Greetings, all, from Indiana (USA). Just purchased a slightly used 2021 Audi RS7. It's my first Audi. It has the optional 19 speaker Bang & Olufsen Advanced sound system. I came from a 2021 Genesis G90 which had a 17 speaker, 900 watt Lexicon stereo (note: there are no optional stereos on the 2017-2022 Genesis G90 in the USA; all of them come with the aforementioned Lexicon stereo as standard fare). The Lexicon stereo in the G90 is one of, if not THE best stereos I have ever heard in a vehicle (from the factory). The clarity is insane, the treble/highs can be ear-piercing (which I like), the 3-dimensional quality of sound is breathtaking, and sound pumps strongly through each and every speaker.
The purpose of this post is to comment, and in fact complain, on the Bang & Olufsen Advanced sound system in my RS7. It doesn't even come close to the clarity, depth, and tonal balance of my G90's Lexicon system. I had been extremely annoyed, unimpressed, and downright angry that this RS7's $4,900.00 top-tier stereo sounded so sub-par compared to its specs on paper. In addition, it's bizarre and just unacceptable that it doesn't let you control the midrange in any way. Yes, I've messed with all of the sound settings that it does offer, and until last night, nothing really sounded all that great. As far as I can tell, other than simple radio, the only external media sources the car can play are Bluetooth streaming or via a USB-C cord, and presumably music from a USB-C flash drive. There is no CD/DVD player in the glovebox, there is no AUX jack, and there is no SD slot.
In doing research on different Audi forums, I luckily stumbled across a post where a couple of people stated that they were able to really make their Bang & Olufsen stereo sound good by using Spotify which has an equalizer built-in. I never had Spotify, but last night I downloaded it to try it out and I'm here to tell you that OH MY GOD did it help the sound quality exponentially. By adjusting the built-in equalizer in Spotify, I'm now able to vastly increase the treble/highs and the clarity, and I'm able to reduce the midrange to my liking. Now, after stumbling across this wonderful "fix," my Bang & Olufsen stereo sounds almost as awesome as my Lexicon stereo. If any of you on here are unhappy or unimpressed with your Bang & Olufsen stereo, try playing music through Spotify and adjusting the equalizer by going to Settings/Playback/Equalizer.
In my opinion, and I am no audio expert at all, it's as if Bang & Olufsen doesn't want its customers to be able to make drastic changes to the stereo's sound settings, unlike most other stereo manufacturers, and it's a shame because it prevents a person from really hearing what the stereo has to offer. By using Spotify and adjusting the equalizer, it's as if I'm now able to "unleash" the stereo's true potential.
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