Harmon Kardon stereo…what’s up? What can we do to improve it?

[RHOfan]

Well, I’ve mentioned it on a thread or two, but figured it needed its own thread.

My 1st impression: It was pure mud. Heavy mid-bass hump, distant mid-range, but decent quality treble. Adjusting the very basic EQ did little to improve it.

Another forum member suggested activating the surround mode. I was skeptical, figuring it would add odd artifacts to the sound. To my surprise, the center channel speaker brought the mids to life. And, it seemed to cure some of the mid-bass hump.

Many seemed upset at my 1st impression, as they had personally heard the supposedly same system in a TRX & were impressed. Others stated they had done some research & Stellantis made some changes to the HK system for RHO duty. This makes perfect sense since RHO electrical architecture is all new!

Well, here comes another curve ball. Active Noise Cancellation. It CAN interfere with audio quality. And, I understand it goes into standby mode when the windows are opened. Well, I opened the rear glass window & rear door windows & the sound system indeed sounded different! The bass finally had a small amount of “thump”.

What does this all mean? IDK. But let’s all learn together on THIS thread…

 

[David Troup]

Surround sound on does give a better sound. Thanks

 

[SeaDog0720]

When I ordered my 2020 Limited I remember hearing some of the same talk about the HK system. Some would it was underwhelming, others would say it sounded great. I seem to remember an update to the uconnect system was a fix for many. Truth be told by the time I got my truck the HK system sounded amazing. Definitely better in Surround mode. I did not have to update and I'm not saying that's what's happening here, just something I remember back then.

 

[JMTAS4]

If the source material is crap, the best speakers in the world also, will sound like crap. What's the head unit on these things, too lazy to look.

 

[Irongoats]

I think I'll let it ride for a minute see what this system offers

 

[RHOfan]

I think I'll let it ride for a minute see what this system offers

Well, my neighbor with the TRX was finally home today, but no TRX as his son has it for a family trip. Son & TRX will be home Wednesday night.

I told him the forum wanted a direct comparison (TRX HK vs RHO HK) & he was more than willing to oblige us.

He is 100% satisfied with his TRX HK sound. His buddy did a subwoofer upgrade in a TRX & he still prefers his stock OEM sound.

Pictures & assessment to follow!

 

[yuppie]

Someone needs to go price out a full Focal system with 2x 10" subs under the rear seats lol

The sound isn't that bad, but its not a $5K quality custom audio setup. Try Spotify, make sure high quality is on. YouTube Music has good source material too.