44 replies to this topic

[Winno]

Many of us here in this particular sub forum are keen on improving the sound quality of our systems and often seek feedback on options we may be considering or offering feedback to those who care to ask for it.
In seeking the best sound from our car audio systems though I find it interesting to find out what people use as their point of reference.
In other words, what are they using as a point or mark to reach?

As an avid music listener I cut my teeth on everything from Class A solid state and valve amplification, turntables with moving coil cartridges and electrostatic speakers to club and live sound reproduction and semi pro recording studios at a young age my reference has been live sound and good audio at home.

I have always tried to get my car audio (however humble) to perform as closely to these references so that I can enjoy my music on the go.

It's been a while since I enjoyed a good concert but I have been lucky to have heard most of the famous Australian bands (Icehouse, INXS, Midnight Oil, etc), Clannad, Elton John, Genesis, an assortment of choral with real organ accompliment, tonnes of folk, live jazz, and so on and so on.
Nothing beats a live performance for energy and drive.
My home audio systems have continued to provide a ready reference for my car audio and I currently building a nice e-Bay system to replace my little JVC micro that I have used for the last 3 years.
It's when I've had an interest in good music elsewhere that I have had the best audio in my car because I got the tuning right.
A good audio system should attempt to recreate as much as possible the energy of the real thing and convey the emotion of the music (something that audio lovers call musicality). A nice home audio system can teach you about stuff like imaging and sound staging, depth of field, dynamics and sence of space and air, proper spectral balance, etc.

So my question is to you, what is your reference?
What is your choice of gear at home?
Do you seek out live music and what sort of live music are you into?
What do you look for in your systems and how do you know when it's right.
How do you tune your car audio to try and recreate this.
Is your car system its own reference?

I'm just interested in knowing what, if anything is behind your motivation for car audio nirvana.

Edited by Winno, 15 February 2006 - 09:02 PM.

[Blackrazor]

To be honest, i find the vast majority of live music these days to be absolute horrid references. Pretty much anything mainstream is almost a write off imo The only live performances i still come across where the music is decent enough to use as a reference point are normally small scale gigs with blues, jazz or soft rock bands, but unfortunately these are usually performed in small venues with bad acoustics which lessens the SQ situation. I'd give my eye teeth for a chance to listen to Pink Floyd, John Lee Hooker or Dire Straights live in a decent auditorium

My car system is in my sig. My home system i'm working on as we speak (as you know), but i will likely have a high power reference system for sit-on-the-couch-eyes-closed music listening, and a little tube amp with some decent bookshelves by the computer for relaxed listening while tapping away

I tend to find analytical listening and relaxed enjoyable listening to be contradictory goals, hence i always like to have 2 systems

Edited by Blackrazor, 15 February 2006 - 09:02 PM.

[ultim8DTM5]

My reference system for vehicles was E320 Titanium's old setup, and I've heard a lot of vehicles

Home? I repress those comparisons because I value my credit rating!!!

[PartyJase]

only use a home system for imaging and staging. its completely useless for tonality as speakers are completely different and the response from a room to a car is far different. also its rather hard to exactly remember tonal cues in the 30sec it takes me to get outside to the car.

[Kev]

Well home audio is my other passion so that is my reference. One thing that gets me though is Car Audio seems to be so much more expensive than Home and I seem to have grown used it. The thing is I've spent far less in my home and it sounds better.

In the car audio world my speakers have pretty good mid/midbass response but my home speakers are better. There are some aspects I like better about my car and vica versa. Its like a different sound for each rather than trying to get one to acheive the other. The bass factor in the car is a big one too (also imaging/staging). Not that you cant have your own little SPL comps in your room (in fact for far less money you get far better results) but in the car you are in the same position all the time where as I move around my room. (Yeah in my car the people in the back are always wingeing)

[Pulse-R]

Being a member of the Melbourne Audio Club, I have had the opportunity to listen to some truly outstanding systems.

My reference, although based on memory, was a $100k+ home-brew system which I heard one night, playing Elvis on vinyl - it was a truly awesome sound, perfect imaging and tonality from everywhere in the room. I was totally blown away by the easy, natural sound of that system, and will remeber it until I hear something better.

for myself, at home, I have a small system with a modified Pioneer Reference amp, and a pair of AAD bookshelf speakers. Source unit is a cheap DVD player, with optical out into a Behringer DEQ2496 as a DAC.

although it's not the best DAC I have heard (Marc's PPI car DAC is most excellent) it is quite linear and dynamics are reasonable for testing.

I have heard a lot of 'high end' systems which just do not do the music justice, as some cheaper systems sound better.

As a final reference, the car is sounding quite nice now, and is an ongoing-ly improved reference.

[abmolech]

Not to sure why people would wish to emulate live amplified concerts when the vast majority of them are in mono.

Same with recording that are directly recorded (no room ambiance etc)

Can't beat an acoustic musical concert played in a suitable environment.

About the only good thing on modern music is that great acoustic instrument, the human voice.

More often than not it it completely drowned out. (although admittedly, it my be a small mercy )

[Blackrazor]

abmolech, on Feb 16 2006, 07:03 PM, said:

Not to sure why people would wish to emulate live amplified concerts when the vast majority of them are in mono.

Same with recording that are directly recorded (no room ambiance etc)

Can't beat an acoustic musical concert played in a suitable environment.

About the only good thing on modern music is that great acoustic instrument, the human voice.

More often than not it it completely drowned out. (although admittedly, it my be a small mercy )

When it comes to modern music, Dean loves to hate
rap and pop, it makes him quite irate.
Coz when he hears the vocals gettin blurred by bass
back to his Bach this guy does race
so he can hear his music, yes thats his choice,
the type you can actually hear the voice
of the singer as she croons about deep things,
instead of shallow crap like ho's and diamon' rings...
and as the final line of the cello's call
fades into nothing in the concert hall,
Dean decides as his face goes a saddened pall,
that he hates modern music, yes he hates it all.

[Winno]

Bravo!

I'm finding that as I expand my musical tastes, I'm having to delve into older stuff as modern just doesn't carry any substance when it comes to popular genres.
I have an urge to dig out some early Miles Davis for example right now along with some James Brown (used to use them for demo back in the 80's).

Acoustic/instrumental/folk/country could be an exception here though.

Edited by Winno, 16 February 2006 - 06:17 PM.

[~Spyne~]

having just discovered this disc, i was wondering if any of u involved in home audio listen to sarah mclachlan - surfacing as a reference disc?
i was doing a little research a while ago into audiophile reference cds and the most common (commercially available) cd mentioned was this one. (others mentioned were alan parsons - on air, and pink floyd - final cut)

[SCorpion]

honest to god, my reference is a pair of headphones. nothing else comes close to a pair of headphones to tonailty, and since i always rate image second to tone, this is hardly surprising. i've learned to know what alot of rarer instruments sound like just off headphones. its pretty dam hard to find some instruments @ the local primary schools concerts. which i also use as a reference since the SQ of the auditorium is amazing. strange huh?

[Winno]

~Spyne~, on Feb 16 2006, 09:05 PM, said:

having just discovered this disc, i was wondering if any of u involved in home audio listen to sarah mclachlan - surfacing as a reference disc?
i was doing a little research a while ago into audiophile reference cds and the most common (commercially available) cd mentioned was this one. (others mentioned were alan parsons - on air, and pink floyd - final cut)

The thing with Sarah is that apart from very good production (largely) her music is actually good to listen to as well. And yes, Surfacing is on my list of discs pulled out for demo when I take stuff home for audition.

Try Tori Amos' work including her latest album, The Beekeeper.
Andrea Boccheli's voice can be incredible on a good car system and if well set up, can recreate a very large, deep stage filled with the backing orchestra.

Edited by Winno, 17 February 2006 - 05:55 PM.

[Alpine State of Mind]

dont want to go too off topic but i saw james brown yesterday...he was dancing and singing 10 metres from me there were sax solos trumpet solos. singing solos piano solos....everyone jamming together, i tell you it was the real deal...and it is also something your audio system would be hard pressed to emulate, as a live concert is totally on another level...

[mosoto]

rnor5928, on Feb 19 2006, 08:53 AM, said:

and it is also something your audio system would be hard pressed to emulate, as a live concert is totally on another level...

what no guitar solos
nothing can emulate being on stage either B)

Edited by mosoto, 19 February 2006 - 03:31 PM.