Selling High Fidelity using Elton John

[mzpro5]

The factory Sony system in my Edge is the best original factory system I have heard and better than most after market systems I have heard.

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=31993



The heart of the Sony Audio System is its extraordinary sound quality. Comprised of 12 high-quality speakers and a Class D all-digital amplifier, the Sony system has the ability to pump out 390 watts of continuous power (RMS). Further, Dolby Pro Logic® II technology creates true virtual 5.1 channel surround sound throughout the car for a unique listening experience.

 

[PaulyT]

I know about two co-workers who chose a specific model of Mercedes purely to have the iPod dock for their wives.

Yeah, life is pretty hard in your world.

bscene-birdiedoublered:

 

[Yesfan70]

^ this is becoming more and more a losing proposition with all manufacturers anyway Yesfan. Each year with all new models (practically) total vehicle function runs through the radio as the main interface...

Is steering wheel controls an example? Some of the functions of my stock system were on the back of my steering wheel. When I upgraded the stock head unit to my Kenwood, I lost those controls. Is that also a sign of the car audio business maybe ending or slowing down?

 

[Flint]

I know about two co-workers who chose a specific model of Mercedes purely to have the iPod dock for their wives.

Yeah, life is pretty hard in your world.

bscene-birdiedoublered:

Damn straight! In fact, just this morning Pedro couldn't find me the dozen perfectly ripened fruits of paradise I eat every Sunday and I was forced to have Consuala shoot him then clean up the mess while Juan interviewed applicants for Juan's replacement. I still don't have my fruits of paradise which is a terrible inconvenience.

 

[PaulyT]

:laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

Well, at least you're supporting the locals!

 

[-B-]

I know about two co-workers who chose a specific model of Mercedes purely to have the iPod dock for their wives.

Yeah, life is pretty hard in your world.

bscene-birdiedoublered:

Damn straight! In fact, just this morning Pedro couldn't find me the dozen perfectly ripened fruits of paradise I eat every Sunday and I was forced to have Consuala shoot him then clean up the mess while Juan interviewed applicants for Juan's replacement. I still don't have my fruits of paradise which is a terrible inconvenience.

What a shitty start to the day....can't find a decent slave wage worker these days. Everybody wants more than $3 a day. :angry-tappingfoot:

Is steering wheel controls an example? Some of the functions of my stock system were on the back of my steering wheel. When I upgraded the stock head unit to my Kenwood, I lost those controls. Is that also a sign of the car audio business maybe ending or slowing down?

Many models offer steering wheel controls as an add on in the aftermarket segment. What he's saying is that most cars have complex systems that the radio is the central part of with Bluetooth and other various functions that won't work if the radio is removed. Even if you find a suitable replacement you could end up spending a heap of $ to make an aftermarket system simply work. Most cars now offer better than average sound system performance which most consumers will be happy with. My lady's Fusion has Sync, the basic sound system (not the Sony upgrade Ford offers) and it sounds good enough to me. It plays louder than I could ever listen, offers decent speakers and replacing it would be a logistical nightmare. It might not even be an option (never looked) as there is no radio, just a center console with buttons and knobs for everything. Upgrading the speakers may give some upgrade, but not enough that it would be worth the money to me. But there will always be car audio as they will find ways to bypass or conjoin new products to existing systems, it's just going to get expensive.

 

[Batman]

^ this is becoming more and more a losing proposition with all manufacturers anyway Yesfan. Each year with all new models (practically) total vehicle function runs through the radio as the main interface...

Is steering wheel controls an example? Some of the functions of my stock system were on the back of my steering wheel. When I upgraded the stock head unit to my Kenwood, I lost those controls. Is that also a sign of the car audio business maybe ending or slowing down?

I'm no expert but retaining the steering wheel control seems to have more to do with the install kit and harness than the replacement radio itself. This is based on my research to find a replacement nav/radio unit for the Camaro. After 3 model years there's only one install kit available for the Camaro and you have to make sure your preferable vehicle settings are correct before installing it. Granted these settings are things you wouldn't change too often, like how long your interior lights stay on after exiting and locking the car, does the horn and lights chirp when locking with the remote or just the horn chirp, etc. but if you want to change any of that stuff you have to pull the aftermarket unit and plug in the factory unit then make the switch back again. Supposedly Scosche & Alpine have kits coming out but they've been delayed multiple times due to software compatibility and most recently were supposed to come out this month. However, they've been delayed indefinitely once again due to factory software bus changes in the 2012 model and they want their kits to be compatible with model years 2010-13...So back to the drawing board. If GM would've just designed a factory nav option, us Camaro owners wouldn't have to deal with that aggravation. Also the reason I discuss Scosche and Alpine simultaneously is because their 2 Camaro kits are identical functionally, the Alpine is a Scosche kit with slight cosmetic changes to match the lines of the newest Alpine HU...

 

[Yesfan70]

yeah, the steering wheel controls are because of the wiring harness (in my case), but was just using that as an example of the direction car stereos could be going. It's the install kit/harness issues then, now it seems the radio itself is the key to retain full integration with a vehicles system.

 

[Flint]

The very idea that my car stereo will sound so much better than any other audio system I own is insane! Tha advertisement, while cute, suggests that I will hear detail in recordings while driving my car which I have never heard, ever, in my entire life from any other system. Yes, even an iPhone with a $1 pair of white crappy earbuds will present more detail than my car, any car.

 

[Botch]

Even if you find a suitable replacement you could end up spending a heap of $ to make an aftermarket system simply work. Most cars now offer better than average sound system performance which most consumers will be happy with. ... But there will always be car audio as they will find ways to bypass or conjoin new products to existing systems, it's just going to get expensive.

When I was wrestling with my Saab's CD player (the rubber wheels that eject the disk had hardened and couldn't grip the disk enough) I spent some time on the phone with the good folks at Crutchfield, and they do make harnesses to tie stereos into "all-car" systems, for the more popular makes and models. Saab, of course, is about 0.4% of the market so I was out of luck. But here's the kicker: a replacement Saab head unit was $1,600!!! :scared-yipes: Had they not known about this shop in Pennsylvania I would've just gone without a CD player in the car; that's too much money.

 

[Flint]

Even if you find a suitable replacement you could end up spending a heap of $ to make an aftermarket system simply work. Most cars now offer better than average sound system performance which most consumers will be happy with. ... But there will always be car audio as they will find ways to bypass or conjoin new products to existing systems, it's just going to get expensive.

When I was wrestling with my Saab's CD player (the rubber wheels that eject the disk had hardened and couldn't grip the disk enough) I spent some time on the phone with the good folks at Crutchfield, and they do make harnesses to tie stereos into "all-car" systems, for the more popular makes and models. Saab, of course, is about 0.4% of the market so I was out of luck. But here's the kicker: a replacement Saab head unit was $1,600!!! :scared-yipes: Had they not known about this shop in Pennsylvania I would've just gone without a CD player in the car; that's too much money.

Those damn rubbers always stop working when you need them the most!

 

[Towen7]

You know I never considered that changing a car stereo would be such a hassle. I always thought the the head unit was a separate unit from the electronics that run all the other stuff. Makes me kinda glad that I only own vehicles without such niceties.

 

[Batman]

^ maybe, but I think the user experience is beginning to trump SPLs. I look at what Ford is doing with Sync and what appears to be a nice system that revolves around the iPhone in the upcoming Malibu, radios implementing Pandora, etc and I really can't see a valid reason other than Nav to replace the factory unit for the average user anyway....I think the manufacturers have a pretty good idea of what that "user experience" should be and have the resources to make it happen.

 

[Flint]

The car is becoming an accessory to our smartphones.

That was the theme of the Fusion / Sync trade show pitch as CES two years ago.

 

[Botch]

I don't have an iAnything; how come I still have to buy the damn expensive accessory?!? :angry-tappingfoot:

 

[-B-]

Even if you find a suitable replacement you could end up spending a heap of $ to make an aftermarket system simply work. Most cars now offer better than average sound system performance which most consumers will be happy with. ... But there will always be car audio as they will find ways to bypass or conjoin new products to existing systems, it's just going to get expensive.

When I was wrestling with my Saab's CD player (the rubber wheels that eject the disk had hardened and couldn't grip the disk enough) I spent some time on the phone with the good folks at Crutchfield, and they do make harnesses to tie stereos into "all-car" systems, for the more popular makes and models. Saab, of course, is about 0.4% of the market so I was out of luck. But here's the kicker: a replacement Saab head unit was $1,600!!! :scared-yipes: Had they not known about this shop in Pennsylvania I would've just gone without a CD player in the car; that's too much money.

I'd look at getting an in line FM transmitter and using a digital device of some sort. If your car had an optional disc changer you could look for that, or even find a setup that will turn it into an Aux input.

 

[Yesfan70]

Even if you find a suitable replacement you could end up spending a heap of $ to make an aftermarket system simply work. Most cars now offer better than average sound system performance which most consumers will be happy with. ... But there will always be car audio as they will find ways to bypass or conjoin new products to existing systems, it's just going to get expensive.

When I was wrestling with my Saab's CD player (the rubber wheels that eject the disk had hardened and couldn't grip the disk enough) I spent some time on the phone with the good folks at Crutchfield, and they do make harnesses to tie stereos into "all-car" systems, for the more popular makes and models. Saab, of course, is about 0.4% of the market so I was out of luck. But here's the kicker: a replacement Saab head unit was $1,600!!! :scared-yipes: Had they not known about this shop in Pennsylvania I would've just gone without a CD player in the car; that's too much money.

I'd look at getting an in line FM transmitter and using a digital device of some sort. If your car had an optional disc changer you could look for that, or even find a setup that will turn it into an Aux input.

I would also look around some of the Saab based message boards. I'm sure there's an enthusiast who can modify a stock head unit to do what you want. There was a guy on the Jeep forums that will install aux jacks in the popular 6 disc head units for those who wanted to plug their iPod, or other DAP, into their system, so I don't see how this would be different for other brands

 

[Yesfan70]

^ maybe, but I think the user experience is beginning to trump SPLs. I look at what Ford is doing with Sync and what appears to be a nice system that revolves around the iPhone in the upcoming Malibu, radios implementing Pandora, etc and I really can't see a valid reason other than Nav to replace the factory unit for the average user anyway....I think the manufacturers have a pretty good idea of what that "user experience" should be and have the resources to make it happen.

I don't even see that. I used to want a nav based unit and almost considered one when I was shopping around for the Grand Cherokee, but now my phone is more than good enough for navigation. Unless someone just doesn't like additional clutter (a cellphone hanging on the dash or from the windshield), I don't see anything at all. I'm more than fine with my setup and the only thing aftermarket, is the head unit. If my stock head unit (which has nav) also had bluetooth and a usb jack, I never would have bought my Kenwood.



But I do love those Pioneer nav based DD units. They're pretty slick.

 

[Flint]

With the capabilities of today's smartphones, a car stereo should be nothing more than a wireless accessory to the phone. Phones play stored music, internet radio, movies, and provide the finest GPS capabilities out there. All I need is a mount, interface (bluetooth) and some HIDs (Human Interaction Devices) and I'm set. The car audio system can be dumb otherwise.

 

[Towen7]

Ive often envisioned a system where the user drops his phone in a slot in dash or center console and the car's display would just be an extension of the phone. The phone would handle navigation with whatever app youre used to, the phone would handle handfree calls and messaging with whateve interface your used to, the phone would handle any music/entertainment via tha apps that you are used to. For such a seemless sytem to work the automakers and cell phone makers would need to agree on standards to make it possible for the owner to change devices without loosing integration functiobality.

I don't see that level of standardization happening any time soon... If ever.