Will the hobby of car audio ever die?

[BallzFast 10+ year member]

hopefully lithium technology will get cheaper soon so we can replace all of our heavy batteries for lighter batteries of the same or more power.

 

[jrdnhsnbrg 10+ year member]

But see. Key word. Added. I get what you are saying tho.

Only reason he did is because I already had it just sitting in my room lol

 

[bbeljefe]

It's been discussed before, but what do you guys think will happen to car audio with emerging technology?
Now I am a pretty conservative dude and I love technology and every knew bit of science we discover, but sometimes technology can hurt us as people. It makes us lazy and we rely on a machine to do one more task for us. We stop thinking and recognizing landmarks and instead let our GPS direct us to our intended target. I know people have discussed how car audio took a big dip in enthusiasts because of manufacturers making it too difficult to put in aftermarket equipment, but do you think with emerging technology and cheaper manufacturing of quality parts that aftermarket equipment may be deemed irrelevant or at least very detrimental to the resale of a quality car?

I am fairly new to car audio, as I only had one car to work on through high school and now just picked up a new ride in my last year of college that I have big plans for. I love all the work that goes into it. Like any educated person in the topic I now know its not just teens throwing subs in their trunk and annoying the neighborhood block like how many people portray car audio. A great deal of work goes in to the build for maximum quality, sound, and aesthetics. Its fun cuz like any hobby you can do a cheap build and try to get the most for your dollar, or go all out and get maximum quality. Not only is it high quality components, but location of speakers and correct wiring and sound dampening of the vehicle all play a part.

I'm no economist, but I know that Moore's law is a fact and we can double the circuits on a cpu or half the cost of the same cpu every 2 years, and that is why amps and all technology gets smaller and/or cheaper over time. I also believe that separation of components leads to best performance as one part doing one job will most likely do better than one component handling multiple jobs. So with amps getting smaller will they ever get to the point where powerful amps (say 50w a channel) can be included in the head unit? Will car manufacturers include these as well as high quality speakers? Car companies are also always looking at making their vehicles lighter and seems as if they are even going into sound dampening. Will sound quality just be a fact of messing with your stock eq, but require little aftermarket wiring and components?

Just a thought since I am getting into the hobby and would hate to see people's hard work lesser appreciated in the future. Even if quality parts came included in a car our audiophiles' trained ears would still be able to set up the correct sound, but it would be a shame to see such a thing lose its substance.

Technology doesn't make people lazy any more than cocaine makes one a drug addict. Technology makes us more productive because is frees us up for more productive endeavors. And could you please explain why being a happy or productive human being requires remembering landmarks?

As for car audio, it will change, not go away. Everything changes... some things quickly and others slowly and those things that change more quickly tend to invoke resentment among current generations who are used to the older ways simply because that's what they're used to. But let's face it... if you want to define lazy, it's someone who refuses to accept new things that improve the human condition simply because "that's not how we used to do it".

Personally, I'm excited that I no longer have to clutter my brain with rote memorization just so I can find my house.

 

[ladysmanfelpz 10+ year member]

K don't take that as my main argument Jefe. And yes you summed up laziness with refusal to change. A wise person must be able to adapt. But technology can be detrimental nonetheless. I can argue that video killed the radio star all day lol. Someone mentioned on the previous page that they wish they could listen to a high quality system and I wish everyone had that experience too. I love car audio and love to share it with everyone. You need to listen to music in the way the artist intended and not through pop FM stations with static. People miss out on so much in their music, but thats why it is a treat having someone in your car and showing what the band/artist was really trying to portray. I don't care if it is a foreign exchanged student visiting from Italy or a Martian that just landed on our planet, anyone will appreciate good sound.

And thats what *****. It may not be that much of a treat anymore if everyone has it. It will be taken as a given just like television and schooling and modern medicine and a spacious house with electricity and heating, and all these fine things we have created have become. Yes it is progress and will bring better sound to the masses, but I would just hate to see quality go unappreciated.

 

[bbeljefe]

K don't take that as my main argument Jefe. And yes you summed up laziness with refusal to change. A wise person must be able to adapt. But technology can be detrimental nonetheless. I can argue that video killed the radio star all day lol. Someone mentioned on the previous page that they wish they could listen to a high quality system and I wish everyone had that experience too. I love car audio and love to share it with everyone. You need to listen to music in the way the artist intended and not through pop FM stations with static. People miss out on so much in their music, but thats why it is a treat having someone in your car and showing what the band/artist was really trying to portray. I don't care if it is a foreign exchanged student visiting from Italy or a Martian that just landed on our planet, anyone will appreciate good sound.
And thats what *****. It may not be that much of a treat anymore if everyone has it. It will be taken as a given just like television and schooling and modern medicine and a spacious house with electricity and heating, and all these fine things we have created have become. Yes it is progress and will bring better sound to the masses, but I would just hate to see quality go unappreciated.

Why do I need to listen to music the way the artist intended? I like hella bass. Frank Zappa may not. Does that mean I'm doing something wrong when I turn up the bass to his music? Have I violated some unspoken rule? And if I have, how am I supposed to know what the artist intended?

And why do you care if other people don't appreciate quality sound? That's like worrying that some people don't like chocolate. If you like chocolate and I don't, that should have no affect on how much you enjoy it... and it doesn't make me any less "refined" an individual. It's just a subjective preference and different preferences are the fuel that drives innovation and gives the consumer myriad choices whether it's in clothing, furniture or car audio equipment.

I have customers every day who set their systems with far too much treble for my taste but they leave my shop giddy and grinning because I made their system capable of sounding like they want it to. Am I being a poor businessman by not telling them I think they use too much treble or am I supplying a demanded service that satisfies the consumer?

 

[ladysmanfelpz 10+ year member]

Ya good point. Well I mean as intended by having the capabilities of reproducing all the frequencies which stock system power cannot. I just like modifying and seeing hard work pay off. Its the difference between someone that builds an old '69 chevelle and one that buys one build by some performance shop. Both are cool and will give you the car you are looking for, but there seems to be something more when someone's hard work went into it and came out with an awesome final product. So I guess goes the same with car audio. A custom install will always beat the looks and function of a stock system and go more appreciated by people like me that enjoy modifying and any car audio enthusiast that knows how much time and thought went into the project. But to each his own. If a stock system included is satisfactory then they can enjoy that but us tuners will always look for more. I don't care about cost and if its what I enjoy to do then I will keep on doing it. I just wanted to see what people thought would happen to the hobby especially shop owners like you that are at the forefront of the evolving market and their thoughts on it.

 

[MrFoca]

All I care about is shaking the block. I'm not a audiophile, but to each their own.

 

[d77543020 10+ year member]

Customizing cars will be here forever and the audio system will always be part of that the only thing i think will kill it dead is if the beat tickets get so out of control its not worth it,a friend of mind just got his 2nd ticket 600 freaking dollars!!so becaues of that im downgrading to a 500 watt system

 

[fatboytyler]

Customizing cars will be here forever and the audio system will always be part of that the only thing i think will kill it dead is if the beat tickets get so out of control its not worth it,a friend of mind just got his 2nd ticket 600 freaking dollars!!so becaues of that im downgrading to a 500 watt system

You can't be an idiot about it. Turn it down at stoplights and areas with lots of housing. Easiest way to to mount a LC1 in a convenient location, give her a twist and bam! You're back within a much more understandable limit. Although to be honest, tickets of these types are a load of ****. I've heard people with exhaust that can rival lots of audio systems and they never get tickets...

 

[mrawesome]

I've heard people with exhaust that can rival lots of audio systems and they never get tickets...

so true. motorcycles too.

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

There are more and more cars that are being released are less audio friendly. But then again, there are more and more cars that seem to be more audio and more mod friendly. The new Subie Brz is a perfect example. So I think it is more of the market segment the car resides in and how the automotive brands want to please their buyers. Hopefully we can go to 48v soon. Think of how tiny the amplifiers can be then per watt and the potential output. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[fatboytyler]

There are more and more cars that are being released are less audio friendly. But then again, there are more and more cars that seem to be more audio and more mod friendly. The new Subie Brz is a perfect example. So I think it is more of the market segment the car resides in and how the automotive brands want to please their buyers. Hopefully we can go to 48v soon. Think of how tiny the amplifiers can be then per watt and the potential output. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

Imagine the amount of deaf people there will be when this happens... But, it would still be epic.

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

Imagine the amount of deaf people there will be when this happens... But, it would still be epic.

And kids buying even cheaper crap amps trying to set them with a blinky light.......

 

[ladysmanfelpz 10+ year member]

Ya I don't think it will ever go away. I have an 07 accord coupe and the stock system is decent, but when listening to a cd last night while high so my ear was really in tune lol, it wasn't even close to my low budget old system in my subaru. The mid-bass was so lacking it was ridiculous. Its physics. Cars tend to produce more midbass frequencies so those cancel the easiest. Now with good sound dampening I could get the mids popping pretty good on even the stock system, but no manufacturer would go to the lengths I intend for sound dampening no matter what. Now my friend just got a new subaru crosstrek and the system is decent. Pretty good bass response but again no where near what even a low powered sub could do. The thing I did like is they included HD radio in the factory stereo. See thats where I think we need to take advantage of technology. If radio stations are broadcasting in HD radio, then why not let the people hear it.

 

[fatboytyler]

Ya I don't think it will ever go away. I have an 07 accord coupe and the stock system is decent, but when listening to a cd last night while high so my ear was really in tune lol, it wasn't even close to my low budget old system in my subaru. The mid-bass was so lacking it was ridiculous. Its physics. Cars tend to produce more midbass frequencies so those cancel the easiest. Now with good sound dampening I could get the mids popping pretty good on even the stock system, but no manufacturer would go to the lengths I intend for sound dampening no matter what. Now my friend just got a new subaru crosstrek and the system is decent. Pretty good bass response but again no where near what even a low powered sub could do. The thing I did like is they included HD radio in the factory stereo. See thats where I think we need to take advantage of technology. If radio stations are broadcasting in HD radio, then why not let the people hear it.

So true. My buddy has a nice, new Scion TC and its got a pretty good sound system and bass response. However, I just recently installed my old loaded horn with a $30 8" MCM sub at about 130W RMS and it puts it to absolute shape in loudness and clarity.