How are you guys finding the audio quality given the engine’s heavy presence?
I have this same question.. the price for that upgrade is pretty hefty so I'm questioning that as an option in the build.. Our local demo doesn't appear to have the system in it, so I can't really get a feel for it so far.
Agreed, I asked the same thing. It's just over $11k for the option which seems rather high for a stereo option.
Ferrari changes the “standard features” on every car (unfortunately). For example, the passenger display is standard on the Puro and optional on the 12C (which seems really odd given the dual cockpit arrangement). The Burmeister system in my Puro is really nice. When the car is in auto and you are not trying to pull high rpms, the engine is rather subdued. So, the stereo can really do its thing. I have a 12C coming and optioned the hi-fi. I always listen to music in my cars. So, I had to begrudgingly “bite the bullet.” Just the stereo and passenger display take you past $20K in options ( which is buffoonish given the car’s base price).
Yeah glad they finally ditched JBL. Passenger display isn’t standard on Puro, however. Ours doesn’t have one.
I went no on the Burmester. $11-12K is comical. Hi-fi stereo option even on more recent cars like the Roma was like 1/3 to 1/2 of that price? It’s coming standard on my Purosangue order, so I’ll at least have it in one car. But I’ve owned cars with and without the hi-fi stereo. And in the cars with lo-fi, I’ve never lamented not having better audio. Prefer listening to the engine anyway.
My 12C is coming in the next weeks with Burmester, I’ll let you know about the sound quality then. The JBL in my 812 was half that price but not worth one dime.
The Burmeister in my Maybach S680 was standard- and that’s in a car half the price of the 12C. Has anyone heard the standard system in the 12C ? Is it the same old standard garbage system they foisted on us for the last 20 years years? Or is the JBL now the base system(which use to cost $6K as an option) Considering how quiet the 12C is if the standard system is decent then spending 11K on the Burmeister is probably a waste of money. The last time in I spent that kind of money on a car system was the SLS B&O system which was fabulous and was at the early phase of car manufacturers placing high end sound systems in their cars.
Car interiors in general aren’t the best environment for audio due to the irregular surfaces, but systems have made strides over the years.
To me the answer to the question is almost philosophical- are you the person who will really enjoy having an upgraded stereo? . If you are the person who says I just listen to the engine and I dont care about the stereo, then, the answer is clearly not worth it for you. However, if you are the person who doesn’t care about the sound, but does care about any kind of resale, the stereo might be worth it, because when you go to put the car out there, it will compete with other, similarly specced vehicles. Will the upgraded stereo matter to a future buyer? My experience says yes. If you are the person who enjoys their car stereo but doesnt want to pay the upcharge and thinks you can replicate it for less in the aftermarket I would say good luck. I have tried this on many vehicles, and as noted auto interiors are not the best places for audio. No matter what, it ended up being far more expensive than the factory option and Im not sure the sound was very much better. In some cases, it was, a little, but then it didn’t have that nice factory look. In most cases, it came with annoyances. I would suggest to the person who does care, its probably worth it, though, I have to admit it does seem like they pushed the pricing!
I'm in the cars enough at low speeds that the engine isn't making a lot of noise, I always opt for upgrade sound. It's gonna be better than base (just depends on how much) but anything helps.
The interesting thing is that not even the dealership knows who manufactures the standard system nor do they have the specs on it. Ferrari is clever to not provide such info as it removes the guess work when opting for the Burmeister.
I have tried it yesterday during a test drive, and the quality is excellent.. comparable to those you will find in luxury cars such as Range Rover or BMW. Engjne sound is very low until you go higher than 5000 RPM.
The standard audio system was made by Harman Becker The speakers are decent but do need to be broken in. After a few hundred hours then they sound pretty good. For a good reason Ferrari SPA doesnt educate their dealership nerwork about audio. So none of your techs have the slightest clue about your audio system
I test drove the 12C earlier this week. I agree with the comments regarding the stereo system and engine sound.
After a few hundred hours my ears have adjusted to the low fi speakers made of cardboard- it’s called adjusted expectations. seriously, speakers do have a break in period but if it doesn’t sound decent out of the box it’s unlikely to improve dramatically over time. considering the 12C’s new marching orders as a GT with its quieter engine, the higher spec hifi system is the way to go despite the price.
Ive seen the speakers in my 360, California, 458 and F8. They aint cardboard The upgrade in audio was primarily the addition of a sub. Of course a better audio is a better audio. To a point.
High end audio for homes is a dying market. Witness the shrinking number of manufacturers and the shuffling and buy out of these struggling companies . Dedicated pre amps, shielded power supply’s , mono block amps which weight a ton, and then thick heavy cables with balanced connectors and finally huge speakers with and heavy enclosures , have little application to sports cars. In a Rolls Royce where the interior is extremely quiet and the suspension and sound proofing are at the extreme, then one can use the space and absorb the weight penalties. I’d rather spend the dough on a great sound system in a RR (and save money on the starry sky roof lighting gimmick.) In a Ferrari which has an ICE making a nice engine music, I’d rather have a very good system which doesn’t add weight and doesn’t take up luggage space in exchange for a subwoofer speaker. The internal space is small and filled with sound reflecting materials which degrades the sound quality of a nice audio system. in a nice home system, the room is designed with sonic quality in mind, speaker placement and wall And ceiling acoustic treatments are considered . In a car the speaker locations are usually sub optimal. For example the driver needs the speakers placed at ear level and separated such that the left side and the right side would need a location outside the vehicle! High end audiophiles often get on this pathway to a different audio reality world. Huge power driving multiple speakers creates a sound which has no connection to real life . So if one listens to a live performance of a piano and orchestra, the power of the sound is not what is produced by these huge amps and huge speakers in expensive home audio systems . But that isn’t the point apparently.
