Car audio is not something you mess with much anymore, so
you better like what the factory put in.
After reviewing over a
1,000 cars I have an idea what that should be.
IÃ?m B.C. with my
Top 5 Car Audio Features.
5 - Good metatags
Our in-car entertainment increasing has text and album art.
A
good system allows lots of room for all of it, without stupid
truncation.
YouÃ?d be surprised how many systemes get this
wrong.
Plug in your iPhone as part of a test drive and see how it
shows up.
4 - Low bit rate fidelity
We are also listening to a lot of crap these days.
128k MP3s,
satellite radio and bluetooth streaming are basically audio junk
food -- donÃ?t get fooled by all that Ã?digital qualityÃ? nonsense.
Listen for a system that re-hydrates those sources and makes
them sound like they have some give.
3 - Streaming apps
This is key.
Any system that doesnÃ?t offer at least one streaming
radio option is an antique at this point.
Pandora, MOG, TuneIn,
something.
And the carmakers that offer at least one now are
likely to offer you more than one via an upgrade later.
2 - USB
OK, if a lack of streaming apps makes a rig antique, a lack of
USB makes it a fossil.
USB connects all the stuff you care about
-- phones and thumbdrives -- and nothing you donÃ?t.
And verify it
will also charge your phone - not all cars send 5V to their USB
jack.
INTER
- HD Radio: It does wonders for radio sound, but not its content
and youÃ?re probably listening to less radio anyway.
- Cards and Hard Drives: Never belonged in car media systems.
USB is all you need.
- Surround Sound - you're sitting in a corner of a noisy machine
thatÃ?s moving.
Enoug with the audiophile pretense.
1 - Sounds good to you.
6 speakers or 20, if it sounds good to
you it sounds good.
Test any car system with your portable
plugged in so you are listening to music you know well.
A great
system will bring up things you didnÃ?t hear before and stay
balanced and smooth when cranked.
