2010 Prius Audio System PReview

First Impression Review of the Prius 2010 JBL 8 speaker sound system.

I had the opportunity to listen to the sound system in the 2010 Third-generation Prius at the Reveal of this model.

First, my qualifications. I am an amateur jazz musician and recording engineer. I have engineered one commercial CD. I do not consider myself an audiophile, but I do like decent sound. I had the 9 speaker JBL system in my 2007 Prius for about 8 months, which was replaced with a custom JL Audio 400 watt system with subwoofer which I have had for about the same length of time.

I had access to the 2010 Prius for about three hours, during which I got perhaps a half hour of listening in with a Test CD which I had brought with me containing music of various genres selected to test various aspects of the sound system.

The major limitation was the listening conditions. First I was not actually driving the vehicle and second, most of the listening time was done with rear hatch or some of the doors open. The sound probably would have been tighter with the car closed.

Visibly, the sound system has clearly been re-designed. The front tweeters have been moved from the door pillars to the front corners of the dashboard, a sonic improvement. The rear tweeters have a larger housing. The middle front speaker which many of us disconnected is gone. The entire dashboard has been rearranged, so the MultiFunction Display (MFD) through which the audio system is accessed has been moved lower in the cockpit.

Loading CDs is a little counterintinuitive the first time around. Pressing the audio button does not bring up an Eject command. Pressing the Close button does (sort of like clicking the Start button in Windows to shut the computer down). Then a screen appears with the present CD displayed, and and Eject option or two, depending on how many CDs are loaded. Touching Eject on the screen evoked the "wow" factor as the screen moves up and tilts forward, revealing the CD insert/eject slot behind it. After loading CDs, pressing Close restores the screen to its viewing position. MP3 folders and tracknames can be read from the display as in the 2nd Gen Prius, although the graphics and layout are different.

The next wow factor comes in using the steering wheel mounted switch clusters. Placing your thumb over the switch causes an image of the switch cluster to appear on the dashboard display, beside the speedometer readout. The button that you are touching is illuminated, and will change as you move your thumb around the four quadrants of the switch, so you know exactly which switch you are about to push without looking at the steering wheel. The volume can be changed, and the track being played can be advanced or moved back. Pressing and hold the track advance switch moves to the next CD. In short, the problem of dim steering wheel switches has been solved with a brilliant leap of technology.

The sound of the system is considerably improved over the previous 9 speaker system. Stereo imaging is improved. It seems to have about the same overall power, which is to say adequate for most listening, but without much reserve. Playing the Introduction of Also Sprach Zarathustra reveals the bass system capable of reaching that note, although some what weakly. The 4th movement of Beethoven's 7th Symphony sounded a little muddied in the complex swirling passages. There was enough punch to the bass drums of several rock and R&B passages. Jazz bass seemed to lack a bit of definition. I am comparing here to the custom sound system in my present Prius.

Overall, I would say the quality of the sound is better, say by 25%-40% than the old system, but still below my custom system. It should prove adequate for most casual listening. It lacks the sonic excitement of a custom system, and audiophiles will not find it exceptional. Bass addicts will probably want to add a powered sub-woofer. The ergonomics of the system are outstanding.

 

Good questions that I didn't ask. I was not even aware that the radio was independent of the rest.