Retrofitting missing factory options to new-ish LR's; FL2, Evoque, D3/D4, RRS, etc...

I just checked online with the VIN no:

NLI HEAD UNIT LEVEL C

SOUND SYSTEM - MID PERFORMANCE

So according to your post, i have the base audio system branded as Meridian 380w right? If im not mistaken, this cannot be upgraded to premium of surround? Why would that be? Are the hardware parts locked or such, or is the amp built in to the Audio head unit?

Would you suggest going aftermarket instead? i assume i could find some sort of aftermarket 11 speaker amp (10 + sub) that would produce some outstanding sound?

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Originally Posted by mvelasco

Wow! Didnt know any of this... i was under the assumption that depending on the amp i might be able to just do the whole amp switcheroo.

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That was possible with the older cars using the IAM2.1 and MMM2 infotainment, but the new NLI & NLI systems are totally different.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mvelasco

so i was more concerned with speaker quality and whether the stock ones would be reusable or not...

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To be honest the speakers in the Disco Sport (and the Jag F-Pace, XE and new XF, all the same) are absolute garbage compared to the earlier model JLR vehicles and at the very least I would recommend a speaker upgrade if you are on the hunt for better sound.

At the moment it appears that the (very good) Bowers & Wilkins branded door bass speakers from the 2008-2011 Jaguar XF will fit in these cars, with the addition of a spacer ring. The other dimensions & connectors are the same. The midrange speakers in the DS (and F-Pace, XE, XF) are 80mm diameter instead of the 100mm from earlier models, however there is a factory 80mm speaker which should fit, from the rear seat speakers of the Range Rovers and Jag XJ with the Meridian Reference systems...

Not sure about the tweeters yet but in my experience the tweeters are of the least concern.

I can tell you that the factory surround speakers in the DS and F-Pace are the same as the earlier vehicles from 2012-on, like the Disco 4, XJ, XF, etc...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mvelasco

regarding iid, i read the following thread:

IID Bluetooth Diagnostic Tool - Discovery Sport Forums

They seem to confirm that iid would work on DS... its surprising that the website doesnt actually show any info on this.

I will do some research and then post pictures of the hardware on the car when i get it. Thanks!

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I guess they will eventually get around to making it work, but I don't use GAP or Blackbox tools, so personally i haven't got a stake in what they can or cannot do.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mvelasco

I just checked online with the VIN no:

NLI HEAD UNIT LEVEL C

SOUND SYSTEM - MID PERFORMANCE

So according to your post, i have the base audio system branded as Meridian 380w right? If im not mistaken, this cannot be upgraded to premium of surround? Why would that be? Are the hardware parts locked or such, or is the amp built in to the Audio head unit?

Would you suggest going aftermarket instead? i assume i could find some sort of aftermarket 11 speaker amp (10 + sub) that would produce some outstanding sound?

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Yes the NLI Level C is either branded Meridian 380W or just a "Land Rover" system. Cannot be upgraded to surround.

The hardware is totally different, different head unit, different amplifier, different wiring, different touchscreen even. I have looked into this upgrade for a couple of DS and F-Pace owners, you have to rip the whole car apart, change just about all the wiring, and almost all of the components from the infotainment system. Simply not worth it...

The other problem is that the NLI & NGI systems no longer use the MOST fibre optic network, the communications network is Ethernet. So the existing interfaces to fit an aftermarket amplifier to a factory head unit (like the MoBridge) aren't compatible. At best I guess you could add an aftermarket amplifier with speaker-level inputs, being fed from the factory amp, but that's about it...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cambo351

That was possible with the older cars using the IAM2.1 and MMM2 infotainment, but the new NLI & NLI systems are totally different.


To be honest the speakers in the Disco Sport (and the Jag F-Pace, XE and new XF, all the same) are absolute garbage compared to the earlier model JLR vehicles and at the very least I would recommend a speaker upgrade if you are on the hunt for better sound.

At the moment it appears that the (very good) Bowers & Wilkins branded door bass speakers from the 2008-2011 Jaguar XF will fit in these cars, with the addition of a spacer ring. The other dimensions & connectors are the same. The midrange speakers in the DS (and F-Pace, XE, XF) are 80mm diameter instead of the 100mm from earlier models, however there is a factory 80mm speaker which should fit, from the rear seat speakers of the Range Rovers and Jag XJ with the Meridian Reference systems...

Not sure about the tweeters yet but in my experience the tweeters are of the least concern.

I can tell you that the factory surround speakers in the DS and F-Pace are the same as the earlier vehicles from 2012-on, like the Disco 4, XJ, XF, etc...


I guess they will eventually get around to making it work, but I don't use GAP or Blackbox tools, so personally i haven't got a stake in what they can or cannot do.


Yes the NLI Level C is either branded Meridian 380W or just a "Land Rover" system. Cannot be upgraded to surround.

The hardware is totally different, different head unit, different amplifier, different wiring, different touchscreen even. I have looked into this upgrade for a couple of DS and F-Pace owners, you have to rip the whole car apart, change just about all the wiring, and almost all of the components from the infotainment system. Simply not worth it...

The other problem is that the NLI & NGI systems no longer use the MOST fibre optic network, the communications network is Ethernet. So the existing interfaces to fit an aftermarket amplifier to a factory head unit (like the MoBridge) aren't compatible. At best I guess you could add an aftermarket amplifier with speaker-level inputs, being fed from the factory amp, but that's about it...

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I see. My route will be to sound deaden using dynamat, and then upgrade the speakers and sub. You mentioned some OEM speakers but i was thinking of maybe going aftermarket, would that work? What do you think about TPMS retrofit? Do you use official LR tools for CCF editing? If you ever take a vacation to Peru let me know and maybe we can make a deal!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mvelasco

I see. My route will be to sound deaden using dynamat, and then upgrade the speakers and sub. You mentioned some OEM speakers but i was thinking of maybe going aftermarket, would that work? What do you think about TPMS retrofit? Do you use official LR tools for CCF editing? If you ever take a vacation to Peru let me know and maybe we can make a deal!

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Sure, there is no reason why you can't use aftermarket speakers, so long as you match the impedence of the factory units.

But for me personally I don't like cutting wires, or cutting/drilling metal in these cars, any modification should be reversible. That's just my philosophy. You won't find an aftermarket speaker that is a direct fit, you will need to cut wires or make other changes that are going to be kind of permanent.

Plus my only experience with using aftermarket speakers with factory audio systems was less than encouraging, it just did not sound as good as factory speakers...

The B&W speakers from the 2008-2011 Jag XF are freakin awesome.

Attachment 127238

That's a factory "Meridian" speaker on the left, Bowers & Wilkins on the right, you can see the difference, let alone hear it!

I suppose a TPMS retrofit would be possible in the DS, same like we did in the Freelander2 & Disco4.
But to be honest the current tally of TPMS retrofit vs. TPMS disable has now swung over to the disable side.
5x TPMS systems retrofitted, 7x TPMS systems disabled. They are a real pain in the backside when they decide to stop working....

I've never been to South America, buy me a ticket and i'll come visit!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cambo351

Sure, there is no reason why you can't use aftermarket speakers, so long as you match the impedence of the factory units.

But for me personally I don't like cutting wires, or cutting/drilling metal in these cars, any modification should be reversible. That's just my philosophy. You won't find an aftermarket speaker that is a direct fit, you will need to cut wires or make other changes that are going to be kind of permanent.

Plus my only experience with using aftermarket speakers with factory audio systems was less than encouraging, it just did not sound as good as factory speakers...

The B&W speakers from the 2008-2011 Jag XF are freakin awesome.

Attachment 127238

That's a factory "Meridian" speaker on the left, Bowers & Wilkins on the right, you can see the difference, let alone hear it!

I suppose a TPMS retrofit would be possible in the DS, same like we did in the Freelander2 & Disco4.
But to be honest the current tally of TPMS retrofit vs. TPMS disable has now swung over to the disable side.
5x TPMS systems retrofitted, 7x TPMS systems disabled. They are a real pain in the backside when they decide to stop working....

I've never been to South America, buy me a ticket and i'll come visit!

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The factory Meridian speaker in the picture is the one thats installed on my cars system? Or the one thats installed on the Meridian Surround system? Are they the same?

Good to know about the B&W, those speakers are cheaper than i thought id need, seem pretty available on ebay as well.

Have you retrofitted the B&W speaker to a 380W "meridian" system? Im just wondering if the impedance is the same, and wether the "meridian" 380w amp can power the B&W speakers which were made to be paired with the 1200w amp in the jag. I know it would depend on the watts per channel and such, but anyways ive cant find the tech info anywhere on the web.
Getting to/from Australia-South America is extremely expensive, last time i checked it was around USD 2000 + 30 hour plane trip [bigsad]

The "Meridian" speaker in that picture is from a 2013-2015 Jaguar XF, it's basically the same speaker that's used in the DS, just the housing changed a little bit. You can see a newer Jaguar XE speaker here 2015 JAGUAR XE Door Speaker GX73-18808-DB | eBay this is the same as what's in the DS.

The size, the shape of the mounting flange, and the connector are the same, but the case is "taller" I guess to allow clearance inside the door cavity. So the Bowers & Wilkins speaker from the XF would be a swap, however a spacer would have to made to get it at the same height.

Impedence of the B&W speakers is 2ohm, all JLR speakers are 2ohm actually. Do not worry about the power ratings, actually the power ratings are just marketing, the real power outputs are very different, these B&W speakers will handle any factory system just fine. So far we put them in several Jag XF and F-Type, big improvement to the sound regardless of which amp/system.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cambo351

The "Meridian" speaker in that picture is from a 2013-2015 Jaguar XF, it's basically the same speaker that's used in the DS, just the housing changed a little bit. You can see a newer Jaguar XE speaker here 2015 JAGUAR XE Door Speaker GX73-18808-DB | eBay this is the same as what's in the DS.

The size, the shape of the mounting flange, and the connector are the same, but the case is "taller" I guess to allow clearance inside the door cavity. So the Bowers & Wilkins speaker from the XF would be a swap, however a spacer would have to made to get it at the same height.

Impedence of the B&W speakers is 2ohm, all JLR speakers are 2ohm actually. Do not worry about the power ratings, actually the power ratings are just marketing, the real power outputs are very different, these B&W speakers will handle any factory system just fine. So far we put them in several Jag XF and F-Type, big improvement to the sound regardless of which amp/system.

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Awesome info. Ive been re-reading all youve mentioned and noticed that the midrange 100m from B&W wont fit... so i went on the search for the 80mm speaker you mentioned but cant find a part number to it, got any leads? would you recommend any oem subwoofer/aftermarket sub? Thanks for all your help!

Well actually after a bit more research it would appear that the B&W bass speakers from the 2008-2011 XF will be a direct fit to the L550, no spacers needed, it's only the XE, new XF and F-Pace that have these odd taller bass speakers...

Here is a set of factory speakers from a 2016 L550;

Attachment 127289

You see the bass speakers are the same shape as the B&W ones.

Also here is the factory 80mm midrange from the L550 (and other models);

Attachment 127290

You see it's a paper/cardboard driver.

Here are the 80mm rear seat speakers from the Meridian Reference/Signature system in the L405, L494 and X351 XJ

Attachment 127291

You see they have a fabric cone/driver. The part number for these is LR033290

The factory sub in the L550 is a strange unit, although in the Meridian documents it does look like the same one that's in the L405, and it appears that there is an "improved" version of this for the Meridian Signature / Reference system, there is a heatsink on the magnet in the Signature / Reference system, in the Meridian documents anyhow.

This is the picture of the sub in the L550 and L405;

Attachment 127292

And this is the one from the L405 Signature / Reference system
Attachment 127293

No idea if that's actually what it looks like, never trust what you see in the brochure hahaha!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cambo351

Well actually after a bit more research it would appear that the B&W bass speakers from the 2008-2011 XF will be a direct fit to the L550, no spacers needed, it's only the XE, new XF and F-Pace that have these odd taller bass speakers...

Here is a set of factory speakers from a 2016 L550;

Attachment 127289

You see the bass speakers are the same shape as the B&W ones.

Also here is the factory 80mm midrange from the L550 (and other models);

Attachment 127290

You see it's a paper/cardboard driver.

Here are the 80mm rear seat speakers from the Meridian Reference/Signature system in the L405, L494 and X351 XJ

Attachment 127291

You see they have a fabric cone/driver. The part number for these is LR033290

The factory sub in the L550 is a strange unit, although in the Meridian documents it does look like the same one that's in the L405, and it appears that there is an "improved" version of this for the Meridian Signature / Reference system, there is a heatsink on the magnet in the Signature / Reference system, in the Meridian documents anyhow.

This is the picture of the sub in the L550 and L405;

Attachment 127292

And this is the one from the L405 Signature / Reference system
Attachment 127293

No idea if that's actually what it looks like, never trust what you see in the brochure hahaha!

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Thanks for all your help Cambo. Could not have compiled the necessary info without your help. Heres a summary of the upgrade so far:


Tweeters (Possibly Replace, still wondering if i should replace, or maybe not too much benefit)
Option 1: Keep stock, are these aluminum as well?
Option 2: B&W 08-11 XF (8X23-18808-CB ) (Aluminum Dome)


Mids (Replacing for sure)
Option 1: Meridian Signature/Reference (LR033290)


Bass (Replacing for sure)
Option 1: B&W 08-11 XF (8X23-18808-AB )


Sub (Will be part of upgrade stage 2 if necessary)
Option 1: Keep stock, add custom box
Option 2: Meridian Signature Sub (LR035187) (add custom box?)


Other (For sure)
Dynamat on doors and trunk to reduce cabin noise to help low powered amp 380w.


I cant seem to find much information on L550, most part sellers dont list the model, if they do, theres absolutely nothing regarding audio/speakers, and on topix i have limited access. Where do you get your info? Topix with Authorized Repairer access?


What do you think of this upgrade?

I would leave the tweeters, as far as i can tell they are the same as other Meridian cars with aluminium cone.

The midrange and bass speakers for the doors are pretty clear.

I really can't comment on the subwoofer, apart from it does appear that the L550 and L405 ones are interchangeable.
Will the Reference/Signature one from the L405 be better? I don't know... maybe it's meant to take more power, which you aren't going to get with the stock amp... And as for a custom enclosure, again I can't say anything either way about that...

Topix, Microcat, calling in a lot of favours, some inside contacts, it takes a while to find out all this stuff.
Experience comes into it as well, i've done a lot of upgrades on late model JLR vehicles now, so you learn a lot as you go.