Best sound setup
- Thread starter Luca11
- Start date
sorry in advance for the lecture,...nobody has picked up the torch yet, and...and sorry for telling you stuff you may already know.
Which ever way you finally choose, It won't matter one bit how good the equipment is if the source (in this case the ipod) is bad. You have several compression rates to choose from when you buy or download music from itunes, or transfer CD music that was ripped into your computer.
"CD quality" compression is 320kbps. From there the bitrates drop to 192, then to 128. Anything less that that is AM radio quality, (some internet radio stations are streaming at rates less than 128kbps, and they sound awful)
The reason there is different compression rates is: The lower the compression rate, the more space there will be on the hard drive for music. Obviously there are a bunch of People willing to sacrifice sound quality for that extra space.
AND most people are oblivious to the degradation, because they are referencing that sound quality through a tiny pair of ear buds that don't have a prayer of truly replicating the sound quality anyway.
All this goes to say,.... you know how your music was transferred to your player. If it is all high quality transfers, then your good to go.
The best sounding systems I have heard personally all have separates for the drivers (that is a woofer and tweeter separated w/an external crossover. packaged as one speaker....like a 6" woofer/1" tweeter) I had two pairs of MB Quart speakers like this w/ slightly different sized woofers( 5.5"/6.5") to help cover the BASS transition so the subwoofers weren't so boomy
Of course, The head unit, a 4 channel amp to drive the speakers, two (or more) tens/twelves with a dedicated amp. ancillary batteries/capacitors depending on your need for current, all go with the speakers.
Car audio is all about preference. for that matter, all audio is a matter of preference.What sounds great to me, might sound like crap to you.I hate sloppy, boomy, rattle you guts out bass, Instead I want it tight. I want it to hit me so hard my nose will bleed. Different cars will sound different w/ the same equipment because of the variances in their shapes/sizes. The same car will sound different if it wasn't prepped exactly the same (use of sound deadener, wire size, charging system)
Listen to a few, get a budget, find a good shop to install if you can't and jump off in it.
Which ever way you finally choose, It won't matter one bit how good the equipment is if the source (in this case the ipod) is bad. You have several compression rates to choose from when you buy or download music from itunes, or transfer CD music that was ripped into your computer.
"CD quality" compression is 320kbps. From there the bitrates drop to 192, then to 128. Anything less that that is AM radio quality, (some internet radio stations are streaming at rates less than 128kbps, and they sound awful)
The reason there is different compression rates is: The lower the compression rate, the more space there will be on the hard drive for music. Obviously there are a bunch of People willing to sacrifice sound quality for that extra space.
AND most people are oblivious to the degradation, because they are referencing that sound quality through a tiny pair of ear buds that don't have a prayer of truly replicating the sound quality anyway.
All this goes to say,.... you know how your music was transferred to your player. If it is all high quality transfers, then your good to go.
The best sounding systems I have heard personally all have separates for the drivers (that is a woofer and tweeter separated w/an external crossover. packaged as one speaker....like a 6" woofer/1" tweeter) I had two pairs of MB Quart speakers like this w/ slightly different sized woofers( 5.5"/6.5") to help cover the BASS transition so the subwoofers weren't so boomy
Of course, The head unit, a 4 channel amp to drive the speakers, two (or more) tens/twelves with a dedicated amp. ancillary batteries/capacitors depending on your need for current, all go with the speakers.
Car audio is all about preference. for that matter, all audio is a matter of preference.What sounds great to me, might sound like crap to you.I hate sloppy, boomy, rattle you guts out bass, Instead I want it tight. I want it to hit me so hard my nose will bleed. Different cars will sound different w/ the same equipment because of the variances in their shapes/sizes. The same car will sound different if it wasn't prepped exactly the same (use of sound deadener, wire size, charging system)
Listen to a few, get a budget, find a good shop to install if you can't and jump off in it.
bentley429isBAC
10 Year Member
I have a system that now has outdated, but I feel better built late 90's stereo equipment with componenets up front and back amps, kitchen sink, and subs
would not drive a car everyday without a system just wasting your life
would not drive a car everyday without a system just wasting your life
Personally, I think a "system" in a Mustang is a colossal waste of money. I prefer to listen to the car.
That said, I'm in the middle of spending about a grand on putting a system in my convertible at my wife's request. I'm using a Pioneer head unit with an iPod input and HD radio, Infini Kappa speaker in all three factory locations and a 300 watt amp. She prefers tunes, I prefer the exhaust and engine.
Mintsick
10 Year Member
A decent sound setup is a must in any car IMHO if you plan on driving it, now if you drive something a couple hundred miles a year then who cares I suppose. The best part about a sound system is when you do just want to listen to the exhaust...you can turn the volume down/off!
I have an alpine I-pod head unit in my mustang that is at least 4 years old, and a Kenwood BT-900 in my truck. They both have thier good and bad points, the Alpine stuff sounds better than the Kenwood but the I like the way that the kenwood controls the I-pod better than the Alpine, its much easier to scroll through music, and if you have alot on your Ipod, than it can be tedious running through every artist on the alpine.
They are both good choices though, the only reason i didnt go with the alpine is because they havent updated thier basic design in the last 4 or 5 years and i feel like they need to do something with the way the ipod is controlled through the head unit, i couldnt justify spending 300 on a headunit that was for the most part the same exact thing as the one i paid the same money for 4 years ago.
They are both good choices though, the only reason i didnt go with the alpine is because they havent updated thier basic design in the last 4 or 5 years and i feel like they need to do something with the way the ipod is controlled through the head unit, i couldnt justify spending 300 on a headunit that was for the most part the same exact thing as the one i paid the same money for 4 years ago.
I just built a box for 2-8 inch massive rw 8 ( old kickass subs from 2002 that ive seen hit 145dbs and sound tight )... right now its just hooked up to an old ****ty jensen amp.....i have the rough layout done in mdf but still have tonnes of mdf work to do . I gotta do some exhaust work befor a drop a couple grand on the rest ...I have Boston rears and will have massive audio 6's in custom door pod... will run the speakers off a massive 4channel and the subs off another 2 channel. I have a kenwood deck with ipod controls ....
my opinion on stereos is to listen to alot of stuff and pick what sounds good too you screw what other poeple say ...
Massive Audio*::*Speakers*::*CK 6 Stage III Component Speaker
my opinion on stereos is to listen to alot of stuff and pick what sounds good too you screw what other poeple say ...
Massive Audio*::*Speakers*::*CK 6 Stage III Component Speaker
I just spent $150 or so putting a stock 1993 CD player and OEM amp back in my car...with an iPod adapter through the antenna.
Could care less about a "system". If anything, most of the bigger setups seems less about enjoying the music and more about showing off. I stopped caring a long time ago about what other people thought and started enjoying myself...needless to say when i drive my Mustang...radio is off 99% of the time.
My daily driver...different story. If it wasn't a HUGE PITA to put a DD unit into a G35 with OEM navigation, i would install a touchscreen NAVI setup just simply because I love that technology. Wouldn't necesarrily change speakers/amps and add subs...but would definitely upgrade the head unit. Unfortunately, it requires major surgery and modification to my center console and trim plates which i do not want to do.
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