The Pursuit of a SQ Standard in Car Audio.

[Bigg Boy]

Take it from me, some one who has been working in studios sense I was 14 years old. Your never going to get a standard set, every one has there ideal "sound" they want there mix to sound like. I have had this discussion countless times. Personally I HATE how music sound now a days, don't even get me started on dynamic range...

Problem is as many people think studio are the perfect environment for mixing, most times its far from it. I have never been in a studio where there is no non-linearity's. Ever where you go is different. And I am not talking about some ones bedroom with a protools rig. I am talking about multi million dollar studios.

A lot of people who calibrate systems for sq go about it all wrong. The sound field in side a car is horrible or "correct sound", there are countless amounts of standing waves, comb filtering, and phase distortion.

Also how should it be tuned? Should it be tuned for a flat response on a rta, or should you take the equal loudness curve into account... In my mind you should, in other you shouldn't.

Now wouldn't it be cool to have an additive eq system that has amplitude dependent eq curves.

But I am with you when it comes to your frustration I can feel in your original post.

[tspence73]

Take it from me, some one who has been working in studios sense I was 14 years old. Your never going to get a standard set, every one has there ideal "sound" they want there mix to sound like. I have had this discussion countless times. Personally I HATE how music sound now a days, don't even get me started on dynamic range...

Problem is as many people think studio are the perfect environment for mixing, most times its far from it. I have never been in a studio where there is no non-linearity's. Ever where you go is different. And I am not talking about some ones bedroom with a protools rig. I am talking about multi million dollar studios.

A lot of people who calibrate systems for sq go about it all wrong. The sound field in side a car is horrible or "correct sound", there are countless amounts of standing waves, comb filtering, and phase distortion.

Also how should it be tuned? Should it be tuned for a flat response on a rta, or should you take the equal loudness curve into account... In my mind you should, in other you shouldn't.

Now wouldn't it be cool to have an additive eq system that has amplitude dependent eq curves.

But I am with you when it comes to your frustration I can feel in your original post.

JBL is in the final stages of the MS-8 processor. Do a search for it. It's got some really fantastic developments you might revel over.

[Bigg Boy]

JBL is in the final stages of the MS-8 processor. Do a search for it. It's got some really fantastic developments you might revel over.

Gonna start saving. Bunch of stuff I would never use in it, but sounds like a amazing unit.

But whats up to the input voltage? Hello noise?

[kingsuv]

Being THX certified isn't any different then being CEA compliant.

If you have gear that fits the THX requirements, AND pay the boys over at THX, then you can use their badge to help sell your shit. Doesn't mean the equipment actually sounds good. I've heard some THX certified systems that sounded like ass. It would be no different if car audio did the same. Hell being CEA compliant is nothing more then becoming a member.

i don't even want to get into the recording trash that is pushed out as mixed. I guess it doesn't matter when you rip it to an ipod anyway right?

[Nirvalica]

Being THX certified isn't any different then being CEA compliant.

If you have gear that fits the THX requirements, AND pay the boys over at THX, then you can use their badge to help sell your shit. Doesn't mean the equipment actually sounds good. I've heard some THX certified systems that sounded like ass. It would be no different if car audio did the same. Hell being CEA compliant is nothing more then becoming a member.

i don't even want to get into the recording trash that is pushed out as mixed. I guess it doesn't matter when you rip it to an ipod anyway right?

I have a pair of Logitech Z-2300 computer speakers that are THX certified. The two satellites consist of one like 2.5" or 3" tang band driver with a phase plug per side (also a fake port/tweeter per satellite) and an 8" woofer. They sound alright, but are severely lacking in treble. I'm comparing them to a pair of KRK Rokit 5's, which sound pretty good for listening to music on my computer. Point is, just cause it says THX doesn't mean it's that great, though for the $100 I spent, it was worth it.

[hk-renob]

I have to say it would be nice to have a true deffenition of what is sq. but it comes down to what u think is sq, plus a car is the hardest thing to make sq, it is small, enclosed, moving with noise, not very dense, and every one sits in a compleatly different spot to were a speaker is. meaning if u set the levels to be equal to the driver it will be completly different for the passanger. In car audio we can only do the best we can, to make it sq to own selfs.

[Cr@sh]

I was gunna state what Ed stated, he ninja'd me! I would like to add that there is a standard in SQ for Car's it's Iasca and though there rules may change from year to year it's the standard for competition. The problem with this subject is what Ed has stated, one person might think one guys car is perfect in SQ and someone else may say it's not so hence the need for competition, it's the put up or shut up method that people with a need to prove something uses. There are so many variables in what can be decided what is SQ and what is not that it's pointless to debate it. I agree with iasca's method of determining what is considered SQ but someone else may not. It's the same reason why one guy will say Rainbow components are best and the other guy will say Dynaudio. It's a matter of what you desire based on your knowledge.

[pRoFsWiRlY]

I have a pair of Logitech Z-2300 computer speakers that are THX certified. The two satellites consist of one like 2.5" or 3" tang band driver with a phase plug per side (also a fake port/tweeter per satellite) and an 8" woofer. They sound alright, but are severely lacking in treble. I'm comparing them to a pair of KRK Rokit 5's, which sound pretty good for listening to music on my computer. Point is, just cause it says THX doesn't mean it's that great, though for the $100 I spent, it was worth it.

Same situation here, but my computer speakers are bostons... 3" mains and a 6" sub... but these things are the best sounding thing in the house!! Just dont have the power my onkyo 7.1 can put out... and actually I have a pair of 1970's marantz towers with the 12", 4", and tweet that work great off that onkyo and i never plan on getting rid of them, but the bostons still sound better(and shake my room too) than a lot out there that i've looked at