChadW said:


> Why are you so aggressive on this topic? It's not a bad system, fullstop. Is it great, no, but it's definitely not shit. It's decent, which is what you can expect out of a small car. You must of been awfully spoiled if you think it's shit! To directly answer, is it worth 600 quid over the stock? In real terms, no. In practical terms yes.
> 
> FYI, I have no vested interest. I have a £2k audio setup at home in my lounge, and I run Sennheiser HD700s as my headphones for watching movies etc. They're arguably some of the best headphones in the world for reference audio, for a reasonable price.
> 
> ...


It is shit that's the point, every time I get in it with the same source used in other cars I'm like wtf is this crap...
Ok some might not have access to other B&O systems but the TT embarrasses me vs my other Audi offerings. Don't give me the space crap either, my R8s cabin is small but a x1000 times better. Stop applogising and let's make Audi aware so they do something about it.

I'm not going to chill on "B&O" ever and I will call it out each and every time until it's fixed.
The A3 and golf are better and they are lower class cars, it's a joke, a racist unfunny joke at that.


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## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

Any chance of getting back to the original question??? :roll: :roll: :roll:


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## Anthony_Manton (Feb 12, 2018)

Pugliese said:


> Any chance of getting back to the original question??? :roll: :roll: :roll:


Doesn't look like it! Seems like certain people are only interested in bashing the B&O System rather than trying to help you.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## flukey (Mar 14, 2018)

Pugliese said:


> Any chance of getting back to the original question??? :roll: :roll: :roll:


I got the B&O system as part of the 'Black Edition' Spec. I didn't actually want it, but I'm so pleased I have it. I'm no audiophile but it sounds better or as good as any other car system I've been in. Maybe I just have lower standards haha.

I like the surround on maximum because it feels like you're sitting in the middle of everything, centred on the middle of the car. Typically I find that the best settings depend on what genre of music you're listening to. For my rock music I leave the bass in the middle and pop the treble up a couple of notches, for electronic music - crank the bass a little!

Too much bass with rock, metal etc just tends to drown everything out


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## ormandj (Mar 27, 2017)

Anthony_Manton said:


> Pugliese said:
> 
> 
> > Any chance of getting back to the original question??? :roll: :roll: :roll:
> ...


Most of that person's posts are thinly veiled trolling. Hopefully everyone learns to ignore them.

On the B&O system, it is definitely a significant step up from non-B&O. It isn't the best system on the planet (sub bass is lacking; there is no subwoofer) but it's quite fine for a sports car that you'll primarily be listening to the exhaust from. I would have preferred a sub at the expense of a little space in the hatch, but it was by no means a deal breaker. The stock system, on the other hand, would have not been acceptable. Whether B&O is worth the money is a judgement call you have to make, for me, it definitely was, but came bundled with a lot of other stuff I wanted too (USA).


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## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

flukey said:


> Pugliese said:
> 
> 
> > Any chance of getting back to the original question??? :roll: :roll: :roll:
> ...


Thanks Flukey. That all makes sense. Gonna have to give that surround another listen to at the weekend with different genres of music - be interesting to see how it handles some of the old Beatles stuff where they used true stereo definition


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## Number86 (Oct 20, 2017)

Pugliese said:


> flukey said:
> 
> 
> > Pugliese said:
> ...


My suggestion would be to ignore the surround setting. It's some odd software fakery, akin to old pc software. So you lose clarity in the process. Also, music isn't recorded in 5.1 dts so the only thing you're doing is distorting the source material.


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## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

Number86 said:


> My suggestion would be to ignore the surround setting. It's some odd software fakery, akin to old pc software. So you lose clarity in the process. Also, music isn't recorded in 5.1 dts so the only thing you're doing is distorting the source material.


*Having tried the surround with different tracks, I have to agree with Numero 86, the surround does distort and the system does not need it*


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## Chris.Tomo (Jan 9, 2017)

I have mine set as follows:

Treble - 14 clicks
Bass - 16 clicks
Balance/Fader - central
Sound effects - Focus - all
- Surround level - 3 clicks
Speech dependant control - 2 clicks

I then set my Spotify equaliser to Dance and I find that suits the music I listen to perfectly.

I listen to a lot of 80's rock, modern rock, bit of dance music and pop rock.

I have played for hours messing with it and find that the best. Personally, I think it's a fantastic system.

I find there is a considerable quality difference if you plug it in and ensure that you are playing the best quality music from source so I have Spotify set to extreme and Apple Music edges Spotify for quality.

Hope this helps.


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## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

Chris.Tomo said:


> I have mine set as follows:
> 
> Treble - 14 clicks
> Bass - 16 clicks
> ...


Thanks Chris for posting your experience. I'll give it a try. Also didn't realise that you can set Spotify to Extreme, but the quality of the source is without doubt the game changer. Was on a long drive yesterday with my wife in the car who normally has her nose stuck in her phone, I put on some FLAC recorded tracks and she actually commented on how great the music was.


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## mr gee (Apr 20, 2007)

It's underwhelming when compared with the B&O in my S3 { I used FLAC music files}. However, it does wake up when played at sound levels beyond what I would normally listen at.


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## gAgNiCk (Dec 25, 2017)

> My suggestion would be to ignore the surround setting. It's some odd software fakery, akin to old pc software. So you lose clarity in the process. Also, music isn't recorded in 5.1 dts so the only thing you're doing is distorting the source material.


I'm a big fan of 5.1 dts bluray audio but I have the surround effect disabled on the B&O system, I think it muddies the mix, sounds much clearer without it, better separation etc


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## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

gAgNiCk said:


> > My suggestion would be to ignore the surround setting. It's some odd software fakery, akin to old pc software. So you lose clarity in the process. Also, music isn't recorded in 5.1 dts so the only thing you're doing is distorting the source material.
> 
> 
> I'm a big fan of 5.1 dts bluray audio but I have the surround effect disabled on the B&O system, I think it muddies the mix, sounds much clearer without it, better separation etc


*+1*


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