Hi! I’m a new owner of a DS4 Étoile 136 with Focal Electra system. I’ve already tried to adjust the sound settings, but I’m not happy at all with the result. I know that these settings are very indiviual but I think it might be interesting to see what other DS4 owners use. So can you share your custom settings which are for your sound tasting the best ones?
My settings (at the moment - mainly house and pop-music):
General: all passengers
Heights +4
Middles -2
Bass +4
Central speaker 0
Subwoofer +2
Surround +2
Overall I think the sound in my DS4 E Tense isnt the best, even by playing around with the sound settings.
I cant recall which system is in my DS but I do recall the sales guy saying its an upgraded system because of the optional packs I selected.
Personally It sounds very “normal” to me.
My son has the Vauxhall Astra PHEV Ultimate, with the upgraded sound system that includes a sub woofer in the boot, I think it might be the Focal system but I’m not 100% sure, its very very good.
The difference between the sound in his sound car and mine is like night & day.
There are a lot of features on the DS that I find mediocre at best if I’m honest.
The light-colored grilles on the A-pillar are standard audio. The graphite grilles with the Focal logo are for the amplified version. There are no other audio options only these two.
Overall, Focal in the DS4 is a disappointment compared to regular audio.
General: -2 (more to back seats, this just if you like me not carrying people in the back)
Heights -2
Middles 0
Bass 0
Central speaker -1
Subwoofer Max
Surround +1
But depends of what music you listen, and i recommend Wav format
Sound is a very subjective thing to discuss.
Focal has the focal logo on the grilles, silver mesh on a and d pillars. Without sub most likely not focal.
Some people say that a system that can play loud is really good, doesnt matter if it sounds bad. Some people like the classic high treble, low mids and high bass.
What systems are we comparing to? Ive listened to the standard system which in my ears sounds terrible. The system branded Canton (skoda), beats (Cupra) and dynaudio maybe? Volkswagen - these systems also sound really bad to my ears. Doesnt matter if you use flac or something else.
Focal in my DS gives good dynamics, really good separation between instruments and voices. Mids are excellent! Relatively flat response if wished for, only I would wish for is a manual time compensation.
But - if you feed it with low quality highly compressed music it will sound really bad, because what comes in comes out. Same with bad recordings - these bad recordings might sound ok in a lesser system because it’s hidden behind a lot of bass. But in a system that actually has the ability to reproduce all the bad in the recordings, it will sound like sh*t.
In my book the focal system is definitely among the better systems Ive listened to when it comes to presentation and quality. A lot of other systems can play louder, give more bass, make your ears hurt with massive amounts of distorted treble.
As I wrote, its highly subjective and my truth isnt the same as someone elses.
If anyone wants lossless audio 16-bit/44,1 kHz (CD quality) you need a wire. Although system supports wireless apple carplay/android auto it will be still lossy format. 24-bit/44,1 - 48 kHz could be achieved connecting your media to non carplay/android auto usb-c port, I think this is one of the ports in the backseat or under the armrest, but do not expect 24-bit/96 kHz as it is still DAC converter needed. Also DolbyAtmos is out of game, maybe just for new No.8
Have gotten a Peugeot 308 station wagon as a loaner car.
Stock head unit, i dont know if its the same kind of system as the standard in DS4 (should be)?
Its really awful, no dynamic, really low volume, no bass, no treble, - on there is but its hidden behind the really bad midrange.
Theres no way that this is comparable to the focal system in the DS4.
Are you sure that you have Focal in your car? Sounds more like the standard system which would be comparable to the 308 loaner, also the 5008 loaner I had last time had equally bad sound system.
@Jactac - I think the standard audio system (like in my DS4) the speakers in the a-pillars (above side air vents) have speaker grilles that are flush with the a-pillar trim, whereas with the Focal system the grilles stick out a bit.
I managed to find an image showing the Focal - looks like it even says “Focal” on the speaker
