TBirdStangSkyliner Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 You underestimate the elitist attitude of audiopliles. Some would buy a lincoln just on that fact alone, just like some will avoid ford because of Sony. True about audiophiles, but there aren't enough left to fill a Nissan Cube. In this day of MP3's, miniature soundbars, cellphone speakers, and self powered bluetooths, the only ones alive are too old to hear the high notes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probowler Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 If you buy a speaker because of the "Built-in lava lamp...." you're doing it wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 True about audiophiles, but there aren't enough left to fill a Nissan Cube. In this day of MP3's, miniature soundbars, cellphone speakers, and self powered bluetooths, the only ones alive are too old to hear the high notes. Strongly disagree. They're still out there, they just aren't as vocal as they used to me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Strongly disagree. They're still out there, they just aren't as vocal as they used to me Part of the issue is the sound in cars about 20 years ago was even more terrible then it is today. You still had cars with literally "stereo" speakers in them...I remember a buddy of mine in high school with a Malibu that had only 2 speakers and a tape deck in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baggs32 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) I have to disagree with that silvrsvt. The JBL system in my dad's '96 Sable is still to this day one of the best I've heard in a car. It still works to this day while my niece drives it around. This announcement would make me consider moving up to a Lincoln. First they need to get something with 3 rows that fits in my garage or doesn't serve as a hearse though. Oh, and by next June when my current lease is up. Edited December 9, 2014 by baggs32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Part of the issue is the sound in cars about 20 years ago was even more terrible then it is today. You still had cars with literally "stereo" speakers in them...I remember a buddy of mine in high school with a Malibu that had only 2 speakers and a tape deck in it. True audiophiles only need 2 speakers. Perfectly placed with a chair also perfectly placed for listening. They scoff at multi-speaker setups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I have to disagree with that silvrsvt. The JBL system in my dad's '96 Sable is still to this day one of the best I've heard in a car. It still works to this day while my niece drives it around. The JBL in my '95 SHO was pretty dang good, too, but it was the exception that proves the rule. Today's factory automotive sound systems are generally a heck of a lot better than they were 20 years ago, IMHO. The "base" (plus Sync) system in my F150 could be better, but it's still a heck of a lot better than the systems were in my '97 Ranger or '99 Explorer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 The frustrating thing with Ford is the cheap speakers even in the premium systems. Upgrade the speakers and charge for them and most people would be a lot happier with the upgraded systems. It wouldn't cost more than $100-$200 at the most and I think customers would gladly pay it for better sound rather than having to upgrade them later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 True audiophiles only need 2 speakers. Perfectly placed with a chair also perfectly placed for listening. They scoff at multi-speaker setups. But they where mono speakers. It was a 82 Malibu if I remember right. I haven't really seen anyone do a stereo upgrade in nearly 25 years, personally. Current stereos in cars are "good enough" for 90-95% of the population. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Oh - you mean a whizzer cone. Yeah that would suck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Here's what I've found, in my limited experience: In many cars, the stock speakers are optimized for the stock headunit. But if you throw an aftermarket headunit in there, your speakers sound like crap. At least, that was the case with my Bonneville when I installed a Kenwood unit. My '96 Pathfinder speakers didn't miss a beat when I put an Alpine in there. I'm planning to update the stock nav system in my Rainier some time soon (i.e. when I get the financial leeway) and will see how well it plays with the Bose speakers and amp. Speaking of Bose, I know a lot of car guys hate it. Besides the proprietary nature of the setup, why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Speaking of Bose, I know a lot of car guys hate it. Besides the proprietary nature of the setup, why? The phrase is "Bose - better sound through marketing!" Most audiophiles don't consider Bose to have great sound quality even though their marketing is very effective at making you think otherwise. We have an acoustic wave clock radio that sounds great - for a clock radio. But those tiny cubes for home theaters? They don't hold a candle to a small PSB system at a similar price. Some of their stuff is probably quite good like the 901 loudspeakers and I'm sure individually developed systems like the Buick might be pretty good. But generally speaking they're not up to audiophile quality standards. What torques the audiophiles is their marketing which makes you think otherwise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Speaking of Bose, I know a lot of car guys hate it. Besides the proprietary nature of the setup, why? What I was told by an audio professional is that Bose speakers are OK as long as you're using Bose electronics, because they process the audio enough that it sounds OK through their speakers. Otherwise, you'll get better bang for your buck from other manufacturers' speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtech1 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Bose- all highs no lows. I am not a fan of Bose radio systems in most GM products. My mom has a 05 Corvette and the radio sucks. It is a huge disappointment. She even says so. She said,"do you think someone just put Bose logo on the door panel". Her Sound mark system in her 04 LS was much better. Still for me Dynaudio has sounded the best in a OE application I have heard. I haven't listened to B&O in Audi yet or Mark Levinson in Lexus. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonj80 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Still for me Dynaudio has sounded the best in a OE application I have heard. I haven't listened to B&O in Audi yet or Mark Levinson in Lexus. B&O is very clear and personally better than the Levinson, which to me didn't have a clean bass sound. The ELS system is also very good in the MDX. I've always thought the THX systems in the Lincoln's were underwhelming. The old JBL system in the 95/96 Explorers were a much better system than the MACH system in the 98+ Explorers. Little things like this will slowly help Lincoln over the years, The MKX is really the first car that was designed with the new Lincoln in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoser768 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 No highs, no lows, must be Bose. The JBL sytems were very good. The JBL in my 96 Taurus stomps whatever Ford passed off as the best stock system in my Five Hundred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papilgee4evaeva Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Either I have no auditory discernment, or I'm very easy to please. Or maybe I'll start to curse Bose once I get to replacing my headunit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probowler Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 (edited) My Dad has a Bose home theater system and I bought one of their portable blutooth speakers. No lows is putting it lightly! They should change their motto to: "Bose: What is Bass?" Edited December 10, 2014 by probowler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtech1 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 B&O is very clear and personally better than the Levinson, which to me didn't have a clean bass sound. The ELS system is also very good in the MDX. I've always thought the THX systems in the Lincoln's were underwhelming. The old JBL system in the 95/96 Explorers were a much better system than the MACH system in the 98+ Explorers. Little things like this will slowly help Lincoln over the years, The MKX is really the first car that was designed with the new Lincoln in mind. I agree that the JBL in fords was much better than later Mach. The mark viii had JBL and it was good for 93 MY system. The only thing the THX in Lincoln that has was the THX movie sound signature. Its pretty cool. Push the button and it sounds like the movies when THX comes up. I always check out used vehicles we get in if it has some high end audio option and see how it compares. However, its got to be digital like Sirius or CD to really the feel. FM doesn't do any of them justice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinx8402 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 However, its got to be digital like Sirius or CD to really the feel. FM doesn't do any of them justice. I wouldn't even trust Sirius due to all the compression they use. CD would definitely be the best way to compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
probowler Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I've heard that using AUX hurts your sound quality with Digital music players, is that true? Surely it can't be worse than Bluetooth......I figure the best sound quality is CD, but you can't beat the convenience of a 128gb player filled with FLAC or whatever Hi-Res music you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 My Dad has a Bose home theater system and I bought one of their portable blutooth speakers. No lows is putting it lightly! They should change their motto to: "Bose: What is Bass?" My Dad has a Bose home theater system and I bought one of their portable blutooth speakers. No lows is putting it lightly! They should change their motto to: "Bose: What is Bass?" Bose is a primary example of advertising masking a crappy product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Little things like this will slowly help Lincoln over the years, The MKX is really the first car that was designed with the new Lincoln in mind. Exactly, having flashy cars will win you comparison testing, but having little things like this and superior dealer service will keep customers coming back. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I've heard that using AUX hurts your sound quality with Digital music players, is that true? Surely it can't be worse than Bluetooth......I figure the best sound quality is CD, but you can't beat the convenience of a 128gb player filled with FLAC or whatever Hi-Res music you have. You can get high quality digital music but it takes up tons of disk space. To me a 256 mps mp3 sounds just as good as an audio cd on my Fusion sony system, but I'm not very picky about my audio. Bluetooth is actually very high bandwidth - much higher than I thought. The problem with the Aux input is if you're using a headphone output from your media player then you're not getting a line level input and it can sound bad and you're subject to whatever digital processing the media player is doing to compensate for tiny earphones. A good line level input should be just as good as bluetooth from the same device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I wouldn't even trust Sirius due to all the compression they use. CD would definitely be the best way to compare. IMHO, FM is better than Sirius for audio quality. FM's content stinks on ice, but the audio quality is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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