SVC Audio: Highway Hero or Unnecessary Distraction?
Have you ever noticed that your car’s audio system struggles to keep up with the road noise while driving on the highway? That’s where SVC Audio comes into play.
SVC is an acronym that has multiple meanings in the audio world. It stands for either Speed Volume Compensation or Single Voice Coin. If you’ve found this acronym in your car’s audio setup, it probably means “Speed Volume Compensation.”
Let’s take a look at how this technology works and how exactly it creates a better driving experience. But SVC isn’t perfect, and it has two drawbacks that most car owners aren’t aware of.
What is Speed Volume Compensation? Speed Volume Compensation, also known as Speed Compensating Volume (SCV) or Speed Sensitive Volume (SSV), increases the volume of your car stereo when you drive faster. Road noise, engine noise and wind noise drown out your audio system at low volumes. With SVC enabled, you don’t have to constantly adjust the volume when driving at different speeds.
This is a particularly useful feature when you’re on a highway with signals and frequently go from 100 to 0 and back to 60 mph.
How does SVC work?
In modern cars, SVC gets its data from the speedometer. The audio system is then programmed to increase or decrease the volume by a set amount depending on your speed.
Many vehicles have different speed compensation levels that can be set. A low SVC means very little volume adjustment. A high SVC means a significant increase in volume at higher speeds. If you turn this feature off, the volume will not change. However, if you have modified your car to have a louder exhaust or are driving without a catalytic converter, SVC (even at its highest setting) may not be of much use to you.
How to enable SVC
Speed volume compensation can be found in the audio settings of your infotainment system. This setting varies from vehicle to vehicle, but you can find it under Settings -> Audio -> SVC or Speed Volume Compensation or similar.
Please note that not all vehicles have an SVC setting in their factory head units. Fortunately, some aftermarket head units have speed-dependent volume control.
Benefits of SVC
Using SVC offers several advantages over manual volume control. For these reasons, you should enable this feature.
1) Improved audio experience
When your audio music adjusts out the background white noise, you are less likely to miss the next sentence of your audiobook while speeding through traffic jams.
2) Enhanced security
Speed volume compensation frees up your hands so you don’t have to adjust the volume yourself. This is especially useful in vehicles that don’t have volume controls on the steering wheel. Plus, it’s one less thing you have to think about.
SVC Limitations
SVC is a very useful feature, but it doesn’t always work perfectly. Here are some limitations of the software:
1) Possible over-compensation
If you have ever tried to adjust your SVC settings, you may find that your ideal compensation level is somewhere between the two options offered by the manufacturer.
In this case, the SVC setting is not quite adequate for your particular environment, tire choice, or driving style. You may have to choose between under-compensation, which makes the volume less regulated than you would like, and over-compensation, which makes the volume too loud at higher speeds.
2) Compatibility issues with aftermarket stereo systems
If you are considering an aftermarket audio system, make sure your vehicle’s SVC control is compatible with the aftermarket system. In general, not all aftermarket systems have all the OEM features. For example, if you replace your vehicle’s factory head unit, you often need to purchase a peripheral to control the steering wheel.
What is a single voice coil?A single voice coil is a type of speaker or subwoofer that has only one coil of wire. It is less expensive than a dual voice coil, but it offers less flexibility when combining wires.