- Sep 12, 2017
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" Twenty years after the invention of the CD, players are only now almost universal in new cars. It took this long because car companies were making so much money by selling them as options, sometimes charging up to three times the after-market retail price. They've moved far faster on MP3 compatibility - which is finding its way into some affordable models from the likes of Hyundai and Suzuki, keeping the younger buyers happy - which doesn't add to cost and would be unlikely to sell as an option anyway. But again the aftermarket is showing the way.
See Also: 2 way, 3 way and 4 way speakers, What are the best car speakers
A number of aftermarket systems now accept memory cards that can be swapped between the computer, the portable and the car. USB connectivity, to make them compatible with players such as the Apple iPod, is on the horizon. There are also units carrying their own hard drives, which can store up to 200 CDs. This could make every CD in your collection available in the car, all in a unit that occupies a standard dash aperture. Several makers, including Pioneer and Alpine, make systems with touch-screen controls.
But if you want to fit aftermarket audio watch one thing: it physically has to fit somewhere in the dash. In the latest Falcon, for example, Ford has fitted a hybrid deck that does not occupy a standard dash aperture, meaning it can't be taken out and replaced. THE GOOD It's relatively easy to achieve good audio when designing a car. Mitsubishi Magnas sound good largely because the doors are wide and someone bothered to angle the speakers towards the passengers. The $19,990 Citroen C3 sounds good because the manufacturer fits the same speakers used in more expensive models.
Good factory audio, however, mostly lies at the top of the market and BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Saab and Volvo are the standouts. Lexicon's remarkable Logic7 7.1-channel surround system was first seen here as an option in the BMW 7-Series and later in the Rolls-Royce Phantom, where it's standard equipment and utterly breathtaking. There are two 20 cm subwoofers built into the floorpan providing a delicious low end, six 2.5 cm tweeters and seven 10 cm mid/basses, including a centre channel.
The sound is crisp, beautifully defined and goes very, very loud without distortion. In a car this quiet, it's like driving around in a big set of headphones. But then the Rolls costs $985,000. The best system to my ear is the Mark Levinson in the most expensive version of the Lexus RX330 ($79,900). The sound is crystal clear, beautifully defined and gorgeously even across the entire audible range and sounds as if the singer is out beyond the bonnet.
THE NOT SO GOOD The worst audio I've heard in a current model is in a vehicle that costs $45,950. In the Land Rover Defender 90, the speakers are pointed directly down into the foot wells and the sound rises in a fuzzy, amorphous lump along with road noise, engine noise and transmission noise. It's like listening to AM on a pocket radio in a metal processing factory. Second worst? That would be the $79,990 Lotus Elise. Other disappointments come from Mercedes-owned Smart, whose cheap-looking systems deliver the acoustic qualities of a crook clock radio. WHEN LESS IS MORE It's ironic that, as car makers add more and more speakers to impress their buyers, the leading aftermarket installers and car audio competition contestants are bending over backwards to design and build systems with fewer speakers.
More speakers dotted around the cabin can lead to a number of problems, not least of which is that much of the sound you hear is located behind you. When was the last time you went to a concert and turned your back to the stage? Frequency steering, where some notes sound like they're coming from a different location to others, is another problem with multi-speaker systems. What are The Speaker Sizes in My Car | Speaker Size for My Car
Some award-winning systems in competitions now consist of nothing but mid/bass speakers in the kick panels, tweeters on the dash and a subwoofer in the boot (low notes don't give directional cues). But these systems only appear simple - often they're the result of thousands of hours of testing and tuning to get the mix and locations exactly right. "Four good speakers will always sound better than 14 crook ones," observed Pioneer's John Graham. Ian "Molly" Meldrum Music commentator I listen to music whenever I'm in the car. Even when I get into a taxi I'll get them to tune into Nova or Fox, whatever. Music is a soothing sort of thing, where you can shut yourself away - but you also have to concentrate on your driving.
I need a really good system happening. If you have a crappy sound system then that's not doing justice to the actual music you're hearing. In my case, I have to spend the big dollars and have that perfect sound. Not the booomp, booomp, booomp stuff, either. I bought a MG-A 1960 classic. It was a bit of an operation for them to put a stereo into the MG-A that didn't take away from the classic look of the car. Jenny Morris Musician I spend a lot of time in cars and it's probably where I listen to most of the music.
At the moment, I'm listening to the Darkness, Stevie Wonder's Inner Visions, Room Service, a compilation of various cool artists from the '50s and '60s like Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Jose Feliciano. I listen to my own newly recorded songs first on the car stereo, too, so that's pretty important. I listen to music all the time on the CD player except when I listen to news radio. On long distances music is very important - although I once had an accident concentrating on singing along to a song, so you've got to be careful.
I drive a Subaru Outback H6 3.0 and I love it! Richard Clapton Musician Because driving nowadays is so scary and stressful, music is crucial to one's sanity and it's very important to listen to music that makes you feel good. The End of the Innocence by Don Henley is my fave driving song. I am a bit schizoid with travelling music; sometimes I am into serious, contemplative music like Dylan's Blood on the Tracks, other times I find mindless pop stuff appealing. Good-quality sound is important to me but I don't know if it would influence the choice of car.
Related article: Best car speakers, best car speaker brands
While I don't drive our Honda Accord - my wife does - we always have music playing on the CD player. Classic driving songs Southbound - Allman Brothers Call Me the Breeze - JJ Cale Hard Work, Drivin' Man - The Beasts of Bourbon Willin' - Little Feat Motorcycle Mama - Neil Young I Held the Cool Breeze - Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd Ezy Rider - Jimi Hendrix Drivin' South - Jimi Hendrix Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf Driving Wheel - Al Green This is Not the way Home - The Cruel Sea Speed King - Deep Purple Mongoose - Fu Manchu Gin & Juice - Snoop Dogg Compiled by Age music writer Patrick Donovan
See Also: 2 way, 3 way and 4 way speakers, What are the best car speakers
A number of aftermarket systems now accept memory cards that can be swapped between the computer, the portable and the car. USB connectivity, to make them compatible with players such as the Apple iPod, is on the horizon. There are also units carrying their own hard drives, which can store up to 200 CDs. This could make every CD in your collection available in the car, all in a unit that occupies a standard dash aperture. Several makers, including Pioneer and Alpine, make systems with touch-screen controls.
But if you want to fit aftermarket audio watch one thing: it physically has to fit somewhere in the dash. In the latest Falcon, for example, Ford has fitted a hybrid deck that does not occupy a standard dash aperture, meaning it can't be taken out and replaced. THE GOOD It's relatively easy to achieve good audio when designing a car. Mitsubishi Magnas sound good largely because the doors are wide and someone bothered to angle the speakers towards the passengers. The $19,990 Citroen C3 sounds good because the manufacturer fits the same speakers used in more expensive models.
Good factory audio, however, mostly lies at the top of the market and BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Saab and Volvo are the standouts. Lexicon's remarkable Logic7 7.1-channel surround system was first seen here as an option in the BMW 7-Series and later in the Rolls-Royce Phantom, where it's standard equipment and utterly breathtaking. There are two 20 cm subwoofers built into the floorpan providing a delicious low end, six 2.5 cm tweeters and seven 10 cm mid/basses, including a centre channel.
The sound is crisp, beautifully defined and goes very, very loud without distortion. In a car this quiet, it's like driving around in a big set of headphones. But then the Rolls costs $985,000. The best system to my ear is the Mark Levinson in the most expensive version of the Lexus RX330 ($79,900). The sound is crystal clear, beautifully defined and gorgeously even across the entire audible range and sounds as if the singer is out beyond the bonnet.
THE NOT SO GOOD The worst audio I've heard in a current model is in a vehicle that costs $45,950. In the Land Rover Defender 90, the speakers are pointed directly down into the foot wells and the sound rises in a fuzzy, amorphous lump along with road noise, engine noise and transmission noise. It's like listening to AM on a pocket radio in a metal processing factory. Second worst? That would be the $79,990 Lotus Elise. Other disappointments come from Mercedes-owned Smart, whose cheap-looking systems deliver the acoustic qualities of a crook clock radio. WHEN LESS IS MORE It's ironic that, as car makers add more and more speakers to impress their buyers, the leading aftermarket installers and car audio competition contestants are bending over backwards to design and build systems with fewer speakers.
More speakers dotted around the cabin can lead to a number of problems, not least of which is that much of the sound you hear is located behind you. When was the last time you went to a concert and turned your back to the stage? Frequency steering, where some notes sound like they're coming from a different location to others, is another problem with multi-speaker systems. What are The Speaker Sizes in My Car | Speaker Size for My Car
Some award-winning systems in competitions now consist of nothing but mid/bass speakers in the kick panels, tweeters on the dash and a subwoofer in the boot (low notes don't give directional cues). But these systems only appear simple - often they're the result of thousands of hours of testing and tuning to get the mix and locations exactly right. "Four good speakers will always sound better than 14 crook ones," observed Pioneer's John Graham. Ian "Molly" Meldrum Music commentator I listen to music whenever I'm in the car. Even when I get into a taxi I'll get them to tune into Nova or Fox, whatever. Music is a soothing sort of thing, where you can shut yourself away - but you also have to concentrate on your driving.
I need a really good system happening. If you have a crappy sound system then that's not doing justice to the actual music you're hearing. In my case, I have to spend the big dollars and have that perfect sound. Not the booomp, booomp, booomp stuff, either. I bought a MG-A 1960 classic. It was a bit of an operation for them to put a stereo into the MG-A that didn't take away from the classic look of the car. Jenny Morris Musician I spend a lot of time in cars and it's probably where I listen to most of the music.
At the moment, I'm listening to the Darkness, Stevie Wonder's Inner Visions, Room Service, a compilation of various cool artists from the '50s and '60s like Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Jose Feliciano. I listen to my own newly recorded songs first on the car stereo, too, so that's pretty important. I listen to music all the time on the CD player except when I listen to news radio. On long distances music is very important - although I once had an accident concentrating on singing along to a song, so you've got to be careful.
I drive a Subaru Outback H6 3.0 and I love it! Richard Clapton Musician Because driving nowadays is so scary and stressful, music is crucial to one's sanity and it's very important to listen to music that makes you feel good. The End of the Innocence by Don Henley is my fave driving song. I am a bit schizoid with travelling music; sometimes I am into serious, contemplative music like Dylan's Blood on the Tracks, other times I find mindless pop stuff appealing. Good-quality sound is important to me but I don't know if it would influence the choice of car.
Related article: Best car speakers, best car speaker brands
While I don't drive our Honda Accord - my wife does - we always have music playing on the CD player. Classic driving songs Southbound - Allman Brothers Call Me the Breeze - JJ Cale Hard Work, Drivin' Man - The Beasts of Bourbon Willin' - Little Feat Motorcycle Mama - Neil Young I Held the Cool Breeze - Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd Ezy Rider - Jimi Hendrix Drivin' South - Jimi Hendrix Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf Driving Wheel - Al Green This is Not the way Home - The Cruel Sea Speed King - Deep Purple Mongoose - Fu Manchu Gin & Juice - Snoop Dogg Compiled by Age music writer Patrick Donovan
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