First of all, I guarantee you
something is different. Although as I have now discovered (read on), it's surely aftermarket and not just an OEM BRZ/FR-S difference. Although, here are the details of my experience anyway. The difference was so shocking that I started to wonder if they'd make an OEM solution...hence me posting here in the Monogram thread.
The BRZ was built 9/12 and has the original head unit. My FR-S was built 6/12 and I have Bespoke.
I made it a point to reset the EQ to flat and turn off all the DSP stuff in the BRZ. Same in my FR-S (which, by the way, was correctly set to "FR-S" when I got the car).
With the car off, the timbre of the audio sounded pretty much identical to my FR-S overall. However, there are certain bass frequencies that really rattle my door panels; I played those songs in the BRZ--no rattles.
When you're moving, that's where the difference was HUGE. I actually switched wheels (!) so I tried them both on Michelin Primacy HP as well as my BFG Rivals. There is VASTLY less tire/road noise in the BRZ with both tires. Not only does that make the whole driving experience less fatiguing, there isn't as much noise blocking the music. I listened to the same album back to back the same highway and it was just much more clear and pleasant in the BRZ.
Well,
I thought I had read that the BRZ came stock with a bit more insulation in the doors and under the carpet.
But upon comparison...they seem to be the same. These are the only two pics I could find:
So if they both have the same amount of insulation (which is pretty much none) then the BRZ I drove
definitely has some aftermarket sound insulation. Well in that case, I think it's time to add some weight to my floors and doors to make my daily commute more bearable. That shouldn't take too many tenths off my autocross times
