R1T stereo sound ….not so good

[Rivdog]

I think I’m relatively picky about sound systems, and I’m very happy with the R1T system. I know a lot of this is subjective, but I’m really surprised at how much some people dislike the system. Clarity of the lows at high volume has been great for me, but that’s with the native Spotify app on the highest audio quality setting. Streaming the same song over BT from Spotify on my phone with the same audio quality setting is a massive downgrade in sound though. BT sounds pretty bad.

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[Prime]

I think I’m relatively picky about sound systems, and I’m very happy with the R1T system. I know a lot of this is subjective, but I’m really surprised at how much some people dislike the system. Clarity of the lows at high volume has been great for me, but that’s with the native Spotify app on the highest audio quality setting. Streaming the same song over BT from Spotify on my phone with the same audio quality setting is a massive downgrade in sound though. BT sounds pretty bad.

I feel like this might be the reason for some differing opinions. My listening is often on bluetooth. In my Tesla it sounds great (better in my opinion than the Spotify and Apple Music apps), in the Rivian bluetooth was just OK.. I didnt get a chance to play around with other audio sources though, hopeful its an improvement on Tidal and Spotify with the higher bitrates selected.

 

[jollyroger]

Huh,

I can't seem to relate with the comments here. I save music directly on my phone and stream it via bluetooth. I feel like my Tesla M3 and the Rivian sound very similar. I'm not using a streaming service however.

I use MP3's saved locally

 

[Riviot]

Op, have you tried Jazz setting and playing this station? Works great for me ?

 

[Mango Lassie]

Have a non-launch edition R1T.

I listen to a variety of Top40 / Pop / Rock / Hip Hop music. Doesn’t matter what setting I do with the EQ, the sound is not impressive. I know sound is subjective, but it does not sound as good as what my experience tells me it should be - especially with the Meridian branding.

Specifically, clarity at higher volumes is no good. Tried several EQ settings and the sound does get marginally better, but not great.

I have an ‘upgraded’ HK system in both my X5 and 330i. Both sound clearer at similar volume levels with similar music.

I agree that the bass isn't tight enough (and IMO, not strong enough!).

My brother-in-law had a subwoofer installed in the spare tire compartment of his R1S. It has a dedicated amp, and power control knob discreetly installed on the driver's seat trim on the front right edge. He just reaches down by his right calf to adjust it. Sounds great! FWIW, he also had the tweeters replaced, b/c his car audio guy said they were not great. So at the end of the day, all he is relying on from the original system are the mid-range speakers.

For the R1T, the obvious placement location for the subwoofer would seem to be in the storage area under the rear seat. I haven't made it in to a car audio specialist to confirm, though.

 

[COdogman]

Bass is such a subjective thing with speakers and headphones. Some people love that heavy bass sound, others can't stand it. Same thing with high frequencies. Some people are very sensitive to that and find it shrill, others think it's great. I like the ability to get some decent bass, but only if it doesn't overwhelm the rest of the sound. Too many muddy sounding speakers out there.

I'm looking forward to the Rivian system, even if it's not heavy on the low end. During my first mile drive last year I thought it sounded pretty good and she encouraged me to pick some music and turn it up loud.

 

[prestapost]

For the people happy or unhappy with the sound, it’d be interesting to hear what kind of music they listen to. I think the audio in the Rivian is good, but can understand the subwoofer and immersiveness comments.

 

[Count Orlok]

For the people happy or unhappy with the sound, it’d be interesting to hear what kind of music they listen to. I think the audio in the Rivian is good, but can understand the subwoofer and immersiveness comments.

I am content with the sound and listen primarily to blues.

 

[julian]

I am a semi-professional Jazz Musician. Tidal + R1T is amazing. I do brain imaging of musicians as well as tone recognition in animals. We all perceive different, but for these ears I LOVE the system. LOVE it.

 

[EBEG]

I think the Rivian sound system is great.

However, I listened to many, many hours of excessively loud heavy metal and grunge on my Rockford Fosgate 12s in my Ford Escort through high school and college, so my ears may not be sufficiently sensitive.

 

[emoore]

I think the Rivian sound system is great.

However, I listened to many, many hours of excessively loud heavy metal and grunge on my Rockford Fosgate 12s in my Ford Escort through high school and college, so my ears may not be sufficiently sensitive.

+1, same here! I think the R1T sounds great but I'm usually listening to rock and grunge still so I might not be the best judge of sound quality.

 

[Monkey]

I agree that the Rivian audio is so-so. It doesn’t come close to the B&O sound in my e-tron. I honestly don’t know why everyone gushes over it.

Totally agree. It's just 'meh' really. It's definitely better than the B&O system in my Lightning, maybe still a tiny bit better than the B&O "Unleashed" in the Lightning Platinum. I have not heard the system in the eTron, so can't comment, but the sound system in the Taycan I drove was pretty decent. Best factory sound system I've experienced has been our Model X. And I'd give that an 8/10. Only going to do better if you spend a whole lot of extra money. And it really only fell short if you want huge bass that only comes from large dedicated cabs and amps.

Rivian's Meridian audio system is amazing if you're judging it against the factory system in a Corolla. But I find it pretty laughable that all these automakers hype up their sound systems so much. Meth-head Jerry over at the Car Audio Emporium can build a better car sound system in 72 hours with a bunch of plywood, outdoor carpeting and off the shelf kit.

 

[Monkey]

I think the Rivian sound system is great.

However, I listened to many, many hours of excessively loud heavy metal and grunge on my Rockford Fosgate 12s in my Ford Escort through high school and college, so my ears may not be sufficiently sensitive.

Heh... I had Fosgate 12's in my Jeep, circa '92.

I'm a metal head... But I listen to a wide variety of stuff, still mostly rock, blues, funk... Classical on occasion. I think the Rivian system is OK. I'd call it great and medium low volumes, but it loses too much in balance at low volumes where I tend to do a lot of listening when I'm thinking about stuff. And it becomes highly distorted and muddy and also loses balance as you crank the volume. It's just meh... overall. But I'm an audiophile snob... self-admitted. I listen to details in the music, especially being a guitar and piano player, there are things I listen for that often get muddy or distorted on automotive sound systems.

As others have pointed out in this thread, the source plays a huge role and I have also noticed that bluetooth audio streams in the R1T seem to lose some quality.

 

[Biturbowned]

I spent about 30 min in my garage listening to music to dial in my EQ settings. Still not happy with it, but the bass was too much for my taste, drowning out the vocals. I would say I think I prefer the quality over BT in the Model Y.

edit: I re-read this post and I don’t want people who are still waiting and excited to get their vehicles to think that I’m saying the Rivian system is bad. It’s absolutely not bad, in fact its’s very good, just not the best I’ve heard.

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