CD player SAAB 9-5 2001 Owners Manual
Page 81 of 272
81 Saab 9-5 Audio System
Saab 9-5 Audio 
SystemQuick guide to the Saab 
9-5 Audio System ...........    83 
Sound controls.................    85 
Radio .................................   86 
Cassette player ................    88 
CD player ..........................    91 
CD changer .......................    93 
Programmable functions.    97 
Steering-wheel controls ..    98 
Security lock.....................    98 
Technical data ..................    99 
Installation of car phone 
(option) ............................   103 
Fault codes .......................    104 
IB1198
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82 Saab 9-5 Audio SystemTo get the best out of your Saab 9-5 Audio 
System, we recommend that you read 
through this entire section.
The Saab 9-5 Audio System is available in 
two versions: Premium on the 9-5 and Pres-
tige on the 9-5 SE and 9-5 Aero (Prestige 
system is also available as an option in the 
U.S. on the 9-5 model.) Both models have 
been specially matched to the Saab 9-5 
cabin.
The two models are comprised of a radio, 
CD player and cassette player.
A six-disc CD changer for installation in the 
luggage compartment is available as a 
dealer-installed accessory/option.
The Premium model has seven speakers: 
three mounted in the fascia (the center 
speaker further enhances the overall sound 
image) and one in each door.
The Prestige model (Harman/Kardon) has 
nine speakers (9-5 Wagon has eight speak-
ers): three mounted in the fascia (the center 
speaker further enhances the sound 
image), one in each door and two subwoof-
ers in the rear window shelf (9-5 Wagon: 
one subwoofer in the luggage compart-
ment). The subwoofers enhance reproduc-
tion of the lowest bass notes.The Audio System is connected to the Saab 
Information Display (SID), which is at the 
top of the main instrument panel. Mes-
sages, indicators and the like for the Audio 
System are shown on this display.
Indicator 
AS  Radio is in Autostore mode 
RDM  Random playback of CD 
tracks when CD player 
selected 
(DOLBY B/C) DOLBY B/C noise reduction 
on for cassette player 
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84 Saab 9-5 Audio SystemCassette player. See page 88 
CD player. See page  91 CD changer (accessory/option). See page  93 
Press once: Selects cassette player when 
other source active.
When tape playing: Dolby B/C ON/OFF.
Switch to playback other side of tape.
Eject.
Press once: Music search (next track).
Press & hold briefly: Fast forward/rewind. 
Press SEEK (mid-segment) (a chime will 
sound): Blank skip ON/OFF. 
Press once: switch to CD player when other 
source active.
Press & hold briefly (a chime will sound): 
Random playback. 
Press once: Track search.
Press & hold briefly: Rapid play (passage 
search) or Fast track search.
Press SEEK (mid-segment) once (a chime 
will sound): Switches between Rapid play 
(PLAY) and Fast track search (TRACK). 
Press SEEK (mid-segment) & hold briefly (a 
chime will sound): Scan disc.
SEEKCDRDMSEEK
Remove CD.
Press once: Change to CD changer when CD 
player is active.
Press twice: Change to CD changer when radio 
or cassette player is active.
Press & hold briefly (a chime will sound): 
Random playback of entire magazine. 
Press once: Track search on current disc.
Press & hold briefly: Rapid play.
Press SEEK (mid-segment) once: Switch 
between Rapid play (PLAY) and Fast track 
search (TRACK). 
Press SEEK (mid-segment) & hold briefly (a 
chime will sound): Scan/disc.
Press SEEK (mid-segment) & hold 
(2 chimes): Scan/magazine.
Selects disc in magazine.
CDRDMSEEK2 13
5 46
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88 Saab 9-5 Audio SystemCassette player Before playing a tape, make sure that the 
label is secure and that the cassette is not 
warped, otherwise the cassette can 
become jammed in the deck. The cassette 
player automatically senses whether the 
tape is normal or metal (Type I or Type II). TAPE (1) Turn on the cassette player by pressing 
 or by inserting a cassette in the 
deck, with the exposed tape to the right. 
Playback will start with the side that is facing 
up (indicated by A on the display). The dis-
play will now be as follows: Playback direction (2) To play the other side of the tape, 
press . 
The deck will automatically change the play-
back direction when the end of the tape is 
reached, be it during playback, fast 
forward/rewind or music search. 
Dolby
® noise reduction (3) 
Press TAPE/DOLBY to switch on Dolby NR 
B/C. 
Dolby B/C should be on for playback of 
tapes recorded with Dolby B/C, and off for 
those recorded without Dolby B/C. 
Eject button (4) To stop playback of a tape, press the eject 
button   or select another source. 
If you select another source without press-
ing the eject button, the tape will remain in 
the deck but the head and pinch rollers will 
be clear of the tape. The same applies if the 
Audio System is switched off while a tape is 
being played. Tapes can still be ejected 
when the system is turned off. 
IB1090
VOL
TREBAL ON
FA D BAS
PULL PUSH
CDRDM
RADIO  BAND
ASSEARCH
2 13
5 46
DOLBY B NR
 SEEK
3
5
2
4
1
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90 Saab 9-5 Audio SystemType II (metal) tapes The cassette has an automatic tape-type 
selector. Cleaning-due indicator After 30 hours’ playing time, the following 
message will appear on the display: 
The message will be displayed for ten 
seconds each time the cassette player is 
selected. 
A cleaning tape should be used to clean the 
heads inside the cassette player to maintain 
good reproduction and to prevent unneces-
sary wear. 
To reset the playing-time meter: 
1 Remove the current tape. 
2 Load the cleaning tape and play it for the 
required time. 
3 Remove the cleaning tape and reload 
the other one. 
Tape care Do not expose cassette tapes to direct sun-
light or to extremes of temperature as this 
can damage the cassette and the tape. 
Always keep cassettes in their boxes when 
not in use. 
If a cassette should become jammed in the 
deck, seek help from an authorized Saab 
dealer. 
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91 Saab 9-5 Audio System
CD playerTo select the CD mode, load a CD into the 
deck or, if one is already loaded, press the 
CD/RDM button.
Insert the CD, label-side up, and allow the 
mechanism to load it automatically. Play-
back of the first track will start and the follow-
ing message will appear on the display: 
A tiny, amber-colored LED indicator to the 
left of the disc tray is illuminated when a disc 
is loaded. 
When all the tracks have been played, the 
CD player will restart playback from track 1. 
To cancel playback, press the eject, RADIO 
or TAPE button. 
Track search (1) Press   or   repeatedly to move 
to preceding or following tracks. Pressing 
 once will restart playback from the 
beginning of the current track. Thus, to play 
the preceding track, press   twice. 
Rapid play (passage search) When   or   is pressed and 
held, rapid play will be initiated, with the time 
and track showing on the display, e.g.: 
If the button is depressed for more than 
5 seconds, the rapid play will be even faster. 
Rapid play stops when the button is 
released. 
NOTEDo not use writeable CDs in your Audio 
System. In certain cases, this type of CD 
is only suitable for home use and can 
therefore cause operational problems.
IB1096
VOL
TREBAL ON
FAD BAS
PULL PUSH
CDRDM
RADIO  BAND
ASSEARCH
2 13
5 46
DOLBY B NR
 SEEK
2
1
3
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92 Saab 9-5 Audio SystemFast track search Press   (mid-segment) once to 
switch between the CD-PLAY and 
CD-TRACK modes. 
The CD-PLAY and CD-TRACK modes 
change the function of   and  . 
The selected mode will also be active the 
next time the system is switched on. 
Choose the mode that you find most conve-
nient:  
Random playback (RDM) (2) Press and hold the CD/RDM button to 
select/deselect random playback of the cur-
rent disc. When this function is selected, 
RDM will appear at the bottom of the dis-
play. 
Press   once to move from the current 
track to the next during random playback. 
Press   once to repeat the current 
track during random playback. 
Pressing and holding   or   will 
start Rapid play. SCAN To start the SCAN function, which enables 
you to hear a sample of each track on the 
disc, press and hold   (mid-seg-
ment). The display shows that SCAN is in 
progress and which track is currently being 
sampled. For instance, if you started SCAN 
while playing the first track, the following 
display will appear: 
The sample playback starts 30 seconds 
after the start of the track and lasts for 8 sec-
onds. 
When all the tracks on the disc have been 
scanned, the system will revert to playback 
of the track that was playing when SCAN 
was selected. Press any segment of the SEEK button 
during scanning to play the current track 
from the beginning and simultaneously 
cancel the SCAN function. 
Eject (3) Press   to remove the disc. 
If you press the eject button to open the tray 
but do not remove the disc, the CD player 
will automatically close the tray again after 
10 seconds, without restarting playback. 
CD PLAY  Pressing and holding 
 or   briefly 
starts Rapid play 
CD TRACK  Pressing and holding 
 or   briefly 
starts Fast track search 
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93 Saab 9-5 Audio System
CD changer(accessory)Important! Always keep the sliding cover 
closed to keep dust out of the CD changer, 
so that it will continue to provide satisfactory 
service for a long time. To load the CD changer (which is installed 
in the luggage compartment and can 
accommodate six CDs) proceed as follows: 
1 Slide the top back. 
2 Lift out the CD magazine. 
3 Press back the catch on the magazine. 
4 Withdraw one CD tray at a time and 
swap/load the CD (label side up). Slide 
the tray back into the magazine. 
Note the position of the magazine for load-
ing (see picture). 
Insert the entire magazine carefully inside 
the CD changer and slide back the cover.
To select the CD changer  If the Audio System is in the RADIO or 
TAPE mode, press the CD/RDM button 
twice. 
 If the CD player is active, press the 
CD/RDM button once. 
If the CDs in the magazine have not been 
changed, the system will start playback 
from where it left off before. 
If there is no magazine in the CD changer, 
the following will appear on the display: 
NOTEDo not use writeable CDs in your Audio 
System. In certain cases, this type of CD 
is only suitable for home use and can 
therefore cause operational problems.
IB383
4
3
Changing a CD 
IB1341
2
1
CD changer in luggage compartment, 
Saab 9-5 Sedan
IB1208
CD changer in luggage compartment, 
Saab 9-5 Wagon
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99 Saab 9-5 Audio System
Technical data 
 These specifications comply with the new IHF Standard
 Since the policy at Saab is one of continual improvement, we retain the right to alter 
specifications and design without prior notice. 
 Dolby noise reduction is produced under licence from Dolby Laboratories Licensing 
Corporation 
 ”Dolby” and the double-D symbol   are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licens-
ing Corporation
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer for compliance 
could void the user´s authority to operate the equipment.
Tone controls 
Bass  ______________________ ±10 dB at 100 Hz 
Treble  _____________________ ±10 dB at 10,000 Hz 
Power output 
Premium __________________ 150 W
110 W at 1% THD (total har-
monic distortion) and 13.5 V
Prestige __________________ 200 W
150 W at 1% THD (total har-
monic distortion) and 13.5 V
Radio module 
Radio system  _______________ PLL dual-synthesizer tuner
Number of presets:
FM  ______________________ 3 x 6 
AM  ______________________ 2 x 6 
Frequency range:
FM  ______________________ 87.9 – 107.9 MHz 
MW  ______________________ 530 – 1710 kHz 
WB  ______________________ 162.40 – 162.55 MHz 
Tuning steps:
Automatic seek tuning:  _______ FM 200 kHz
AM 10 kHz
WB 50 kHz 
Manual tuning:  _____________ FM 200 kHz
AM 10 kHzFrequency range (FM)  ________ 40-15000 Hz
±1 dB 
Distortion (FM)  ______________ < 0.5% 
Cassette player 
Fast forward/rewind  __________ < 120 seconds (C-60) 
Frequency range _____________ 40 – 16000 Hz
±2 dB 
Wow and flutter  ______________ 0.2% WRMS 
Signal-to-noise ratio  __________ 45 dB 
Dolby B/C NR effect  __________ 8/16 dB 
CD player and CD changer 
1-bit system and 8 x oversampling 
Frequency range _____________ 20-20000 Hz
±0.5 dB 
Distortion __________________ < 0.008% 
Dynamics  __________________ > 80 dB (1 kHz) 
CD-changer capacity __________  6 discs
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105 Saab 9-5 Audio System
 
OnStar SystemYour vehicle may be equipped with OnStar, 
a vehicle telematics communications and 
navigation system. Please consult the sep-
arate chapter in this owner’s manual, page 
107.
WARNING
The CD player/CD changer is classified 
as Class 1 laser equipment 
 Service and repair work must only be 
carried out by authorized technicians. 
 If the casing is damaged, hazardous 
laser radiation can occur. NOTEAll work on the Audio System must be 
carried out by an authorized Saab dealer.
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