Who is Gonna Buy A New Jeep Grand Wagoneer For the MacIntosh Stereo?

My experience so far with "boutique" car audio is that they tend to be far from neutral. They have to justify the sound quality somehow and neutral, transparent and music you can listen to for hours isn’t high on the list of qualities they pay attention to.

In my current Toyota, the JBL sound system is great, what it needs is a quieter cabin, not a better stereo.  Oh, there I go pushing room treatments again. 😁

I used to be an exploration geologist and because of some logistics problem ended up renting a Wagoneer. I was in Northern Nevada, where the towns are over 100 miles apart. The gas tank was so small that I couldn’t get off road because I would not have enough gas. The clearance was terrible and suspension only good for the city. The last time I ever drove one. My luxury 4Runner can run circles around one. I’m pretty sure the explorer version of the 4Runner can walk over any Jeep.

I really do find it amazing. a 30 second ad with 25 seconds dedicated to those blue meters.  Hardly Anything about the car.  Test drove one years ago. just plan for 3 extra seconds if you plan to pass someone as the transmission is downshifting thru about 4 or 5 gears.  what could possibly go wrong here.  

@erik_squires

"music you can listen to for hours isn’t high on the list of qualities they pay attention to."

Agreed. This is not unique to mobile audio, but products targeting the "mass market" (which includes luxury car market) in general. They think they have to emphasis what they can do TO the music, rather than the listening environment they can deliver WITH the music.

@chattaudio

"I was in IASCA finals in Greenville, SC in mid 90s"

We won our class at the IASCA finals with a Fender guitar-based vehicle. We would have won our class at the very first Car Audio Nationals -- if our customer had not totalled his car between the regionals (in Chicago) and finals (in Dallas). We had to move the entire system from one vehicle to another (slightly different) vehicle in just 5 days. I was, literally, putting wire loom on speaker and power cables sitting in the back seat enroute to the event.

Can't help but think of animal analogies:

1) (sort of) like beating a dead horse;

2) (better) putting the cart before the horse;

3) (best) putting lipstick on a pig.