The titel says it all. Had the Alpine in my Vantage, after tweaking the settings in the equalizer, system sounded a lot better.

Now in my Rapide, the B&O seems not to have anything other than Bass and Treble to adjust. System sounds mediocre at best. Sure, highs are crystal clear, bass is there, but in-between is NOTHING. Emptiness...

 

I have the B&O system in my V12V, which probably has a different set up than in the Rapide. I haven't noticed a lack of mid range, but again I'm not an audiophile. I have noticed, however, that I need to turn the volume up higher to achieve the same level of sound I used to get from the premium Bose system.

Although it sounds simplistic, have you tried just lowering the bass and treble and turning up the volume? Obviously, the mid range would be relatively louder as a result.

 

No Bose on Aston. System was first Linn, then Alpine, and now optionally B&O

 

Yes, meant Alpine.

 

The Alpine system had an equalizer which also needed to be tweaked a lot to get the best out of the system. This is no longer available on a presumably very high end system???

 

This is disappointing, one would assume the B&O system would be phenomenal. I still can't believe the stock system is only 160watts, premium is 700w and b&o is 1000w, clearly there is more to it than just power but the stock system is so underpowered.

 

I adjusted the bass, treble and surround on my B&O and am quite satisfied with it. I have the prem. in my other car and it sounds good but, not as good as the B&O. I don't miss an eq. function with the B&O at all.

 

Doesn't it have a built in microphone to self equalize?

 

The B&O system is a bespoke set-up designed and built for the Aston so it doesn't need equalising again, all that work was done by the B&O engineers.

The only variable is the number of people in the car, and it checks on the seat belts to optimise the system for one or two people. (this is on the Vantage, presumably its the same on Rapide). This is a great feature, with just the driver in the car it centralises the sound on the driver, when the passenger engages their seatbelt you can hear the sound move across the car to the middle of the car.

There is a microphone to adjust the volume as the ambient sound level increases and decreases, which seems standard in mid- to high-end cars now, and that seems to be more noticeable than most, probably because the Aston makes so much noise when you put your foot down.

Actually, I'd be happy for the system to mute when the car reaches 4,000 rpm, the music only drowns out the fabulous sounds the car makes.

 

Well that is actually pretty amazing then.

 

Wow the b&o seems quite special... My db9 has the premium linn audio system on the build sheet it says upgraded stereo system.... I really like the way it sounds. Linn audio is supposed to be a premier English audio company... How much better is the b&o then the premium Linn system (the upgraded Linn from the factory)?

 

The Linn 950W (premium) system in early DB9s is truly awful. While Linn is certainly a very upscale audio company (much. much better than Bose or even B&O), their AM system is/was a massive fail, to the point that they aren't the supplier anymore.

The premium system in newer DB9s is an Alpine system, which is far, far superior. And there is a debate on whether or not the B&O is better than the Alpine Premium (some say yes and other no, at least from a cost/benfit POV). But nobody thinks the Linn 950W system is any good (all tubby bass and no midrange).

 

Wow good info. My DB9 is a 2007 late year built (I don't know if that is considered an early DB9, I've always thought the early DB9 was the 05 and 06 model years under Ford ownership/direction), mine says on the build sheet to have had a "Premium Audio System - Upgraded Audio" ... I think it's the Linn but not sure. I think it sounds great, but I'm not really an audio expert, wondering if mine is a good system, or how it compares to the Alpine or B&O.

 

I think the change was made from Linn to Alpine when the front fascia controls all changed to the current style. On the early models, when you turn on the system it says Linn 950W (or something like that) on the display (that's how you know what you have). I'm pretty certain that "Premium" refers only to the Alpine system whereas "950W "refers to the Linn system (as opposed to the base "260W" Linn system. If you have the equalizer function, that's Alpine Premium.

 

Different people have different tastes in music, and want different things from their sound systems. Some will just want loads of base, it doesn't have to be any good, just lots of it. Others will be more discerning. A bit like people are with food perhaps, some just want a plateful and aren't too discerning, others want it beautifully cooked with a range of subtle flavours, and are less bothered by quantity.

Both are OK with me. I'm no audiophile, but I've listened to music on the B&O and heard drums that sound like someone hitting a drum. Until I heard the B&O I'd never noticed that before, a drum was a loud but muffled thump. So its really good, but it is very expensive, and that means it won't provide good value to everyone.

Much as I admire the B&O, I don't think I would spend that money again, I actually prefer the sound of the V8 over any music that comes on an MP3, so a Bamford Rose exhaust would be a better way for me to spend that much money!