Car audio...speaker talk

nic_b_nice

Obviously we don't use our vehicles as studios but considering today's speaker market there has to be speakers that act like monitors.

I know lots of us use our vehicle's stereo system as a mixing reference so with that said what speakers act like monitors?

rickwaugh

The problem with cars is the weird space. So, I would say that no matter how flat the response in the speakers, you're going to get weird harmonic issues, because the bounce is different in every vehicle.

Goozoon

It is hard because of different car doors, different door insulation, different volume... I guess.

I bought Morel Tempo.... Veeerry good. Older jbl amp and amped jbl sub

Tarekith

I think Focal has a car speaker division if I remember correctly.

I got into critical listening from competing in car audio contests when I was a teenager. Imaging will always be an issue as mention, but if someone was willing I bet you could create a car system that does a fairly good job for music too. Would not be easy though I think, lots of obstacles to overcome. Good sound is about more than just the speaker.

nic_b_nice

I agree with everything that's been said.

But taking the car variable out...what brand of speakers offer the flattest response? Which speakers act like beats by dre?

Amps and head units also come into the equation but for now please give me your opinion on speaker brands.

thanks

I'm not expecting to work in my car and have some sort of studio in it but the car I just bought has terrible speakers and it's been years since I've been into car audio.

Alpine from what I remember made good stuff as well as Boston and jbl. Just hoping to hear from other audio geeks.

Goozoon

Beats by dre is good, or flat?
Jbl, alpine.. It is all mostly commercial stuf, boom-boom... I can compare my Morels to other jbks or pioneers. Morels are more clear, with no or minimum artificial pikes

JohnnyGoodyear

I think we have to defer to @LostBoy85 on this one....

LostBoy85

Sorry @JohnnyGoodyear I just record in my car.Whenever I try to listen to a mix (Which btw is supposed to be one of the best places to just listen to your finished song to see how it holds up to the radio.) bloody iTunes plays a song under soundcloud/audioshare at the same time!! You can pause it but that lasts 5 seconds then it continues! It's infuriating!!:(

supadom

'But taking the car variable out...what brand of speakers offer the flattest response? Which speakers act like beats by dre?'

Beatz are NOT reference headphones by a wide margin.

rickwaugh

I have a Fostek system in my Outlander that came stock. I never had a stereo this good in any vehicle in my youth, and I sure as hell never had a subwoofer, which this puppy has. I can feel my brain rattling around in my skull when I crank it. Middle daughter and myself went for drive when I got it, and cranked up the techno. At last, I'm one of those annoying people who sits behind you at stop lights, making the entire intersection pulsate. It's wonderful. And man, does my crap sound good on it.

nic_b_nice

@supadom said:

'But taking the car variable out...what brand of speakers offer the flattest response? Which speakers act like beats by dre?'

Beatz are NOT reference headphones by a wide margin.

Exactly. That's why I wanted to know so I can stay away.

solador78

Upgrading your speakers kind of defeats the purpose of testing a mix in a car.

supadom

@nic_b_nice said:
Exactly. That's why I wanted to know so I can stay away.

Ah ok, got it.

Brain

I use my vehicle (2003 Honda Element) as a 'studio' at times, either sitting for a few minutes pushing forward on arranging a GB song I'm working on or doing some raw vocal tracks just to hear how things are going. Plus, the speakers in my car are adequate to plug the iPhone into the AUX and get an decent idea of how it's going sans headphones.

supadom

I wouldn't necessarily mix on a car stereo but it is certainly a common technique to get the right mix through listening to it on different speakers: laptop, cheap earphones, car stereo etc.

Brain

@supadom said:
I wouldn't necessarily mix on a car stereo but it is certainly a common technique to get the right mix through listening to it on different speakers: laptop, cheap earphones, car stereo etc.

Exactly!

nic_b_nice

@solador78 said:
Upgrading your speakers kind of defeats the purpose of testing a mix in a car.

I get it but the speakers, especially the rear, are some of the worst stock speakers I've heard. They can't handle bass at all. I've turned the bass almost all the way down on the head unit.

Anyway I appreciate yalls input

Tarekith

Get yourself a Crutchfield catalog and see what's in your price range. Upgrading to Kicker, Alpine, Focal, etc speakers will likely end up sound a little better, but it usually takes new amps, a new headunit, someplace to build larger enclosures, etc to get more bass for instance. Just replacing the 6x9's in the back won't neccesarily make a huge difference, even if you get expensive ones.

nic_b_nice

@Tarekith said:
Get yourself a Crutchfield catalog and see what's in your price range. Upgrading to Kicker, Alpine, Focal, etc speakers will likely end up sound a little better, but it usually takes new amps, a new headunit, someplace to build larger enclosures, etc to get more bass for instance. Just replacing the 6x9's in the back won't neccesarily make a huge difference, even if you get expensive ones.

Thanks and I agree

I'm not rushing. I've had a head unit, 10" sub and amp for the sub sitting around my house. My Chevy I just sold had a decent Bose system so for 8 years I kept it stock, plus I liked listening to the engine exhaust haha!

So yes I will check out things in my price range. Just always like to get input from others.

kscott29

I'd recommend browsing through some of these lists to narrow down your choices for pricing and brands:
6x9 speakers: https://www.caraudionow.com/best-6x9-car-speakers/
6.5 component speakers: https://www.caraudionow.com/best-6-5-component-car-speakers/
Subwoofers: https://www.caraudionow.com/best-6-5-component-car-speakers/

danielclark

I think speakers are most important part of the cars nowadays because we get bored on all journey so music in background will make us entertained all the way, http://speakerxpert.com/best-car-audio/ has best guide about which car speakers you should choose.

rs2000

I've installed many car audio systems some time ago and I've come to my own conclusion:

• Bass needs a properly matched enclosure, otherwise you'll waste space and power
• Place midrange speakers and tweeters where they create a nice stereo image
• Whichever great speakers you might choose, without a proper PEQ it's tough to get good sound in any car. My fav is the MidiDSP 2x4 platform plus plugin(s) before the power amp.
• If you're short on money, better invest in proper speaker placement and electronics instead of wasting money on high-end speakers that don't sound that great in your own car anyway.

Apart from that, I'd rather listen to my music in different older and newer cars with unmodified speaker setup. More and more car manufacturers use equalisation in their factory head units, so in-car sound has become much better now than it was 20 years ago.
And they still use speakers worth max. $3 per unit

DragonFly

@danielclark said:
I think speakers are most important part of the cars nowadays because we get bored on all journey so music in background will make us entertained all the way, http://speakerxpert.com/best-car-audio/ has best guide about which car speakers you should choose.

It is one more review site like

https://www.caraudionow.com/best-6x9-car-speakers/
https://soundrating.com/ and others.

Blipsford_Baubie

I loved D&B when the bass was still focused on the sub, as opposed to the processing and cross-modulation of the upper-frequencies. Also the drum programming. Mmmmm....

Blipsford_Baubie

...and i forgot to mention the over use of the vocal sample "bass", especially if by a female vocal.

enc

stock system in my car is better than any custom set up ive had in past vehicles

Odagic

My first car was the absolute best I have ever had with factory speakers:

1989 Chrysler New Yorker, Landau, Mark Cross EVERY option with sunroof, ABS AND 4-wheel disc.

Infinity 2 sound system https://10carbest.com/best-car-speakers

Cassette deck with the digital EQ and joystick, PLUS the ultra rare factory slave CD unit, rear headphones. Later replaced by Pioneer CD (original cd player died one day, no replacement to be found), wired it using pre-amps to give signal to the factory amplifiers.
I like watching a video on YouTube on such topics, I'll leave you one of them here, I hope it will useful to someone

tomhawkins

As a music lover, no matter where I go, I want to listen to music. After picking up my current speaker from here (https://drillly.com/best-car-speakers/), the attraction of music has increased. But, having many options, I was confused about spending. I am happy that I found this site.

NathanX

All of the above reviews are targeting almost same brand's speakers that are so popular in the market. I was trying to look something different and I found this review https://speakershunter.com/best-6x9-speakers/ very helpful because I've recently upgraded my speakers and I know which brands are working perfect in the market. You'll surely like these speaker recommendations.

michael_m

I have never heard a car sound system that’s anything better than adequate. As pointed out above, the shape is not conducive to producing a good sound, and room available for speaker placement is far from optimal.

Like others, I think it’s a good idea to test a car system for mixes, but to me it’s always the odd one out and doesn’t have a strong influence on how I mix.

SevenSystems

@nic_b_nice said:
I know lots of us use our vehicle's stereo system as a mixing reference so with that said what speakers act like monitors?

I think the main reason to use a car stereo as reference when mixing is to get the sound right for the average car stereo (i.e., John Doe's) system, not a "studio" car system

(amn't I having fun replying to spam posts )