Bang & Olufsen in an A3

[beanoir]

These units are customized for each vehicle, attenuating its freq spectrum based on the reflectivity or liveliness of the car they are in, plus, they have noise compensation built in, either reducing the dynamic range so the low level sound rises above the noise floor or just general increase in volume level. They put a bit of fine tuning for each vehicle since they will be selling many of these units.

The drop in units usually are not customized for each vehicle unless you go to a installer with experience on these things.

That is why companies like Blose, a brand that gets laughed off in the home audio world, is so pBopular in the car market. They provide the facilities and ability to mass customize generic stereos for a given car.

I'm not being funny, but as much as I agree with you about Bose, at least they get laughed at occasionally. B&O don't even get reviewed by the well known hifi magazines and websites!

You're either one of their dedicated salesmen or you've been sucked in like the rest.

Any serious hifi fanatic will tell you that B&O is all mouth and no trousers. Sorry to rain on your parade chief but it's a well known fact.

 

[Jo Sharp]

Even better would be a Naim system which Bentley are putting into their cars:

http://consumer.bentley.gbtesting.net/ownership/naim_audio/

 

[LWNY]

I'm not being funny, but as much as I agree with you about Bose, at least they get laughed at occasionally. B&O don't even get reviewed by the well known hifi magazines and websites!

You're either one of their dedicated salesmen or you've been sucked in like the rest.

Any serious hifi fanatic will tell you that B&O is all mouth and no trousers. Sorry to rain on your parade chief but it's a well known fact.

I was in no way defending B&O. They have been known to be an entry level high end brand that is more style over substance. Given that their current products are not overbuilt with teflon or mil-spec component, they could easily adapt their current production techniques to mainstream automobile products. All they have to do is commit to spending time measuring the acoustic properties of car environments and fine tuning car audio equipments for it. As I indicated, I would prefer Meridian gears given their strong psychoacoustic research and applying DSP technology to it (not just flat measurement that brands like Blose and Harman seems to try to do), plus being an owner of Meridan gear.

Even better would be a Naim system which Bentley are putting into their cars:

http://consumer.bentley.gbtesting.net/ownership/naim_audio/

They should be partnering with Quad and them design some car valve amps and have the valves exposed in the front dash.

 

[A1 NLF]

Beanoir what Screen did you have out of interest?

And as for the reviews from Hi-Fi Mags...

http://www.whathifi.com/Review/BandO-BeoLab-9/

http://theaudiocritic.com/plog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=34&blogId=1

 

[warren_S5]

They should be partnering with Quad and them design some car valve amps and have the valves exposed in the front dash.

Have you ever burned your fingers on a warmed valve! I know they shouldn't be touched, but the temptation was too great! They'd reflect off the screen and pose a crash risk as the glass could fragment.

Appreciate the sentiment of all the hi-end aspiration, but cars are not spacious acoustically tuned listening environments, they are glass clad tin boxes full of reflective surfaces. Whilst you can make acceptable sound in a car, the reason the Bose can sound so acceptable is that they are tuned to overcome engine / road / exhaust noise, and the EQ settings are usually all tuned up to compensate by giving a dynamic and punchy (non audiophile sound).

 

[LWNY]

Have you ever burned your fingers on a warmed valve! I know they shouldn't be touched, but the temptation was too great! They'd reflect off the screen and pose a crash risk as the glass could fragment.

Appreciate the sentiment of all the hi-end aspiration, but cars are not spacious acoustically tuned listening environments, they are glass clad tin boxes full of reflective surfaces. Whilst you can make acceptable sound in a car, the reason the Bose can sound so acceptable is that they are tuned to overcome engine / road / exhaust noise, and the EQ settings are usually all tuned up to compensate by giving a dynamic and punchy (non audiophile sound).

It is not hard to put valves behind a glass viewing window like many preamps. Isn't nostalgia the reason many of the premium cars have analog clocks that looks like timepieces. I doubt passengers in the back could see them easier than a digital clock.

 

[beanoir]

Beanoir what Screen did you have out of interest?

And as for the reviews from Hi-Fi Mags...

http://www.whathifi.com/Review/BandO-BeoLab-9/

http://theaudiocritic.com/plog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=34&blogId=1

Well I have to say i'm surprised by that article. I had a a beovision 4 42, but never again. I have found Pioneer these days, and they are a world away in my opinion. I've had my fingers burnt now so I doubt I will ever entertain the idea of walking back into a B&O shop to be honest, even if their products have improved vastly in the last 5 years.

 

[Cruiser89]

Check this out!!

Straight from the horses mouth!

http://www.youtube.com/watch#featur...next_from=TL&videos=Y4kZ7NBLGuQ&v=S2HWoGwkbA0

Audi B&O design from Audi.TV

 

[boggysv]

All these in-car hifi stuff does sound nice and all, being stationary in the car that's been through some overkill soundproofing. However, once the vehicle is on the move, I'm too cheap to accept the road/wind/traffic noise after paying so much for them.

Imho, no fancy electronics are going to replace proper speaker placement, and in the typical car, it's just a sound engineer's nightmare. Many would dosh out good money after hearing the dealer demo car through the Ipod or FM radio...and that makes no sense.

Then again, give me a fancy alpine/pioneer/eclipse with a lots of buttons and functions to play with while the traffic is locked packed and I'll be a happy man. The birds will be impressed when I show them my HU can change screen colors!!

</grumpy old fart>

 

[NHN]

Looking to sound proof anyway Nige! For BOSE and quieter ride/improved build..

Easier & cheaper route N8

 

[Khufu]

Check this out!!

Straight from the horses mouth!

http://www.youtube.com/watch#featur...next_from=TL&videos=Y4kZ7NBLGuQ&v=S2HWoGwkbA0

Audi B&O design from Audi.TV

Hey Mr N, seems we need B&O speakers to get the backs of them protected from rain....

 

[NHN]

Yes that would solve that one, but with massive holes in the doors now huh, slightly drafty I would say, smart asse lol