Audio in the car??

Rocker

I would not expect a great sound from the 'stereo' in my car.  OK it will play CDs, has a radio and bluetooth and all that but it sounds reasonable for speech and tiring for music.

It does surprise me that some folks do care about the sound in their cars.  Not the boom boom thump thump that you hear from the boy racer cruising around town sound.  But genuine hi-fi quality sound.

Some clubs and organisations have audio quality competitions for in car systems.  Read this guide for the judges: http://www.teamaudionutz.com/tutorial/27/What_is_Sound_Quality_and_How_is_it_Judged

Fascinating.

Phil_aka_Pip

If I could afford a car in which there was no road, engine or otherwise noise, so that it was worth having a stereo system with a better frequency response than a late 60s Phillips Cassette player, then I'd still buy a cheaper car and spend the difference on my hi fi at home.

viz

Word. The law. Wisdom. Truth.

ICBM

If the sound quality of the car stereo matters that much to you, you're not giving your full attention to what you're supposed to be... ie driving.

Foster

Has Russ Andrews started selling car batteries yet?

cruxiform

All car stereos should be tuned to Radio 4 and have their buttons ripped off. IMO of course

bazxkr

Must admit the quality of sound system is importrant to me in choice of car sad bugger that I am !
Always take my ipod and play my fave 'test track' (highway star from made in japan) before signing on the dotted line.
Oddly enough the Sony system in my Mondeo sounds way better than the Harmon Kardon premium system in my Jag.
Difference over 8 yrs auto manuf. makes to sound improvement !

Foster

Audio quality matters to you and you take an iPod?

bazxkr

Foster said:

Audio quality matters to you and you take an iPod?

Yep, handy when jumping around multiple cars and tbh it sounds bloody good..especially in the Ford which I would not expect. Cheapest car out of em & puts both Jag & BMW sound to shame. Agreed it is the top range Ford Sony system but it is standard fit. You'd be surprised how good it sounds. Off ipod/HD etc very little difference from putting CDs in.

Altho like @cruxiform says most of the time I'm listening to radio 4 (especially the plays & who needs hifi for that)

ICBM

Foster said:

Audio quality matters to you and you take an iPod?

Depends what format the track is in… iPods will play full uncompressed AIFF/WAVs as well - same as taking a CD with you. I demonstrated this to a singer I was working with a couple of years ago - she was doing a solo showcase gig with backing tracks and was against me running the track from my iPod, until I demonstrated the difference between the mp3 and the AIFF version of the same track. It's not the hardware that's the issue.

In any case, I would have thought that the limitations of the car as a listening space outweigh the difference between CD and any decently encoded mp3 anyway.

Phil_aka_Pip

bazxkr said:

Always ... play my fave 'test track' (highway star from made in japan) before signing on the dotted line.

Dangerous! Any Deep Purple makes me drive like a demented dingbat (can't say it isn't fun though!)

Foster

bazxkr said:

Altho like @cruxiform says most of the time I'm listening to radio 4 (especially the plays & who needs hifi for that)

Why not just stick Radio 4 on then?

Danny1969

These days I'm more concerned about the quality of the stereo in the car then the power of the engine. I find driving so boring that a good stereo and some good music is a must

RobDavies

I'd go along with that @Danny1969.

I'm not into cars particularly but I do like a nice audio system.   I bought a brand new Corsa a year or so ago - for my commute to work - and the CD player is crap, frankly.

However, all the "trim" is now out of warranty, so I'm off to the local ICE emporium to have something nice fitted when I can afford it.

The fifty-odd minutes I spend in my car each day is the only real chance I get to really turn the volume up, too.

Richardj

Obviously replaced the OEM cd player in our Hyundai 4x4 with a nice Alpine one that takes the iPod. Guy in the shop was really trying to sell a full speaker package too but pointless with rumbly tyres and a big turbo diesel up front. Still sounds just fine to us however.

monquixote

I stuck a Kenwood in my Audi which made quite a pleasant improvement to the sound quality though it wasn't overly expensive.

Complaining about use of compressed formats in a car makes no sense. Ultimately the limiting factor to car audio is the road and engine noise it's going to impede your listening experience far more than a decent AAC or similar.

The best way to get better in car sound is drive a bigger car with more sound isolation.

richardhomer

I'm making some big life-style changes and am about to start a new career. Having given back my company car I've just bought a new Ford Focus fitted with the exceptionally quiet Ecoboost engine. The factory sound system, once set up properly is something of a revelation. Ok, not in the same league as my 'proper' Hi Fi at home but still very good. Really clear, crisp and lacking in any unpleasant characteristics. I mainly listen to Radio 4 in the car but the sound is good enough to encourage me to listen to more music. Really impressed.

Misterg

ICBM said:

If the sound quality of the car stereo matters that much to you, you're not giving your full attention to what you're supposed to be... ie driving.

Isn't that the chauffeur's job?

daveww

My new Mazda6 Sport sound system is pretty damn good!

Rocker

The link above does not refer to standard fitted in car stereos.  AFAIK custom installers, sometimes building new panels for doors etc., will design and fit what is deemed as state of the art systems in cars.  The competition alluded to is for such custom installations.  Of course the car owner can install a system in his/her own car.  There are categories for such self installed systems too.