Topic: Audio Files: High End Car Stereo Comparison

[JohnM]

I don't know the car acoustics end of audio but the dB levels quoted are extremely hard for me to swallow.   I think the small volume of the car must contain the energy and produce much higher levels than the same equipment would in a larger space, say the average listening room.

Here is a link to noise levels from different sources and noise levels and time required to produce hearing loss.  This is a good reference even if you don't turn your radio up past whisper.

http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/education/information-center/decibel-exposure-time-guidelines/

Also, say the speakers were incredibly efficient at 100dB for 1 watt input at 1m - standard measuring parameters.  No sub woofer good down to 20Hz would come within 15dB of this btw.

So 1 watt for 100dB.  To get to 103dB you would need 2w since 3dB represents a doubling of output power.  106 - 4w, 109 - 8w, 121db - 128 watts, 130dB - 1024 w, 140dB - 10,000w, 160dB - 1 million watts, 180 dB 100 million watts. 

At some point, even if you were plugged into a local nuclear plant, the car would have melted and everyone within 50m would have died of the heat.

I know they are talking instantaneous peaks not continuous but still ....

Cheers,
John M.

[dirtyjeffer]

I don't know the car acoustics end of audio but the dB levels quoted are extremely hard for me to swallow.   I think the small volume of the car must contain the energy and produce much higher levels than the same equipment would in a larger space, say the average listening room.

keep in mind, SPL is "Sound Pressure Level"...it is much easier to achieve high SPL in a small car, than "outside" where you essentially have unlimited air space...some of the serious competition vehicles actually seal the car as best as possible and bolt the doors shut while they test it (only a few seconds, to hit max SPL, which is a little over 180 db).

one challenging aspect of car audio, due to the "small size" of the inside of a car, is achieving really low bass notes, since the physical size of the note can be longer than the interior of the car (meaning, if you are inside the car, you can't hear it, since you need to hear at least 1/4 of the wave in order to "hear it"...also, you can get gains in certain frequencies through complex box designs, but you still need to be careful to avoid standing waves as they will exaggerate those frequencies and mess up the quality of the sound...to be honest, if you aren't looking for something fancy to look at, you can achieve 140-150 db with pretty flat response for relatively little money (maybe, $4k)...but yes, when you start going into the 150s, 160s, etc, it REALLY gets expensive...aside from all the amps/speakers, you also need extra batteries, capacitors, alternators, etc.

[johngenx]

going into the 150s, 160s, etc, it REALLY gets expensive...aside from all the amps/speakers, you also need extra batteries, capacitors, alternators, etc.

Without the support of manufacturers, the van we built would have been close to $100K for the gear in it.  Why did we pick a van instead of a car?  Space.  We used the MDF to create the smallest space possible to contain the speakers, then used the remainder of the space to house amps, batteries, capacitors, etc.  Another major difference with a "regular" stereo was the time the system could operate.  The amps were operating at their lowest ohm level, and would quickly reach their temperature limit.  As noted previously, we also had almost no frequency range, meaning it could only play bass tones.  We used a CD with a recorded frequency that allowed the system to operate at maximum efficiency for generating SPL.

The first time we competed, we had to have all hands on deck to push on the doors and lay on the windscreen.  After that, we had to design latching systems to seal the doors to keep the pressure from pushing them open.  We built a frame to keep the windscreen in place sealed it internally and externally.

Why do all this?  Well, the engineering exercise was a hoot, and it drove huge volumes of business. We almost had to run 24/7 after the first competition, all the "cool kids" wanted us to build their systems and put our decal on their window.

[dirtyjeffer]

Without the support of manufacturers, the van we built would have been close to $100K for the gear in it.  Why did we pick a van instead of a car?  Space.

most of the demo vehicles back in the day were vans...Orion, Pioneer and Rodek were all vans...the Orion van was a full size cargo van...the Pioneer and Rodek ones were Pontiac Transport vans (remember those wedge shaped mini-vans?)..others use full size SUVs with the "rear" areas gutted...like you said, vans give you the necessary space for ridiculous builds.

[jkolenation]

What about the Tesla Model S's larger stereo package? I have heard that one is pretty dang good.

[Cadguy]

The average person equates sound quality with "the number watts" of an audio system and to them the more watts the better the system. This  is like saying that hp is the only thing that matters in automotive performance. Another thing that irks me is that in EVERY new car I've test driven  the tone controls are all set to maximum boost. I don't know if they're set this way at the factory or if it's part of the dealer prep to try to impress the average buyer with "boom and tizz". One of the first things I do when I look at a car is to try to find the tone settings in the audio menu and adjust them to something approaching a natural tonal balance. This also a good test of the "infotainment system" in that if I can figure out how to adjust the stereo without the manual then the rest of the system should be easy to use.  It's impossible to hear the full potential of my music in a moving car but I prefer a warm, full, rich,  natural sound that's somewhat analogous to what I hear in the concert hall. I've listened to the audio systems in the Audi A6, MB E 350, Hyundai Genesis and the Bose in the Porsche Macan and I can't say I was impressed by any of them but the A6 sounded best. The sound in the Lincoln MKT was a pleasant surprise. My favorite factory car audio sound is the Nakamichi in the Lexus LS 400.

[rrocket]

Yea, the Nakamichi was great! The Levinson is better!  It's cool how Levinson agreed to work with Lexus. Until Lexus came along, they didn't feel like any car would be quiet enough to meet their demands. After it was established that the Lexus were quiet enough, it was stipulated that if Lexus wouldn't let him do what he needed to do to get the sound stage he wanted, they could find someone else. Lexus agreed...and in a couple of the cars, he made them redesign the seats to get the sound he was looking for.

[tpl]

My Q5 does NOT have the better sound system...which would not be high end anyway.  But it is better than any car I have ever owned and the car is the quietest I have ever owned.

The music I play mostly is audio extracted from YouTube vids of a jazz band busking on the streets of New Orleans captured by assorted hand held video cameras. You can imagine that that would not sound brilliant whatever it was played on!  But the music works for me.

[rrocket]

Are you a fan of Django?

[safristi]

Django bells Django bells....sounds good on my mid level Karmon Hardon....................collider alert..


his fingering is superb..............

[JohnM]

In this category, the quietest interior plus the best correction system wins.  Audyssey is the best room correction system and I'd expect this to carry over to car interiors. 

However, if you have active noise cancellation built into the system, this would vary the correction based on noise entering the cabin.  Theoretically, this would yield the best results but I'm sure would also be capable of generating some hinky anomalies.

At some level of bliss the driver, now transported to the live venue, is effectively distracted.  Can systems become too good to be safe?

Cheers,
John M.

[tpl]

Are you a fan of Django?

I like the Hot Club of France Quintet with Django and Stephane Grappelli  but they are not on my 'must listen to' list.

[safristi]

..I hears
 ya Tpl............can't beat a GOOD BonzoDog doo dah band symphoney

[hemusbull]

This is a compilation and not a comparison. It isn't clear which is good, better or best one. Well, all of them are EXPENSIVE but for a comparison there should be used criteria as in the HiFi magazines. German mass reading like Auto Bild can give one idea too...

[roundupready]

Sony is the only company that I am aware of that has a DSD capable head unit for cars.

I agree you need a quiet car to take advantage of a better quality sound equipment.