2020 Corolla sports tourer headunit

[Evora2010]

I am new to forum and apologies if I am asking an old question in advance 

I got my car in June 2020 and noticed within a few days that when listening to radio or music via connected phone I have to volume setting at least at 39 and to fully drown out the external road noise set at least 50-59

I know that maybe my hearing is not great but I am a bit of audiophile however I am wondering if there’s any issues with the HU in the new Corolla or maybe the power output is very low ? Many thanks for replies help in advance  

[Gray86]

Mine is the same. High 40s for my volume on bluetooth audio 

[Evora2010]

Is that normal for the HU ? To my experience the unit working very hard if the volume levels are turned up to higher parts ? Not convinced it should be like that ? The local Toyota dealer looked at it and said nothing was wrong but I am not convinced ? 

[Swanthecat]

I think there are 2 issues, the infotainment system is poor - in fact I’m surprised you aren’t getting vibrations/resonance from the door Speakers at that volume and secondly the factory fit tyres are equally poor with a lot of noise. Having said that you should check the obvious like the bass and equaliser settings and balance etc to make sure nothing has been altered plus make sure the speed related volume system is on

[Evora2010]

Hi Swanthecat

yes I have tweaked the tone, balance , rear and front settings as well as speed volume settings etc but alas no effect.

at approaching max volume 50-55 distortion does start to kick in and you loose sound quality hence I thought the power amp in the unit is poorly specified ? 
it’s a shame as when I start to drive the car I go on long journey for work but I didn’t want to specify the upgraded JBL system as after 4 years I hand the car back 

[AKLZ]

Yep, the audio is terrible.

firstly, on mine, max volume is ‘57’. Why the heck 57? Why not call max ‘100’ and grade it backwards relative to that? Since it’s all relative & arbitrary, why on earth choose 57 as the volume max?!

Secondly, bluetooth phone calls are essentially unusable unless either not driving, or cruising on smooth roads. They’re inaudible in all other driving conditions. 
 

Podcasts need to be at 50-53 to comfortably listen.

at all times audio is at 50 as a minimum.

I find this utterly ridiculous for a modern car and I’m so glad to hear it’s not just me! Although maybe that’s a bad thing as it’s clearly not an easy fix just for me

[Evora2010]

Oh well I guess will just have to put up with for next 4 years it’s shame as Toyota are trying to give Corolla a more premium feel they fallen on a generally trivial area ? 

[flash22]

60/40 or 70/30 fader bias to the front, if its on lease or PCP there is not much you can do about it

[Swanthecat]

I can comfortably hear my music, speech and phone calls and the volume on the display is low/mid 20s. Maybe the audio source you are using is quiet? I use a dedicated USB for music in the data port but even the radio is fine

[Evora2010]

7 minutes ago, Swanthecat said:

I can comfortably hear my music, speech and phone calls and the volume on the display is low/mid 20s. Maybe the audio source you are using is quiet? I use a dedicated USB for music in the data port but even the radio is fine

Low 20’s it’s like a whisper ? I use Spotify of my iPhone and at anything under 30 you can’t hardly hear the song words or instruments 

with the phone connected by wire and using CarPlay it’s using the HU power the volume regardless at what is set on the phone ? 
as previous forum member said I have to live with it 

[Rambler56]

Just under 40 is my preferred radio/usb setting, max is 62 on mine and no noticeable distortion when on max.  

[flash22]

Not sure if there are any firmware fixes for this but i know there have been similar issues with the touch2

are these units with or without sat nav ?

[Mitsos_Hybrid]

Adjust the volume from your phone to maximum. That did the trick to me.

[Geoff W]

19 minutes ago, Mitsos_Hybrid said:

Adjust the volume from your phone to maximum. That did the trick to me.

Yes! I had the same problem when I first got my car and all I had to do was adjust the phone. To be precise, whilst having Spotify open on iPhone and listening via bluetooth in car, slide volume on phone to maximum. After doing that the audio from phone volume matches the DAB radio volume (25 for comfortable listening in light traffic). But be warned - every now and again the phone looses this setting and has to be reset to maximum blue tooth output volume.

The car audio is not perfect, but in this case it's the phone setting, not the car that's to blame!

[Evora2010]

I had the volume setting and even use the night music setting on my iPhone X at max on bluetooth but alas no significant increase in music volume 

when I plug the phone in and use Apple car again a little better but really no major improvement I am still in the high 40-55

the car went back to Toyota dealer and they said no update or issue with unit????

just as a comparison in my lotus I have a pioneer HU not expensive but high power I have volume at 60-70% and it’s loud especially given it’s mid engine not sound proofed car ?  

[Geoff W]

Sorry to hear this is still a problem. What volume setting do you need for comfortable listening on the head unit's own DAB and FM? If this is lower then assuming there isn't an out and out fault in the bluetooth receiver in your head unit it would seem the problem must lie somewhere in your iPhone set up. I see on the internet that quite a few people reported bluetooth volume level problems after switching to iOS 14 but I have an iPhone 11 with iOS 14 and volume isn't an issue. To be honest the website suggestions from Apple didn't go much beyond suggesting unlinking and re-pairing the affected devices. I'm clutching at straws here, but does your iPhone have Headphone Safety set on (this imposes a maximum output volume)?

[Evora2010]

Hi Geoff

yes I checked all setting especially after iOS updates no avail ☹️
I think it’s just a low powered unit or a firmware needs to unlock the amp settings ? 
I will just have to live with it ! Not sure if I will buy my Corolla at end of the term as this would be a deal breaker TBH ! 

[Luke717]

Most interesting reading all the different experiences! I listen to DAB radio at times via the car radio, usually a rock station. Mostly, though, it's Amazon Music and Spotify playlists plus talk podcasts - all via Android Auto - so a wide range of audio types.

Local driving on a mix of rural and urban roads, volume set between 15 (radio for background) and 30, depending on audio type. Podcasts are the type of content that usually need the volume up a bit especially people talking. But even driving on the motorway, it's mid 20s to 30s whatever I'm listening to. I've never had the volume above 36.

Maybe it's a subjective thing, but I find the audio capability in my Corolla just fine.

 

[Evora2010]

What Luke717 makes me really wonder if indeed there’s a fault with the unit ?

why set max at 60 and the volume levels at 20-30 are almost a whisper ?

For me I have to set the levels at least high 40’s maybe after driving the lotus for a few years I have induced hearing loss ? Lol