- Dec 27, 2021
- 1,769
- 2,940
I disabled ESE in the first day or so of ownership and never felt the need to re-enable it, but I left ANC on, on the basis that it would dial out some of the more annoying frequencies without putting too much load on the weedy amp and speakers.
And so it remained until the other day when I fished out my OBD thingy and figured I’d do some Science™ to compare the various combinations, with the help of my son operating the phone while I booted it up hill and down dale.
ESE+ ANC+
Off-boost and at low revs it is tolerable, but as soon as the loud pedal is pressed the comical exaggerations of the ESE just dominate proceedings. Yes, it’s silly and - alright - a bit of fun, but it’s a Mr Blobby kind of fun; basic and gets old pretty quickly. You also miss what little remains of the genuine mechanical noise the car produces, a little bit of induction noise, an un-enhanced roar from the exhaust on WOT as the revs build, and even some pssshts! from the turbo, if you have the window open.
Listening to music: ESE so comprehensively overwhelms the factory audio system that any music fighting the artificial BRRRAAAAPPPP noises sounds utterly defeated. Just hyper compressed and muddled. There is only so much dynamic range and current available from the stock system and this just tramples over the lot.
Verdict: 1 Morizo out of 5
ESE+ ANC-
No real difference, for reasons which would become apparent later.
Music: Didn’t make much difference.
Verdict: 1/5
ESE- ANC-
Ahh, blessed relief! No longer cringing at the bellowing blare of ESE, you’re able to appreciate that the little Yaris sounds more like, well, a Yaris, albeit a fruity, motorsport-pitched one. Even as a 3-pot, it sounds so much better than a relatively puny 1.6 has any reason to, and it’s so much better for not trying to ‘roid itself up as if it was a yappy little terrier squaring up to a bull mastiff.
Music: So much clearer as the volume and/or revs increase. I wouldn’t say it’s pleasurable to listen to, but at least you can start to determine there are maybe individual musicians playing.
Verdict 3/5
ESE- ANC+
And so I ended up back where I started, and at first I wasn’t sure it was making much difference. But a few A:B comparisons, some blind, did make me realise the subtle effect the ANC was having. It’s not anywhere near the impact of ESE, but with ANC on there is a definite blunting of some of the more egregious and annoying frequencies, and it does contribute to a more agreeable ambiance.
Music: Not much/any difference to the previous combination. If anything, it might be a little better. In theory, ANC should rob some dynamic range from the system’s meagre capabilities, and maybe it does, but if it does it is not notable, so the marginal benefits definitely outweigh any theoretical downside.
Verdict: 3.5/5
So, if nothing else I confirmed that I made the right choice all those months ago. Yet I still ended up at only 3.5 Morizos out of 5?!
Well, the Yaris is never going to sound epic. Even though 3-pots can, in theory, be quite characterful, this one will always be blunted by its turbo and (in Euro-spec at least) by the GPF.
I suspect a theoretical (legally-compliant!) 5/5 Morizos would probably go to a car with ESE off, ANC on, and some combination of decent, non-droney exhaust (HKS Super Turbo?), induction (Eventuri?), and a mildly upgraded audio system, such as @Lauren specified.
At the end of the day, it’s never going to sound like a W204 C63, or even an 90s Alfa TwinSpark, so I see little point in trying to make it into something that makes your heart beat faster with nosies alone. It will only ever sound ‘okay’, and can easily sound ’pretty crap’, based on some of the exhausts I’ve heard.
As ever, this is my personal opinion and you may love ESE and your wikkid bruv exhaust & VTA dump valve, so your ymmv, as our American friends would say
And so it remained until the other day when I fished out my OBD thingy and figured I’d do some Science™ to compare the various combinations, with the help of my son operating the phone while I booted it up hill and down dale.
ESE+ ANC+
Off-boost and at low revs it is tolerable, but as soon as the loud pedal is pressed the comical exaggerations of the ESE just dominate proceedings. Yes, it’s silly and - alright - a bit of fun, but it’s a Mr Blobby kind of fun; basic and gets old pretty quickly. You also miss what little remains of the genuine mechanical noise the car produces, a little bit of induction noise, an un-enhanced roar from the exhaust on WOT as the revs build, and even some pssshts! from the turbo, if you have the window open.
Listening to music: ESE so comprehensively overwhelms the factory audio system that any music fighting the artificial BRRRAAAAPPPP noises sounds utterly defeated. Just hyper compressed and muddled. There is only so much dynamic range and current available from the stock system and this just tramples over the lot.
Verdict: 1 Morizo out of 5
ESE+ ANC-
No real difference, for reasons which would become apparent later.
Music: Didn’t make much difference.
Verdict: 1/5
ESE- ANC-
Ahh, blessed relief! No longer cringing at the bellowing blare of ESE, you’re able to appreciate that the little Yaris sounds more like, well, a Yaris, albeit a fruity, motorsport-pitched one. Even as a 3-pot, it sounds so much better than a relatively puny 1.6 has any reason to, and it’s so much better for not trying to ‘roid itself up as if it was a yappy little terrier squaring up to a bull mastiff.
Music: So much clearer as the volume and/or revs increase. I wouldn’t say it’s pleasurable to listen to, but at least you can start to determine there are maybe individual musicians playing.
Verdict 3/5
ESE- ANC+
And so I ended up back where I started, and at first I wasn’t sure it was making much difference. But a few A:B comparisons, some blind, did make me realise the subtle effect the ANC was having. It’s not anywhere near the impact of ESE, but with ANC on there is a definite blunting of some of the more egregious and annoying frequencies, and it does contribute to a more agreeable ambiance.
Music: Not much/any difference to the previous combination. If anything, it might be a little better. In theory, ANC should rob some dynamic range from the system’s meagre capabilities, and maybe it does, but if it does it is not notable, so the marginal benefits definitely outweigh any theoretical downside.
Verdict: 3.5/5
So, if nothing else I confirmed that I made the right choice all those months ago. Yet I still ended up at only 3.5 Morizos out of 5?!
Well, the Yaris is never going to sound epic. Even though 3-pots can, in theory, be quite characterful, this one will always be blunted by its turbo and (in Euro-spec at least) by the GPF.
I suspect a theoretical (legally-compliant!) 5/5 Morizos would probably go to a car with ESE off, ANC on, and some combination of decent, non-droney exhaust (HKS Super Turbo?), induction (Eventuri?), and a mildly upgraded audio system, such as @Lauren specified.
At the end of the day, it’s never going to sound like a W204 C63, or even an 90s Alfa TwinSpark, so I see little point in trying to make it into something that makes your heart beat faster with nosies alone. It will only ever sound ‘okay’, and can easily sound ’pretty crap’, based on some of the exhausts I’ve heard.
As ever, this is my personal opinion and you may love ESE and your wikkid bruv exhaust & VTA dump valve, so your ymmv, as our American friends would say
