Best sound system you've heard in a vehicle?
12-04-16, 08:55 PM
#1
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
Best sound system you've heard in a vehicle?
friend and I test drove a loaded 16 Volvo XC90 last week and I must say, I was very impressed by the Bang Olufsen sound system. Astounding quality.....way more impressed than the Mark Levinson. Question is what do you think guys think is the best sound system you've heard in a car?
Just my experiences, the Sony system in Ford is meh, Bose in GM and Mazda is just ok, the MB system is good but not great, the Alpine in FCA products is underwhelming.
Just my experiences, the Sony system in Ford is meh, Bose in GM and Mazda is just ok, the MB system is good but not great, the Alpine in FCA products is underwhelming.
12-04-16, 09:47 PM
#2
About 15 years ago, it was the shop car for the hi-fi shop in Nashville(they did car and high end home audio/video). Early 2000's Porsche 911, sucker had speakers in the door with seperate tweeters, speakers in the kick panels, and where the rear seat should have been was a beautiful custom made sub box with 2 10" woofers. None of it looked tacky, sub box was done with factory carpet, beautiful install. And it wasn't all bass, the mids and highs sounded incredible listening to Beethoveen and Iron Maiden. Would get to sort of "rock concert" standing next to the amp rack type of loud, but didn't distort.
12-04-16, 09:53 PM
#3
I love the B&O in my car, very clear even at 95% of max volume, but a little lack in strong bass if you are into rap and r&b. But to me it's best 3700 bucks spent on an option.
i would love to try to listen to the system in Bugatti Chiron, wonder how the one carrat diamond in each speaker improves the sound quality, or it's just pure marketing bluff.
i would love to try to listen to the system in Bugatti Chiron, wonder how the one carrat diamond in each speaker improves the sound quality, or it's just pure marketing bluff.
12-05-16, 08:40 AM
#4
I love the B&O in my car, very clear even at 95% of max volume, but a little lack in strong bass if you are into rap and r&b. But to me it's best 3700 bucks spent on an option.
i would love to try to listen to the system in Bugatti Chiron, wonder how the one carrat diamond in each speaker improves the sound quality, or it's just pure marketing bluff.
i would love to try to listen to the system in Bugatti Chiron, wonder how the one carrat diamond in each speaker improves the sound quality, or it's just pure marketing bluff.
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12-05-16, 07:06 PM
#8
friend and I test drove a loaded 16 Volvo XC90 last week and I must say, I was very impressed by the Bang Olufsen sound system. Astounding quality.....way more impressed than the Mark Levinson. Question is what do you think guys think is the best sound system you've heard in a car?
Just my experiences, the Sony system in Ford is meh, Bose in GM and Mazda is just ok, the MB system is good but not great, the Alpine in FCA products is underwhelming.
Just my experiences, the Sony system in Ford is meh, Bose in GM and Mazda is just ok, the MB system is good but not great, the Alpine in FCA products is underwhelming.
12-05-16, 08:28 PM
#9
I placed 3rd at the IASCA World Finals in my class back in the mid-90's. installation wasn't the greatest but I had the highest sound quality scores in my class. This was in a 1989 Olds Calais. Needless to say, I've been trying to recapture that quality, without having to pay 5 figures, ever since my first 'adult car'. Nothing has really come close.
The B&O in the F10 M5 sounds decent but a bit over-processed. Car manufacturers are putting too many speakers in these cars trying to fool people into thinking more is better. Placement is much more important that quantity. And quality of those well-placed speakers, as well.
You shouldn't need more than 5 speakers to get accurate sound reproduction. Most cars have more than that in the front doors.
The B&O in the F10 M5 sounds decent but a bit over-processed. Car manufacturers are putting too many speakers in these cars trying to fool people into thinking more is better. Placement is much more important that quantity. And quality of those well-placed speakers, as well.
You shouldn't need more than 5 speakers to get accurate sound reproduction. Most cars have more than that in the front doors.
12-06-16, 09:50 AM
#12
Lead Lap
The best I've heard so far is the Naim system in the Bentley Mulsanne. It was absolutely incredible when using a CD. The channel separation and crystal clear sound was like nothing I've heard before in car audio. It has a 2200 watt amplifier (!) and 8 DSP modes.
It is seriously good.
It is seriously good.
12-06-16, 10:33 AM
#14
Sound is my avocation and I've been educating myself ever since engineering school many moons ago. I record choral groups and choirs, and am known for doing a lot of tweaking and cut/pasting to make these performances sound as good as they possibly can. I've also done a half-dozen video documentaries in HD with accurate (not synthesized) surround sound. So I think I have reasonable expertise with what good audio sounds like.
Don't laugh, the best auto sound I've experienced was in one of our old cars, a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer! I think it was a JBL-logoed upgrade, but from the driver's seat the entire spectrum was pretty flat and the bass extended down to about 30Hz.
By contrast, the audio in my just-purchased 2010 RX450h has a significant high-bass peak that makes some material almost unlistenable. And unlike the Mountaineer, the primitive bass control just rolls off, rather than sliding in and out. So to tame the high bass peak I lose everything below that.
EDIT: Now, two weeks after writing the above, I've discovered that the lousy bass apparently is due to the "Levelizer" function. It apparently is supposed to boost sound level and bass when cabin noise increases. Instead, in my car, it appears to be on continuously. Turning ALS off makes the audio system sound MUCH flatter. I don't know if there is some dealer adjustment that can be made, but I do see there have been numerous threads about this circuit over the years. For some, it works perfectly; for others, it's a disaster.
Don't laugh, the best auto sound I've experienced was in one of our old cars, a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer! I think it was a JBL-logoed upgrade, but from the driver's seat the entire spectrum was pretty flat and the bass extended down to about 30Hz.
By contrast, the audio in my just-purchased 2010 RX450h has a significant high-bass peak that makes some material almost unlistenable. And unlike the Mountaineer, the primitive bass control just rolls off, rather than sliding in and out. So to tame the high bass peak I lose everything below that.
EDIT: Now, two weeks after writing the above, I've discovered that the lousy bass apparently is due to the "Levelizer" function. It apparently is supposed to boost sound level and bass when cabin noise increases. Instead, in my car, it appears to be on continuously. Turning ALS off makes the audio system sound MUCH flatter. I don't know if there is some dealer adjustment that can be made, but I do see there have been numerous threads about this circuit over the years. For some, it works perfectly; for others, it's a disaster.
Last edited by riredale; 12-23-16 at 05:23 PM.
12-08-16, 06:32 PM
#15
The Mark Levinson system in my 2002 GS300 is not bad, the Bose system in my '99 Mazda Miata stinks. I've never heard one, but I bet the A/D/S system that Range Rovers had in the early 90s was pretty good. I have the subwoofer from one and it's terrific and A/D/S car speakers were great.