Horrid sound system 2017 488gtb

I have recently purchased my first ferrari 488gtb and was not impressed with the sound system .I have seen better systems in low end chevy and Honda.
What can I do ?

Spoke to Dealer and he say the electrical warranty will be void on the car if i upgraded audio.
This is really effecting my enjoyment of my purchase .

Been that it is a 2017 I don't want to kill the warranty or mess with the resale value as i will be selling it in a few months to get a spyder.Thanks for your advice in advance

 

It is/was a PIA also in the 458 .... f.i. navi maps of 2015 458s are of year .... 2009 !

But where do you need a sound system for ?

 

Try adjusting the audio settings to increase the bass somewhat. Also, there is a processor in the upgraded 488 audio system that was not in the 458 system. It is not turned on unless you turn it on, and it improves the sound considerably.

 

Do you have the basic system or the premium system?

If you start by having speakers installed that fit in the factory locations together with a nice amp that has a processor built in, I doubt there will be any warranty issues. I can't see any warranty dismissals on that ground being valid. All you do in that case is to connect an amp to the factory head unit and the speakers to the amp. An even more simple solution is to only upgrade your speakers and keeping the electronics. The Ferrari electronics may not be the best, but they can easily support better speakers than what the factory uses.
Generally speaking, the speakers are the absolute low point in the Ferrari systems.

 

I don't have the premium system.I like the idea of upgrading speakers only.hopefully they don't have to touch the dash
Ski Bum: no clue where to turn on this processor? ,Ive done all adjustments possible

 

It does void if you wire it a certain way. Had my 458 Spider speakers blown (stock); had issues with aftermarket 458 Speciale stereo system; not worth the trouble; Take the original speakers out and replace with better ones. Once you get the Spider swap out your speaker again with the same aftermarket ones...in the meantime...Just rev the car louder with the windows down [emoji3]

Love my 488 Spider by the way...always finds a way to put a smile on my face...no premium speakers either...stock!

 

Put the top down and windows too, true Ferrari audio.

 

LOL! Don't get me started again..

 

You don't have a processor if you don't have the premium system. Get some good speakers that fit. A good installer will be able to take things apart without hurting anything and mounting them in a way so you can revert back to factory units if so desired.

As for brands of quality speakers.

Dynaudio Esotec and Esotar series (May not be as easy to fit as others, but great speakers)
Focal K2 and Utopia series
Arc Audio Black and MOTO series (Great value)

 

If sound system is important to you , you should of upgraded to premium sound

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With most luxury auto manufacturers offering premium audio, it surprises me Ferrari hasn't partnered with any of them. I believe Ferrari works with JBL components?

The Bang & Olufsen, Burmester, Naim, Bowers & Wilkins etc. are amazing sound systems in cars not nearly as nice as any Ferrari.

 

Yes it is a VERY average standard stereo but at least it supports bluetooth audio which my 458 did not even with the premium stereo. I got the standard for my GTB but upgraded to the premium in my incoming spider which I hear is better. I doubt it will be equivalent to the Burmeister in my 911TTS or the B&O in my X5M both of which were $2000 less than the JBL.

 

I have the premium JBL and it's rubbish at best. You would think for 335k a great system and no sticky s**t either but ...... nah. Side note I have a 458 spider not a 488.

 

What year? 2017 premium sound is pretty good...hatdly worth the $5736.00 but all the options are overpriced

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When I got my 458 I initially thought the sound system was broken until I complained to the dealer and he showed me another 458 with the same (non premium) system. I assume the speakers in the 488 are probably the same. They are truly horrible to the point where you wonder if it was done as a joke by Ferrari to make you listen to the engine instead. I wouldn't spring for the Ferrari upgrade knowing their track record. Their sound systems have been among the worst in the world throughout their history of consumer cars. The stock Bose speakers in the old sl55s are probably among the best I've heard, and Bose have been making quality stuff for a long time, I don't think you can go wrong. I don't know if they'd fit in the 488 though. I think there's more room in the speaker chambers because the premium set must be larger in diameter, so maybe they will?

 

Mine is a 2012 , I'm not sure of the exact upgrade cost but it was over 5k . My moms new Camary has a better sound system. Lmao and crying. Lol

 

Camary's have little else to appeal to customers. They have poor turn in, acceleration is weak, body roll is excessive, etc. I would lower the windows, accelerate a few times bringing the engine close to redline while opening the steering on a country road.

If you can't be good at everything, pick what your customers value most.

 

sound system? you mean the engine?

 

Yes the premium sound in the 488 is supposed to be a big upgrade over the premium sound in the 458. I was skeptical which is why I skipped in my my GTB as I had one of the very early allocations. However, now that it's been out a year the system has actually gotten decent reviews from owners.

 

LMAO.

My 458 has the JBL Sound system. Waste of money. I actually turned it on once, just to see if it worked. It does. Will turn it on again in 20-30 years time when I sell, to check if it still works for the new owner. In most Ferraris and unlike most cars, the greatest hits come from the exhaust!

It's more than enough for me. I'm not that musical nor an expert, so it's hard to find any radio system that doesn't suit me. That said, I would recommend waiting until warranty expires and then look for an upgrade. Not worth it losing your warranty over radio sound quality on a 488, imho.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

I find the upgraded audio in my 458 is actually good- in a relative sense.

Some thoughts:

You could upgrade the speakers but that means you need to find speakers that: 1- physically fit the stock locations, 2- Have the same electrical characteristics as the stock speakers. You could find speakers that require more power, but then you'll need a new amplifier and also that likely requires a processor to convert the factory output back to a level the new processor can accept.

How much will this cost you? My guess is you're looking at a range of probably $1k ->$10k depending on how far you wish to go.

With that said some thoughts:

* My experience is its difficult to achieve audiophile nirvana in a Ferrari. Its almost a contradiction in terms. There is just too much noise from the motor, the tires, everything. That means the noise floor is high. If you want really great sound you usually seek to lower the noise floor.

* You will spend all that money and probably get a result that sounds great at a stand still but some how the bass and some of the imaging will evaporate as you drive (due to the above).

* My goal in a Ferrari for sound is something that sounds at least somewhat dynamic. At least for me, that is something I can enjoy when I am not enjoying the engine/ exhaust/ tire!! sounds...

* With all of this in mind, maybe you should see if the dealer has a car with the upgraded system and have a listen to it. If you can listen while the car is moving, so much the better. If you like it better, I wonder if the cost of moving to a new 488 (spider or GTB) wouldn't be too bad. You will be addressing an issue that bothers you, have a newer warranty, and get a little more recognition from the dealer and factory as you now would have bought 2 of these things and put one up for sale via the dealer. It depends on which game you're playing, but if one day you want to be on the list, then the more cars you've done the better....

* Final thought, if you are listening via an iPod/iPhone/ you might be able to use the equalizer on the device to help tweak the sound...

 

Some guys simply use a Bose Soundlink Mini. Simple and they sound pretty good.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/wireless_speakers/soundlink_mini_ii.html

 

The 488 Hifi is 12 speakers and over 1200 watts. The ingredients are certainly there for good quality sound.

HiFi Specs:

http://www.motorshow.me/GalleryDocs/Doc5933.pdf

 

The amount of speakers and watts don't mean much. To me, when a manufacture talks about a huge amount of drivers, tons of watts etc. it's just fluff. A system with four good quality speakers, a small but good sub, a 5 channel amp with say 4x75 watt and a decent sub channel, and a DSP processor that ties everything together can outperform most high end OEM systems. It's all about system integration and coherency, not to mention proper quality drivers which most high end OEM systems also lack. More speakers means more things to be out of phase, problems with time alignment, comb filtering and what not. The car audio systems that normally wins SQ or Sound Quality competitions are often very simple in terms of quantity, but the components are matched and installed perfectly.
And as far as rear channels and many speakers go, how much music is mixed in anything but stereo? Not much. A proper time aligned front stage is about as good as it gets.

 

You're right but its also about the efficiency of the speakers. I'm sure JBL did a solid job here- Ferrari puts zero dollars into the audio. JBL most likely paid for all of this and then some so they can have the advertising benefit of placing the system in the car- thus if it does not sound half decent, its not worth it for them.