After driving my S70D for a few days, I think I finally have enough experience to talk about the UHF sound package. It was one of the hardest decisions I had during my MS ordering process, and I hope this information helps someone pondering this in the future...
First of all: That German magazine that claims this system is as good as the $5900 Audi Bang and Olufsen sound system in the A6/A8: I strongly disagree. Not even close. The B&O system's gaudy pop up speakers definitely deliver more spatial dimension in the treble, particularly with cymbals and making sure instrumentals coexist with vocals without one drowning out the other. And I also found that the B&O (or Audi in general) has better cabin noise insulation (e.g. people outside are oblivious to you blasting loud music)
But in general, I would say if you like your music extremely loud, or if you like the Bose/Beats style mid/bass-heavy equalizer profile, I would definitely recommend UHFS. The standard sound system is extremely weak on bass, and at highway speeds, if you attempt to use the equalizers to simulate having more mids and bass, it tends to start losing clarity. My extended test drive S70D had the regular sound system, and I was honestly underwhelmed. The UHF delivered the sound experience I expected. It's still not as good as the B&O system in my A6, but I will never ever spend $5900 on speakers in a car again. It basically is worth $0 for trading in a 2 year old car....
As far as tips: You should find a song that you like, and crank it up loud. And if you like bass, when you test the UHFS you must open up the equalizer and play around with sliding the bass slider up to +5dB or more to get an appreciable effect. The salespeople like to turn on Dolby Surround, but make sure to try it both ways. I've found it wildly inconsistent. With some sources, Dolby Surround has the expected behavior of increasing spatial definition. On other sources, it sounds like you've got water in your ears. That's also another area where the B&O system does better: The surround effect is a dial that has around 10 distinct levels, and I find that levels around 3 provide the most appropriate levels.
Overall, I don't think the $2500 package is a good value, but if you are the kind of person that likes the way Beats/Bose products sound, you would definitely appreciate it. Otherwise, you might not find a difference and maybe it's best to save your money.
First of all: That German magazine that claims this system is as good as the $5900 Audi Bang and Olufsen sound system in the A6/A8: I strongly disagree. Not even close. The B&O system's gaudy pop up speakers definitely deliver more spatial dimension in the treble, particularly with cymbals and making sure instrumentals coexist with vocals without one drowning out the other. And I also found that the B&O (or Audi in general) has better cabin noise insulation (e.g. people outside are oblivious to you blasting loud music)
But in general, I would say if you like your music extremely loud, or if you like the Bose/Beats style mid/bass-heavy equalizer profile, I would definitely recommend UHFS. The standard sound system is extremely weak on bass, and at highway speeds, if you attempt to use the equalizers to simulate having more mids and bass, it tends to start losing clarity. My extended test drive S70D had the regular sound system, and I was honestly underwhelmed. The UHF delivered the sound experience I expected. It's still not as good as the B&O system in my A6, but I will never ever spend $5900 on speakers in a car again. It basically is worth $0 for trading in a 2 year old car....
As far as tips: You should find a song that you like, and crank it up loud. And if you like bass, when you test the UHFS you must open up the equalizer and play around with sliding the bass slider up to +5dB or more to get an appreciable effect. The salespeople like to turn on Dolby Surround, but make sure to try it both ways. I've found it wildly inconsistent. With some sources, Dolby Surround has the expected behavior of increasing spatial definition. On other sources, it sounds like you've got water in your ears. That's also another area where the B&O system does better: The surround effect is a dial that has around 10 distinct levels, and I find that levels around 3 provide the most appropriate levels.
Overall, I don't think the $2500 package is a good value, but if you are the kind of person that likes the way Beats/Bose products sound, you would definitely appreciate it. Otherwise, you might not find a difference and maybe it's best to save your money.
