# The "sound restorer" on my HU, what does it do?



## Bobbyeggertonson (May 20, 2016)

I'm slowly piecing together a system for my 2016 BRZ and have been messing with the stock EQ and features as much as I can since I don't have a DSP yet. Anyway, whenever headunits have a feature like this, is there any actual digital restoration going on, or is it just a false EQ curve to make it sound more "hi if"? I keep going back and forth on whether or not I should leave it on. Let me know if you guys have any info on this. Thanks.


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## RRizz (Sep 4, 2012)

Just a guess, mind you, but I would have to say there is NO restoration going on here....Just an EQ like you mentioned. I cant see any possible way it could "Restore" digital information.


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## metanium (Feb 2, 2007)

I'm pretty sure it's similar to a "Loudness" button. It boosts the low-end and high-end to add some boom and sizzle. No restoration is going on.


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

Bobbyeggertonson said:


> I'm slowly piecing together a system for my 2016 BRZ and have been messing with the stock EQ and features as much as I can since I don't have a DSP yet. Anyway, whenever headunits have a feature like this, is there any actual digital restoration going on, or is it just a false EQ curve to make it sound more "hi if"? I keep going back and forth on whether or not I should leave it on. Let me know if you guys have any info on this. Thanks.


check the owners manual, but most likely it is designed to increase the base and treble curve when the car goes faster to overcome the road noise of higher speed.


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

I don't think it's a loudness feature, like some people suggest, but it could be. You'll need to check the manual, but I would guess it's more to "improve" lower bit rate files. We're all speculating since there really isn't a standardized term for many of these features. What one brand calls "loudness" another might call "sound restorer."


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## Zippy (Jul 21, 2013)

Bobbyeggertonson said:


> I'm slowly piecing together a system for my 2016 BRZ and have been messing with the stock EQ and features as much as I can since I don't have a DSP yet. Anyway, whenever headunits have a feature like this, is there any actual digital restoration going on, or is it just a false EQ curve to make it sound more "hi if"? I keep going back and forth on whether or not I should leave it on. Let me know if you guys have any info on this. Thanks.


Subaru is one of the auto manufacturers licensed for Audessey software use for tuning their stereos. Check the manual and see if this is one of the head units that support it. If not then most likely it road noise cancellation. My factory head unit that was in my 2013 BRZ did not have it. Maybe they changed the head units.


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## Bobbyeggertonson (May 20, 2016)

They have in fact changed the HU for 2016 since BRZs come with backup cameras now. It doesn't seem to be a loudness type effect. The only thing I notice is the high end gets a bit brighter and more crisp. I actually kind of like the way it sounds with it on. It seems to do more for some tracks than others, but that could be placebo. I was just wondering if there was any sort of digital enhancing going on here, because I couldn't imagine how they accomplish that, especially on a stock HU which honestly is not the greatest. But oh well, I think it sounds better on, so I guess I'll just leave it ha.


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## FordEscape (Nov 23, 2014)

Per page 10 of the online manual (google is your friend)....

"Sound Restorer - Select to add high-pitched tone to the compressed audio file." (on or off)

Then there's ....

"Virtual Bass - Select to add harmonic tone so that low-pitched tone is strengthened." (off, low, mid, high)

????

http://techinfo.subaru.com/proxy/108964/pdf/ownerManual/108964_2016_BRZ/MSA5M1616ASTIS_7.pdf
http://techinfo.subaru.com/proxy/108964/pdf/ownerManual/108964_2016_BRZ/MSA5M1616ASTIS_8.pdf


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## Pariah Zero (Mar 23, 2016)

*The &quot;sound restorer&quot; on my HU, what does it do?*

MP3 in particular is quite old. One of the techniques many MP3 encoders use to get a smaller file is to simply low-pass at 15 kHz. It's a simple, computationally simple way to cut the MP3 file size by 25%. (Few adults can hear above 15 kHz anyway, so it's a reasonable engineering decision/sacrifice). I know my hearing cuts out between 15-16 kHz, so it definitely "works for me."

Newer codecs (AAC, Vorbis, Opus) had more processing power when they were designed, and more knowledge of how hearing works. They didn't have butcher the signal as much as MP3, and preserve higher frequencies much better than MP3.

The "restorer" is a cheap DSP that "makes up" higher frequency harmonics based on the lower frequency signal.

It can't actually restore anything; it's a process that creates noise in a way some people find pleasing.

For what it's worth: Bluetooth's compresses everything using a compression called SBC, which is closely related to MP2 (which came before MP3).

AptX (another Bluetooth codec that is somehow "new") dates back to the 1980's, and is even less capable. Most consumers see the higher bit rate of AptX and think "it has to sound better!"

Um. No. It's just wasting bandwidth and power with a primitive, inefficient codec.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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