http://autoweek.com/article/wait-theres ... dailydrive
I was reading similar things on the AVS Forum last night. Some folks were complaining that people don't care about audio anymore, and the reason is because the status quo has moved so far up in quality that you don't have to be overly concerned to have a good sound experience.
That said, watching movies on a phone or tablet is terrible, and built-in TV speakers on flat screens are absolutely atrocious and I DON'T understand how people tolerate that. But aside from that, most audio is far better than it used to be, from car audio, to portable audio.
A/W: Car audio sure used to suck
Re: A/W: Car audio sure used to suck
Decent factory car audio has really killed the aftermarket. When I was into car audio, it was replacing garbage radios with something awesome. I probably spent $1400 on the system that I am most proud of and that absolutely destroyed the factory Bose system that my 626 came with. No contest. It destroyed any other factory system I had ever heard even to this day, Bose included.
A major difference between then and now is that before, the radios were barely adequate, now for the most part they are decent. The delta from the garbage to the aftermarket was huge. Today, the aftermarket is still better than most factory radios but the delta is smaller so it is harder to justify $1400 to upgrade it.
I replaced everything, the deck, the interiors, added a box with subs and amped the interiors and subs. That isn't really cheap to do, and to have a balanced system done right, you can't reuse any of the factory stuff. That statement is more true for some cars than others but is pretty true as a general statement.
A major difference between then and now is that before, the radios were barely adequate, now for the most part they are decent. The delta from the garbage to the aftermarket was huge. Today, the aftermarket is still better than most factory radios but the delta is smaller so it is harder to justify $1400 to upgrade it.
I replaced everything, the deck, the interiors, added a box with subs and amped the interiors and subs. That isn't really cheap to do, and to have a balanced system done right, you can't reuse any of the factory stuff. That statement is more true for some cars than others but is pretty true as a general statement.
Re: A/W: Car audio sure used to suck
Yeah I mean there are still no factory audio systems that have the kind of bass that dual 12s gives you. But I don't think that's necessary. Nor do I think there is some technological hurdle with them doing so. Fortunately, many systems are still pretty good, even if they can't make the rearview mirror fall off.
Edmunds used to review car audio. They no longer do. I wish they did. I loved seeing how good the different premium systems were. There was quite a variation last I checked. In fact, there was variation even within a single branded premium system, such as BOSE. Audi's BOSE systems, for example, were not that great. I want to say Mazda was in a similar boat. Nissan and GM BOSE systems were better. Of course, both Nissan and GM had been going to BOSE for premium audio packages since the 80s (early 80s for GM) so maybe that has something to do with it. Just a little anecdote.
I'd say premium factory audio had its heyday in the 80s and 90s. After that it was less important, even if you can point to additional technical achievements, like SACD or surround audio. I think that is less relevant than the difference between a good premium audio package in the 80s and 90s, and the stock crap that was typical in most cars. It was really bad.
Edmunds used to review car audio. They no longer do. I wish they did. I loved seeing how good the different premium systems were. There was quite a variation last I checked. In fact, there was variation even within a single branded premium system, such as BOSE. Audi's BOSE systems, for example, were not that great. I want to say Mazda was in a similar boat. Nissan and GM BOSE systems were better. Of course, both Nissan and GM had been going to BOSE for premium audio packages since the 80s (early 80s for GM) so maybe that has something to do with it. Just a little anecdote.
I'd say premium factory audio had its heyday in the 80s and 90s. After that it was less important, even if you can point to additional technical achievements, like SACD or surround audio. I think that is less relevant than the difference between a good premium audio package in the 80s and 90s, and the stock crap that was typical in most cars. It was really bad.