Mod Box - 85' Grand Marquis

[sly]

My hearing is pretty good. I can still hear monitor whine as I approach 40 (37 in Dec). Though with the system in the 88, that may not be the case in another decade.

[RyPow]

In addition, I have a strong musical background so the "right" sound is important. That all being said I would not dump big bucks into audio for a car. Too easy to develop "feet"!! I have made "accommodations" that both fit my pocket and ears!! Bottom line - install what sounds good to you - not what someone else thinks sounds good.

+1 on all accounts. In addition to the risk of theft, a car is such a poor environment from an acoustic standpoint, that it will never sound truly "great" unless you go to the extents that Mark Levinson etc. do on their OEM systems in high-end cars ("tuning" the drivers, positioning and interior surfaces for sonic quality). Lots of bass doesn't "sound good," it sounds loud (and that is usually what the owner is going for). I especially agree with miamibob's last comment about installing what your ears - not someone else's - approve of. Not only because of the variance in sonic taste between individuals, but I've seen so many people spend big $$ on car audio just to impress their friends and seek approval, and they don't even like the sound themselves.

[miamibob]

+1 on all accounts. In addition to the risk of theft, a car is such a poor environment from an acoustic standpoint, that it will never sound truly "great" unless you go to the extents that Mark Levinson etc. do on their OEM systems in high-end cars ("tuning" the drivers, positioning and interior surfaces for sonic quality). Lots of bass doesn't "sound good," it sounds loud. I especially agree with miamibob's last comment about installing what your ears - not someone else's - approve of. Not only because of the variance in sonic taste between individuals, but I've seen so many people spend big $$ on car audio just to impress their friends and seek approval, and they don't even like the sound themselves.

Could NOT have stated it more clearly! Cars are NOT good places for acoustics. You can accept these limitations or try to "fake them out" through all kinds of un-natural acts. +1 on the "big bass theory"! It's un-natural and annoys the shit out of me. But that's me...

[Mr Bean]

Stock stereo plays FM radio just fine.

[RyPow]

Stock stereo plays FM radio just fine.

Ford Premium Sound FTW

[88Vic]

I have premium sound in my Lincoln, I think, been so long since I've been in that car. Too bad it doesn't run, premium goes to waste.

I'm with you, I don't do sound systems either, I just don't care enough to spend the money. My truck has 2 working speakers, 1 not working most of the time but I don't care, I don't listen to music much at all anyways, rather listen to exhaust noise and possible engine noises if something goes wrong. If the speakers in my car go bad, then I'll replace them but I won't go all out, just some speakers that aren't chinese junk so they'll last. I think in my car I listen to Chief's games more than anything, if I happen to be out when the games start. At work, I listen to music but that's because I drive long distance and it helps keep me awake, but driving around a town/city I usually turn it off or very low, besides un-insulated Chevy Express cabs have terrible acoustics. I'm just not that into music.

[sly]

I detest most radio stations since they end up playing as much, if not more, commercials than actual music. Aftermarket stereo so I can use my USB stick and carry my favorite tunes with. The better speakers for better highs and lows than the stock speakers can do is what I did. The subs in the 88 were definitely for the "get the bass over the road noise on the highway" factor. Considering I spent less than $500 on the entire system (until I bought the big box for the package shelf), I think I did pretty good by it all. And I would have blown the stock speakers to smithereens with the music I listen to... so it's a required swap for me. I like the bass.

+1 build it for the owners likes... that's what I do for sure.

[Toploader]

So Bob did the fact of you possessed perfect pitch allow you to clearly hear all the "yes, yes, yes" exclamations from the Dyker Heights "goomahs" you 'ministered' to???

All depends upon how good your hearing is. For better or worse I was born with perfect pitch (as opposed to relative pitch). In addition, I have a strong musical background so the "right" sound is important. That all being said I would not dump big bucks into audio for a car. Too easy to develop "feet"!! I have made "accommodations" that both fit my pocket and ears!! Bottom line - install what sounds good to you - not what someone else thinks sounds good.

[Toploader]

FM radio is a joke today.........which is one reason I rarely turn on my McIntosh tube tuner:-(

Could NOT have stated it more clearly! Cars are NOT good places for acoustics. You can accept these limitations or try to "fake them out" through all kinds of un-natural acts. +1 on the "big bass theory"! It's un-natural and annoys the shit out of me. But that's me...

[Toploader]

Hey Bob, if ya ain't payen ya aint sayin, or listen-in;-)

Could NOT have stated it more clearly! Cars are NOT good places for acoustics. You can accept these limitations or try to "fake them out" through all kinds of un-natural acts. +1 on the "big bass theory"! It's un-natural and annoys the shit out of me. But that's me...

[miamibob]

Hey Bob, if ya ain't payen ya aint sayin, or listen-in;-)

Precisely!

[miamibob]

So Bob did the fact of you possessed perfect pitch allow you to clearly hear all the "yes, yes, yes" exclamations from the Dyker Heights "goomahs" you 'ministered' to???

I can't hear no - I only hear yes!!

[sly]

ok... I think we've threadjacked this enough. we should start another thread for audio discussions if we want to continue this.

[miamibob]

Looks like we're done. Just didn't want "Tops" points un responded to.

[IPreferDIY]

Not so fast. It seems to me that a forum like this is at least partly about people with common interests enhancing each other's lives. Having a nice car sound system is definitely a life-enhancer for me. If someone finds a factory radio good enough, there's nothing wrong with that. Personally, I see this as comparable to someone who thought their black and white TV was good enough when color TV's first came out, but I'm not going to try to 'convert' anyone. At least I know someone in Mr Bean's position has given it some thought. Incidentally, I can see how theft would be a heightened concern in a car that will already be attracting attention.

FWIW, I've always had good luck with my car sound systems. What I manage to do is recreate a great concert experience. It's not quite studio sound, but when was the last time anyone heard studio sound at a concert? Perhaps the biggest benefit for me is that I rarely get to listen to music at those levels at home. Just sayin'.