Either I'm imagining things or the radios in both my A6 and company car Megane Scenic get louder as road speed increases.
Can this be true and if so how does it work, is it linked to rpm or mph?
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In the case of my Volvo V70, road speed.
There is also a (hidden) menu option, as there also was in my previous Vectra GSi (not hidden, and listed in the handbook), to adjust the amount of gain if you wanted to deviate from factory settings. Would be surprised if this is not so for both of your cars, too.
With the Volvo, accessing the hidden auto volume menu turns the radio display in to a digital speedometer, as well as showing the selected volume db plus automatically adjusted db.
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It's true.
My Clio has it, and the increment can be adjusted via the 'expert' menu. It operates via road speed.
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Yup the Laguna has it, and so does Nicolles Clio. Adjustable level (from 1-5) via the expert menu on the "tuner list" radio.
Found mine is best set at 2 or 3. Manual states it works from the tacho pulse (think this is wrong, think it works from the speedo pulse).
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VW have had this feature on their cars for at least 6 years.
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And as Audi & VW are one and the same, if your radio has a big circular TA button press and hold it to get access to the radio setup menu. The feature you want is called GALA.
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Same as my Mondeo, you can choose how loud you want it via a menu.
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What is the point? Do cars get noisier at speed - my old Volvo doesn't, but I suppose a JCB or an earthmover might.
I'd like a feature that turned the radio up when stationary, so that I could hear it above the bass coming from the next car's stereo.
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Can you get one that increases volume to match passenger chatter and drown them out?
Now that would be a major contribution to road safety!
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What is the point? Do cars get noisier at speed - my old Volvo doesn't, but I suppose a JCB or an earthmover might.
I'm fairly sure that all cars will get louder with speed (certain, if have a duff silencer!) as tyre roar, wind noise, engine noise etc. will all increase with road speed. IIRC the noise levels in an average "mondeo" at motorways speeds (70'ish)is around 70db. At 30mph is around 55-60db.
Something like a Lexus LS430 may be a little quieter...
Chad.
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And in a Rolls-Royce it has to compete with the ticking from the electric clock.
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"IIRC the noise levels in an average "mondeo" at motorways speeds (70'ish)is around 70db. At 30mph is around 55-60db." (Chad.R)
and given the way decibels work, doesn't that mean noise levels are three/four times higher at 70mph?
presumably old Volvos don't get up to the speeds of JCBs :) only joking....
This speed-related feature is a marvellous piece of kit, specially on these warmer days can act as a courtesy beatbox-muffler for when you stop at lights. It's not only available on cars which are supplied with radios, my Grundig has it.
There is a feed connected to the speedometer which tells the radio how fast it is going.
On the Grundig there's no messing around with "menus", there's a little screw to ser them up.
Thoroughly recommended.
pat
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My car stereo volume defaults to 11 as soon as motion is detected. Have they developed them to go up to 12 now?
M.M
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M.M,
I feel as though my vertebrae has been tapped!
Regards
Vercin
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Vercin,
I thought it important to test folks true understanding of electronics and sound pressure levels.
Glad a fellow Citroen owner passed!
M.M
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"IIRC the noise levels in an average "mondeo" at motorways speeds (70'ish)is around 70db. At 30mph is around 55-60db." (Chad.R)
and given the way decibels work, doesn't that mean noise levels are three/four times higher at 70mph?"
Yep - an increase of 3dB is a doubling of the noise level.
My Citroen Picasso also has a speed-adjusted volume. Can't honestly say that I notice it making much difference.
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A feed connected to the speedo is something I haven't heard of before. I think most of them work by having a small microphone to 'listen' to the ambient noise level in the vehicle and raise the volume accordingly.
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No they don't 'listen' to the ambient noise- if so, they'd keep getting louder as they listened to themselves turning up! Remember this is car technology, built down to a price and based on what scraps of information the engine designers will let them have.
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>Can't honestly say that I notice it making much difference.
That might mean it's working properly. My Pug Partner has this feature and it's really handy not having to turn the music down when you come to a stop at roundabouts and so on. When we bought the car I found myself moving my left hand to the stereo controls out of habit. I'd say this is one of those simple and cheap ideas that help make life better in 2004 than it used to be.
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My passenger - SWMBO - has this automatic feature too!
Roger.
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Cool, I'll have to play with the radio now, not because I want to change the settings but just because I can.
I've only had the Audi for about three years and never noticed this feature before, but I suspect it was changed at the last service.
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My Fiesta definately does it, and it is definately linked to the speedo rather than a microphone, I can tell all the trigger points on the speedo. It even works up at illegal speeds, there is a volume increase triggered at about 78 mph. I haven't tested it at speeds fast enough to reach the next level, if there is one that is. :-)
Blue
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I think the next level triggers a wailing noise, seemingly coming from the rear speakers only. Usually a good indication of a need to slow down....
:o)
Says the three-figure merchant (empty motorways only)
I'm just jealous because my pfd Blaupunkt hasn't got it, but the Bose system fitted in some 156 has.
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3dB is about a doubling of intensity. So 6 dB is about a quadrupling of intensity. 9 dB is an eightfold increase in intensity.
This comes about as 10dB is a tenfold increase in intensity. And 20dB is a hundredfold increase.
So 15dB is about a 40-foldish increase in intensity.
My new swanky Panasonic stereo (car came free with the stereo) always turns itself on quietly, and increases volume gently so as to avoid deafening you. Stops increasing volume when it reaches the volume it was at when you turned it off.
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My new swanky Panasonic stereo (car came free with the stereo) always turns itself on quietly, and increases volume gently so as to avoid deafening you. Stops increasing volume when it reaches the volume it was at when you turned it off.
IIRC this feature may also stop any harm to your speakers if the set is initially turned on with the volume at (very) high setting. Especially useful if you have a very powerful set or amp.
Chad.
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Pardon mapmaker?
I thought that 1 Bell was a doubling of sound intensity. Hence 10 deciBells or 10 dB (=1 Bell) was a doubling?
Maybe I'm wrong. It happens from time to time.
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Pardon grandpa(tently)? I think I stick with my earlier description.
One Bel (sic) is a 10 fold increase in intensity.
2 Bels is 100-fold
3 Bels is 1000-fold
4 Bels is 10000-fold
As it is nice to be able to describe smaller increases than 10-fold, the Bel is divided into 10 decibels (sic), dB.
As this is a logarithmic scale, you get a doubling for every approx 3 dB increase.
Try science.howstuffworks.com/question124.htm for independent corroboration of my ramblings.
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So what function do I use to get these bells then? I dont get any bells deci or otherwise on my radio. I have tubular bells on CD tho.
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I did say I might be wrong.... it seems I was correct (to suspect that I was wrong!)
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>Can't honestly say that I notice it making much difference. That might mean it's working properly. My Pug Partner has this feature and it's really handy not having to turn the music down when you come to a stop at roundabouts and so on. When we bought the car I found myself moving my left hand to the stereo controls out of habit. I'd say this is one of those simple and cheap ideas that help make life better in 2004 than it used to be.
That's what I mean - I do find myself turning the volume up as the road noise increases, and vice versa.
It's the second Picasso I've had with this feature and neither of them seem particularly effective.
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>> >Can't honestly say that I notice it making much difference. It's the second Picasso I've had with this feature and neither of them seem particularly effective.
Perhaps you need to adjust its function or level? On the Renault tuner list radios this goes from 1-5.
5 is too obtrusive and gets too loud at speed. Level on mine is set at 2 or sometimes 3.
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how do you turn this feature on? i also have a6 1998 model
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My 1987 Golf has this. You have to lean forward and turn a button on the radio clockwise as you speed up tho'.
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IF the radio in your A6 operates on the same principle as the VW gamma radio did in my Bora, and the skoda symphony does in my Octavia, press the big round button on the right of the unit for a second or so
fast forward/reverse then step you through the menu, and up/down turn things up/down.
the option for speed/volume is GALA - it will be off, or have a value. The higher the value, the more the volume increases with speed - simple when you know how to find it
just 'cos I know what I'm saying doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about
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GALA - this had me going, is the next option Kookaburra or what?
is this the option that seals your fete?
anyway Chris I'll take option D "GeschwindigkeitsAbhaengigeLAutstaerke"...
pat
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[ politically correct mode = off]
In some Vauxhalls if you connect the hands free mobile phone installation to the radio using the correct cable you get
an incoming call douses the radio,
answer the call without need to touch a button, (if phone set to auto answer)
plays call through the radio speakers,
AND alters the call volume with speed just as the radio does.
Not that mobile phone chatting is PC these days, thought you'd like to know.
[politically correct mode = on ]
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I'm glad to hear this feature can be adjusted!!
My dad's Fiesta has this feature, great at certain speeds, but it really bugs me off when I'm travelling between 61 and 62mph and the radio goes quiet-LOUD-quiet-LOUD-quiet-LOUD...etc.
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There may be some confusion with sound pressure and sound intensity.
Plenty of useful info at:
tinyurl.com/bsek9
Re the GALA feature. In my 1999 Bora the range goes from 1-9 and it remains effective even if you have to adjust sound using the volume knob for any reason; it cannot be set if VW's Digital Sound Package (DSP) has been fitted and which controls GALA automatically.
Other menu features include the On Volume/Travel Information and Phone sound level settings.
Another feature of the Gamma radio/cassette/CD player setup is that tone controls configuration for each section is individually maintained.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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My 1993 Vauxhall Astra had it - by randomly pushing buttons on the dash I managed to get it to display a digital speedo. I'm sure you could make it do other stuff, but despite enthusiatic button pushing that was all I got.
I then put a newer Vauxhall CD player in it and that let you choose the level of sound increase you wanted.
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>>by randomly pushing buttons on the dash>>
No manual?
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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No, this was like a hidden feature. You got to it by pushing and holding the clock set button.
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I added the electronics to provide this feature into the new transistorised radio in my 1963 Morris Minnor convertable in 1969!
I remember approaching Smiths?, about the only local uk manufacture of radios at that time, and being told that features that sophisticated were not needed, even at a very low cost. ( For thise who understand, -this functioned using a xtal mic to sense the ambient noise levels and was continuously variable kicking in at 25mph, using op amps and a FET. I can assure that it was needed above about 30mph in those days in an old conv.
It took until 1993 for me to get the feature as a standard fitting in a Vauxhall Carlton.
--
pmh (was peter)
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Does anyone know of a similar feature that would turn SWMBO's constant twittering down to zero level whenever I want...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Yes. But it involves some trickery with the passenger seat and pyrotechnics!
--
Adam
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Either I'm imagining things or the radios in both my A6 and company car Megane Scenic get louder as road speed increases. Can this be true and if so how does it work, is it linked to rpm or mph?
When in doubt, read the instructions!
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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My C3 supposedly has this feature and it was demonstrated to me by the dealer. it doesn't work though.
Oh, and the manual is absolutely hopeless.
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