[Ngage]

Does anyone think that the stock stereo in the N sounds weird? The issue I'm observing is that the sound focus/position appears to be misaligned.
If you go into the Sound Settings menu, there is a subsection where you can change the position/focus of the sound.
The default position is, as one would expect, is in the center, as shown here:

However, that is definitely not how the system actually sounds. It feels like the sound is coming mostly from the front, somewhere in the windshield area where the center channel speaker is on the dash.
If I want to center the sound, I have to move the focus point all the way into the back seat area; i.e., something like what's shown in the image below:

Today I went to a dealer and asked if I could check out one of their Ns to see what the stereo sounds like. The one they had in stock had the exact same issue.
Does anyone else have the same issue with their N? Am I missing some important firmware update in mine?


Tone settings for reference. Everything is at default levels.

 

[Vape420]

It's the same in my car. It has to do with how the frequencies are sent to the speakers and what speaker their sent too. Most all the vocals come from the center channel on the dash. More bass and mids come from the doors front and back, and then pure bass from the small sub in the back. Fixing to throw my Alpine amp and subs in because their is not enough low end.

 

[nomad17]

I haven't noticed it myself, seems pretty well centered (except the sub which localizes in the rear). Maybe the rear amp channel gains are too low (if they are even adjustable). But I prefer a front biased sound so may not be the best judge.

 

[RPMrush]

I've noticed this in about every vehicle I've had. I bias to the rear to get a full front to rear stereo effect. If you really want it driver centric, you need to play with left and right as well.

 

[Vape420]

To be honest this is the first car I haven't really cared about the stereo. I'm use to driving a 18-wheeler and using the sound of the engine to shift, same way with the "N". I find I can get within about a 200 rpms of redline using just the sound. Took the cover off of the air filter box to just see if more air equaled better response. It did, but the car was really sucking in the air. You could def hear the whoosh. I'm curious is the car isn't starving for air with the stock intake, but that is a different thread on here. But yes the stereo does need adjustment. Haven't torn my car apart yet to find all the componets, but adding in a sub should be easy considering the power wire is already ran to the battery for the amp.

 

[Ngage]

I've noticed this in about every vehicle I've had. I bias to the rear to get a full front to rear stereo effect. If you really want it driver centric, you need to play with left and right as well.

Interesting. The N is really the first car where this effect is so pronounced and noticeable for me. I am mostly comparing everything to my old daily driver -- '14 Ford Focus Titanium with a Sony sound system. It's literally night and day in quality. The stereo in the N sounds tinny by comparison and, as I mentioned, like the sound is not centered correctly. The two cars I had before that - e92 M3 and an '07 Civic LX also didn't have this issue.

 

[Ngage]

To be honest this is the first car I haven't really cared about the stereo. ...

I don't really care too much either since I bought the car for its driving ability. I have the stereo off most of the time, but if I'm on an interstate on cruise control for many hours then it's still nice to have a good sound system. But you can't have everything for under $30K, eh? I was just trying to figure out whether there was something wrong with my car.

 

[nomad17]

Hard to say without hearing, maybe they reversed the phase on one or more of your speakers.

 

[Ngage]

Hard to say without hearing, maybe they reversed the phase on one or more of your speakers.

Well, that is why I went and looked at another new N at a local dealer and it sounded the same. I may go and try to find a 2020 model just to see if there is a difference, but at this point it really looks like that's just the way the sound system is built.

 

[WoodmanMN]

"Tinny" sound is much more often a product of the speakers than the head unit. You can adjust the built in EQ to compensate somewhat, but bear in mind that I have yet to have any car, no matter trim level or quality of manufacture that has "good" speakers from the factory.



The Infinity name doesn't always carry through to the speakers. If they're too tinny, you can see if bumping up the bass helps, or Crutchfield has a wide range of higher end speakers that fit, and they're good at giving good instructions on how to replace them.


Not the first priority I'd want to "fix" in my brand new car, but a cheap and relatively easy thing to do, and if you don't like the way they sound, send em back.

 

[RedVN]

The 2020 has the same Infinity system as the 2019. There will be no difference.

The sound system is excellent for what it is but any sound system just gets in the way of the best sounds; sliding tires, exhaust notes, BOV, intake and highs and lows. I don't need an expensive audio system to hear these things, especially if it get in the way. My ears do a much better job than any expensive audio system could possibly do.

Hacking in new speakers, amp, or head unit are the very last thing I'd ever consider. I don't live in the VN, just drive it. I'm certainly not going to waste the money, to have someone cause problems with the electrical system, just to find out. The audio system is more than sufficient for the car.

One other thing to keep in mind is; the CANBUS system the car utilizes. You start messing around with an audio system, you're asking for Hyundai to void part of the warranty or maybe all. You brick a head unit in the process, it will cost you well over 1K for a replacement and this is just the head unit. I'd first and foremost, think really hard about messing around with it.

Do as you please, it's your car but keep this^ in mind.

 

[WoodmanMN]

The 2020 has the same Infinity system as the 2019. There will be no difference.

The sound system is excellent for what it is but any sound system just gets in the way of the best sounds; sliding tires, exhaust notes, BOV, intake and highs and lows. I don't need an expensive audio system to hear these things, especially if it get in the way. My ears do a much better job than any expensive audio system could possibly do.

Hacking in new speakers, amp, or head unit are the very last thing I'd ever consider. I don't live in the VN, just drive it. I'm certainly not going to waste the money, to have someone cause problems with the electrical system, just to find out. The audio system is more than sufficient for the car.

One other thing to keep in mind is; the CANBUS system the car utilizes. You start messing around with an audio system, you're asking for Hyundai to void part of the warranty or maybe all. You brick a head unit in the process, it will cost you well over 1K for a replacement and this is just the head unit. I'd first and foremost, think really hard about messing around with it.

Do as you please, it's your car but keep this^ in mind.

Unless there's been a huge shift in how car speakers attach to the head unit, plugging in new speakers (which is all I mentioned) is a painless, non invasive thing. No cutting, no wiring to be done, just plug the new speakers into the included adapters and you're gold. If you can hook up an extension cord, you can replace car speakers.


Now, as far as the actual head unit goes, I too would not touch that. First off, I see no need to as the factory unit has every modern convenience any aftermarket unit would have. I was responding to the complaint of "tinny" sound, which is a factor of the speakers, not the head unit in every case I've ever been. Speakers are the lowest thing on any car designer's priority list. They're always cheap, paper cones and rarely have any lasting quality. While I love hearing the engine and the tires, I need some music in my life, and if an afternoon's worth of pulling door panels and spending $200 or so on speakers makes it sound better, then I'll do it. It's a cheap mod that will last for years.

 

[nomad17]

It's all about priorities. Some people value sound quality more than others. I'd worry less about warranty concerns swapping out some speakers than I would running jb4, bov, etc that seems to be an acceptable risk to people.

That being said, I've done the $5-$10k aftermarket audio setup a couple times in the past and what I've learned is that in my fun-to-drive car the best option is the lightest weight stereo that I don't hate the sound of until I can get home and listen to something better if I want. For me right now that's the stock Infinity setup. To get great sound will add weight, at home this doesn't matter but in something I want the best power to weight ratio you're sacrificing performance to gain sound quality. But I agree with the above, I enjoy the sound of the car much more and usually keep the stereo in a volume range that doesn't make it's deficiencies so apparent.

It's a fine sounding system, certainly seems better on paper than what the I30N gets.

 

[RedVN]

Unless there's been a huge shift in how car speakers attach to the head unit, plugging in new speakers (which is all I mentioned) is a painless, non invasive thing. No cutting, no wiring to be done, just plug the new speakers into the included adapters and you're gold. If you can hook up an extension cord, you can replace car speakers.


Now, as far as the actual head unit goes, I too would not touch that. First off, I see no need to as the factory unit has every modern convenience any aftermarket unit would have. I was responding to the complaint of "tinny" sound, which is a factor of the speakers, not the head unit in every case I've ever been. Speakers are the lowest thing on any car designer's priority list. They're always cheap, paper cones and rarely have any lasting quality. While I love hearing the engine and the tires, I need some music in my life, and if an afternoon's worth of pulling door panels and spending $200 or so on speakers makes it sound better, then I'll do it. It's a cheap mod that will last for years.

Relax, I wasn't pointing at or responding to you. It was a general comment and opinion.:smile:

 

[PBN]

When I first heard the stereo on a test drive, my first thought was “wow, this sounds terrible.” Very thin, no depth or warmth to it. Having played with the adjustments, I’ve settled on settings that work (well enough) for me. Tends to sound better with more volume too (at least to me).

 

[JBone]

I realize this is an old post, but I wonder if anyone in here who noticed these sound issues have done anything? Upgrade speakers? Amp and speakers?
Coming from a Focal/Zapco setup in my last car.

 

[Reddave]

Has anyone noticed if their radio does not pick up local radio stations as good as their other cars.
I have a couple of Toyotas and so I know what local stations I can pick up clearly and my N is not as good. Like someone else commented that they do not use the radio much, I am similar when I am driving the N. But sometimes on a longer run I do turn it on. Dave

 

[LClarck007]

The sound position is very important and it does no matter if we are talking about cars, places or home sound buffers. I personally had to replace the whole sound speakers on my old Audi TT because the sound kept making the doors vibrating. It was highly difficult to do so, however with the help of 10 Best 6×9 Speakers Reviews 2020 - Expert Buying Guide I managed to get it done with no hassle whatsoever at a very affordable price with an amazing quality.

 

[Maverick1]

Yes, same here.
The stereo in my N is probably the worst of any of my cars and I've had a whole bunch, except for my Ariel Atom.....which came with no radio or speakers.
I now just listen to mostly talk radio, or the sound of the engine and exhaust when spirited driving, so I don't really need high fidelity.

 

[LessiePMcCord]

When I bought a new subwoofer and 2 more stereo speakers to add in my boot, I burned everything. When finished wiring and put on was a small explosion in a sound form and smoke everywhere. How much money was wasted in vain, but after analyzing at a local workshop it was because some details were missed and it leaked to such “failure’ but from my side almost everything was right. Asked online for help from a firm that knows how to design a circuit board and does assembly after, so I will not have the same trouble twice. **** happens.