I got the base system in 2012 XF. Suprisingly it had 3way speakers in front door. Sound was average. After replacing tweeters and woofers for Focal, it way wayyy better with the same electronics. Treble had to be adjusted to almost minimum level. Then I had the opportunity to hear the B&W in a pre-facelift XF. Good, but I was expecting more. Now I have 2018 sportbrake with Meridian Surround and it is the best one I ever heard. Meridian trifield puts the stereo stage to the windscreen. I heard the same system i a Velar. It seemed very similar. The B&W in old XF doesn’t stand a chance against Meridian Surround in the new one. BTW: It is capable of insane volume levels. 130dB in peaks sounds totally clear. So be careful with your ears.
Had my XF (2020) for 3 weeks now. It has the “Meridian 825w Surround Sound System”. My last car had a Bose 11 speaker system. I’ve found that the Meridian system takes some “playing in”, it improves day on day. Unfortunately that’s on hold due to our lockdown. I completely agree on the USB point, I leave a double USB adaptor in the power socket. I’ve set my sound slightly to the rear too, purely for my benefit as the driver, I find the sound stronger with it slightly biased to the rear. The base and treble by default are weak, at first I wasn’t sure that the subwoofer was even connected, but you can crank it up. That said, the centre line settings work nicely for talk radio (here I listen to LBC a lot, it needs very different settings than I use for music). My system also gives the option to pick between Meridian, Dolby, DTS or stereo. Still playing with these option (or would be if I could go out). I think I prefer the Dolby option overall, but that’s very much a work in progress and probably shouldn’t try to decide until the system is fully played in. Also haven’t had chance to plug my lossless player in yet, I expect that will improve the music sound too. Compared to my last car (Mazda 6 - Bose, 11 speakers), even now still playing in the Meridian is much clearer. The Bose had a warmer sound, but less detailed all round.
Thanks for your detailed comment. Very interesting to know as I also had the top of the range Bose system in my Mazda CX-5 which I thought was slightly better than my XF's Meridian, but then again, mine is just the base option and not the mid-range or top of the range system. I would expect they are definitely better, but considering this is a luxury car, it should come with the best sound system in it as standard.
Hi Hilton. I hope you and everyone else is staying safe. I can only comment on the Bowers & Wilkins sound system in my XF. Without doubt, the 1200w output is incredible and pure in sound. What do they have in the F-Type? I presume Meridian. Take care.
Perhaps some F-Type owners could comment here Errol. I'm not really sure what sound systems it has gone through during it life-cycle so far. It definitely has Meridian now, but it would be interesting to know what older F-Types have. Thanks, and stay safe your side of the world too ;)
How do you do Hilton? Thanks so much for your informative videos. I have a 2016 Jag XF S I bought used back in October 2019. This is the first Jaguar I own. I love it so far. I had owned some BMW 5 series and a '14 Infiniti Q50, so I'm no slouch on the luxury sport sedans department. The Jag has had its issues prior of my ownership, which the dealership had fixed already. So far, the only issue with my Jag is the sound system. The system sounds very good imho, so the issues are mostly the bluetooth connectivity and the AUX 3.5mm input. The system didn't have problems connecting via BT with my previous cell phone, LG V20 but it doesn't stay connected for more than 30secs with my current cell phone LG G8 thinQ. I don't mind this issue too much, BUT the AUX input is my main concern. The volume of the input is way too low if I compare it to the radio at same volume level. Let's say a radio station volume is at #16, if I want to use my cell phone as audio source, I max out the volume on my phone and I have to turn up the system volume knob to #25 to match the radio station dB level. I've been using some headphone amplifiers to fix this, with some good enough results so far. I noticed you're using a bluetooth usb adapter to connect to the radio. I may give that a try. I want to stick to the wired connection to keep the music quality as high as possible, as I use spotify to stream music when driving. I also want to try an usb memory stick as a music source. Thanks and take care
Hey Eduardo. Thanks for watching. I had the same issue with my bluetooth and the dealer upgraded the software on the headunit and it has stopped doing that now. What you can also do is delete all bluetooth devices from your XF's system and then re-pair the phone to see if that fixes it. On mine, it was software related as it would also cut off after 30s or so. As for the aux, I haven't used mine yet as I use the USB for my music. If you want to listen to music from your phone, you can do it via the bluetooth, but then you need your bluetooth to work :D. You need to give the car permission to play music via bluetooth from you phone in the bluetooth menu. The USB thingie you saw in my armrest is actually a double USB charger for my phones. I stuck it in the back now for passengers to use. Perhaps a software update will sort out the volume input on the AUX as well. Sometimes it can also be the AUX cable you're using. I used a cheap one on my old XF and had the same issue as you with volume. I then bought an expensive 5cm cable and immediately the quality of the sound improved to CD quality.
I just want to clear some things up for people concerned with "Meridan" audio cause a lot of people say its pants, (and this is based of me testing them for a limited amount of time in a jag XE and i own a XE now with meridan surround (The highest tier 825w) that is better than the "Mark levinson" sound system in the lexus RCF (2015) (that was probably worse than my nissan juke system tbh as a whole) First off branded speakers in your cars are a sign to say that the manufacture has at least thought about audio, but how much is questionable cause they mostly use stock parts the licence is what the car companies pay for cause its an advertisement, Dont expect most cars to have "Meridan" or "B&W" branded speakers when you take it apart (Theres images of "B&W speakers for the jags online that are made by PSS in china but designed to mimic what the B&W speakers look like) 95% of people dont care provided it sounds decent. Bose tend to make their own speakers for the car but that is also intergrated so if you want to eventually do your own custom setup its harder to get done, And on the note of bose they aim for a warmer sound profile overall with all their products hence why they dont disclose how they work exactly, This is fine for most people as most people do like a warmer sound, but for fussy people it does limit what you do hear in some cases, like how in my experience bose limits bass on volume at really high volumes and balances it out somehow so you dont get overly excessive "shake" but thats just how they are. Secondly, The meridian standard system is fine, (based on a XE) I listen to a wide variety of music but its mostly drum & bass and techstep, They all seem to have a frontal treble bias, so notching the placement to the rear 1 or 2 touches can make the sound feel more "whole" as such, I find the Clarity of the Meridan systems to be fantastic, much more crisp than a lot of manufacture audio setups, Its clean, clear, but Bass is odd in these systems, In my XE i have bass and subwoofer settings, and you need to alter them to get a good punch whilst not drowning the sound out with bass, you cant edit the sub in the standard meridan XE's you can only do that on the surround models if i remember correctly, But thats kinda all i can say cause it depends on the user, The standard "meridan" system 2016 onwards is good and good becuse its clear and crisp IMO, and vocals come out really well for the standard meridan setup and for most people they shouldnt feel like its a bad system because its not, best thing to do is listen to it yourself. With my 825w system at least i could not be happier, It has these "Meridian" sound modes too that whilst it does give you more of a Surround sound experience, I just use DTS cause i want my music to be in the car and not around it, Another thing to note is that Lossless audio (FLAC / WAV) really adds some depth, i cant notice the extra tiny bits on my audio at home that much, but it really does bring extra depth IMO when you are in the car. Finally, No im not an audio professional, I just done a lot of research because everyone was saying the systems are bad practically saying dont buy them, I know that if i want the best audio you get it done yourself, but finding something you are happy with in a car is rare, and most people want to be happy with the audio they have in their car when they get it I have owned cars with bose systems, and the nissan jukes standard audio (that in my opinion is better than the bose but less clarity overall) spent some time in a kia stinger that has briliant audio (harman kardon) but i would say it lacks slightly on clarity, and i was really dissapointed with the Lexus RCF audio that had clarity, but depth was weak in all departments (Mark levinson... And thats owned by harman anyway) TLDR, My best advice is find a car with x audio, play your fav songs for 10 mins, thats all you need to know if you will be happy and the "Meridian" / PSS systems are far from bad systems overall, but it depends who you are and your own music taste. Side note: Im a fan of the music you produce Hilton :)
Thanks for the indepth comment on your top tier version of Meridian. Very interesting indeed. I think the Range Rover's I've had recently had the same set-up as my XF speaker-wise even though they had the large screen with all the extra settings. Unfortunately, I don't have the option of DTS, just those basic settings shown - but I'm sure the 825w system will have a richer experience. What I can't understand though is how JLR could allow a basic system like this into their cars. My old XF had the basic system available at the time and it was a full, rich sound experience. If I wanted to try out one of my new songs on a sound system, I'd go sit in my car and play it there. All my music is WAV format as MP3 reduces quite a lot of the quality of the sound. However, this system in my car sounds worse than our VW Golf 7 which also has a basic system in it, but the quality of the sound that comes out is much better and doesn't sound so much like a typical car stereo. Thanks for liking my music ;)
@@carfanfan Thanks for reading my wall of text :) Well i know theres a lot of wierd things that happen in JLR's sound department area and all of it is to cut cost, one way or another but the way they do it is the things that only the 10% will notice, For example one of the older Jag models had 380w "Meridian" setup, But you could replace the head unit with the 525w variant and it just works, all the extra sound software was there too, and theres numbers of stories online of what they will work on, I think the F Type is one of them tbh. Regarding the Golf 7 basic system, Im not sure what it uses, but the difference you hear is probably due to stuff like the car having natrually more soundproofing, and how much time the VW audio team have invested into the cars audio profile, The Golf is such a refined car so it makes sense that they would invested even in the lower tier systems, and its all based on how the sound reflects off all the different materials in the car, Like when i went from a 13 speaker bose setup in my Laguna V6 Coupe to a nissan juke with 4 speakers, overall it sounded better to me, More bass and a more confined sound profile but a noticeable difference in clarity, Again it wasnt bad overall but i think most modern cars you step into today would be a noticeable upgrade from the juke at least I tested the F Type meridian to the XE side by side for myself, and in that you know you dont have any distance behind your seat, So you get a more enclosed sound space and that might be what some people are after, I do know that F Types have poor soundproofing, But that might be by design, be it for weight or just the fact that you want to hear the engine, And i know in the UK at least a lot of people do offer a soundproofing overhaul for a lot of the jag meridian setups, You might want to look into that at one point, Theres a few audio engineers out there that reprogram the system to get the best out of the normal meridian systems. For all we know JLR probably treat all the models completely differently, And it could be the difference that on the manufactuing line anything but the 825W system gets a better soundproofing material, hence the price of all these things if from new, (soundproofing was fine on the normal XE's just giving an example though) also to note on that the 825W system is the only one that has a CD player ha.
My 2012 XF Sport LE is similar. Basically I push the bass to say +5 (out of 10) and the treble say +2 or +3. The system is definelty bass light when set Flat but you can adjust to get a good sound. Because I primarily listen to MP3 via USB (320kbps) I don't push the trebel too high because it gets harsher. I had a XJ 3.2 Sport about 10 years ago...and I have to say the sound in that was better. The car was quieter I know, but It seemed to be able to pick the details much better out of the music, whatever genre I was listening too. New....Flashy headunits etc...does not equal better sound, in the car or at home. Glad you feeling happier with the car.
I think you hit the nail on the head Graham, "new flashy headunits does not equal better sound". That's certainly the case. I think my quandary with this system is why Jaguar even have a base system in this car - no luxury car should have a base sound system in it, it should be the best or nothing. I guess when I had my old XF, I didn't realize what specification I had when buying it. I just thought all XF's had what mine had and it even though it didn't have the Bowers in it, it had a pretty good sound system which didn't make me want for anything more. But unfortunately, Jag have let this car down by offering a sub-economical sound system as a base offering which doesn't do the brand any justice. It gives Meridian a bad name too. They should drop it and start with the mid-range system working up to the full 5.1 surround system. If my car had a V6 or V8, I wouldn't bother with the system and rather choose to listen to that sweet exhaust note - another thing I miss from my older XF. Jaguar tuned that V6 exhaust to sound so unique and sporty. Not even the s/c V6 sounds as nice as that. We'll see what the facelift brings ;)
@@grahamevans9606 I think the difference with the new XF is that it was the first Tata owned and developed XF and their corporate boardroom cookie cutter recipes were applied to its designed. Ian Cullem still did a good job with the design, but the materials let it down.
Driving the XE facelift since 8 weeks now and ordered the medium size Meridian system with 380w. It's is quite ok but for almost € 900.- extra charge i would have expected better performance. My recommendation would be to stay with the base version if sound in the car is not that important or buy the surround system. But that costs almost € 2000.- extra, i would not make that cross in the list without previously checking in a car that already has this feature equipped.
My xjl supersport has the bowers and wilkins 1200w system and for me sounds far superior to the meridian one.. when my car goes in for the service and i jump into the courtesy car its the first thing i compare is the stereo systems.. B&W for me :))
Thanks for the video Hilton! I own a 2013 XF with the Meridian sound system and what I’ve noticed is that the sound is terrible and tinny when played at regular volumes (being able to have a conversation with passengers), but turning up the volume the soundstage changes entirely. I once learned that this has to do with an underpowered amplifier that is not capable for steering the speakers. Anyone tried to replace the amplifier yet?
Hey Bas - I am finding the same issue with the Bowers & Wilkins in my XFR. The subwoofer can hardly be heard - I'm thinking of replacing the sub speaker with a more powerful one for low volume bass. I don't drive around with the sound system blaring away - It's nice to have music in the background that sounds good, while being able to converse with people in the car at the same time.
Yeah some x250 facelifts got meridian systems my 2015 facelift x250 (so final run of x250s) has a meridian system in it, safely stored at a jaguar dealer awaiting delivery after the covid 19 lockdown. Damn shame even having it to drive to the shops would be better than not having it at all
Man you are lucky Kristofor. A last run X250. That's what I'm looking for but haven't found a V6 or V8 yet. I prefer the bigger engines. Don't worry, when the day comes and you finally get to drive your XF, it will be even more sweeter.😉
@@carfanfan I must admit I would have preferred the bigger engine but using it for commuting once the lockdowns are over the economy makes sense and its still punchy I do prefer the back end of the x250 by quite a margin though I must say the front end of the 260s is a bit nicer those final 250s with the narrowed headlights I think are a nice middle ground and when i saw a British racing green one with the darker interior (my preference over the cream most I had seen were in) had to buy it.
So. I'm sitting here playing with the option of getting a 2021 F Pace or E Pace. I have a 2012 XF with the 1200 watt surround sound system and the one thing I keep coming back to is that all the newer Jags have a top config 820 watt Meridian system. Not sure if I want to step down to step up. Not even sure if there's a huge difference. What's your thoughts?
I would suggest going to the dealer with your USB stick and giving the sound system a good workout. That will tell you all you need to know. I might say it's good or bad, but you may think differently. Try it for yourself my friend and make your decision. It's your money, your car and your decision 😉
@SosedSeba The E class is a very capable car and very good looking. They're both pretty good cars. I'd rather not try and influence you with what I would go for but rather let you appeal to your own hunches. I would recommend driving both and whichever one gives you the best feeling while driving, go for that one. Then just try and compare what it would cost to maintain either which should highlight which would be better. Both aren't cheap ti maintain but if you have a good indy mechanic then it should be on par for either in terms of parts costs. One is German, one is British. Parts are relatively the same in terms of availability and price. From what I know, the Jag 2L engines aren't good. If you decide Jag, get a 3L V6 petrol or Diesel. Don't get a 2L or V8 as they are both bad and won't last long. I didn't keep my 2L long because I knew the motor would fail sooner or later. The timing chains on them have plastic pensioners and they fail. I'd also recommend checking out the Merc you're looking at on the web to see what are common issues with those particular engines and transmissions. If it's a ZF transmission, which it probably is, then you're good. Diesel particulate filters are a problem on most diesels of high mileage no matter the brand so make sure that isn't an issue before purchase. I'd have the car checked out by my own mechanic if you can to see if any codes are stored on the ECU then you should know if you're getting a good car, whether it's the Jag or the Merc. Hope that helps 😊
My last car which was the F10 5 series, had no audio package at all, and sounded way better than the meridian in my XF. Jaguar should've kept the B&W in the XF.
I have bought a 2016 Jag XF and I am getting these pops which are complete random during the music is playing, I have been searching everywhere for a solution but can't find any.
Hi Hilton. I replaced the warped dash on my 09 XF. While doing that I also replaced the instrument cluster. I made sure that no plug was left unplugged. but, now my car won't start and wont even get into accessory mode. any idea where to start troubleshooting. With COVID shutdown, I cant even take it to a dealer for repair. Thanks for any help.
The new instrument cluster has to be re programmed to the car or it wont work, its something to do with the emobiliser. Put your old cluster back in until you can get it re programmed.
Hey there, Spencer is correct. The cluster has the immobiliser built-in and this needs to be programmed to the car. As he says, put your old one back in for now until you can do the programming and drive around with the old one for now. Just out of interest, why did you replace the cluster?
Strange my 14 plate XFR has the Meridian and it sounds fine to me although I have to confess I dont use it that much, the engine is all I want to hear.
Being an XFR (cudos for having one ;) it probably has the top of the range Meridian system in it. This review was reviewing the basic system and trying to get the most out of it. It's not bad when compared to lower range cars such as Toyotas or Nissans, but this is a luxury car and it's sound system should at least match that of Audi, Merc and BMW's which it doesn't. I hope Jaguar drop the entry version when they facelift this car later this year (now possibly only early next year with Covid19) because the other 3 brands are killing it with quality and materials right now. I still prefer Jag over them because it's unique and not everybody has one and they are just gorgeous to look at.
Hey there, I would recommend getting some on Amazon or eBay. Here's a search I did which brought some up but you must make sure the diameter matches the ones on your car as they can be rather specific. www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=2013+jaguar+xf+brake+discs&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_odkw=2013+jaguar+xf+brake+discs&_osacat=0
Hi Hilton used to have a 2010 Jaguar XF Premium luxury and the sound system was a Bower & Wilkins best sound I have ever had in a car.Jaguar dropped though too expensive I think.
Do you know how to remove this 8” display? The driver side has a small trim panel , then I’m stuck. Do I really have to remove the whole dash to get this out? Or does the bezel around the display just pop out and then t20 bolts underneath ?
The bezel around the display has two screws at the bottom. To get to them, you have to remove the long trim that stretches from below the screen across the glove box. If you look underneath this trim piece, there are 3 screws (torx 17 or 20 if memory serves me), you must remove those 3 screws and then pull the trim piece away starting at very end by the passenger door. Send me a contact me via my website and I'll share the link to the workshop manual with you which is on my Google Drive. I can't upload it to my website as I've run out of storage space. hiltoncamons.yolasite.com/contact.php
I have a 2015 x250 black edition with Meridian surround and does sound really good albeit had to take the doors apart and use sound deadening pads to stop all the vibrations, not good in a Jag with low mls. The wife's 2017 top of the range qashqai has bose and imo sounds better. But Meridian is still very good.
The Meridian top of The range system sounds excellent. But the base system is awful compared to the base system on older XF's. My 2016 X260 had a terrible Meridian system. Our VW Golf had a better system. And as luxury cars go, a system that bad should not have found its way into a Jaguar ever. 😉
I agree that the Meridian is not very good. I had an Acura and traded it in and the Acura definitely had better audio quality. It stinks when you pay that much for a car
Unfortunately not. All Radio stations have formed an APP together due to this and one can now play all their stations in digital audio via the APP using Android Auto.
Do you mean the tinted windows? My XF has tinted windows which act as a smash and grab as well. It's a very thick film which doesn't allow the glass to be broken very easily.
I have the basic version of their system in my velar. I assume it’s the basic version because I don’t have the Dolby options and other snazzy options in audio settings. Does anyone know how I can access the more advanced settings? I only get the sub woofer, bass and treble eq display in the audio settings menu. But the system applies it’s own version of brick wall limiter/compression which is annoying the f*ck out of me. I need to turn it off as it completely kills any cool drops in the EDM tracks I listen to. (As when the beat kicks back in after the drop build up, the system limits the volume of the beat as it kicks back in). Hope that makes sense lol
I know exactly what you mean. There are no advanced settings for the base system. One fits all is the approach. The top tier system has a few more settings for Dolby options and concert etc and it's a good system. I just don't think a base sound system has any place in a luxury car considering what one pays for them.
I believe the premium Meridian is better, but I haven't heard it. Jaguar should never have a base sound system in their cars. They are a premium brand ergo. Everything should be premium as standard.
I absolutely love our 2018 F Pace Meridian sound system
I got the base system in 2012 XF. Suprisingly it had 3way speakers in front door. Sound was average. After replacing tweeters and woofers for Focal, it way wayyy better with the same electronics. Treble had to be adjusted to almost minimum level. Then I had the opportunity to hear the B&W in a pre-facelift XF. Good, but I was expecting more.
Now I have 2018 sportbrake with Meridian Surround and it is the best one I ever heard. Meridian trifield puts the stereo stage to the windscreen.
I heard the same system i a Velar. It seemed very similar.
The B&W in old XF doesn’t stand a chance against Meridian Surround in the new one.
BTW: It is capable of insane volume levels. 130dB in peaks sounds totally clear. So be careful with your ears.
My 09 SV8 is fitted with B&W and I’m loving it. One of the bests audio step ups 🤩
Had my XF (2020) for 3 weeks now. It has the “Meridian 825w Surround Sound System”. My last car had a Bose 11 speaker system.
I’ve found that the Meridian system takes some “playing in”, it improves day on day. Unfortunately that’s on hold due to our lockdown.
I completely agree on the USB point, I leave a double USB adaptor in the power socket.
I’ve set my sound slightly to the rear too, purely for my benefit as the driver, I find the sound stronger with it slightly biased to the rear.
The base and treble by default are weak, at first I wasn’t sure that the subwoofer was even connected, but you can crank it up.
That said, the centre line settings work nicely for talk radio (here I listen to LBC a lot, it needs very different settings than I use for music).
My system also gives the option to pick between Meridian, Dolby, DTS or stereo. Still playing with these option (or would be if I could go out). I think I prefer the Dolby option overall, but that’s very much a work in progress and probably shouldn’t try to decide until the system is fully played in. Also haven’t had chance to plug my lossless player in yet, I expect that will improve the music sound too.
Compared to my last car (Mazda 6 - Bose, 11 speakers), even now still playing in the Meridian is much clearer. The Bose had a warmer sound, but less detailed all round.
Thanks for your detailed comment. Very interesting to know as I also had the top of the range Bose system in my Mazda CX-5 which I thought was slightly better than my XF's Meridian, but then again, mine is just the base option and not the mid-range or top of the range system. I would expect they are definitely better, but considering this is a luxury car, it should come with the best sound system in it as standard.
Hi Hilton. I hope you and everyone else is staying safe. I can only comment on the Bowers & Wilkins sound system in my XF. Without doubt, the 1200w output is incredible and pure in sound. What do they have in the F-Type? I presume Meridian. Take care.
Perhaps some F-Type owners could comment here Errol. I'm not really sure what sound systems it has gone through during it life-cycle so far. It definitely has Meridian now, but it would be interesting to know what older F-Types have. Thanks, and stay safe your side of the world too ;)
How do you do Hilton? Thanks so much for your informative videos. I have a 2016 Jag XF S I bought used back in October 2019. This is the first Jaguar I own. I love it so far. I had owned some BMW 5 series and a '14 Infiniti Q50, so I'm no slouch on the luxury sport sedans department. The Jag has had its issues prior of my ownership, which the dealership had fixed already.
So far, the only issue with my Jag is the sound system. The system sounds very good imho, so the issues are mostly the bluetooth connectivity and the AUX 3.5mm input. The system didn't have problems connecting via BT with my previous cell phone, LG V20 but it doesn't stay connected for more than 30secs with my current cell phone LG G8 thinQ. I don't mind this issue too much, BUT the AUX input is my main concern. The volume of the input is way too low if I compare it to the radio at same volume level. Let's say a radio station volume is at #16, if I want to use my cell phone as audio source, I max out the volume on my phone and I have to turn up the system volume knob to #25 to match the radio station dB level.
I've been using some headphone amplifiers to fix this, with some good enough results so far. I noticed you're using a bluetooth usb adapter to connect to the radio. I may give that a try.
I want to stick to the wired connection to keep the music quality as high as possible, as I use spotify to stream music when driving. I also want to try an usb memory stick as a music source.
Thanks and take care
Hey Eduardo. Thanks for watching. I had the same issue with my bluetooth and the dealer upgraded the software on the headunit and it has stopped doing that now. What you can also do is delete all bluetooth devices from your XF's system and then re-pair the phone to see if that fixes it. On mine, it was software related as it would also cut off after 30s or so.
As for the aux, I haven't used mine yet as I use the USB for my music. If you want to listen to music from your phone, you can do it via the bluetooth, but then you need your bluetooth to work :D. You need to give the car permission to play music via bluetooth from you phone in the bluetooth menu. The USB thingie you saw in my armrest is actually a double USB charger for my phones. I stuck it in the back now for passengers to use.
Perhaps a software update will sort out the volume input on the AUX as well. Sometimes it can also be the AUX cable you're using. I used a cheap one on my old XF and had the same issue as you with volume. I then bought an expensive 5cm cable and immediately the quality of the sound improved to CD quality.
I just want to clear some things up for people concerned with "Meridan" audio cause a lot of people say its pants, (and this is based of me testing them for a limited amount of time in a jag XE and i own a XE now with meridan surround (The highest tier 825w) that is better than the "Mark levinson" sound system in the lexus RCF (2015) (that was probably worse than my nissan juke system tbh as a whole)
First off branded speakers in your cars are a sign to say that the manufacture has at least thought about audio, but how much is questionable cause they mostly use stock parts the licence is what the car companies pay for cause its an advertisement, Dont expect most cars to have "Meridan" or "B&W" branded speakers when you take it apart (Theres images of "B&W speakers for the jags online that are made by PSS in china but designed to mimic what the B&W speakers look like) 95% of people dont care provided it sounds decent.
Bose tend to make their own speakers for the car but that is also intergrated so if you want to eventually do your own custom setup its harder to get done, And on the note of bose they aim for a warmer sound profile overall with all their products hence why they dont disclose how they work exactly, This is fine for most people as most people do like a warmer sound, but for fussy people it does limit what you do hear in some cases, like how in my experience bose limits bass on volume at really high volumes and balances it out somehow so you dont get overly excessive "shake" but thats just how they are.
Secondly, The meridian standard system is fine, (based on a XE) I listen to a wide variety of music but its mostly drum & bass and techstep, They all seem to have a frontal treble bias, so notching the placement to the rear 1 or 2 touches can make the sound feel more "whole" as such, I find the Clarity of the Meridan systems to be fantastic, much more crisp than a lot of manufacture audio setups, Its clean, clear, but Bass is odd in these systems, In my XE i have bass and subwoofer settings, and you need to alter them to get a good punch whilst not drowning the sound out with bass, you cant edit the sub in the standard meridan XE's you can only do that on the surround models if i remember correctly, But thats kinda all i can say cause it depends on the user, The standard "meridan" system 2016 onwards is good and good becuse its clear and crisp IMO, and vocals come out really well for the standard meridan setup and for most people they shouldnt feel like its a bad system because its not, best thing to do is listen to it yourself.
With my 825w system at least i could not be happier, It has these "Meridian" sound modes too that whilst it does give you more of a Surround sound experience, I just use DTS cause i want my music to be in the car and not around it, Another thing to note is that Lossless audio (FLAC / WAV) really adds some depth, i cant notice the extra tiny bits on my audio at home that much, but it really does bring extra depth IMO when you are in the car.
Finally, No im not an audio professional, I just done a lot of research because everyone was saying the systems are bad practically saying dont buy them, I know that if i want the best audio you get it done yourself, but finding something you are happy with in a car is rare, and most people want to be happy with the audio they have in their car when they get it I have owned cars with bose systems, and the nissan jukes standard audio (that in my opinion is better than the bose but less clarity overall) spent some time in a kia stinger that has briliant audio (harman kardon) but i would say it lacks slightly on clarity, and i was really dissapointed with the Lexus RCF audio that had clarity, but depth was weak in all departments (Mark levinson... And thats owned by harman anyway)
TLDR, My best advice is find a car with x audio, play your fav songs for 10 mins, thats all you need to know if you will be happy and the "Meridian" / PSS systems are far from bad systems overall, but it depends who you are and your own music taste.
Side note: Im a fan of the music you produce Hilton :)
Thanks for the indepth comment on your top tier version of Meridian. Very interesting indeed. I think the Range Rover's I've had recently had the same set-up as my XF speaker-wise even though they had the large screen with all the extra settings. Unfortunately, I don't have the option of DTS, just those basic settings shown - but I'm sure the 825w system will have a richer experience. What I can't understand though is how JLR could allow a basic system like this into their cars. My old XF had the basic system available at the time and it was a full, rich sound experience. If I wanted to try out one of my new songs on a sound system, I'd go sit in my car and play it there. All my music is WAV format as MP3 reduces quite a lot of the quality of the sound. However, this system in my car sounds worse than our VW Golf 7 which also has a basic system in it, but the quality of the sound that comes out is much better and doesn't sound so much like a typical car stereo. Thanks for liking my music ;)
@@carfanfan Thanks for reading my wall of text :) Well i know theres a lot of wierd things that happen in JLR's sound department area and all of it is to cut cost, one way or another but the way they do it is the things that only the 10% will notice, For example one of the older Jag models had 380w "Meridian" setup, But you could replace the head unit with the 525w variant and it just works, all the extra sound software was there too, and theres numbers of stories online of what they will work on, I think the F Type is one of them tbh.
Regarding the Golf 7 basic system, Im not sure what it uses, but the difference you hear is probably due to stuff like the car having natrually more soundproofing, and how much time the VW audio team have invested into the cars audio profile, The Golf is such a refined car so it makes sense that they would invested even in the lower tier systems, and its all based on how the sound reflects off all the different materials in the car, Like when i went from a 13 speaker bose setup in my Laguna V6 Coupe to a nissan juke with 4 speakers, overall it sounded better to me, More bass and a more confined sound profile but a noticeable difference in clarity, Again it wasnt bad overall but i think most modern cars you step into today would be a noticeable upgrade from the juke at least
I tested the F Type meridian to the XE side by side for myself, and in that you know you dont have any distance behind your seat, So you get a more enclosed sound space and that might be what some people are after, I do know that F Types have poor soundproofing, But that might be by design, be it for weight or just the fact that you want to hear the engine, And i know in the UK at least a lot of people do offer a soundproofing overhaul for a lot of the jag meridian setups, You might want to look into that at one point, Theres a few audio engineers out there that reprogram the system to get the best out of the normal meridian systems.
For all we know JLR probably treat all the models completely differently, And it could be the difference that on the manufactuing line anything but the 825W system gets a better soundproofing material, hence the price of all these things if from new, (soundproofing was fine on the normal XE's just giving an example though) also to note on that the 825W system is the only one that has a CD player ha.
My 2012 XF Sport LE is similar. Basically I push the bass to say +5 (out of 10) and the treble say +2 or +3. The system is definelty bass light when set Flat but you can adjust to get a good sound. Because I primarily listen to MP3 via USB (320kbps) I don't push the trebel too high because it gets harsher. I had a XJ 3.2 Sport about 10 years ago...and I have to say the sound in that was better. The car was quieter I know, but It seemed to be able to pick the details much better out of the music, whatever genre I was listening too. New....Flashy headunits etc...does not equal better sound, in the car or at home. Glad you feeling happier with the car.
I think you hit the nail on the head Graham, "new flashy headunits does not equal better sound". That's certainly the case. I think my quandary with this system is why Jaguar even have a base system in this car - no luxury car should have a base sound system in it, it should be the best or nothing. I guess when I had my old XF, I didn't realize what specification I had when buying it. I just thought all XF's had what mine had and it even though it didn't have the Bowers in it, it had a pretty good sound system which didn't make me want for anything more. But unfortunately, Jag have let this car down by offering a sub-economical sound system as a base offering which doesn't do the brand any justice. It gives Meridian a bad name too. They should drop it and start with the mid-range system working up to the full 5.1 surround system. If my car had a V6 or V8, I wouldn't bother with the system and rather choose to listen to that sweet exhaust note - another thing I miss from my older XF. Jaguar tuned that V6 exhaust to sound so unique and sporty. Not even the s/c V6 sounds as nice as that. We'll see what the facelift brings ;)
@@carfanfan The first XF's were a statement of intent.
The MK2 tweaked with small improvements.
The MK3 is where cost cutting enters the picture.
@@grahamevans9606 I think the difference with the new XF is that it was the first Tata owned and developed XF and their corporate boardroom cookie cutter recipes were applied to its designed. Ian Cullem still did a good job with the design, but the materials let it down.
I adjusted my treble as you recommend and got to admit it does sound better, but then mines a 12 facelift so was good anyway.
Another great vid btw
Thanks Jeff - your 12 most likely has the Harman Kardon system (the facelift before Meridian) and they sounded pretty good too.
Hilton Hi Hilton, mine has a Meridian system and it sounds just fine. But then I’m not an audio buff lol
@@JoePineappless yeah, when one is critical of music and how it sounds it's an ocd type of thing 🤣
Driving the XE facelift since 8 weeks now and ordered the medium size Meridian system with 380w. It's is quite ok but for almost € 900.- extra charge i would have expected better performance. My recommendation would be to stay with the base version if sound in the car is not that important or buy the surround system. But that costs almost € 2000.- extra, i would not make that cross in the list without previously checking in a car that already has this feature equipped.
My xjl supersport has the bowers and wilkins 1200w system and for me sounds far superior to the meridian one.. when my car goes in for the service and i jump into the courtesy car its the first thing i compare is the stereo systems.. B&W for me :))
Thanks for the video Hilton! I own a 2013 XF with the Meridian sound system and what I’ve noticed is that the sound is terrible and tinny when played at regular volumes (being able to have a conversation with passengers), but turning up the volume the soundstage changes entirely. I once learned that this has to do with an underpowered amplifier that is not capable for steering the speakers. Anyone tried to replace the amplifier yet?
Hey Bas - I am finding the same issue with the Bowers & Wilkins in my XFR. The subwoofer can hardly be heard - I'm thinking of replacing the sub speaker with a more powerful one for low volume bass. I don't drive around with the sound system blaring away - It's nice to have music in the background that sounds good, while being able to converse with people in the car at the same time.
Yeah some x250 facelifts got meridian systems my 2015 facelift x250 (so final run of x250s) has a meridian system in it, safely stored at a jaguar dealer awaiting delivery after the covid 19 lockdown. Damn shame even having it to drive to the shops would be better than not having it at all
Man you are lucky Kristofor. A last run X250. That's what I'm looking for but haven't found a V6 or V8 yet. I prefer the bigger engines. Don't worry, when the day comes and you finally get to drive your XF, it will be even more sweeter.😉
@@carfanfan I must admit I would have preferred the bigger engine but using it for commuting once the lockdowns are over the economy makes sense and its still punchy I do prefer the back end of the x250 by quite a margin though I must say the front end of the 260s is a bit nicer those final 250s with the narrowed headlights I think are a nice middle ground and when i saw a British racing green one with the darker interior (my preference over the cream most I had seen were in) had to buy it.
So. I'm sitting here playing with the option of getting a 2021 F Pace or E Pace. I have a 2012 XF with the 1200 watt surround sound system and the one thing I keep coming back to is that all the newer Jags have a top config 820 watt Meridian system. Not sure if I want to step down to step up. Not even sure if there's a huge difference. What's your thoughts?
I would suggest going to the dealer with your USB stick and giving the sound system a good workout. That will tell you all you need to know. I might say it's good or bad, but you may think differently. Try it for yourself my friend and make your decision. It's your money, your car and your decision 😉
If you have the option between Jaguar xf 2013 or mercedes benz e220 2017, wich one would you buy and why?!
@SosedSeba The E class is a very capable car and very good looking. They're both pretty good cars. I'd rather not try and influence you with what I would go for but rather let you appeal to your own hunches. I would recommend driving both and whichever one gives you the best feeling while driving, go for that one. Then just try and compare what it would cost to maintain either which should highlight which would be better. Both aren't cheap ti maintain but if you have a good indy mechanic then it should be on par for either in terms of parts costs. One is German, one is British. Parts are relatively the same in terms of availability and price. From what I know, the Jag 2L engines aren't good. If you decide Jag, get a 3L V6 petrol or Diesel. Don't get a 2L or V8 as they are both bad and won't last long. I didn't keep my 2L long because I knew the motor would fail sooner or later. The timing chains on them have plastic pensioners and they fail. I'd also recommend checking out the Merc you're looking at on the web to see what are common issues with those particular engines and transmissions. If it's a ZF transmission, which it probably is, then you're good. Diesel particulate filters are a problem on most diesels of high mileage no matter the brand so make sure that isn't an issue before purchase. I'd have the car checked out by my own mechanic if you can to see if any codes are stored on the ECU then you should know if you're getting a good car, whether it's the Jag or the Merc. Hope that helps 😊
My last car which was the F10 5 series, had no audio package at all, and sounded way better than the meridian in my XF. Jaguar should've kept the B&W in the XF.
I have bought a 2016 Jag XF and I am getting these pops which are complete random during the music is playing, I have been searching everywhere for a solution but can't find any.
Sorry mate, I don't know what to say. Perhaps check if the system has been updated to the latest software
Great, thanks 🙏 😊
Hi Hilton. I replaced the warped dash on my 09 XF. While doing that I also replaced the instrument cluster. I made sure that no plug was left unplugged. but, now my car won't start and wont even get into accessory mode. any idea where to start troubleshooting. With COVID shutdown, I cant even take it to a dealer for repair. Thanks for any help.
The new instrument cluster has to be re programmed to the car or it wont work, its something to do with the emobiliser. Put your old cluster back in until you can get it re programmed.
Hey there, Spencer is correct. The cluster has the immobiliser built-in and this needs to be programmed to the car. As he says, put your old one back in for now until you can do the programming and drive around with the old one for now. Just out of interest, why did you replace the cluster?
Strange my 14 plate XFR has the Meridian and it sounds fine to me although I have to confess I dont use it that much, the engine is all I want to hear.
Being an XFR (cudos for having one ;) it probably has the top of the range Meridian system in it. This review was reviewing the basic system and trying to get the most out of it. It's not bad when compared to lower range cars such as Toyotas or Nissans, but this is a luxury car and it's sound system should at least match that of Audi, Merc and BMW's which it doesn't. I hope Jaguar drop the entry version when they facelift this car later this year (now possibly only early next year with Covid19) because the other 3 brands are killing it with quality and materials right now. I still prefer Jag over them because it's unique and not everybody has one and they are just gorgeous to look at.
hi Hilton, I have a 2013 Jaguar xf and I should change the brake discs and put them back original, do you know that the brand fits? Thanks!
Hey there, I would recommend getting some on Amazon or eBay. Here's a search I did which brought some up but you must make sure the diameter matches the ones on your car as they can be rather specific.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=2013+jaguar+xf+brake+discs&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_odkw=2013+jaguar+xf+brake+discs&_osacat=0
thanks Hilton you always answer! in the end I bought the Brembo brand on ebay. Thanks again!
👍🏻
@@iovaninpapace Good choice. Brembo is the best.👍✌️
Hi Hilton used to have a 2010 Jaguar XF Premium luxury and the sound system was a Bower & Wilkins best sound I have ever had in a car.Jaguar dropped though too expensive I think.
Do you know how to remove this 8” display? The driver side has a small trim panel , then I’m stuck. Do I really have to remove the whole dash to get this out? Or does the bezel around the display just pop out and then t20 bolts underneath ?
The bezel around the display has two screws at the bottom. To get to them, you have to remove the long trim that stretches from below the screen across the glove box. If you look underneath this trim piece, there are 3 screws (torx 17 or 20 if memory serves me), you must remove those 3 screws and then pull the trim piece away starting at very end by the passenger door. Send me a contact me via my website and I'll share the link to the workshop manual with you which is on my Google Drive. I can't upload it to my website as I've run out of storage space. hiltoncamons.yolasite.com/contact.php
My 2013 has the 380w 10 speaker meridian.
Your car gas a higher grade system than mine. Probably better sound, but Bowers and Wilkens is the best.
I have a 2015 x250 black edition with Meridian surround and does sound really good albeit had to take the doors apart and use sound deadening pads to stop all the vibrations, not good in a Jag with low mls. The wife's 2017 top of the range qashqai has bose and imo sounds better. But Meridian is still very good.
The Meridian top of The range system sounds excellent. But the base system is awful compared to the base system on older XF's. My 2016 X260 had a terrible Meridian system. Our VW Golf had a better system. And as luxury cars go, a system that bad should not have found its way into a Jaguar ever. 😉
I agree that the Meridian is not very good. I had an Acura and traded it in and the Acura definitely had better audio quality. It stinks when you pay that much for a car
thank you Hilton
♥Hilton
Is DAB radio not available in SA?
Unfortunately not. All Radio stations have formed an APP together due to this and one can now play all their stations in digital audio via the APP using Android Auto.
All the jaguar have the sun blocker at in side the car to block sun from coming in the car
Do you mean the tinted windows? My XF has tinted windows which act as a smash and grab as well. It's a very thick film which doesn't allow the glass to be broken very easily.
I have the basic version of their system in my velar. I assume it’s the basic version because I don’t have the Dolby options and other snazzy options in audio settings.
Does anyone know how I can access the more advanced settings? I only get the sub woofer, bass and treble eq display in the audio settings menu.
But the system applies it’s own version of brick wall limiter/compression which is annoying the f*ck out of me. I need to turn it off as it completely kills any cool drops in the EDM tracks I listen to. (As when the beat kicks back in after the drop build up, the system limits the volume of the beat as it kicks back in). Hope that makes sense lol
I know exactly what you mean. There are no advanced settings for the base system. One fits all is the approach. The top tier system has a few more settings for Dolby options and concert etc and it's a good system. I just don't think a base sound system has any place in a luxury car considering what one pays for them.
@@carfanfan 100%. Truly crap system for the kind of car that it is.
My screen is completely different
Use the powerport
Use a car charger with usb
The Meridian sound system stinks.
Got an f type with meridian sound system and its shite hate it
I believe the premium Meridian is better, but I haven't heard it. Jaguar should never have a base sound system in their cars. They are a premium brand ergo. Everything should be premium as standard.