JBL MS-2 Car Audio Optimizer

I will preface this review by telling you that I used to compete in USACi car audio sound quality competitions many years ago. This does not make me an expert, just a guy who knows a little about the stuff this product claims to help with. When I received this device after ordering it I wanted to play with my new toy. My wife has a 2013 Hyundai Elantra with all of the bells and whistles. I plugged it in and started to use it within a minute or so. While it did sound better from a equalized standpoint, if only marginally, from a spacial standpoint I could not find that sweet spot. So in most newer car systems this does work, but is not great, simply because of them having so many speakers from different areas. In this case, the MS-8 would be a much better choice, but is far more expensive and will need professional installation. I then moved to my car, which is a 1985 BMW 535i. This car simply has 2 4x6 coaxial speakers in the kick panel area, powered by an older Alpine head unit. This is the type of set up in which this device shines. Just one point source on each side makes this device go from "meh" to "spectacular!". Following the directions and using several different places to get the exact right spot my stage is dead center on the hood of my car (The word stage is used to say where the sound appears to originate.) It really only takes maybe 30 seconds to change the settings completely too. Even the built in equalization is pretty darn good. I have an Alpine ERA-G320 14 band equalizer in another car and understand tuning an EQ (I have not used it in that car, but I am looking forward to it.) I will likely buy another unit for that car, it should make an even larger difference with a real setup, but still just 2 channels and a subwoofer. There is a "fault" which I believe to be put in on purpose. After a certain amount of time, it stops allowing you to change the settings without completely shutting it down and unplugging it. It still plays through with all of the set parameters, you just can't change those parameters. My own belief is that this was done so you cannot accidentally change the settings by pressing a button. From my searching for reviews before purchasing, JBL themselves have not said anything about this at all. I don't imagine they will now, since it has been discontinued, which is a shame on both counts. In the right circumstances I can't give the JBL MS-2 enough praise. In the past, I have hidden speakers in dash vents to get the proper center staging, which would pull it in on the down side. This seems to be a miracle device and it lives up to that billing without a doubt. Just don't expect it to be the JBL MS-8, which it is not. That seems to be a whole different animal for multi point speaker sources. I do not own a MS-8 though. 1 last piece of advice would be that with the MS-2, I would separate from the sub channel completely if you can in your system. It does make it a little complicated, but I believe it would provide a better more positive experience.

I was hoping for the best and really wanted this to work. First it does change the sound. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Set up is easy but you have to find the right location and a few inches makes a big difference. When I did get it "right" the killer for me was all of the wires. There is no good place to place this. I drive a 2013 Accord coupe and there is ample space but this thing and all the wires! What a cluster. In all fairness I gave up on using this even though the sound change was for the better because of the clutter. If this was Bluetooth enabled and you could tuck it away I would have given it 3 stars. Amazon as usual delivered. I just couldn't get over the clutter.

Overall, this works as advertised -- it measures the response of the audio system and creates a filter for better listening. However, it has a number of quirks which limit its usefulness. It not only modifies the frequencies like an equalizer, but it also corrects for the offset listening position relative to the speakers. What you end up with is a phantom center channel that really sounds like the music is coming from the center of your dash, not the sides of your head. It's almost too strong of an effect, though, as the soundstage seems rather narrow, without a lot of stereo separation unless the source has a lot. The main problem I have with it is that the "imaging" setting resets every time I turn on the car; the light looks like it's on, but audibly, it is not. I have to turn the feature off then back on every time I enter the car. This alone prevents me from setting it once and tucking it away. I already added an aftermarket amp in-between my head-unit and speakers, so adding the MS-2 in-between the head-unit and amp was a natural fit. The MS-2 cannot take a high-level signal, but that was not a problem in my case. If you're not experienced in car audio modifications, you'll want to use the unit as described in the manual -- place between your music player and the auxiliary input. As others have mentioned, this probably will only work well if you mainly listen with the two front set of speakers. I think that the high-end is a bit harsh, but this is probably due to not having better speakers. There is a treble adjustment, and once the MS-2 is configured, there's no reason you can't go back and fine-tune using the stereo controls as well. Just keep in mind that when running the MS-2's auto-configuration, you'll want to set everything as "neutral" as possible, to get a good starting point. UPDATE: a short in a cable fried the unit. I did not immediately replace it. Time passed, and I got another MS-2, this time using it between my phone and the car's AUX jack. The improvement in imaging is great. As before, the treble is pretty bright, but overall, speech is clearer, so it's probably a good thing. Soundstage is raised towards the windshield, so that the sound is coming more from in front of you, rather than down in the footwells. In a slight change from my previous recommendation, I suggest setting the car bass and treble controls to your preference, then run the tuning for the MS-2. In that way, you can get your preferred settings when not listening to your AUX input. Also, don't be afraid to re-run the MS-2 training step until you get a balance that you prefer. Like the 1st unit, this one also has the imaging setting turned off every time the unit starts, even though the light indicates that it is turned on. It's a bit messy, with extra cables running back and forth, but I like the improvement in the soundstage, clarity, and imaging.

This processor is very easy to use and can benefit poor-sounding systems. I've had better luck tuning an EQ myself, however.

I got this for my 2009 BMW 3 series which has a factory HiFi system (not logic7). My car has a total of 10 speakers in the car and after market subwoofer in trunk. After running setup 10-15 times and trying various settings, I got pretty poor results. 1. bass seems more flat (not rich/deep as before) 2. music sounds artificial - hard to explain this one, it just sounds more tonal/treble and less midbass/Bass 3. I did like the IMAGE feature - which makes the music sound as if it is coming from the center of your dashboard. This is very cool. 4. I did notice an improvement in tonal / mid vocal quality - it seemed more clear and louder . After trying several different settings, I could never get it to sound better than my original stock system. After unplugging the ms-2, I got my rich/deep bass back and also a more realistic balanced sound. Overall, I would say this product is not a good fit for mid to high end luxury car stereos. I suppose it could work well in cars that have a low end or bone stock factory system with 4-6 speakers. But, it did not work on my BMW.