Rank your car HiFi ;-)
Discussion
stuart_83 said:
Is that the Alpine double DIN and amp?
Worked for Alpine a number of years ago (IT), and I was genuinely surprised about how many different cars we had our kit in. Only about 25% of their business was aftermarket.
A lot of it was sold on and rebranded (Aston / B&W), so you'd be surprised just how many cars have an unbranded Alpine system in!
It's a single DIN Clarion unit. From what I gather Lotus buy them in bulk reflecting what is cheapest at the time.Worked for Alpine a number of years ago (IT), and I was genuinely surprised about how many different cars we had our kit in. Only about 25% of their business was aftermarket.
A lot of it was sold on and rebranded (Aston / B&W), so you'd be surprised just how many cars have an unbranded Alpine system in!
Standard Business stereo setup (tape deck) in me E36 M3 was absolute junk. Speakers were Nokia!!! No bass and clipping occured even when not that loud.
Slight upgrade to the (still standard) CD43 CD deck, some aftermarket speakers and a 10" bass box, I'd rate it 7/10. Its not car show loud but loud enough for the average person and the bass tube really completes the sound.
Slight upgrade to the (still standard) CD43 CD deck, some aftermarket speakers and a 10" bass box, I'd rate it 7/10. Its not car show loud but loud enough for the average person and the bass tube really completes the sound.
The Capristo stage 2 on my 360 sounds absolutely fantastic, 10/10 
Seriously though, standard 360 setup is a bit naff, mainly because it's drowned out by all the other noises 4/10
Z4M standard speaker system (without sub) is ok but lacks bass depth on some tracks 5/10
XF standard system with sub is better than the Z4M with slightly better bass but still lacks a bit of depth which is offered by the more expensive Meridien option 7/10
Seriously though, standard 360 setup is a bit naff, mainly because it's drowned out by all the other noises 4/10
Z4M standard speaker system (without sub) is ok but lacks bass depth on some tracks 5/10
XF standard system with sub is better than the Z4M with slightly better bass but still lacks a bit of depth which is offered by the more expensive Meridien option 7/10
I've never heard a factory fitted system that has been anything more than adequate, even the expensive branded\upgraded systems. A car just isn't a good place in terms of acoustic properties to get decent sound, it's a very small metal and glass box at the end of the day which WILL vibrate and rattle. Plus you are competing with large amounts of engine, road, wind and traffic noise at the same time.
Admittedly sound systems have been getting a bit better over the years but that's mostly because they are at least fitting systems that work properly and don't cut out or distort at anything above half volume.
The only way to get decent sound is to go aftermarket and even then after spending loads of money you'll only get to about 7/10ths of a decent home setup. That's why I just accept it's going to be merely adequate and as long as I can hear it over the other noises and it doesn't distort too badly when I turn the volume up a bit, I'm happy. I'd never spend £1k-£4k of my own money upgrading the sound system and it's not something I really look for when I am looking at second hand either.
Admittedly sound systems have been getting a bit better over the years but that's mostly because they are at least fitting systems that work properly and don't cut out or distort at anything above half volume.
The only way to get decent sound is to go aftermarket and even then after spending loads of money you'll only get to about 7/10ths of a decent home setup. That's why I just accept it's going to be merely adequate and as long as I can hear it over the other noises and it doesn't distort too badly when I turn the volume up a bit, I'm happy. I'd never spend £1k-£4k of my own money upgrading the sound system and it's not something I really look for when I am looking at second hand either.
Ford Fiesta 1988 XR2 Ford Radio Cassette unit
I've got the upgraded unit that adds FM radio to the standard LW/MW and its well worth it. The 4 speaker system isn't particularly endowed with bass and the twin 40 weber carbs tend to ensure that most of anything on BBC Radio 1 can't be heard anyway which is to my mind is perfect. Special mention goes to the little joystick to control fade and balance which anybody who steps inside the car immediately has to play with.
7/10*
I've got the upgraded unit that adds FM radio to the standard LW/MW and its well worth it. The 4 speaker system isn't particularly endowed with bass and the twin 40 weber carbs tend to ensure that most of anything on BBC Radio 1 can't be heard anyway which is to my mind is perfect. Special mention goes to the little joystick to control fade and balance which anybody who steps inside the car immediately has to play with.
7/10*
- score adjusted for 1985 expectations
beanoir said:
Ford Fiesta 1988 XR2 Ford Radio Cassette unit
I've got the upgraded unit that adds FM radio to the standard LW/MW and its well worth it. The 4 speaker system isn't particularly endowed with bass and the twin 40 weber carbs tend to ensure that most of anything on BBC Radio 1 can't be heard anyway which is to my mind is perfect. Special mention goes to the little joystick to control fade and balance which anybody who steps inside the car immediately has to play with.
7/10*
Ahh, Ford head units of the 1980s...I've got the upgraded unit that adds FM radio to the standard LW/MW and its well worth it. The 4 speaker system isn't particularly endowed with bass and the twin 40 weber carbs tend to ensure that most of anything on BBC Radio 1 can't be heard anyway which is to my mind is perfect. Special mention goes to the little joystick to control fade and balance which anybody who steps inside the car immediately has to play with.
7/10*
- score adjusted for 1985 expectations
Not just the joystick, pulling the rubber knobs on and off also gave hours of pleasure
Far from being an audiophile, I do like to hear something that resembles "decent" audio in a car though.
Looking for a replacement for wifey's Mazda 5 I test drove/listened a Renault Kadjar with the Bose option and I was pleasantly surprised.
Totally clean sound, very clear with not too much bass but could still be felt.
I would say 7/10
J
Looking for a replacement for wifey's Mazda 5 I test drove/listened a Renault Kadjar with the Bose option and I was pleasantly surprised.
Totally clean sound, very clear with not too much bass but could still be felt.
I would say 7/10
J
beanoir said:
Ford Fiesta 1988 XR2 Ford Radio Cassette unit
I've got the upgraded unit that adds FM radio to the standard LW/MW and its well worth it. The 4 speaker system isn't particularly endowed with bass and the twin 40 weber carbs tend to ensure that most of anything on BBC Radio 1 can't be heard anyway which is to my mind is perfect. Special mention goes to the little joystick to control fade and balance which anybody who steps inside the car immediately has to play with.
7/10*
Funny, but when i first saw this thread that head unit was the first thing that came to mind!I've got the upgraded unit that adds FM radio to the standard LW/MW and its well worth it. The 4 speaker system isn't particularly endowed with bass and the twin 40 weber carbs tend to ensure that most of anything on BBC Radio 1 can't be heard anyway which is to my mind is perfect. Special mention goes to the little joystick to control fade and balance which anybody who steps inside the car immediately has to play with.
7/10*
- score adjusted for 1985 expectations
.....but not because it was a good head unit - i think the joystick could only handle a couple of watts
Edited by littlebasher on Friday 2nd September 12:18
From factory I probably loved my Z4m with the pro setup the most (2 subs, 10 speakers). Real nice blend of crips, bassy sound.
current cars, the porsche's standard underperforms but at least it lets me hear the engine. I've got some two way alpine X types amongst other gadets to go in so will see how that transforms it.
The jeep is aweful. tinny, rattly, distorts etc so may be due an upgrade too!
best was a supra I bought with dls two way, 10 inch subs and a great soundstage - but it was just too bad that it was draped in LED's
current cars, the porsche's standard underperforms but at least it lets me hear the engine. I've got some two way alpine X types amongst other gadets to go in so will see how that transforms it.
The jeep is aweful. tinny, rattly, distorts etc so may be due an upgrade too!
best was a supra I bought with dls two way, 10 inch subs and a great soundstage - but it was just too bad that it was draped in LED's
The Bose Beta system in my '92 Merc W140 600 SEL is pretty superb, to my ears at least.
From the factory, it came with 4 subs, rear seat mids and woofers, front woofers mids and highs and a centre-fill behind the rear vision mirror.
Oh, and a whacking great amplifier in the boot.
Of course, all these speakers have the benefit of working in a stupidly solid shell with a s
t-tonne of insulation and double-glazing, but the tuned boxes on the back of the door speakers are something to behold and give a sense of the amount of work that went in to making it sound good.
Oh, and it came with a rear-seat remote, which I'm sure gives it that extra oomph
Grace Jones, from her Sly and Robbie era, never sounded to terrifyingly spine-chilling.
From the factory, it came with 4 subs, rear seat mids and woofers, front woofers mids and highs and a centre-fill behind the rear vision mirror.
Oh, and a whacking great amplifier in the boot.
Of course, all these speakers have the benefit of working in a stupidly solid shell with a s
t-tonne of insulation and double-glazing, but the tuned boxes on the back of the door speakers are something to behold and give a sense of the amount of work that went in to making it sound good.Oh, and it came with a rear-seat remote, which I'm sure gives it that extra oomph
Grace Jones, from her Sly and Robbie era, never sounded to terrifyingly spine-chilling.
I notice a LOT of people rating the older BMW systems lowly.
I had an E46 with the Harmon Kardon system.
Not only was it somewhat underwhelming for an expensive upgrade (car was 9 years old when I got it) but it was almost impossible to upgrade AND unreliable AND complicated.
I regretted that for years. Adding an amp and aftermarket speakers was nigh on impossible.
I now have a 2012 X3 and it has the bog standard system. 2 front door speakers, 2 bass speakers under the front seats, 2 rear door speakers. It's infinitely better than the E46 was. It could be better, but I'm 35 now and don't need to rattle my number plates.
7/10
I had an E46 with the Harmon Kardon system.
Not only was it somewhat underwhelming for an expensive upgrade (car was 9 years old when I got it) but it was almost impossible to upgrade AND unreliable AND complicated.
I regretted that for years. Adding an amp and aftermarket speakers was nigh on impossible.
I now have a 2012 X3 and it has the bog standard system. 2 front door speakers, 2 bass speakers under the front seats, 2 rear door speakers. It's infinitely better than the E46 was. It could be better, but I'm 35 now and don't need to rattle my number plates.
7/10
I had 2 1992's Clio's before that.
They might as well have not bothered with audio equipment.
Think I spent about £2k on upgrading them (transferred a lot from one to the other)
Kind of shows that if you can go in a shop and buy a load of stuff for £2k in the early naughties, why it costs £3k+ to have premium audio in luxo cars. However most of their premium stuff is built to cost so not as good as you think.
They all use cheaper materials for the cones and tiny little magnets on the speakers. I doubt the amps are much better.
They might as well have not bothered with audio equipment.
Think I spent about £2k on upgrading them (transferred a lot from one to the other)
Kind of shows that if you can go in a shop and buy a load of stuff for £2k in the early naughties, why it costs £3k+ to have premium audio in luxo cars. However most of their premium stuff is built to cost so not as good as you think.
They all use cheaper materials for the cones and tiny little magnets on the speakers. I doubt the amps are much better.
'08 Fiesta ST MK6: dealer said the Sony stereo sounded 'better than the standard head unit' - dread to know what thats like 3/10
'13 Focus ST MK3: poor sound from the standard Sony head unit and out-dated Sync 1 system, but at least i could plug my phone into it 4/10
'15 Golf GTI: Upgraded to Dynaudio. After some investigative work on forums to find the right balance to stop the doors vibrating, found settings I'm happy with and all good. CarPlay integration + simple controls make it a winner 8/10
'13 Focus ST MK3: poor sound from the standard Sony head unit and out-dated Sync 1 system, but at least i could plug my phone into it 4/10
'15 Golf GTI: Upgraded to Dynaudio. After some investigative work on forums to find the right balance to stop the doors vibrating, found settings I'm happy with and all good. CarPlay integration + simple controls make it a winner 8/10
2013 M135i with HK 7/10
2001 Maserati 3200 - 3/10 but who cares (Becker Mexico & Standard Speakers)
1983 Land rover series 3 - 1/10 (1 mono speaker and a 1980's ford car radio)
Actually, I think it's well know that a lot of the sound quality comes from having a well insulated, dense and rigid body to mount the speakers and reduce background noise, vibration etc
That's why I covered my MK1 focus in roof flashing (couldn't afford Dynamat!) to try and stop the uprated speakers and subs from vibrating.
Yes I am from Essex...
2001 Maserati 3200 - 3/10 but who cares (Becker Mexico & Standard Speakers)
1983 Land rover series 3 - 1/10 (1 mono speaker and a 1980's ford car radio)
Actually, I think it's well know that a lot of the sound quality comes from having a well insulated, dense and rigid body to mount the speakers and reduce background noise, vibration etc
That's why I covered my MK1 focus in roof flashing (couldn't afford Dynamat!) to try and stop the uprated speakers and subs from vibrating.
Yes I am from Essex...
Edited by urquattroGus on Friday 2nd September 14:05
Edited by urquattroGus on Friday 2nd September 14:06
Edited by urquattroGus on Friday 2nd September 14:06
Boxster 987.1 with Bose -7/10 if you exclude the original cost of it.
This is a much maligned upgrade, but I actually think it sounds quite good, especially once replacing the 'PCM' headunit (that feels more like 1985 than 2005), so you can actually listen to the music you want to rather than just leaving it on random.
You could undoubtedly put together a much better aftermarket system for what it cost as an option when new, but it is unobtrusive and sounds ok.
This is a much maligned upgrade, but I actually think it sounds quite good, especially once replacing the 'PCM' headunit (that feels more like 1985 than 2005), so you can actually listen to the music you want to rather than just leaving it on random.
You could undoubtedly put together a much better aftermarket system for what it cost as an option when new, but it is unobtrusive and sounds ok.
Comon theme running through this thread about Bmw's.
I've had a lots of them.
Some folk don't realise that most such as an E90 came with 3 flavours of speaker/amp set up.
The standard set up is utterly pathetic and can only be a sneaky attempt to get punters to upgrade.
My E90 has the "hi-fi" set up which is the middle ground (tweeters and subs under front seats)
Its clear but there are massive gaps in the spectrum between both bass/midrange & mid to trebble.
5/10
A friend has a 130i with logic 7.
I would give that 7-8/10.
Punchy, crisp and seemingly can be cranked up to max with minimum distortion.
I also owned an R53 Mini with HK and I'd give that 7/10 for a small vehicle.
Got the impression somebody had spent plenty of time getting the acoustics & spread spot on.
I've had a lots of them.
Some folk don't realise that most such as an E90 came with 3 flavours of speaker/amp set up.
The standard set up is utterly pathetic and can only be a sneaky attempt to get punters to upgrade.
My E90 has the "hi-fi" set up which is the middle ground (tweeters and subs under front seats)
Its clear but there are massive gaps in the spectrum between both bass/midrange & mid to trebble.
5/10
A friend has a 130i with logic 7.
I would give that 7-8/10.
Punchy, crisp and seemingly can be cranked up to max with minimum distortion.
I also owned an R53 Mini with HK and I'd give that 7/10 for a small vehicle.
Got the impression somebody had spent plenty of time getting the acoustics & spread spot on.
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