More details for KEF Audio

[gdotp]

It's been said before, but definitely let it run in for a while. Mine was terrible when new. Now it's pretty good.

Hopefully…I’ll wait

 

[Go Kart]

Hi,

My car was also a December 2022 delivery.

I'm not guaranteeing this is the problem, however, when removing the OEM sub from my Emira, as you'll see from the picture attached, it had water ingress. Here's what I find interesting - My car had been garaged for the last 3 months, it was last washed approx 1 month ago & I don't use it in wet weather (On Cup 2's), so the water sits inside....I suspect over time this may cause others an issue....

The other photo attached shows the two OEM Amplifiers, which (is my understanding) is the upgraded hifi. The Black amp powers the door and dashboard speakers, the silver one powers the two rear speakers and sub. You could see this by removing the pull-out rear access panel on the right-rear side of the car. It can also be identified from the front fuse box located in the left-hand passenger footwell, I think I remember the fuse labelled as "upgraded hifi" or similar - correct name for this fuse is in the handbook that came with the car.

I think the amount of water ingress in many different places with this car across this forum is very disturbing. Especially when it’s found near electronic components. How in the world would water get in the cabin behind trim pieces??

 

[Fasttoys]

I think the amount of water ingress in many different places with this car across this forum is very disturbing. Especially when it’s found near electronic components. How in the world would water get in the cabin behind trim pieces??

View attachment 40905

Welcome to Lotus, my Lotus Evora if it rained would get wet inside. What is funny these cars are from the UK which is a very damp place, I mean really it’s not like Southern California. I am glad others are finally chiming in on the Kef system being lackluster. I was blasted by some on the forum For my comments.

 

[virtualmacho]

Why did they put electronics in a Lotus?!

 

[Nova]

Welcome to Lotus, my Lotus Evora if it rained would get wet inside. What is funny these cars are from the UK which is a very damp place, I mean really it’s not like Southern California. I am glad others are finally chiming in on the Kef system being lackluster. I was blasted by some on the forum For my comments.

Oh I thought @KJWEmira was somewhat positive on the one in the demo car he heard. I mean, if water in the subwoofer was a standard feature, I'd agree that's a pretty soggy design.

 

[Fasttoys]

Oh I thought @KJWEmira was somewhat positive on the one in the demo car he heard. I mean, if water in the subwoofer was a standard feature, I'd agree that's a pretty soggy design.

My buddy just piked his Emira up in AZ and is headed back to TX now, He is in the music recording industry and has recording studios. He says the SUB is having issues, which I said after my 5 demos that it was a big issue. The good news it can be fixed with upgrades for those who feel the same way.

Lotus is a quirky manufacturer but I knew that when I purchased my first one 20 years ago, for me it’s expected. At the end of the day it can be resolved for those that feel it’s not up to their expectations.

 

[KJWEmira]

I think the amount of water ingress in many different places with this car across this forum is very disturbing. Especially when it’s found near electronic components. How in the world would water get in the cabin behind trim pieces??

View attachment 40905

Hi @Go Kart,

No other water ingress to report from my side. The sub is a "Free-to-air" design, this is how water enters the speaker. The OEM sub also has a drain in the base, so water isn't getting passed the speaker into the car. Hope this helps clear up the subject?

 

[HethelYellow]

Update on mine - there was no water in the sub. It also seems to be 'working'. I have noticed that if you crank the volume up it actually sounds not too bad and the issue seems to be at low volume which means I am wondering whether it is the vibration issue that has been mentioned previously in the 'cabin vent' but not sure where that is or how I should fix it. Also has anyone taken off the panels around the sub / rear speakers and simply Dynamat'd it all to see if that helps? I wonder if doing that plus simply upgrading the rear speakers which looks to be a simple job might have a significant difference on bringing the rear into play more as it seems bonkers to have basss drivers in the rear yet no way of adjusting the bias front to back - a lot of my 'sound' seems to be coming from the front two door speakers and the centre speaker.

 

[Fasttoys]

Update on mine - there was no water in the sub. It also seems to be 'working'. I have noticed that if you crank the volume up it actually sounds not too bad and the issue seems to be at low volume which means I am wondering whether it is the vibration issue that has been mentioned previously in the 'cabin vent' but not sure where that is or how I should fix it. Also has anyone taken off the panels around the sub / rear speakers and simply Dynamat'd it all to see if that helps? I wonder if doing that plus simply upgrading the rear speakers which looks to be a simple job might have a significant difference on bringing the rear into play more as it seems bonkers to have basss drivers in the rear yet no way of adjusting the bias front to back - a lot of my 'sound' seems to be coming from the front two door speakers and the centre speaker.

How did you ever come to a conclusion that you had water in the sub?

 

[KJWEmira]

Update on mine - there was no water in the sub. It also seems to be 'working'. I have noticed that if you crank the volume up it actually sounds not too bad and the issue seems to be at low volume which means I am wondering whether it is the vibration issue that has been mentioned previously in the 'cabin vent' but not sure where that is or how I should fix it. Also has anyone taken off the panels around the sub / rear speakers and simply Dynamat'd it all to see if that helps? I wonder if doing that plus simply upgrading the rear speakers which looks to be a simple job might have a significant difference on bringing the rear into play more as it seems bonkers to have basss drivers in the rear yet no way of adjusting the bias front to back - a lot of my 'sound' seems to be coming from the front two door speakers and the centre speaker.

Hi HethelYellow,

Check out this thread - https://www.emiraforum.com/threads/kef-audio-upgrade-parts-now-available.4325/

On the very first Post you’ll see the photo “IMG_0397”, this is where the OEM sub is mounted. This picture is with the sub removed and a stainless-steel blanking plate installed over the drain hole. In the same photo you’ll see the “cabin vent” to the right – I don’t think this is your issue.

Yes, I’ve stripped out the doors & rear of the car completely, installed sound deadening (I used Skinz), then acoustic foam over the top in the rear quarters, where the speakers reflect off of - See all the other pictures in this thread.

The OEM rear speakers only produce mid-bass / bass, no vocals. Just by replacing these won’t be the fix you’re looking for.

This whole thread displays the full upgrade of the audio system I installed to my own Emira. Where are you located in the UK as happy to let you have a listen? I’m in Kent, near Maidstone.

 

[HethelYellow]

Thanks am in Hants but the Emira is my daily driver and I am often all around the UK on business so could defintely get your way at some point. What is your gut feel as to the problem I have with the sub if it is not the vibration at low volume?

My dealer has agreed to get another sub in and instal it so that we can see if it makes a difference.

 

[KJWEmira]

Thanks am in Hants but the Emira is my daily driver and I am often all around the UK on business so could defintely get your way at some point. What is your gut feel as to the problem I have with the sub if it is not the vibration at low volume?

My dealer has agreed to get another sub in and instal it so that we can see if it makes a difference.

I would suggest taking up the dealer on their offer for a replacement Sub and see if it makes a difference.

I may get criticized for saying this, but I do think the original stereo is just no where near the quality I personally expected considering the Lotus / KEF marketing hype.

Should you find yourself around the Maidstone area, feel free to send me a direct message and we can meet so you can hear the difference.

 

[HethelYellow]

Just a little update on this - Lotus had agreed to replace my sub as 'faulty' but playing around with it a bit more oddly it seems to sound much better the higher the volume goes which tends to suggest the vibrations at lower volume being a factor. I've also noticed it can sound really good on some tracks and then literally straight after it sounds really awful on others - like the bass really Sh'ts itself on some tracks for some reason and all goes to pot!! Very very odd. I'm loathe to just try another sub as I don't this one is actually 'faulty'. On the right track and the right volume it really sounds very good indeed and has been well run in on the 5,000 miles that I have driven so far. I wonder whether the inputs make a difference - currently I always just use spotify streaming via car play. Is there a jack to actually plug the phone in, i.e. to use a high quality audio cable?

 

[Porter]

I would suggest taking up the dealer on their offer for a replacement Sub and see if it makes a difference.

I may get criticized for saying this, but I do think the original stereo is just no where near the quality I personally expected considering the Lotus / KEF marketing hype.

Should you find yourself around the Maidstone area, feel free to send me a direct message and we can meet so you can hear the difference.

Do you mind doing an experiment? Go into the audio settings and use the reset function to set everything to stock. For some reason on certain drives I'm getting some inconsistent performance that is solved by doing a reset, and then I get full range good performance. The positive effect may or may not persist after a restart.

 

[ADC]

Just a little update on this - Lotus had agreed to replace my sub as 'faulty' but playing around with it a bit more oddly it seems to sound much better the higher the volume goes which tends to suggest the vibrations at lower volume being a factor. I've also noticed it can sound really good on some tracks and then literally straight after it sounds really awful on others - like the bass really Sh'ts itself on some tracks for some reason and all goes to pot!! Very very odd. I'm loathe to just try another sub as I don't this one is actually 'faulty'. On the right track and the right volume it really sounds very good indeed and has been well run in on the 5,000 miles that I have driven so far. I wonder whether the inputs make a difference - currently I always just use spotify streaming via car play. Is there a jack to actually plug the phone in, i.e. to use a high quality audio cable?

Do you mind doing an experiment? Go into the audio settings and use the reset function to set everything to stock. For some reason on certain drives I'm getting some inconsistent performance that is solved by doing a reset, and then I get full range good performance. The positive effect may or may not persist after a restart.

Bizarrely, my sounds seems to be a bit all over the place as well... sometimes sounds fine, other times you would swear there is simply no sub-bass (or even mid-bass) drivers in the car at all. Smells very software-related to me 🤔

 

[Eagle7]

Do you mind doing an experiment? Go into the audio settings and use the reset function to set everything to stock. For some reason on certain drives I'm getting some inconsistent performance that is solved by doing a reset, and then I get full range good performance. The positive effect may or may not persist after a restart.

That was literally the first thing I did when I first opened the settings, before doing anything else. My KEF system sounds pretty darned good so far, and I'm used to listening to good equipment.

 

[Eagle7]

Just a little update on this - Lotus had agreed to replace my sub as 'faulty' but playing around with it a bit more oddly it seems to sound much better the higher the volume goes which tends to suggest the vibrations at lower volume being a factor. I've also noticed it can sound really good on some tracks and then literally straight after it sounds really awful on others - like the bass really Sh'ts itself on some tracks for some reason and all goes to pot!! Very very odd. I'm loathe to just try another sub as I don't this one is actually 'faulty'. On the right track and the right volume it really sounds very good indeed and has been well run in on the 5,000 miles that I have driven so far. I wonder whether the inputs make a difference - currently I always just use spotify streaming via car play. Is there a jack to actually plug the phone in, i.e. to use a high quality audio cable?

After playing around with my system, it seems that the KEF system is doing what high-end stuff typically does; it reproduces what's actually there as-is, without coloring it with artificial frequency boosts the way average consumer-level equipment does. Depending on the source, the system either has very rich sounding mid-tones and bass, or it's mediocre.

My guess is that some sources are pre-mixed to take into account the artificial bass boost that most consumer-level systems have, so the bass doesn't overload and distort. The KEF system sounds like it's reproducing the actual studio mix as-is, so the bass is pulled back which makes it sound like the KEF system is at fault.

I can still hear that the mid and bass tones are a bit tight because the system hasn't fully worn-in yet, but I'm already impressed with the clarity and tone quality I'm hearing. I was sitting in my car yesterday installing a Viofo A229 Pro dash cam, and listening to the radio I was really surprised at how good it sounds. I've only listened to it a few times out on the road, but I suspect that road noise frequencies are going to interfere with the audio performance, mostly at the mid and low freq's. I have some Damplifier mat which I may play around with installing on the back of the wheel well liners to see if I can dampen out some of those freq's.

 

[Porter]

Bizarrely, my sounds seems to be a bit all over the place as well... sometimes sounds fine, other times you would swear there is simply no sub-bass (or even mid-bass) drivers in the car at all. Smells very software-related to me 🤔

100% agree. It sounds fantastic on one day, and then thin on a different day, on the same track. Doing a software reset seems to "cure" it for me, at least for a while. I'm interested to hear if anyone else is having similar experiences.

 

[ADC]

I have some Damplifier mat which I may play around with installing on the back of the wheel well liners to see if I can dampen out some of those freq's.

Eagle adding weight? *shocked gasps*


I'd love to hear if this makes a meaningful difference. Could be nice to take some of the road surface noise out of the cabin at highway speeds.

 

[HethelYellow]

I am in contact with KEF and I will try to get them to get involved. So far they routed me back to Lotus but I also have a good contact at Lotus who is keen to get to the bottom of the problem and I can't imagine KEF themselves would be happy that we are not happy so it shouldn't be a no brainer to get them/Lotus to actually all meet up and come and listen to my car!!