Here are some preliminary thoughts on the new 5 band EQ. I measured this with my iPhone and only spent about 5 minutes on this so it's subject to change once I have more time to analyze:
These readings were taken with my volume set to the first '6' level (Going from 5). Also I have the upgraded sound with the ultra white synthetic seats and the readings were taken with my iPhone mic at ear level in the drivers seat position and the surround setting set to default (Center of the car) in a 6 seat car with the rear two seats folded down. One other thing that might be slightly different in my setup is I actually have the mythical parcel shelf and it was installed for this, so it may help improve the bass response in my setup a bit.
These are where I measured the different EQ band controls:
Low band 1 - Centered around 80Hz
Low band 2 - Centered around 200Hz
Mid Band 3 - Centered around 800Hz
High Band 4 - Centered around 2kHz
High Band 5 - Centered around 8kHz
At volume 6 I preferred this setup on the EQ:
Band 1 = +3.0
Band 2 = +1.0
Band 3 = 0
Band 4 = +3.5
Band 5 = 0
These settings will boost the low end a bit and provide a bit of a boost between 100Hz and 500Hz. Then it flattens out through about 1kHz and then boosts a bit to improve intelligibility for vocals in the 2kHz range. The system default setting (0) at band 5 rolls off the higher end a bit from being flat and then really tails off above 16kHz. The settings above also don't dramatically emphasize any particular frequency band, they are more of a rolling gradual boost for certain areas. I'll live with these for a bit and then play around with them again.
Again, these are really quick and dirty readings that I took, so play around with them to suit your own taste. To my ears, this latest audio upgrade really improved the clarity and overall frequency response of the system and improved the channel separation. The bass response is dramatically improved from what it was before. Basically the low band 1 control is the subwoofer control now. The measurements I made are objective, but in the end, what is a pleasing sound is very subjective. The benchmark I'm using when I say there are improvements in the system are overall clarity, smoothness of response and sound stage. Depending on the kind of system you are used to listening to, your perceptions may vary.
I don't like playing my music very loud, so for those who do, these settings will probably not work that well for you. But for those who like to listen to the sound system and a volume that still allows conversation, the above gives you a nice frequency curve to use as a baseline to work from.
