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Any opinions on great sound systems in cars today? Not including anything after market. I'm currently thinking about a new car and today it occured to me that the quality of the sound system is quite high up on the priorities list!
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I believe an Audi A8 has a nice one.
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The one in the Accord Exec is very good. Only car stereo I have ever had where all it does when you turn it up is get louder.
With it quite loud there is not sound at the gaps between tracks.
One thing I will miss when the car goes.
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The JBL stereo in my Peugeot is excellent.
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Volvo probably have the best reputation for their sound systems.
The Bose system in my Alfa is the best I've ever heard though (but then I haven't been in a new Volvo with the stereo on).
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My Mk3 golf was the best system i've had the main reason i believe was the 8 speakers & Blaupunkt radio.
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Volvo probably have the best reputation for their sound systems.
The system in my S60 is the best standard fit system I've heard by a country mile, and you would have to spend a lot of money on aftermarket kit to get a worthwhile improvement. The Dolby Pro Logic system fitted to the higher spec models is apparently the dogs danglies, with all speakers apart from the centre channel powered off an external amplifier. Even without the Pro-Logic though it's very good, and I can't see anyone except the most ardent car-audio head being dissatisfied with it.
My brother in law had an early Peugeot 406 Executive, and the system in that was superb as well - in a different league to the lowly LX I was driving at the time.
If I had to put money on a winner without hearing it, it would be the Mark Levinson systems fitted to certain Lexus models. Levinson's domestic hi-fi kit is mind-blowing (and the cheapest component would cost you five figures), and I just can't see them putting their name to anything that wouldn't do it justice.
Cheers
DP
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Often in modern cars it's the speakers, not the headunit, that disappoints.
It's possible to replace these - any major in-car dealer can tell you what speakers will fit in place of the factory originals. For example, Pioneer TS-H687 speakers are a direct fit in MkIII Mondeo's, Jaguar X-types and some Mazda 6's. Difference to sound is night and day, but standard head unit stays in dash, so it all looks original.
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Lexus? Mark Levinson? Not tried one, but that is probably the main reason why I would consider replacing my Avensis with a Lexus. The sound system in the Avensis is rubbish - I'd like to point out that I am fussy about this and thought the same of 2 VWs and a top of the range Accord that I tried, so it's not something I consider a particular flaw of the Avensis.
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I agree drivewell it is the speakers that let the sound system down.
I was expecting to have to replace mine on the new car (well new to me anyway) but I was lucky, it had the Harman Kardon optional speakers which are excellent.
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Often in modern cars it's the speakers not the headunit that disappoints. It's possible to replace these - any major in-car dealer can tell you what speakers will fit in place of the factory originals. Difference to sound is night and day but standard head unit stays in dash so it all looks original.
I agree. I used to have a Merc C270 with Bose hi-fi which was great. I swapped it for a C320 that only had standard speakers. Upgrading these made a world of difference (and is far cheaper than a factory upgrade) - I think it helped that the head unit (Comand) had a reasonable amp in it.
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I'm a fan of the Honda sound system as well.
They are mainly supplied by Alpine.
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I still miss the joystick that controlled the fade/balance on my old Sierra.
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I have a Lexus IS 220d, you only get the Mark Levington system with the Multi Media option (£2700) it is very good indeed ( 14 speakers 300 watts) Lexus gave me a classical cd when I collected the car to try, it's simply mind blowing.
DJ
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I can get walloping surround-sound in my car.
Seems to come from the passenger seat...
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www.carpages.co.uk/lexus/lexus-is-23-10-05.asp
Drool....
300 lovely RMS watts of Mark Levinson amplification. The finest in the world in my opinion (spent 6 yrs in the hi-fi business in a previous life).
The finest domestic hi-fi system I have ever heard was driven by a pair of Levinson's imaginatively titled "No. 33H" monoblock power amps (and had a vinyl source!!). But at £15k a pair, the No. 33's are not exactly the kind of thing you'd pick up in Currys. As I've said before, you could easily spend the cost of a Lexus LS in a Levinson brochure.
Cheers
DP
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Do any cars in the UK come factory-fitted with multichannel DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD systems? I know there are a few in the US like Acura (whatever that is).
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About 18 months ago I was taken out for a ride in a new Audi S8, that belonged to someone I knew from work. The stereo in that sounded amazing, but I soon decided that if I put the window down whilst he was driving round the local country lanes that the engine sounded a lot nicer! Fantastic car!
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Hyundai 1.6 i30. Poor sound on radio. Many drop-outs on FM, more than any other car I have had (several). Only 2 FM and 2 AM wavebands. Sound on CD excellent.
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The BMW Z4 has a Carver system with 10 speakers & 2 subs that is apparantly the only car sound-system that is THX certified. I nearly bought one but got a Boxster instead, which had paper Nokia speakers and a Nokia amp in the fron boot driven by speaker-level inputs - shockingly bad. After spending £1000 on after-market gear (which all looks OEM apart from a custom sub enclosure that I built myself for the passenger footwell) and the Alpine head unit, I discovered that the Engine sounds pretty good too!
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Here they are:
1. Bang & Olufsen - Audi
2. Dynaudio - Volvo
3. Mark Levinson - Lexus
You can simply forget all the others. One could really expect much better from BOSE nowadays. They were simply the best, but not anymore. Their kit in new Mazda 6 sounds just awful.
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1. Bang & Olufsen - Audi 2. Dynaudio - Volvo 3. Mark Levinson - Lexus You can simply forget all the others. >>
Apart from the Binatone cassette radio I fitted to my Triumph Herald!
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If you like good sounds systems, stay well clear of the lower end Saab products, the ES1 - 4 is terrible, I upgraded my Company car at my own cost a year after having it at a cost of over £500 to the ES1 - 7 still just as bad, exept now because they add an amp under the front seat and 3 more speakers up front it sounds like it running of 1 speaker in the middle of the dash, very dissapointing indeed, suprised no one else has noticed!
I always found Ford Stereos to be very good, esecially the Sony ones!
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I just found out that Aston Martin entrust their premium / upgrade stereo systems to Linn, another famous name from the world of high end domestic hi-fi. Best known for their rather wonderful Sondek LP12 turntable.
Cheers
DP
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I think I read somewhere that Aston Martin will now be using Bang and Olufsen rather than Linn for their sound systems in the future, which seems something of a backward step in sound quality if the (domestic) B&O systems I have heard are anything to go by.
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I agree. B&O have always been the ultimate example of style over substance.
I auditioned a £1600 Beosound 3200 when I was in the hi-fi business. It looked stunning with acres of brushed aluminium, and the motion sensors that caused the glass front doors to slide open whenever you put your hand near it.
In sound quality terms however, it was on a par with a typical £500 micro system. You're paying for the design and the name.
Cheers
DP
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