Car Audio


Why is there no really high-end car audio other than maybe Seas Speakers, and McIntosh components? At least, there is no really easily-accessible stuff out there on the internet?! I would love it if Audiogon created a sister site dedicated to mobile audio. I am in my vehicle and at work much more of the time than at home with my HT and 2 Channel systems!!! Know what I mean?
williamhaneke
where can i buy the Seas speakers you mention? I hope they make a good single driver speaker.

Linn and Levinson both make car audio that is highly regarded...
Dynaudio, MB Quart, Infinity and Focal make fantastic component car audio speakers. Genesis(England) make very high end amps and speakers. Try www.Theautophile.com. Mr. Peter Lufrano if I remember correctly and ask his advice. Not sure if his advice is still free though. He wasn't real keen on giving free advice unless you were buying something from him, but there is no denying that the man knows his car audio! It all depends on where you are wanting to go with your car's system and how much $$ you want to spend. It isn't all neon and boomy bass! I love my truck's system!
Eldarado

Obviously conditions are not ideal in a car, compared to say, a recording studio. But to be honest, I never understood this reaction to car audio.

Just because we may add road noise or face challenges with reflections or speaker placement, does that mean we should just give up and settle for Delco?

In my experience the interior of a car - with leather and carpets - can sometimes compensate nicely for the reflective nature of the windows. Car windows rattle less than house windows in a listening room.

And tweeters can be mounted in fiberglass pods, for example, in foot wells and aimed at your ears for more on axis response.

Even if these things cant be tamed, an audiophile can still listen THROUGH these things and hear what is hopefully good sound beneath it all.

Would you rather listen to a good system in a bad room, or a bad system in a bad room? If a band plays in a noisy bar, should they discard the usual care and attention to the mix?

This is AUDIOgon. And whatever, the case listening to music in the car is really FUN.

DMA

Yes, the autophile was one of the sites previously recommended for this topic.
Should we all settle for Delco, absolutely not! But, I can't see spending thousands of dollars on a car system. It does crack me up when you go to test drives cars and the sales person says, "And this has a great Bose stereo." I did the car audio thing for several years when I was younger and don't remember any of them sounding anything close the hi end home audio. Just my opinion. If it floats your boat, jump in.
You guys/gals raise good points and yes, road noise, spatial effects, et al, notwithstanding, car audio will not and perhaps never WILL approach that ephemeral pinnacle that a dedicated home setup with a dedicated listening space can accomplish, although we are all hopeful. My point here is that there should be something good or better than a Bose system (which I had a kickin' iteration of in my 3rd gen RX-7) and even a 4.5K Mark Levinson one in my Lexus is an example... Why do drivers who have to commute to work - away from their beloved home systems have to suffer without something that approaches that rarefied and aesthetic level that home systems can bring?! Again, a little help...

For philojet, check out http://www.mobilesq.com/store/ for the Seas speakers...

Also, what about laptop SACD? Even HDCD... Why is this technology lagging - or am I not in the know - yet...?