Why is it difficult to get CD quality car audio gear?

[Philbo King]

If most of the listeners do the most of their listening in commutes/traffics/cars; then, wouldn't make sense to reference a mix quality in that specific environment?
Else, you can put your reference mix in your IEMs and connect some outside MICs feeding your car audio system, at the same time.
You would have to explain to the judge but it makes sense to me.

I've never gotten feedback from customers about how they listen. I'm just pleased they listen at all...

Edit: In case you want to listen to some
www.soundclick.com/philboking

 

[Chrise36]

In the AVR market and Home Audio market, you can easily find and buy almost to complete CD-quality SNR performing products. But in the Car Audio, there's barely any,

With car amps, its either clean output (~85db to ~95db) but "alright" watts or lots of watts with poor noise (~65db to ~75db). Many car amps that claim "95db or more" usually don't even have a CTA-2006 rating. If you look at Infinity car amps, the SNR is always 80db (No CTA-2006 rating) or not even listed at all (Like the Reference 7005A).

Most car speakers are made for power not clarity. There is "Hi-res" car speakers but the Car Audio division is different from the Home Audio division. Like for example, Pioneer. Pioneer made (With the help of Andrew Jones) the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR while I see the car side of them, making garbage like this:
View attachment 283365

Speaking of radios, I had new Kenwood installed. So many stupid DSP options enabled by default. Sound Recnstr ("Lossy Audio Restoration"), Space Enhance, SND Realizer, Stage EQ, Drive EQ, Speaker Size, Q Factor? (For regular EQ), Loudness, Digital Time Aligement/Car Type. I turned all that DSP junk off and set the EQ flat, and my stock speakers sounded a lot better. Reminds me of 2000s AVRs, when you wanted any DSP, the SNR would go down the shitter.

End of Thread. I wish there was a "Car Audio" Subforum.

Alpine PDX-F6 Review (4 channel Car Amplifier)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Alpine PDX-F6 four channel car audio amplifier. It is on kind loan from a member. When new, it cost US $849 but is now discontinued. Not a fan of the plastic trim which are showing their age now. But otherwise, it is a nice looking unit. I...

www.audiosciencereview.com

This one had good noise and power specs. Pair it with a decent dsp like the minidsp 8x12 V2.0

Minidsp C-DSP 8x12 V2.0 Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Minidsp C-DSP 8x12 V2 DSP for automotive (12 volt) applications. It was kindly sent to me by a member and costs US $760. As the name indicates, you have 12 analog outputs which can be driven by either digital or analog inputs. USB connections...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Cbdb2]

My guess is that car interior spaces are good at avoiding 'room modes' given their shape and the fact there's often carpets and sound-absorbing material everywhere. Not so much with your average living room.

Bad guess. Car sound absorption? Not in the low end. And since the "room" is tiny you get weird room modes. As far as bass goes, your sitting in the speaker cabinet.

 

[Randyman...]

Bad guess. Car sound absorption? Not in the low end. And since the "room" is tiny you get weird room modes. As far as bass goes, your sitting in the speaker cabinet.

So, you've heard a properly tuned fully-active car setup for "SQ"? I'm not talking about upgrading a factory radio - I mean a "real" fully active installation?

 

[EJ3]

No, I don't remember driving any bench-seat cars, or taking a date to a drive-in movie.
I would have done both: if they only had "CD quality" capable car audio gear, in the hopes to impress my date, as I am swinging my right arm over her head.
That is about the only scenario (=standing still), I can imagine you would need CD-quality audio in a car.

I remember how her high heels ripped the headliner over the back seat of my customized 68 Chevelle SS 396 and, at the time that happened, I didn't give a damn.

 

[pseudoid]

I remember how her high heels ripped the headliner over the back seat of my customized 68 Chevelle SS 396 and, at the time that happened, I didn't give a damn.

No photo = not happened!
(I approached from the plausible deniability side)

 

[Doodski]

68 Chevelle SS 396

My oldest brother had a Chevelle SS 396 with the auto shifter. It was metal flake gold with black stripes and chromed Cragar rims. very nice car!
This car has a 307 and wrong color but the stripes are the same and it's missing the "Cowl Induction" accolades on the hood.

 

[GXAlan]

Bad guess. Car sound absorption? Not in the low end. And since the "room" is tiny you get weird room modes. As far as bass goes, your sitting in the speaker cabinet.

You should try doing this blind test without looking at the current votes. One of them is a car setup…. See if you can identify it before looking at how people are voting.

Monaural Speaker Recordings - Blind Testing Six Speakers for Fun

It's time for another blind test! The recordings are not as level matched as I had hoped, but c'est la vie. This is just for entertainment not science. Background Six speakers on trial, not all in the same room. Most expensive system was $70,000. A "golfing panther" speaker A “happily...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[pseudoid]

My oldest brother had a Chevelle SS 396 with the auto shifter. It was metal flake gold with black stripes and chromed Cragar rims. very nice car!
This car has a 307 and wrong color but the stripes are the same and it's missing the "Cowl Induction" accolades on the hood.

Are you sure those are Cragans and not a clone? They don't even look to be 15s???
I recall that many owners were putting in Jensen coaxials in those genre of muscle cars, in the east coast.
Wasn't it the Chevelle that had the built-in tach perched on the hood and in front of the driver?

 

[krabapple]

99% of drivers dont know shit about music

What a silly thing to say.

 

[pseudoid]

What a silly thing to say.

More importantly, that equal amount (99%) of drivers also know 'jack' about their car's dynamic limits.

 

[krabapple]

More importantly still, 99% of people don't know shit about 99% of stuff.

So?

And what does 'knowing shit about music' mean? Besides, you know , simply elevating one taste over another?

 

[pablolie]

Does anyone really believe a car is an environment that offers itself to critical music listening? I'd hope people are applying their brain to drive safely, rather than immerse themselves in music. Furthermore there's the high noise level in any car. The only thing that may be sillier than "high end car audio" is installing speakers on motorcycles...

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy listening to music on the occasions I drive my car around (I mostly ride around on my big scooter or motorcycle), and I have been known to get the upgraded sound system (without going overboard, and most certainly avoiding the navigation system they often try to package in) - but I have never once thought it an environment where I need to extract the utmost accuracy etc from the music system. Kind of like my garden and kitchen and bathroom systems.

 

[pseudoid]

The only thing that may be sillier than "high end car audio" is installing speakers on motorcycles...

At least, it is less dangerous than IEMs for music while riding.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy listening to music on the occasions I drive my car around (I mostly ride around on my big scooter or motorcycle), and I have been known to get the upgraded sound system (without going overboard, and most certainly avoiding the navigation system they often try to package in) - but I have never once thought it an environment where I need to extract the utmost accuracy etc from the music system.

I agree with you... but "fixing" car audio systems is like a growing-up ritual... at least it used to be.
I've done my share while over-spending and probably it kept me off drugs [ ]
I consider music in cars as necessary as the tires but have no qualms of choosing speed over a quiet environment in a car.

 

[Doodski]

Are you sure those are Cragans and not a clone? They don't even look to be 15s???
I recall that many owners were putting in Jensen coaxials in those genre of muscle cars, in the east coast.
Wasn't it the Chevelle that had the built-in tach perched on the hood and in front of the driver?

Not the Chevelle SS. That was a Mopar with the hood tach. Yes, those rims are not chromed Cragars. LoL>

 

[pseudoid]

That was a Mopar with the hood tach.

I recall seeing them on GM cars also. LoL>
Yenko [original dealer dude] COPO Hood Tach OEM Quality

Application information shows many 1980s GM models:

 

[Doodski]

I recall seeing them on GM cars also. LoL>
Yenko [original dealer dude] COPO Hood Tach OEM Quality
View attachment 300046
Application information shows many 1980s GM models:
View attachment 300048

Interesting. I grew up in a predominantly Italian city and they collected Pontiacs, Buicks and Chevies mostly. I think I remember a Skylark with a hood tach but otherwise it

... and Ford Torinos. For some reason the Torino was popular in the Ford lineup.

 

[ThatM1key]

After a few months, I still like my "hifi" car setup. To my ears, its at least "14 bits". I still don't use EQ/DSP and the detail is amazing for what it is. The taps on cymbals don't sound sizzly and guitars don't sound overpowering. I am certain my headunit is not getting enough power due to my clock resetting but luckily it never dims and the sound levels are always the same ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.


I don't remember which page it was on, but somebody mentioned hooking up a SMSL/Topping desktop DAC which technically could work since there 2V out and volume adjust. Although hooking up my phone to use it each time and having only 2 channels, doesn't sound like much fun. Although the idea SMSL/Topping of making a Car Digital Media Receiver (like the overpriced Sony rsx-gs9) would be neat.

Sadly, I know people that would rather have a newer car that has Bluetooth then to change a headunit. Wouldn't be bad if newer cars were built with no love. Cars get bigger, engines get tinier and they get paired with terrible CVTs. If you know somebody that wants a new car and there willing to listen to you, convince them to buy a car without a CVT. All CVTs are bad.

 

[pseudoid]

I still don't use EQ/DSP

Have never been a fan and have always been a 'tone-defeatest'.
But if there is one single place where you'd want EQ/DSP: It would have to be the car environment.
That's just my 2cent imo...

 

[Keith_W]

More importantly still, 99% of people don't know shit about 99% of stuff.

I would say that 100% of people don't know 99% of stuff. I would even guess that 100% of people don't know 10% of stuff. Human knowledge is so vast that it is impossible to know it all, and there are vaaaaast fields of knowledge that I am completely ignorant about, nor do I even know they even exist. Even in my own field of expertise, I do not think I know more than 90% of what there is to know. I would wager that even someone like Toole does not know everything there is to know about audio and there are people on ASR who might know more on specific disciplines in audio than him.