I don’t have much experience in high-end luxury cars but I have owned a spectrum of brands from European,domestic and Japanese manufacturers.
Honestly I have never been impressed by a factory system. The H/K in our older Mercedes was a joke. We all know Bose is a gimmick. I’ve heard the Fender systems are pretty good but I’ve never had the chance to demo them.
The best I think I’ve heard is the Logic 7 in BMW.
What are some of your favorites?
You must log in or register to comment.
I have a 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander with a 10 speaker Bose system including a subwoofer and it sounds really good.
Naim in the Bentley Continental or Bentayga
Bermester in Porsche Panamera
Mark Levinson in the Lexus LS500
Second the Mark Levinson.
The Nakamichi systems that are in Lexus cars are next level. Absolutely amazing tonality and instrument separation.
All the recent vehicles are Mark Levinson branded Harman QLS/QLI systems.
Gotcha - it’s been a while since I’ve had a Lexus lol
Was just an FYI… I agree on the Nak. A friends son bought an older IS300 and the stock stereo system totally rocks, especially for the era and system complexity.
I like my Tesla system because it is tuned to not sound too much like hifi…too many premium cars have hyped sound systems
I have never heard a factory car audio system that I liked or was impressed with. Which is surprising because I think it wouldn’t take a huge amount of money for the luxury segment to invest and attain good sound. I think they know the general market and that customer base does not typically look for better sound and thus the $ is spent in other parts of the car. It’s a shame.
My wife’s 2018 Volvo XC90 with the B&W system is pretty awesome. Very flat response, great imaging, actually has mid bass not just bass. I and others who have heard it think it’s a way above your standard system.
Harmon Kardon in Saab is a good one. Not audiophile, but adequate!
Acura has had some nice systems too
I use car audio to help me appreciate my dedicated room. Don’t ask it to do more than adequacy.
As someone on the “inside” of this industry with intimate knowledge of how systems from each manufacturer stack up against each other…. Lincoln Revel, Lexus Mark Levinson, Volvo/BMW B&W, Cadillac AKG.
I have only heard the Posche high end stuff. It is excellent, but I am only comparing to Bose or JBL systems in other vehicles.
I have the upgraded JBL system in my Prius. It is absolutely crazy how much bass it has and it sounds better than any other car I’ve been in (minus my increased road noise, lol)
What year? I can assure gen 2 jbl was pretty mediocre at best
I’d love to hear a Dirac system. https://www.dirac.com/dirac-for-business/automotive/
Fanatical and prejudicial Bose hater here.
You can say what you want about them, but in all fairness the tuning they do for Porsche is actually really good. The Burmeister option that costs five times a much only sounds marginally better than the Bose option.
Even factoring in the engine noise you’ll get on most models coming from behind you, they tune it pretty well for their cabins.
I heard, at AXPONA 2022, a Tesla with a 30K audio system. It was put in for a famous orchestra conductor. It was amazing to say the least.
Not factory though.
Lexus Mark Levinson systems always sound good to me.