Improving RR Evoque's default Meridien audio

[ankitbhargava]

The car is great but the audio is not upto the quality to my ears

Can a device like Fiio M11 with capability to transmit Hi-Res audio over Bluetooth improvise the sound quality of Meridien's inbuilt Audio system?

Please excuse my very little knowledge in this domain

The other option is to explore the possibility of using "iPod connection" in the Car via USB

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

I saw a video on YouTube where the installer mentioned that the meridians system reduces bass as we turn up the volume which makes it hard to use the headunit with a dsp. Not sure if he said that just to highlight his build or not.

 

[adeepsandhu]

In fact Jaguar F- pace also has same Meridian setup and even after trying a lot it does not sounds satisfactory. There are hardly any settings which can be played around with. Another observation which I have made is that it causes fatigue in listening for extended periods.

 

[Ramanuj]

The car is great but the audio is not upto the quality to my ears

Can a device like Fiio M11 with capability to transmit Hi-Res audio over Bluetooth improvise the sound quality of Meridien's inbuilt Audio system?

Please excuse my very little knowledge in this domain

Damp or soundproof the front doors especially, change the speakers to DLS , Rainbow or Audison a great match with the default amplifier. Just damping the front doors will create a lot of difference....use Wurth and other damping materials ..there are plenty available and half your Meridian flat sound and fatigue problems will disappear.

 

[edjamesx]

The car is great but the audio is not upto the quality to my ears

Can a device like Fiio M11 with capability to transmit Hi-Res audio over Bluetooth improvise the sound quality of Meridien's inbuilt Audio system?

Please excuse my very little knowledge in this domain

I think you can better rip songs on pen drive - 320kbps bit rate or flac if HU supports. The quality will be definitely better. Device like Fiio M11 looks good , but if it transports with Bluetooth then chances of quality loss will be there.

You may consider adding Subwoofer - if the car dont have sub already. I think RR will have good damping on Doors - if you feel more noicy inside car when all doors shut + also on heavy traffic - then u can add damping also.

 

[ankitbhargava]

In fact Jaguar F- pace also has same Meridian setup and even after trying a lot it does not sounds satisfactory. There are hardly any settings which can be played around with. Another observation which I have made is that it causes fatigue in listening for extended periods.

Yes :-/ , I use phone"s EQ to mild down a bit.
I was also driving a Q5 and it never made me even turn down volume on long drives

Damp or soundproof the front doors especially, change the speakers to DLS , Rainbow or Audison a great match with the default amplifier. Just damping the front doors will create a lot of difference....use Wurth and other damping materials ..there are plenty available and half your Meridian flat sound and fatigue problems will disappear.

Thanks for the tips
I will explore

 

[adeepsandhu]

Thanks for the tips
I will explore

I would be shit scared even to remove screw from my German/European steed. Bluetooth option can be tried surely. In my experience if you don’t tamper with car, these guys honor warranty way beyond official timeline.

 

[ankitbhargava]

I would be shit scared even to remove screw from my German/European steed. Bluetooth option can be tried surely. In my experience if you don’t tamper with car, these guys honor warranty way beyond official timeline.

haha, specially in my town like Udaipur they don't have tools also. Ones I got few plastic locks broken because they did not have tools.
I can only explore this if I am traveling to somewhere with an option for some pro retrofitters I believe.

Meantime, I played music from Spotify and connected iPhone (wife's) to iPod port via lightning cable.
The sound quality is definitely better than bluetooth streaming via my Pixel Phone.

Next step,
find a capable device like Fiio kind of device which could be detected by iPod port

I saw a video on YouTube where the installer mentioned that the meridians system reduces bass as we turn up the volume which makes it hard to use the headunit with a dsp. Not sure if he said that just to highlight his build or not.

probably comparative levels of bass? when I turn up the volume of course the bass becomes louder too but I haven't noticed if the proportions are maintained. Now I know, people are not crazy to try UMIK measurement in Car )

 

[bloredude]

Can a device like Fiio M11 with capability to transmit Hi-Res audio over Bluetooth improvise the sound quality of Meridien's inbuilt Audio system?

Usually, Bluetooth is just passable SQ-wise. So that route cannot be suggested.

Your best bet would be to use the aux input. Most car systems have it even if not accessible from the front. A good installer can build you a breakout cable if it's not easily accessible.

Aux input will enable you to pass the highest SQ you can provide while still using the rest of the system as usual.

 

[ankitbhargava]

Usually, Bluetooth is just passable SQ-wise. So that route cannot be suggested.

Your best bet would be to use the aux input. Most car systems have it even if not accessible from the front. A good installer can build you a breakout cable if it's not easily accessible.

Aux input will enable you to pass the highest SQ you can provide while still using the rest of the system as usual.

Thank you

Usually, Bluetooth is just passable SQ-wise. So that route cannot be suggested.

Your best bet would be to use the aux input. Most car systems have it even if not accessible from the front. A good installer can build you a breakout cable if it's not easily accessible.

Aux input will enable you to pass the highest SQ you can provide while still using the rest of the system as usual.

I could find an Aux input hidden in box under Hand rest

What kind of Media Player is recommended to see the improvement in sound quality and streaming the high res music via Aux

 

[bloredude]

I could find an Aux input hidden in box under Hand rest

What kind of Media Player is recommended to see the improvement in sound quality and streaming the high res music via Aux

Glad it turned out this way. Way less to sort out now

If I were you I would buy a DAP whose sound signature gels well with the system on board. May be you could look at some A&Ks and hook it with some good quality cable!

 

[ankitbhargava]

Glad it turned out this way. Way less to sort out now

If I were you I would buy a DAP whose sound signature gels well with the system on board. May be you could look at some A&Ks and hook it with some good quality cable!

Any suggestions? Any suitable Fiio?
I am excited to try this out

 

[bloredude]

Any suggestions? Any suitable Fiio?
I am excited to try this out

I do remember seeing some FiiOs in the sale section here. They could be worth checking out.

I can also suggest checking out Shanling Q1 and Activo CT-10. Both available locally, priced well and good sounding.

 

[chiraghbir]

i don't know what phone you are using to stream but android sounds extremely bad with stock RR headunit and speakers .

try using Apple with Spotify.

if it still sounds bad then there are other ways of improving .. damping doors of RR will not help you much plus its a very risky affair and you need an expert to do this job.

 

[kapvin]

The car is great but the audio is not upto the quality to my ears

Can a device like Fiio M11 with capability to transmit Hi-Res audio over Bluetooth improvise the sound quality of Meridien's inbuilt Audio system?

Please excuse my very little knowledge in this domain

Hi Ankit,

I just saw your thread,

Like others have told you, Bluetooth is absolutely the worst way to send audio to the meridian.

Also I would leave recommendations like damping alone unless you are facing vibrations. RR are fairly sturdy vehicles. Plus, you really need a good installer to ensure no damage is done opening the door pads.

finally, don't think too much about quality of DAP for the Audio in. In all probability, the audio-in / aux-in is digitised for dsp processing, so all you will hear is the quality of the ADC and DAC. I would focus on sending the sound digitally to the car.

Most HUs are optimised for iDevices. if you have car play, then tidal, etc will play without issue. even without, the iPhone lets you control all modern music apps from the iPhone player in the car. (see the photo below on Roon running through an iPhone on a non-carplay interface. tidal runs similarly) If you don't use an iPhone, instead of buying a DAP, buy a used iPhone instead. run it without sim may be to just work as a DAP. and it can use the hotspot of your current phone.


EDIT: if you do this, you will be assured of the best clarity the system can approach. If that is satisfactory the next step is tailoring the sound signature to suit your ears. For that there are many approaches and a lot depends on what music you listen to - Streamed music like itunes, FLac files or .AAC or mp3 files.

 

[ankitbhargava]

Hi Ankit,

I just saw your thread,

Like others have told you, Bluetooth is absolutely the worst way to send audio to the meridian.

Also I would leave recommendations like damping alone unless you are facing vibrations. RR are fairly sturdy vehicles. Plus, you really need a good installer to ensure no damage is done opening the door pads.

finally, don't think too much about quality of DAP for the Audio in. In all probability, the audio-in / aux-in is digitised for dsp processing, so all you will hear is the quality of the ADC and DAC. I would focus on sending the sound digitally to the car.

Most HUs are optimised for iDevices. if you have car play, then tidal, etc will play without issue. even without, the iPhone lets you control all modern music apps from the iPhone player in the car. (see the photo below on Roon running through an iPhone on a non-carplay interface. tidal runs similarly) If you don't use an iPhone, instead of buying a DAP, buy a used iPhone instead. run it without sim may be to just work as a DAP. and it can use the hotspot of your current phone.View attachment 56395


EDIT: if you do this, you will be assured of the best clarity the system can approach. If that is satisfactory the next step is tailoring the sound signature to suit your ears. For that there are many approaches and a lot depends on what music you listen to - Streamed music like itunes, FLac files or .AAC or mp3 files.

Very useful indeed

I connected iPod Port (USB Port) in car to Wife's iPhone and the quality is much better.
I have Spotify subscription, tried that. Couldn't try Tidal since I still need to figure out most cost effective way to use Tidal in India.

I think for now this is the best solution

 

[kapvin]

Very useful indeed

I connected iPod Port (USB Port) in car to Wife's iPhone and the quality is much better.
I have Spotify subscription, tried that. Couldn't try Tidal since I still need to figure out most cost effective way to use Tidal in India.

I think for now this is the best solution

You are welcome. If you don’t stream but listen to files saved on the phone, there is a fairly good fix to get the sound signature to your liking! It’s long winded but I can share over pm.

 

[ankitbhargava]

You are welcome. If you don’t stream but listen to files saved on the phone, there is a fairly good fix to get the sound signature to your liking! It’s long winded but I can share over pm.

Please do

 

[arj]

You are welcome. If you don’t stream but listen to files saved on the phone, there is a fairly good fix to get the sound signature to your liking! It’s long winded but I can share over pm.

Kapvin, if you could share this as a new post OR here, we can make it a Sticky so everyone can learn !!

 

[kapvin]

Kapvin, if you could share this as a new post OR here, we can make it a Sticky so everyone can learn !!

certainly. But it’s not rocket science. not sure it’s sticky worthy.