So I have had the car since Sept 2008 and just kinda dealt with my questions even though I had been meaning to ask all the gurus here about these features. Well I am asking now because it has come up again and I actually remembered to post. So with that being said here are my questions:

1. I usually keep the dolby off because when I turn it on it seems like the radio volume is much lower and I have to turn it up way higher to hear it at a normal value. Is this normal?

2. With the dolby off I usually can keep the volume at about 12-15 and it was loud and clear. Now it seems i have to turn it up well past 16 to like 20 or so to hear it like I used to. Other than me going deaf is that indicative of maybe a speaker or stereo problem?

3. The SVC feature (speed compensating volume) as far as I can tell has never worked. Can someone tell me what it's supposed to do and would I notice it on the stereo (such as the volume # going higher) or would it just get louder or what. Can this be tested by the dealer?

 

What year is your TL? I have a 2004 TL and the only "Dolby" in my car is the Dolby "B" noise reduction used when I play a cassette tape that is so-encoded (if I play one encoded with Dolby "C," I turn the NR off altogether because the two don't mix very well).

 

I have a 2008 TL-S and if I go into the sound settings besides the fader and balance I have a dolby option on/off and SVC off/low/mid/high

 

The SVC doesn't actually change the volume number when it changes the volume of our stereo. If it's set properly you may never notice it, especially if you drive with your windows open. I usually drive with my windows shut and keep my SVC on "mid". It seems to work well without me having to adjust volume between city and freeway driving.

 

1. The dolby remixes the audio in real time to make it sound like it's 5.1. Rather than just the sound coming from the left and right speakers, it separates the audio up and vocals come from the center, along with mids from the door speakers and then the rear speakers are used as filler. Naturally the volume is going to be lower since the sound is split up b/w the speakers however I've found it sounds quite a bit better.

2. The speakers "break-in" a bit as you use them and sometimes the volume can go down a bit, but other times they can go up! I would suggest that you either drive with your windows up or get your hearing checked! I usually find the volume loud at 8 and ear numbing at anything above 10! I usually keep the volume around 3-4 in my TL.

3. The SVC does NOT change the actual volume # but it does change the volume according to speed. Close your windows and put on a song from the cd player at like volume 8. Put the SVC on high and start moving. Notice at the 30, 40, 50, etc marks that the volume increases slightly by itself. If you drive with the windows down all the time, leave it on high. If you drive with the A/C running and windows closed, put it on medium.