Removal of Basic Balance & Fader Adjustments - AAOS System

[techwatcher]

Originally Posted by LRS

Yes agree, a lot of people may not even know they have it or use it. But when I look at the number of sub £8k cars I've owned that have it as default and the fact that Volvo had it in the Sensus cars, you have to ask yourself, what on earth is Volvo playing at by removing it in the AAOS cars?

I have lost a lot of confidence in Volvo because of this very simple and basic function removal - god only knows what they will remove next ether by mistake or conscious decision...A bit less Aquavit drinking by the software team I thinks!

They haven't 'removed' the feature as such, they just haven't implemented it on AAOS cars...yet. It may yet appear in a future software update.

Sorry to hear that you've lost confidence in Volvo over this. They are great cars but the switch to AAOS has not gone well. Things do slowly seem to be improving with software updates and I hope you do ultimately receive the balance / fader controls you want.

[LRS]

Originally Posted by techwatcher

They haven't 'removed' the feature as such, they just haven't implemented it on AAOS cars...yet. It may yet appear in a future software update.

Sorry to hear that you've lost confidence in Volvo over this. They are great cars but the switch to AAOS has not gone well. Things do slowly seem to be improving with software updates and I hope you do ultimately receive the balance / fader controls you want.

I really hope you’re right and that Volvo transition the balance/fader controls from Sensus to AAOS.

Compared to the real joy I had in owning my previous MY11 XC90 Exec, I just don’t feel the same way about my new MY22 XC60 and now see it in the same way as owning a smart kitchen appliance – albeit a very expensive one.

It’s a sad reality that the XC60 has become a pure utility designed solely on budget. Maybe Volvo is now more suited to move manufacturing over to the AvtoVaz defeaturing car maker.

[familymangreg]

Not in agreement with those who suggest its a seldom used feature so Volvo haven't bothered implementing, it may be seldom used, but it is something a lot of people (including me) like to adjust initially. On B&W in my current car, I have the fade slightly further back than centre, otherwise I find the sound in the car is too front bias. There are many features (climate, radio favourites, seat position) that I rarely touch, but I wouldn't like not to be able to!

My money is on the feature returning one day, suspect is be missed off the initial OS builds and is somewhere low down the list awaiting implementation.

:wq

[Haldex]

Agree - not frequently used - I occasionally shift the fader to front when kids are napping in the back - but nevertheless - unacceptable to have such basic settings removed/overlooked.

Question - as I have yet to test the AA infotainment in Volvo - does the AA "High Performance" audio include the "Sound experience" app where you can optimize the sound settings for seating positions?

[Dolphin10]

Hi LRS,
I know I posted about this on a different thread but to keep this seperate from other AAOS issues, thought Id let you and others know that I did complain to Volvo UK, and described how what I had test driven and what was "alluded to" in the manual (about the sound system apparently adjusting the sound based on seat occupancy but - doesnt appear to work for the driver on his own) wasnt consistant with how I had assumed the car would be on delivery. I think I used the word misleading. I did get a good will gesture of vouchers to spend on Volvo accessories, so whilst that doesnt fix the issue, i was pleased with the acknowledgement.

Of course, the cynic could say that I have been paid off to go quietly to the accesories shop and the cynic may be correct, but as I have posted elsewhere, I remain, perhaps naively optimistic that they will fix it.....

And just to finish off, if anyone is about to refer to this as single issue lunacy or post about what we should and shouldnt be able to do to realistically optimise sound in a tin box etc etc or suggesting that to lament the loss of a CD player etc is similar, please just bear this in mind first. First I do like my car. However, what we all hear and want to hear from our car audio systems will be different and a personal choice and the vast majority of manufacturers have provided the ability to exercise that choice to date ...(I think that the after market car audio sector is still alive and strong in terms of evidence, as is the inclusion of third party systems like B&W, Bose and H&K into tin boxes so that argument falls on deaf ears with me.....see what i did....sorry couldnt resist). And putting a free air sub woofer in a car with 10 speakers is gimmickry unless the user is given the tools to adjust it.

Anyway, I got some acknowledgement and a couple of hundred quid's worth of good will from Volvo - maybe more should try it?

[LRS]

Originally Posted by Dolphin10

Hi LRS,
I know I posted about this on a different thread but to keep this seperate from other AAOS issues, thought Id let you and others know that I did complain to Volvo UK, and described how what I had test driven and what was "alluded to" in the manual (about the sound system apparently adjusting the sound based on seat occupancy but - doesnt appear to work for the driver on his own) wasnt consistant with how I had assumed the car would be on delivery. I think I used the word misleading. I did get a good will gesture of vouchers to spend on Volvo accessories, so whilst that doesnt fix the issue, i was pleased with the acknowledgement.

Of course, the cynic could say that I have been paid off to go quietly to the accesories shop and the cynic may be correct, but as I have posted elsewhere, I remain, perhaps naively optimistic that they will fix it.....

And just to finish off, if anyone is about to refer to this as single issue lunacy or post about what we should and shouldnt be able to do to realistically optimise sound in a tin box etc etc or suggesting that to lament the loss of a CD player etc is similar, please just bear this in mind first. First I do like my car. However, what we all hear and want to hear from our car audio systems will be different and a personal choice and the vast majority of manufacturers have provided the ability to exercise that choice to date ...(I think that the after market car audio sector is still alive and strong in terms of evidence, as is the inclusion of third party systems like B&W, Bose and H&K into tin boxes so that argument falls on deaf ears with me.....see what i did....sorry couldnt resist). And putting a free air sub woofer in a car with 10 speakers is gimmickry unless the user is given the tools to adjust it.

Anyway, I got some acknowledgement and a couple of hundred quid's worth of good will from Volvo - maybe more should try it?

Your comments are spot-on.

Like you, overall, I do like my XC60, but do feel less confident about its predictability regarding the new AAOS system. You never quite know what type of software glitch it may spring on you each time you get into it. Yes, I’m sure it will get better over time, but with all modern complex IT systems, you often find that a software update can break and many things as it fixes, so you are locked into this perpetual cycle of running software updates – just look at the shear number of Win 11 updates you get every month, compared to how many you used to get with older Windows versions.

This issue whereby Volvo decided to remove the ‘basic’ balance & fader controls, just doesn’t align to any logic in my mind. Sure, add a new fancy feature called automatic seat occupancy sound adjustment, but also keep the stayed and proven manual balance and fader adjustments for the customer if the automatic adjustment feature is not quite right for them. This I would expect from such a premium brand car and its price. It sounds like it’s trying to be too cleaver for its own good.

For me it’s now just talk radio, as listening to music is just naff.

[Dolphin10]

For me it’s now just talk radio, as listening to music is just naff.[/QUOTE]

I have found a balance control in my iphone - Settings//Acessibility//Audio/Visual//balance slider which makes a heap of difference with apple music or spotify through car play, bringing the other front speakers in nicely at least but agree overall; I reckon the radio sound was better in a 1990s Rover 200! I have tried playing the radio through the phone to get the same balance control and it works but then get buffering so gave up on that ...

[janseman]

And now it’s more than one year later and still nothing or sign of bettering the settings in audio. Does anybody know if Volvo is doing something about it?
I have the ultimate xc60 2023 one, there is no bass, just surround but that is somethings completely else than fading to rear speakers.

[vonRypp]

Originally Posted by janseman

And now it’s more than one year later and still nothing or sign of bettering the settings in audio. Does anybody know if Volvo is doing something about it?
I have the ultimate xc60 2023 one, there is no bass, just surround but that is somethings completely else than fading to rear speakers.

In my car I have the B&W system with fader/balance settings and even bass/treble. What is still missing is the EQ.

[LRS]

This sneaky removal of basic expected audio adjustments by Volvo defies all logic as it’s just a matter of software coding changes rather than hardware changes needed to introduce it.

I went so far as to raise a case with The Motor Ombudsman, to investigate this on my behalf, as my progress with Volvo tech support hit a dead end with Volvo not giving a clear answer. In the end The Motor Ombudsman, could proceed no further as the case was not related to a warranty or safety issue with the car. They did however conclude the following from Volvo:

“As a manufacturer, Volvo Cars confirmed that the removal of these sound settings with the release of the Google based system was a design change, and that while it was previously available on our previous ‘SENSUS’ systems in earlier models, these settings are not available on the Model Year 2022 XC60 with Google Infotainment system.”

Based on this statement, I believe we will never see the Balance and Fader controls ever introduced to the AAOS system XC60s, as Volvo took a conscious decision to remove them, rather than it being a coding error. Apparently there have been other functions sneakily removed by Volvo on the AAOS system XC60s, that were there on the Sensus XC60s.

My advice is to beware of the “subject to change without notice” liability disclaimer and check every single function and feature in the car before purchasing.

I purchased just at the transition from Sensus to AAOS, so the salesperson was unaware of this planned removal of the Balance & Fader controls and the new sales literature also failed to state this removal.