masonchad1

I just purchased a 2023 A5 Sportback that has this problem to some extent. I am chiming in here because I am a musician and sound engineer, and I'm noticing something related to this problem in my car that's noteworthy. I'm only hearing this intermittent popping sound when there is some degree of a high frequency hiss that is coming through the speakers. This is through any medium - XM, Phone, Bluetooth, etc. So, if I put on certain songs that have a lot of very high frequency (like over 10khkz) natural hiss present, then SOMETIMES, it will make these intermittent and random sounds like sand hitting the windshield. However, if I turn the same song down to a lower volume where the highs are less present, it mostly eliminates it. It makes sense that phone calls can aggravate this because there is often a lot of this type of very high frequency noise going on during phone calls. So, I don't know if my car is experiencing this issue differently than yours' are, but for me this is only happening under certain conditions - namely low to medium volumes with sounds with a substantial amount of very high frequency hiss contained in their mix. For example, play the intro to "With a Little Luck" by Wings through your stereos a few times, and I'll bet it causes this issue to act up. That song has that 70s hi-fi sounding hiss in its intro.

Anyway, the reason I am posting is because, assuming this is the same for all, this may not be about interference or improper shielding, but it may be something specific to a certain frequency range, and background conditions, and essentially a design flaw in this MMI. It may be able to be remedied by a software update, but my guess is that it can't, and that it is likely a hardware flaw that they will only remedy for the next-gen MMI. So, I think we will have to live with this, or get rid of our cars.

Two other thoughts. For what it's worth, I have OCD, and this seems like amazing exposure therapy for me. This issue wouldn't bother about 75% of customers enough to get service involved other than during an ordinary service. That leads me to believe I could use some exposure to this occasional crackling until it just becomes normal, and something I likely wouldn't notice much or care about with time. Second, I am an attorney, and if enough people are really that pissed about this issue, I am willing to explore a possible class action. This does seem like an unacceptable design defect to me, despite my OCD comments.

CJB14

Thanks for your input. I would much rather see some effort from Audi to fix/replace the system than deal with a years-long class action that would be implemented long after my car is gone. Just like the recent Porsche class action for gas mileage BS.

masonchad1

Based on my past experience with a 2015 A3 2.0T I had that also had a major flaw with it's control module, I wouldn't expect a fix to an issue like this, unless it truly could be fixed in a software update. But, it appears it can't be, or it would have been by now. In that 2015 A3, the car had the stock stereo - not the B&O, which was unaffected - and the issue was that some songs with similar high frequencies would cause distortion and crackling (kinda similar to this issue), but only through bluetooth. When I would use the MMI cable they gave you back then, they would play fine. My regional rep got involved with that issue for over 6 months. I got the "hopefully a software update, or even an update to the module itself will fix this in time" story for a while. Ultimately, the rep called me and told me it was something that Audi couldn't put enough resources into fixing, and that I would have to live with it. He gave ma a nice service credit, and free XM for the life of the car. That issue was less annoying though because there was a bypass around it, unlike this one.

It's also worth noting that I just tested these songs I have found easily aggravate it at very low volumes, and they still made it act up. It's as if the exact input frequency wise for certain content just causes occasion distortion in this extremely faint way. I can't believe these types of issues I've had in 2 Audis now don't get caught in R&D. I would have caught them for sure in 48 hours of driving - like I did both times. Hate to say it, but I've owned several BMWs, and while they have had their own issues, their stereos have been issue free. I may not stick with Audi after this car, and it's my 5th in a row.

Dosko

Do you guys think that removal of the whole OE B&O sound system (amplifier, wiring, speakers) and installation of another, non Audi OE sound system might help with the issue? Anyone tried it?
I've thought about it, but the thing that worries me is that I've sat in a A3 with a standard sound system (180W amp instead of 680W B&O amp) and could still hear the popping sound, however it was less noticeable.

masonchad1

This would lead me to believe that as long as the input signal into any amp/speakers combination is coming from the current MIB3 system, it will likely make the sound.

AWDFTW

I tend to agree... It's the input to the amp/speakers. I recently spent some time in a 2023 Q3 loaner with the tech package and Sonos setup (which sounded very good, albeit lacking in the bass department) and the pops and crackles were there... as loud and annoying as ever. When is the next gen MMI coming?

masonchad1

Will that MMI even be able to just be updated as firmware, or only available in newer models? It's pretty shocking that they missed this in development, and/or that they expect customers to "just live with it." I'm pretty disappointed. Since I have an excellent service department at my dealer, I am going to ask the service manager about this issue, but that's about as far as I have the patience to take this at this point.

Do you think this happens on every single car with this MMI, or are we just a group of unfortunate people affected?

AWDFTW

Every car. I've tested six 2022/2023 models. 22 Q7 which I own, 2023 A4, 2023 Q3, 2023 Q5, 2023 S5, and another 23 Q7.
Dealer will deny it exists. It's crazytown.

masonchad1

Wow, that really is crazytown. Thank you for this speedy response however, as this is very useful information. As I said above, I have an excellent service department and I have a great relationship with them. I have already emailed the service manager about this issue, including several posts from this thread. I will report back when I hear what he has to say about this issue. I highly doubt they are unaware of it. But, I still fear that there may be no fix in sight.

ryan71098

Keep us posted! Thanks for looking into it and trying to get an answer.