Hi all and thanks for the constructive feedback so far.
Whilst I hold little hope for it to be fixed by Mercedes, I have to at least wait and see what the result is after they have replaced the broken sub (which in all likelihood isn't broken!).
If I get it back and it's fixed then fantastic but, as this is unlikely, I can either let this spoil my enjoyment of the car or I can do something about it. Obviously the latter is the only option because this problem aside, the car is a sensational piece of kit, something I can honestly say that even with an unlimited budget, there is no finer single car that I could buy (for the kind of use that I need it for). C-Class estate excepted of course
I will of course try it with a better quality source but in all honesty, if it can't perform using the source I want to use (and that works exceptionally well to my ears in other cars), then it's not much use to me. I
have to get this working for me so it's off to decent high-end car-audio installer for their opinion and I'll hopefully get it fixed via the aftermarket route. Thanks for the recommendations on who I can take this to, both on this thread and via PM, because when I say I need a 'decent high-end installer', I wouldn't know where to start and therefore am in the hands of informed recommendations.
What I do find quite interesting is the response I got from an email that I sent to Bang and Olufsen regarding this issue....
I am writing to you regarding the B&O installation in the Mercedes SLS AMG.
Having recently purchased this car, I'm very dissatisfied with the audio quality provided by the system which has the B&O branding, and which B&O claim to have developed for this car. Indeed, so bad is the problem that I initially thought it to be a faulty subwoofer but, having now listened to another example which displays exactly the same characteristics, I can only deem the problem to be typical of the B&O audio system in the SLS.
The characteristic in question is an inability to produce bass at medium volume upwards, without a distortion coming from the subwoofer. This is not a distortion of the surrounding trim; it's more typical of the cone vibrating through either poor design, poor installation or incorrect wiring. Given it's unlikely that two different cars have an identical fault, my fear is that this is not a repairable issue and is in fact how the system has been designed and approved by your company and AMG.
I appreciate quality of sound is subjective and personal however, in direct comparison with listening to the same music and source (320kb MP3 files) on more basic audio systems in other cars, including Mercedes' own unbranded and Harman Kardon systems, the B&O branded systems' inability to produce undistorted bass is unacceptable, especially given the considerable cost of this option.
I would therefore like to understand if you feel this characteristic is typical or whether the audio system has been designed to handle low bass frequencies without distorting. The dealer is unable to do anything other than replace any faulty parts, however, if this is how the audio system is designed to sound then there's unlikely to be any faulty parts to replace. Given this problem is a feature of both examples I've listened to, I find it astonishing that B&O and AMG would sign-off such a poor sound quality from what is a very expensive option and would appreciate your response to this feedback and any remedial action that I could take to improve the performance of this system.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I received the following response this morning, which I read as B&O either being totally disinterested in a product which they haven't 'directly' sold or....they
and Mercedes actually know it's rubbish. What are your thoughts on this....
Dear Mr Palmer
We are pleased to see you are the owner of Mercedes SLS AMG with Bang & Olufsen sound.
I am sorry to inform you that I can not give you any details regarding your problem. We have been giving strict orders from Mercedes that we can not comment on any questions/complaints. We must refer to the dealer or Mercedes.
Sorry I was unable to help you, but hope you understand.
I still have a contact at AMG in Germany so, if my car comes back from the dealer as expected (i.e. in the same state that it went in), then I'll be forwarding my complaint, with B&O's response, directly to AMG to see what they have to say about it.
