‘2012 Camry has it.’
An Audi enthusiast shows fellow owners a feature he believes they might not know about. Here’s what it is.
TikTok creator @a6builds filmed the video inside his Audi A6. “99% of Audi owners miss this hidden audio setting,” he writes in the video’s text overlay.
He then explains what he means in detail. “If you own an Audi, then you will not know this feature exists,” he says.
The TikToker goes to the infotainment screen and hits a series of buttons to get to the Media settings.
“From there, come into Sound Settings and then come over to Balance and Fader,” he says. “And then, use this little trackpad, and that will allow you to put the music anywhere in the car.”
In the caption, he writes, “I can’t believe how long it took me to find this. Do you keep yours in the middle, too?”
In the comments section of the video, several viewers panned the content. “Bruh, like every car has this,” wrote one viewer. “2012 Camry has it.”
A second person said, “[Volkswagen] has this too.”
According to Extreme Audio, the fader/balance setting is not only common but is also one of the more important features on your car stereo.
Essentially, as explained in this Limitless Electronics blog post, the fade setting allows the user to choose how the volume balances between the front and back speakers. The balance setting controls the volume of the speakers on either side of the vehicle.
So, now the question is: what is the best fader/balance setting strategy? The answer to the TikToker’s question might be slightly different depending on vehicle design and preference and/or lifestyle of the individual driver. One Reddit user posted to r/LifeProTips to reveal how they personally choose to use the setting.
“If you mostly drive alone, set the audio fader slightly toward the rear and the balance slightly to the passenger side to account for the fact that you are not seated directly in the center of the vehicle,” the person wrote. “Viola. Perfect stereo surround sound.”
In the comments, one person wrote, “I’ve been doing this for years and it improves the audio to no end. The passengers can’t hear a word you’re saying, though.”
In this Reddit thread posted to r/Audi three years ago, several commenters said they actually choose to set the fade toward the rear seats because it makes it easier to communicate with passengers. Again, it appears to come down to personal preference.
Motor1 contacted Audi and @a6builds via email for comment. We will update this story if either responds.
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