listening to music in the car


i have noticed many times that listening to music in the car, especially, jazz and classical, is usually more enjoyable than listening to most audio systems in the home.

i hear more accurate instrumental timbre in the car than in most home audio systems.

the car affords near field listening and surround sound and since most of my listening is on the radio (fm), the bandwidth is probably restricted.

any comments ?
mrtennis
I hear a depth of soundstage in my car that extends from the windshield forward to the stoplight up ahead. I have never experienced anythng like this at home. I have 20K in the home system and 30K in the car system. Plus, on something like 'An American in Paris' the surround, even on two channel recordings, is sometimes awesome.
So Tarsando, when can we go cruisin'! I know some AWESOME desert roads! You pick the tunes, and I'll pick the "refreshments".
MrTennis,

I drive a new car every one to three months as I work for a manufacturer and I can clearly say I have never heard ANY of our audio systems including those that are very expensive upgrades that were even close to as enjoyable as my home system. You say you have listened to thousands of systems, I have listened to hundreds of vehicles, so I think I can be called a reliable source.

Road noise alone basically means you are missing half the music, average decibel levels are around 60-75db at cruising speeds in most vehicles. You also need to factor in terrible phase errors due to placement of speakers, reflections from windows, etc. Cars also get a huge boost in the bass frequencies from the cabin gain, somewhat like having 4 subs in a small listening room really.

I have noticed in all your posts you seem to dislike any extended frequency response as you seem to equate this with brightness...all joking aside maybe you need to get your hearing checked, one possible sign of damage is sensitivity and you seem to be hyper sensitive. You also make reference to systems from the past a lot, and if this is the case you had less exposure to noise years ago as well...
hi sbrtoy. my distaste for extended high frequency has no relationship to my hearing. iwas tested about 6 months ago.

i have a preference for attenuated high frequency. i like a slope in the treble, starting at 1khz, down 1db, then 2k at 2db, then 4k at 4db, etc. it is purely personal preference, just as someone may prefer to drink cofee with 3 tea spoons of sugar, or dousing a steak with ketchup.

i realize my taste is unusual and inexplicable, but it is just idiosyncratic taste, nothing more.

when i go to a concert, i try to sit in the last row of the orchestra. highs are attenuated and sound is somewhat homogenized. i like that presentation.