There are as many high end car audio products as there are for home. Unfortunately, strict redbook audio in cars is rare in this age of "mobile entertainment," i.e., Playstations, DVD players, navigation, etc...
That being said, all my cars have had aftermarket audio systems installed. I always have adhered to the front stage philosophy.
In my car audio system, I run it completely active - that means each driver has it's own amplifier driving it. The response and dynamic range are simply amazing. If I could run my home system completely active (at a reasonable cost), I would do it in a heartbeat.
My system is set up similar to a home system - first of all, it's hidden so it doesn't attract thieves. Next, it is critical to set up the front stage - that includes the stereo image and depth that seems to go beyond the windshield, as if singers are coming from your front bumper.
This is not easy to accomplish if speakers are only mounted on the doors. You have to decide how committed you are to obtaining "perfect sound" in your car.
My front stage is mounted in the kick panel area and the drivers are aimed to cross-over to provide a stable image. In addition to this, my head unit has digital time correction capability. Like Tact units for the home, this allows the user to set up the distances of the speakers so that the sound arrives at the driver at precisely the same time.
AS in home audio, source unit, drivers, and amplifiers are critical.
To put it in perspective, I have set up the car audio system so that I can plug it into an ac outlet in my garage. This way I can listen to the system without running the engine. I enjoy the car audio system as much as the home system.
Cheers,
Dennis
PS They make tube amplifiers for car audio as well. They used to make Class A car amps as well, but nothing current to my knowledge.
That being said, all my cars have had aftermarket audio systems installed. I always have adhered to the front stage philosophy.
In my car audio system, I run it completely active - that means each driver has it's own amplifier driving it. The response and dynamic range are simply amazing. If I could run my home system completely active (at a reasonable cost), I would do it in a heartbeat.
My system is set up similar to a home system - first of all, it's hidden so it doesn't attract thieves. Next, it is critical to set up the front stage - that includes the stereo image and depth that seems to go beyond the windshield, as if singers are coming from your front bumper.
This is not easy to accomplish if speakers are only mounted on the doors. You have to decide how committed you are to obtaining "perfect sound" in your car.
My front stage is mounted in the kick panel area and the drivers are aimed to cross-over to provide a stable image. In addition to this, my head unit has digital time correction capability. Like Tact units for the home, this allows the user to set up the distances of the speakers so that the sound arrives at the driver at precisely the same time.
AS in home audio, source unit, drivers, and amplifiers are critical.
To put it in perspective, I have set up the car audio system so that I can plug it into an ac outlet in my garage. This way I can listen to the system without running the engine. I enjoy the car audio system as much as the home system.
Cheers,
Dennis
PS They make tube amplifiers for car audio as well. They used to make Class A car amps as well, but nothing current to my knowledge.