Poor radio sound

[unbornidentity]

Hi,

First post.

I’ve recently purchased a new MG4 SE SR and I’m really impressed with it. My first EV was the ID3 and this car is definitely better than that. I then got a Curpa Born which was really nice but unfortunately I got a complete lemon. Heritage Gloucester were utterly useless and I gave up on the car and decided to try the MG4. I’m loving it and it has exceeded all expectations.

The only thing I really don’t like is that the radio sounds absolutely terrible. I’ve search on here and can’t find anything about that. If I use Apple CarPlay it sound is fine but DAB radio sounds like it isn’t using the speakers in the doors; really tiny and baseless.

The car is booked in for a software update as I’ve got the version with no outside temperature displaying but I can’t see that would solve anything. It’s like the digital to analogue chip for the radio is really bad.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Thanks

 

[Alpine]

I'm a new SE SR driver (Company treated me to it) and really enjoying it too apart the the sound from the radio is shocking, it's really disappointing. Considering changing the speakers to try and get a better sound but not totally sure what size speakers I would need.

With regards to the outside temperature, I was actually sat in the car this afternoon looking for that thinking it must be in a menu somewhere but to no avail .... Never thought it might be an updatable thing, did you get notified of the update by your dealer?

 

[AndyL61]

I'm a new SE SR driver (Company treated me to it) and really enjoying it too apart the the sound from the radio is shocking, it's really disappointing. Considering changing the speakers to try and get a better sound but not totally sure what size speakers I would need.

With regards to the outside temperature, I was actually sat in the car this afternoon looking for that thinking it must be in a menu somewhere but to no avail .... Never thought it might be an updatable thing, did you get notified of the update by your dealer?

You need to get infotainment version ending 1100R33 to return the outside temperature display. ?

 

[Alpine]

Cheers for that, I'll look tomorrow to check the version I have, obviously not the latest even though the car is only a month old or has that update come out since the new year?

 

[Rolfe]

There are other threads on this that might have some answers, and at least one thread about upgrading the radio. If you're serious about that, look for the thread, because it may be a solved problem

I don't reckon it's that bad, but I do know what you mean. When I was given a Peugeot e208 as a courtesy car I thought it was a boring wee thing but I had to admit the radio sounded better. I use FM most of the time because where I live is in a DAB blackspot, but I sometimes switch to DAB if I'm somewhere where FM is poor. Usually one is better than the other, but only rarely is one or the other unobtainable.

In the SE, external temperature was there up to and including version R13 of the infotainment software. Then a bug was introduced with R16 which removed it. R21 didn't restore it, but then R33 did. Lots of people on R13 refusing to allow updates until the external temperature was guaranteed not to be removed!

If you don't have an external temperature display you do not have the most up to date software and you need to complain (bitterly) to your dealer. R33 is very much better than its predecessors in a lot of ways (for a start, the USB player works), and you want it. Complaining about the external temperature should be enough to get you it though.

 

[unbornidentity]

I'm a new SE SR driver (Company treated me to it) and really enjoying it too apart the the sound from the radio is shocking, it's really disappointing. Considering changing the speakers to try and get a better sound but not totally sure what size speakers I would need.

With regards to the outside temperature, I was actually sat in the car this afternoon looking for that thinking it must be in a menu somewhere but to no avail .... Never thought it might be an updatable thing, did you get notified of the update by your dealer?

The outside temperature is supposed to be on the top right of the central screen to the left of the Bluetooth icon. I only know about it because I googled it as I couldn’t find it.

It’s a bug in two software versions the last of which mine has. The latest version fixes it and lets you turn off lane assist by dragging down from the top of the central screen.

I don’t think new speakers will fix the sound issues with the radio. The sound is great with Apple CarPlay and I’m guess the same for Android auto or from a USB stick.

 

[Rolfe]

I use a USB stick and I'd probably put it as OK rather than great. If your radio is audibly worse than your USB stick, and it's not a reception issue, I think there's something wrong.

I know it's not the best there could be, but I'm finding that without the ICE noise I can hear detail in the music that I couldn't hear before.

 

[unbornidentity]

There are other threads on this that might have some answers, and at least one thread about upgrading the radio. If you're serious about that, look for the thread, because it may be a solved problem

I don't reckon it's that bad, but I do know what you mean. When I was given a Peugeot e208 as a courtesy car I thought it was a boring wee thing but I had to admit the radio sounded better. I use FM most of the time because where I live is in a DAB blackspot, but I sometimes switch to DAB if I'm somewhere where FM is poor. Usually one is better than the other, but only rarely is one or the other unobtainable.

In the SE, external temperature was there up to and including version R13 of the infotainment software. Then a bug was introduced with R16 which removed it. R21 didn't restore it, but then R33 did. Lots of people on R13 refusing to allow updates until the external temperature was guaranteed not to be removed!

If you don't have an external temperature display you do not have the most up to date software and you need to complain (bitterly) to your dealer. R33 is very much better than its predecessors in a lot of ways (for a start, the USB player works), and you want it. Complaining about the external temperature should be enough to get you it though.

My local dealer didn’t put up a fight. I didn’t buy mine from them and the guy I spoke to said they normally charge for updates but said as it was a fault they wouldn’t.

Mind you, they did have some customers in looking at a car and they probably overheard me telling them I’d just bought one and was really happy with it!

I use a USB stick and I'd probably put it as OK rather than great. If your radio is audibly worse than your USB stick, and it's not a reception issue, I think there's something wrong.

I know it's not the best there could be, but I'm finding that without the ICE noise I can hear detail in the music that I couldn't hear before.

Yeah, the radio sounds completely different. Like I said, it sounds like the door speakers aren’t working when using the radio.

 

[Alpine]

There are other threads on this that might have some answers, and at least one thread about upgrading the radio. If you're serious about that, look for the thread, because it may be a solved problem

I don't reckon it's that bad, but I do know what you mean. When I was given a Peugeot e208 as a courtesy car I thought it was a boring wee thing but I had to admit the radio sounded better. I use FM most of the time because where I live is in a DAB blackspot, but I sometimes switch to DAB if I'm somewhere where FM is poor. Usually one is better than the other, but only rarely is one or the other unobtainable.

In the SE, external temperature was there up to and including version R13 of the infotainment software. Then a bug was introduced with R16 which removed it. R21 didn't restore it, but then R33 did. Lots of people on R13 refusing to allow updates until the external temperature was guaranteed not to be removed!

If you don't have an external temperature display you do not have the most up to date software and you need to complain (bitterly) to your dealer. R33 is very much better than its predecessors in a lot of ways (for a start, the USB player works), and you want it. Complaining about the external temperature should be enough to get you it though.

I'll get on to the dealer next week and hopefully get that sorted then....thanks for the nudge in the right direction.

With regards to the sound iv just come out of a top of the range Kia Sportage with a great JBL system in it so to start with it was a very noticeable drop in sound quality .... First world problems eh !!!!!

 

[Rolfe]

Yeah, the radio sounds completely different. Like I said, it sounds like the door speakers aren’t working when using the radio.

That does sound like a possible fault then. I don't notice a massive difference in sound quality between the radio and the USB stick.

(I'm sorry, I'm laughing here because last year we had a member - since banned - who got a lemon MG4 and eventually rejected it. He took great glee in telling us all how great his new Cupra Born was compared to the awful MG4!)

 

[unbornidentity]

That does sound like a possible fault then. I don't notice a massive difference in sound quality between the radio and the USB stick.

(I'm sorry, I'm laughing here because last year we had a member - since banned - who got a lemon MG4 and eventually rejected it. He took great glee in telling us all how great his new Cupra Born was compared to the awful MG4!)

I’ve refrained from slagging my Curpa off in the Cupra forums because it was a lemon.

I just got unlucky as far as I’m concerned but I do blame my service centre for being utterly useless. Heritage Gloucester, don’t buy a car from them! It seems they don’t understand you can spy on your car from the app and know that they didn’t move it for two days and give it you back with the same faults.

My MG4 cost £25k with the discount, my Cupra was £37k… £12k difference lowers expectations a lot!

 

[Rolfe]

Oh, there was an awful lot of slagging off going on here, about a fault which was serious, and not unique, but which was experienced by only a few owners. Interesting to know that Cupra dealers can be less than stellar too!

The member in question was banned because he was all over the forum telling new owners that their cars were rubbish and they should reject them while they got the chance. People who were excited to get their new cars were understandably dismayed. He refused to stop doing it, so was banned. (He's since blocked me on Twitter, after calling me a tedious old bat! He was telling Twitter how many MG4s were rejected and to steer clear of any low-mileage second-hand ones because they might be "one of the many rejected cars".)

You're right, a £12,000 price difference makes up for a lot of niggles. But not, to be fair, for a car that loses power while you're in the middle of overtaking a lorry!

 

[MSvirus]

Hi,

First post.

I’ve recently purchased a new MG4 SE SR and I’m really impressed with it. My first EV was the ID3 and this car is definitely better than that. I then got a Curpa Born which was really nice but unfortunately I got a complete lemon. Heritage Gloucester were utterly useless and I gave up on the car and decided to try the MG4. I’m loving it and it has exceeded all expectations.

The only thing I really don’t like is that the radio sounds absolutely terrible. I’ve search on here and can’t find anything about that. If I use Apple CarPlay it sound is fine but DAB radio sounds like it isn’t using the speakers in the doors; really tiny and baseless.

The car is booked in for a software update as I’ve got the version with no outside temperature displaying but I can’t see that would solve anything. It’s like the digital to analogue chip for the radio is really bad.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Thanks

Here I live, I can switch between FM and DAB, on the same station with just about 1 second lag between them. I can then clearly hear the difference between DAB and FM when the music is playing. When it is on DAB it is really bad quality, and when on FM it sounds like it should be. I have more speakers in the doors since it is a Xpower, and have adjusted the fader and equalizer setup, but original speakers. Keeping it on FM, I find no reason to upgrade the speakers at all.

 

[unbornidentity]

Oh, there was an awful lot of slagging off going on here, about a fault which was serious, and not unique, but which was experienced by only a few owners. Interesting to know that Cupra dealers can be less than stellar too!

The member in question was banned because he was all over the forum telling new owners that their cars were rubbish and they should reject them while they got the chance. People who were excited to get their new cars were understandably dismayed. He refused to stop doing it, so was banned. (He's since blocked me on Twitter, after calling me a tedious old bat! He was telling Twitter how many MG4s were rejected and to steer clear of any low-mileage second-hand ones because they might be "one of the many rejected cars".)

You're right, a £12,000 price difference makes up for a lot of niggles. But not, to be fair, for a car that loses power while you're in the middle of overtaking a lorry!

Yeah, don’t expect I’d be happy if it was doing that!

From my experience with new cars, if they are going to go wrong it normally happens within the first month. Poor radio sound quality and missing temperature readings is pretty good going so fingers crossed.

The Cupra was in an out of the workshop like a yo-yo. Compounded by the dealership’s inability to actually fix anything! Went in for a power steering servo fault 5 times and wasn’t fixed.

 

[Rolfe]

I think you can get a lemon in any make. (I hear that our dear departed member was bitching about this and that in the Born forum as well, although I didn't go to look.)

The missing temperature readout is a solved problem and you just have to stamp your foot and yell and insist on having R33 installed. The radio sound needs investigating, because although I wouldn't be giving the SE SR major prizes for hifi quality, it really isn't as bad as what you seem to be describing.

 

[YaR]

The problem with DAB is a combination of DAB being rubbish quality and I suspect a poor DAC somewhere in the circuitry. If it's fine on CarPlay then that's because you're streaming radio, which is almost always at a higher bitrate than DAB, and your phone has a semi-decent DAC - the speakers are not at fault here. They're not great, but the fact you can hear improvements when you switch the source tells you the source is the problem, not the speaker/amplifier.

 

[meveringham]

Hi,

First post.

I’ve recently purchased a new MG4 SE SR and I’m really impressed with it. My first EV was the ID3 and this car is definitely better than that. I then got a Curpa Born which was really nice but unfortunately I got a complete lemon. Heritage Gloucester were utterly useless and I gave up on the car and decided to try the MG4. I’m loving it and it has exceeded all expectations.

The only thing I really don’t like is that the radio sounds absolutely terrible. I’ve search on here and can’t find anything about that. If I use Apple CarPlay it sound is fine but DAB radio sounds like it isn’t using the speakers in the doors; really tiny and baseless.

The car is booked in for a software update as I’ve got the version with no outside temperature displaying but I can’t see that would solve anything. It’s like the digital to analogue chip for the radio is really bad.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Thanks

I mean there are no speakers in the rear of the car, so cheap!

 

[unbornidentity]

I mean there are no speakers in the rear of the car, so cheap!

There are no rear speakers in the Cupra Born and that starts at £37k!

 

[Corindikev]

I have the Essence 64 (Trophy) and we don't nave DAB around where I live but the FM is very ordinary.

But, when I play my own music on my phone via Bluetooth it is really good, excellent bass and clarity right through the frequency range. I have just set the equaliser to Rock with no adjustments. My car has the 6 speaker system though & I have the Arkamys HiFi virtual woofer set up and front seat focus selected. This is better than a lot of other more expensive cars I've driven with 8 speakers.

 

[Alansurfer]

Hers a bit rate list for DAB radio across most UK stations, some are even in mono on some popular broadcasts.

UK Digital Radio Bitrates – Astra 2

This page was last updated on February 24 2020 This is a list of BBC and commercial radio stations in the UK, comparing audio bitrates for online streams, including BBC iPlayer, DAB, Freeview and satellite (Sky and Freesat). Please contact the site with any corrections or additions to this list.

www.astra2sat.com

The sound (or quality) can drop off randomly in some areas due to a fall in bit rate especially if it’s only broadcast in a low 50ish in the first place.
The speakers MG use are not so great so a speaker upgrade is needed and in my opinion essential.