Since the whole idea behind the Harmon/Kardon LOGIC7 Surround System is that it produces a "Sweet Spot" for every listener...how do people set their faders? The default seems to be exactly in the middle of the car (left/right and front/back). No matter what I do, I can't seem to get a nice loud "Sweet Spot" sound that I would expect, it just sounds too soft and like it's coming from the middle of tha car rather than surrounding me (though it's better in Logic7 than NOT). I have tried to play with it, moving the balance forward a bit, back a bit, adjusting the treble and bass, etc...

The stock system in my 2002 Honda Accord EX V6 sounds better to me and I don't think it should (but maybe it's just because I've been used to it for 4.5 years now).

Any suggestions or preferred settings people use?

 

I also have the Harmon/Kardon system in my E350 and to be honest you will never ever get the sweet spot with this system.

It is a good general system, but in no way an audiophile system.

Just have a look at the tweeters in the sail panel. What a joke.

If you want to hear a factory optioned audiophile quality system, listen to the Volvo S60/80 with the Dynaudio option. Amazing.

Thats quality, not Mercedes Harmon/Kardon.

 

Honestly, I'm not expecting perfect crisp sound...and I can't complain that it sounds horribly distorted or anything. My issue is less about fidelity and more about the overall balance of sound in the car...since it seems to be heavily center-weighted which I don't find pleasing and there's really no way to adjust that. I think there should be more emphasis on the outside speakers so that I'll feel like I'm surrounded by the music rather than having it directed mostly from the middle. I experimented putting my hand over the left pillar speaker and then removing it to see if I could tell any difference and I could hear a slight difference, telling me that the left speaker is indeed outputing sound...but it's definitely too center-weighted for my taste. Since I can only control left/right not center/outside balance I can't adjust the setting at all in any way that affects the sound "problems" I'm experiencing. Can adjustment of center weighting to peripheral weighting be adjusted by an MB tech if I take it into the dealer?

Regardless, I tried setting the fader slightly towards back (maybe 3 notches) and I think it sounds better now. The concept of having a sweet spot for everyone, though, is baffling to me if I can manually adjust the fade and balance of the speakers. It would seem to me that a true sweet spot for everyone would REQUIRE that the system electronically adjust the left/center/right and front/back to achieve the sweet spot.

 

I believe HK's Surround philosophy is to fill the car with sound without you being able to tell where its coming from... its just everywhere. In that effort they have succeeded remarkably well. If you want to know from which direction a particular sound is eminating from, (basically from the corners of the car) you must turn the Surround effect OFF so that the cabin's music ISNT being processed to eliminate the directionality. (So that the music is no longer "surrounding" you. Then you'll know where the location of the speakers are with your eyes closed.)

 

Unfortunately, it's not working very well in my car however (IMHO), since, with my eyes closed...the music sounds like it's mostly coming from the middle. I hear much more music directed from my right side than my left (as the driver). If I'm not supposed to be able to tell a direction...it should be evenly coming from both the right, left, front, and back.

Also...given that it's supposed to process the sound so you can't tell a direction...how the should the fader/balance settings be set? Or, theoretically, should it have any impact at all?

 

I don't even use mine because I don't like the way it sounds at all.... To me, it would sound beter if I were listening to a movie or something not music. I just use Standard and boost the treble and bass a bit, and a slight fade to the rear so the Sub hits better. Then it sounds to me a lot better than whatever it is the logic7 is trying to establish.. YUK. If it weren't for the mp3 player which I don't really use, I'd been just as happy with the normal system.