Because your car should sound good too

I had no idea Naim was doing that for Bentley. Now I want a Bentley. :-)

Goroi... The only thing I never got to try in my cars is high-end cabling. I'm still wondering what a good cable would do for it. And shielding or no shielding, I've never had noise in my installs so I'm not concerned. Just need to find a HU worthy of being installed. I wonder if I can find a smashed up Bentley in a junkyard and pull that HU. Ha! In my dreams.

Thanks for the responses.

Cwlondon... Unfortunately you are right. Car audio is, for the most part, about gimmicks and accessories now. And neon. Neon! What in the world does neon have to do with car audio?! Kids just want the boom. They don't even care about sound quality. Half the time they don't even have the highs plugged in or running and only the subs are operating. It's the classic "Hey, look at me" and then people like me say... Well, we don't need to get into that.

It's also pretty bad when you start guessing the state license plate by the rattle it makes. And it shouldn't even rattle. But these are the same people who don't understand the concept of dynamat. If only we audiophiles were the primary market. And I've heard the Alpine F1 Status HU and I really don't care for it. Too much processing and too digital sounding. I want a real HU. No gimmicks. Just a high-quality transport that feeds a DAC right below it (double din of course) and a 24/96 capable USB connection on the back of the DAC. That way you can use your iPod too along with your CDs or harddrive. There's a hundred places for that.

Has2be... you must find this picture. ;-) We need to teach these newbs (and by newbs I mean every kid in the car audio scene that hasn't a clue) what car audio really is about. And I have much respect to whoever installed those tubes and the reel-reel deck. Even if it was a complete joke.

Oh buddy, if I'm "critically" listening while I'm driving then I'm not driving. That's worse than driving drunk. That's simply not a good idea. But a terrible sounding stereo or sub-par doesn't even deserve attention so it has to be decent for me.

And one thing on listening locations, and quite a few HUs have this option (but makes music sound terrible for passengers) is timing correction for your listening position. You can adjust each individual speaker to output at a different time. Worked incredibly well with my last Alpine HU.

Unsound, you take no joy away from anyone with your opinions. They are very justifiable opinions at that. And very happy you chimed in to voice them. Just remember, you can't take car audio to the extreme you do with your home audio gear because there is no comparison no matter how much you spend on your car. And at that, you are absolutely correct.

It's just the small effort to take some of your pride and joy with you wherever you go. Makes the journey that much more enjoyable.

Bondmanp -

If you dynamat and want to do it it correctly, you dynamat everything. From door panels to trunk floor and lid, to roof and floor to wheel wells and firewall. Any panel inside the cabin and trunk that could be removed that has some room under it to place dynamat should be covered. That of course is for best results. And considering your vehicle, you are looking at more than $400 in dynamat to do it right.

Now, instead of removing all the panels more than once you may want the rest of your audio gear you are going to install handy so you can install it at the same time.

Now you said you don't want to remove the HU. I understand completely. However, I have done a few installs where the HU wasn't changed but the speakers were upgraded. Sometimes it actually sounds worse. You could try the higher-end cable route and replace your speaker cables. But I've never done that myself so I can't comment on the improvements on a stock system.

One thing you could do on a stock system to at least get bass you can control is get a splice box that taps off your rear speakers wires and gives you an RCA line-output for an amplifier. Then just make sure you get an amp with a remote level control that you can place in your center console or mount on the dash. Put one nice 10" Alpine Type R or a JL W6 in a sealed box and viola! Bass that won't interfere with your music that you have control of. You may be able to use your subwoofer wires and just disconnect that thing entirely. Up to you.

Total cost of all this would be approximately $1,200 if you install it. But it would be very quiet and great controlled bass. You might not mind your stock stereo after all. I've done a few of these installs before as well and I only received compliments. If you need any other tips you can always send me a message and I'll help out any way I can. Good luck

McIntosh HUs still have the some of their trademark sound. They do sound great. That is, if you don't mind spending the cash.

Unsound, if done right it is far from a waste. Most of the time it is a waste because people do not put the right amount of time, money and energy into it and always get sub-par sound and then blame it soley on the gear. So your statement, while true to a point, is only valid with those that take the cheap route. I've heard a few mobile audio stereos that sounded nearly as good as the $80k reference system at my local home audio dealers sound room. Of course they'll never sound as good due to space and the overall environment but you certainly can get close.