What do audiophiles do in their cars?

+1

a sports car should have its own soundtrack - i have gone so far as removing all stereo head units, amps and speakers from my air cooled porsches to reduce weight (as well as some sound deadening), i never turn it on anyways

a cruiser/grand tourer should be quiet enough to have a decent stereo - meaning it doesn’t make playing driving music sound harsh, tinny or otherwise offensive - you can’t hold a car stereo to any standard similar to a proper home system - the key is the car being quiet enough so the sound system runs at moderate volumes and isn’t blaring and making harsh noises

@simonmoon ’s comments made me think

he is correct, i don’t do any ’serious’ listening in a car... one is fundamentally multi tasking being an attentive driver (or passenger)

that said, we all have wonderful memories of great tunes, great moments, alone or with others with memorable music in cars -- so car audio is hardly trivial in that respect

in fact, one can argue the converse to a degree, one listens to the music more than the ’hifi system’ in a car, the audiophile ocd details of reproduction are best ignored when one enjoys music while commuting or on an extended road trip - most recently i drove to and from portland for a friends/family visit, it was so much fun to put on steely dan, anita baker, angela stone, tower of power, shaggy, etc etc as we cruised ... fun fun fun!

different use cases and situations

some meals you sit down at a michelin star restaurant, take your time, take it all in, full envelopement of senses, lovely lovely

other times, a nice simple bbq with tasty smoked brisket, mac n cheese, a bright crisp salad, shared with friends, talking and laughing, emphasis not fully on the food, but it is part of the wonderful whole

both enjoyable to the max....joy of life is a such collection of such varied experiences

reading through the various responses, the key points to this i think are

- car audio matters if one spends a lot of time in the car, even if the sound quality target cannot approach a proper in-house system
- cars themselves are used for different reasons/occasions - e.g. an exciting drive in a sports car doesn’t need music, as the car would supply its own, whereas a long cruise or commute can often benefit from some nice music
- starting with a smooth, quiet car certainly helps make the music played in it sound halfway decent
- car audio, due to its challenges and less than true hifi sound, can actually be quite enjoyable, and makes us just enjoy the music and be less ’audiophile ocd’
- music playing in cars can contribute to many a memorable moment

@jeroboam

I drive a 2019 Lexus ES350 F-Sport with the optional Mark Levinson sound system. It’s heavenly.

i remember back in 1998, bought a new lexus es300, was the first time i was really impressed with a great stereo -- in that lovely smooth quiet sweet car - so many joyous trips from seattle to vancouver and back for weekly work in those days, listening to anita baker, michael franks, toni braxton... :)