what's the best audio system out there?

[vi3tsi06]

i am really interested in going alll out on my audio. i'm just looking for the best out there. not really the name but the best i can put together. name is good too haha. whats' reallly reliable??? and worth the money

[Seemund]

don't know lot about it..
pioneer :) alpine :) kenwood :)

[rawdawg]

Your questions are vague to me. The best you can put together in terms of what? Money, install capability, ... looks?

I would say most recognized brands are fairly reliable as long as they are not abused. I've run Crossfire, my friend runs Zapco and my other friend runs some sort of swap meet special system. All of them do/did their intended job for years. As far as being worth the money, that is subjective to your goals... and I'm not exactly sure what they are.

[Devin]

Its hard to make a generalization about whats good and what isn't. JBL has a generally great pro line, but when it comes to their mobile line I'm not really impressed by the specs. The THD is high and the S/N is relatively low.

[TommyD]

Jensen.

[Biggeo]

Originally Posted by Devin

Its hard to make a generalization about whats good and what isn't. JBL has a generally great pro line, but when it comes to their mobile line I'm not really impressed by the specs. The THD is high and the S/N is relatively low.

+1...I have a JBL 12" powered sub for my home and it pounds. But the car audio is weak. I personally have CDT Audio components and Neo 6.5" in the rear of my Si. They sound awesome and are pushed by Eclipse amps. As for subs, I've had all kinds, JL's, RF, MTX, Kicker, Soundstream to name a few. I have 2 RF Punch Power 10" subs and they sound pretty darn good.

[moxom]

It doesn't make any (audio) sense to put a lot of cash into car audio unless you're competing for cash. A car's interior f*cks up the sound so bad that you end up wasting lots of money just to get a decent sound.
Think about this: due to the speakers low placement, your calves actually experience the best sound. The cabin noise reduces the dynamic range, so your precious giga-watt amp is reduced to a glorified toaster. I can go on and on.

But I digress.
For the calf, er front speakers, I like Seas and Scan-Speak.
Custom made passive crossover or actively bi-amp the fronts.
Amps and head unit: McIntosh 406 and MCC602

What's your budget?

[mike11202]

Originally Posted by moxom

It doesn't make any (audio) sense to put a lot of cash into car audio unless you're competing for cash. A car's interior f*cks up the sound so bad that you end up wasting lots of money just to get a decent sound.
Think about this: due to the speakers low placement, your calves actually experience the best sound. The cabin noise reduces the dynamic range, so your precious giga-watt amp is reduced to a glorified toaster. I can go on and on.

But I digress.
For the calf, er front speakers, I like Seas and Scan-Speak.
Custom made passive crossover or actively bi-amp the fronts.
Amps and head unit: McIntosh 406 and MCC602

What's your budget?

Yes, but there are ways around that like the CDT Audio components. Buy a good set like the HD62's. You can get another set of tweeters with an LP-1 remote that will allow you to mount the other set off the crossover and control their volume with the LP-1 remote. This will allow you to house the other set of tweeters in the factory dash place and you can upstage them with a flush mount. Doing this you need knowledge on your crossover settings to acheive the best sound.

Then sound deaden the entire car, I recommend some from elemental designs.

For the sub you should go with a Mag 15 from Stereo Integrity.

It would be a complete waste of money if your not going to compete, so this should be a slite alternative route.

I think he just wants a great system to impress people.

[Toxis]

the new Focal Utopia's are the best sounding components I've heard to date. I wanna hear the TOTL Rainbow's too.

Amps, I'd personally run TRU or Audison. There's better amps out there but I don't see them really being that much better.

Subs, Focal Utopia. Best subs I've ever heard.

As for the noise floor, get some processors that'll allow you to run XLR instead of low level RCA's. That'll take care of your signal. Sound deaden the shit out of the cabin and call it done. It all depends on what you're looking for, what your budget is and what your goals are.

[rawdawg]

I don't believe there's been any serious cash in Car Audio competitions since I was sporting my Members Only jacket. Last couple of years I used to go to the SoCal IASCA events and as I recall, those guys might have been getting a hundred bucks at the most. Oh, and a plastic trophy.

There are ways to avoid having your calves get the best sound. Mostly, it has to do with intelligent designing of your system for your particular car. Specifically, it has to do with location of your speakers. Doors, kick panels, sail panels, A-pillars, underdash, custom dash pods all have been used with varying success.

vi3tsi06, your best bet would be to investigate the world of car audio through all the various forums available out there. Scour through the archives and lurk. You should begin to get a sense of what you need to accomplish your goals. Some of them include:

http://www.audiogroupforum.com/csforum//
http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/index.php?
http://forum.elitecaraudio.com/

Whether a person wants to compete or not, shouldn't deter him from desiring certain components. There are a myriad of reasons why people do the things they do.

[Devin]

Woohoo, this thread is getting pretty good. This thread started with a normative question and it has gotten, and will continue to get, normative responses. Music is an art. There is no right and wrong because it is based of the listeners taste, which varies from person to person. However, we can generally agree on certain aspects such as price or reliability. These topics still fall under debate because some are willing to pay more than others and so forth. Some people also prefer tube amplifiers to modern transistor because of the way it colors the sound. It all depends on taste. As for me, I prefer my components to do as little coloring as possible. If I want any I will do it myself through processing, because it can be easily and inexpensively changed.

And as to the cost of components and competing to earn back the money goes, that is not why I want a system in my car. I do it because I am an audio person, it is my life and its what pays the bills. I want a "good" system because it makes me happy and gives me one more reason to enjoy driving my car.

[moxom]

Originally Posted by Devin

And as to the cost of components and competing to earn back the money goes, that is not why I want a system in my car. I do it because I am an audio person, it is my life and its what pays the bills. I want a "good" system because it makes me happy and gives me one more reason to enjoy driving my car.

That's great. As an audio person you'll learn very quickly that the law of diminishing returns kicks in earlier and harder in car audio than home audio. The reason is simply because it's much easier to tell the improvement than say a 12 dB series crossover will make over a parallel 12dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley.

I designed and installed my first system about 20 years ago for a client's Nissan Sentra. I installed another 50 or so systems since then and the challenges remain the same. Auto manufacturer's haven't helped much over the years simply because a car is designed to get you from point A to point B and not as a sound room.

Designing and building HiFi systems for home audio is more rewarding IMO, but I've been able to apply what I've learned to car audio.

Originally Posted by Devin

If I want any I will do it myself through processing, because it can be easily and inexpensively changed.

The only person that could pull this off was Bob Carver. He introduced the "t" amplifier line about 20 years ago. His transistor amps basically copied the transfer function of some highly regarded tube amps.

[LordZeal]

Whatever you buy make sure it is installed correctly. The quality of the install is just as important as what equipment you use. I can make the best speakers in the world sound like ass w/ just a crappy install.

[Coop]

its all personal preference. I have had good luck and happy with the pairing of pioneer speakers/head unit and punch amps/subs. its been a little cheaper than the very high end names, but i have accomplished a sound "I" like, so its really up to you.

[audiophile]

Originally Posted by TommyD

Jensen.

hahah


It really depends on what you're looking for in sound. Any combo of quality equipment if installed correctly will sound good. Trust me. One can mix and match brands at will.
I have installed many many many "systems" in cars using product we sold. We were the best in town so we sold the "best stuff" - RF, Premier, Infinity, Focal, etc. I had and still have (If they can find me) a lifetime warranty on that install if never tampered with.

Just go to a quality store in your town and let someone who knows their stuff help you. As I said, you can make ANY quality eqpt sound good in any vehicle.

[Toxis]

Some people think Memphis is quality equipment. That will NEVER sound good. Sorry.

[SiViC81]

I've had few audio systems and also have friends that owned some ridiculous systems...and this is just based on my experiences...

Best amps- Zapco...can't go wrong with them...they are expensive as $hit but you get what you pay for and then some...This is my first Zapco amp and I'll tell you this much...doesn't get any better than this...as far as subs and component speakers are concerned, many people will tell you a lot of different things based on experience...but my favorite subs were Orions...I forgot which model b/c I only had it for two days before they got stolen back in 2000...they had the green surround I think...

[rawdawg]

Speaking of Zapco... a friend of mine who, for years, ran Zapco in his competition cars is now switching over to Zed. He is also, for whatever reason, putting in two different front stages(horns/components) with a switcher. I suppose horns for when he wants to go aggressive and comps to satisfy his Nora "Jones".

[audiophile]

Originally Posted by Toxis

Some people think Memphis is quality equipment. That will NEVER sound good. Sorry.

Haha - I personally still own a Memphis Belle. ST-1300D a year before they changed their Studio line to the M-Class. I had it in my old truck. It is a BEAST

75x4 rms @ 4ohms
1000x1 rms @ 1ohm

[negativezeroz]

Alpine F1 HU and Processor
Brax Amps
Rainbow Reference 4-Way Comps
Monster Wiring (just cuz monster is cool)