More details for KEF Audio

[shaank]

Yup no need for a cable for first connection - works wirelessly from the get-go.

 

[emiraspain]

The awkward bit will be "yes we can sort that for you, you need this £600 amp that Lotus wouldnt spec due to weight/costs/supply"

- Err but I've already paid for a premium system?

And hence it probably won't get sorted unless Lotus admit its an actual issue and stump up the cash to make it right.

If I was keeping the car.... and thats not a given at this stage for various reasons... I would unhappily spend the 600 on a new amp if it solved the issue...I do like a load of Base.... I think its Ace....

 

[Evotion]

We know the KEF is okay. We are likely all just disappointed it does not 'seem' to match the similar offers like HK, Bose, etc, in other cars.

I hooked up Android. Quality is good. I just felt, like the rev counter, it has been reigned in a tad.

 

[VL3X]

Take a cable with you... CarPlay/Android Auto initially need a cable connection to then go wireless.

This is incorrect. I connected Android Auto via Bluetooth and it worked right away.

I quickly played some streaming Google/YouTube music while in the parking lot and it sounded fine to me. I cranked it up on a heavy bass hip-hop track and it didn't get distorted at all. Granted I'll have to test while driving to get an actual feel for the audio system.

 

[Speedluvver]

This is incorrect. I connected Android Auto via Bluetooth and it worked right away.

I quickly played some streaming Google/YouTube music while in the parking lot and it sounded fine to me. I cranked it up on a heavy bass hip-hop track and it didn't get distorted at all. Granted I'll have to test while driving to get an actual feel for the audio system.

I stand corrected - then it seems it won't connect wirelessly if a cable is plugged in.. as the car I drove already did

 

[Mctaff]

That's useful as I think most folk will just be turning on the radio on test drives due to time limitations.
I will make effort to hook up to highest quality Spotify streaming next week

I have my playlist almost ready to go…

Leonard cohen… to see if you can hear his scratchy gravelly voice clearly

Chemical brothers to see if the system can keep its shit together under complexity

INXS because new sensation has this great chopped drum that tests speakers response

And something bassy I’ve yet to add

And possibly paint it black which has some good complexity again

 

[Cutting42]

I have my playlist almost ready to go…

Leonard cohen… to see if you can hear his scratchy gravelly voice clearly

Chemical brothers to see if the system can keep its shit together under complexity

INXS because new sensation has this great chopped drum that tests speakers response

And something bassy I’ve yet to add

And possibly paint it black which has some good complexity again

bassy - Jah Wobble "Becoming more like God"

 

[Mctaff]

bassy - Jah Wobble "Becoming more like God"

Think I’m going massive attack angel, as I know that inside out

 

[digilotus]

Hello all. I thought I'd weigh in on this topic since I've done nearly 800 miles in my own Emira now.

The KEF audio isn't bad by any means, lots of negative comments I've read here. I used to be huge into car audio, and as I've got older have stopped replacing and upgrading the cars, but still have a bit of an ear for it.

So comparisons, because that's what is probably most relevant. There's no point talking about how much bass or clarity something has if no one has a reference point.

The HK system in my BMW is louder than this KEF system - however the KEF system has a lot more clarity to it, and better mid range. The sound stage is extremely front centric, which some people will love, but there's very little sound from the rear speakers, this is easily changed in the settings to balance it better. It does lack volume though, but it doesn't distort at high volumes, hence the comment re clarity.

The BOSE system in my Porsche Cayenne is louder, much more bass, and is all round better. This would be expected, it's a larger sound stage, with bigger subs and bigger speakers. So it's hardly a surprise. But the clarity is on par, if not slightly better, in the KEF in the mid range.

One interesting thing to note is the source material. The radio quality is pretty poor / lacks bass / lacks volume. Hook up to your phone however, stream something on spotify or downloaded material from your phone and the system comes into it's own. So don't go sit in a demo car and put the radio on, you'll be unimpressed. Get your fav album on Spotify, hook the phone up, and go from there.

Just an actual owner's thoughts on the KEF setup Take as you wish.

This is exactly my experience from pre prod cars. DAB radio is highly compressed and sounds poor. Plug in a phone and the soundstage comes to life.

 

[Mctaff]

DAB is highly compressed. Nowt to do with lotus!

DAB Radio Stations – Master List – All About Digital TV

www.digitaltv.org.uk

Eg Capital Dance - 40kbps!! That is shocking if this list is up to date… you need 320 to not be really losing quality.

 

[Nova]

Does the Emira support HD Radio in the US? I am too lazy to search…

 

[Mctaff]

You’ll be too lazy to find a station anyway so doesn’t matter

 

[Pugwash]

DAB is highly compressed. Nowt to do with lotus!

DAB Radio Stations – Master List – All About Digital TV

www.digitaltv.org.uk

Eg Capital Dance - 40kbps!! That is shocking if this list is up to date… you need 320 to not be really losing quality.

Not only compressed but most seem to be broadcasting in Mono. On my test drive I plugged my phone into the Apple carplay and it sounded much better, crisp and with a clear sound stage.
BTW the native nav screen looked really lacking in detail and colour but Google maps came up in full colour glory and showed what the screen can do.

 

[Sizona]

Think I’m going massive attack angel, as I know that inside out

My go too for car bass testing is Addicted to Bass by Puretone or something by Leftfield

 

[Tonyshepp]

My go too for car bass testing is Addicted to Bass by Puretone or something by Leftfield

Killer by Seal

 

[Porter]

I would expect a large speaker in the base of the door and another one close to where you have the door opening handle, the tweeter, right? Obviously speakers behind and then maybe in the A pillar, which we dont seem to have, and if you are lucky, and I was, a central speaker on the dash, which I dont think the Emira has either....

The split configurations that you are familiar with in other cars are that way solely for packaging reasons, not because it's the "right" way to do things sonically. Most audio engineers consider car audio a terrible abuse of engineering for this, and many other reasons.

The KEF approach is better, though certainly not ideal due to the obvious limitations of a vehicle cabin.

ok agreed... but then we still dont know why its a let down...
hence, the reason for getting Kef back inside a car and to solve the mystery.....
I dont want a car with a "great" sound system, that doesnt sound great at all... there has to be a solution and Kef have to provide it

To be fair, the only KEF components used in the Emira system are the Uni-Q drivers themselves. It's not their head unit, not their DSP, not their amps, and not their subwoofer. We also don't know who did the integration or tuning of the system, it may have been folks at Lotus or even Geely, rather than KEF. Lots of unanswered questions and very little info.

I suspect that some adjustment may be possible directly on the DSP amp unit if someone with the appropriate skills gets their hands on one.

 

[Captain.Kirk]

Post up the facts please

And the KEF data should be independent too, not PR stuff from KEF or Lotus.

 

[Mctaff]

My go too for car bass testing is Addicted to Bass by Puretone or something by Leftfield

Ah leftfield, good call… release the pressure!

Just stick it on now on the train home from london… not heard it for a looong old time!

Edit: oh yeah addicted to bass too - another good call!!

If any of you near Bristol spot a dancing nutter driving an emira no hands this Friday it’s me testing the Kef out

 

[Porter]

FYI, just so you know how arbitrary this stuff is... for years I thought the Harman Kardon system in my BMW was mediocre at best. Muddy mid-bass, harsh tweeters, not great overall.

Then 2 things happened. First, some enterprising audio engineer on the BMW forums used an RTA analyzer in his car to figure out the best EQ settings to fix the nonlinearity of the frequency response, and they ended up being really non-intuitive settings with wild swings of the EQ bands. Huge improvement though, that fixed the muddy mid-bass and tightened everything up.

Then I got an external DAC (Helm Audio Bolt) that I connected to my phone with USB-C, rather than using the Bluetooth connection. Input then went through the analog AUX in on the car. The change there easily DOUBLED the power of the system, enormous increase in power all across the frequency band with zero additional distortion. HUGE bass that you can feel in the seat of your pants from the underseat woofers, super clear and present midrange, and no additional harshness on the top end. Unbelievable change.

The difference, ultimately, was about the signal level upstream from the amp. I thought it was an all-digital signal chain on the BMWs (this is a 2014 with NBT and HK) but the proof is in the result. Enough for people to immediately remark on it who have spent substantial time in my vehicle over the years.


All this is to say that there are lots of compromises in any car audio system. Figuring out what they are is a matter of being willing to mess with it, take it apart a bit, and figure out what the missing link may be. In most cases, it's a few settings.

 

[Sizona]

Ah leftfield, good call… release the pressure!

Just stick it on now on the train home from london… not heard it for a looong old time!

Edit: oh yeah addicted to bass too - another good call!!

If any of you near Bristol spot a dancing nutter driving an emira no hands this Friday it’s me testing the Kef out

Yes cool tunes.

Actually am somewhat near you soon as my JPS Esprit is in Berkeley Gloucestershire having some work done need to go see it soon (I'm in London).

Yep me too on Friday for Emira test drive at B&C