Car audio at the New York auto show (photos)

People pay big bucks for optional car audio systems, but how good are these systems?

Steve Guttenberg

April 7, 2012 7:36 a.m. PT

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Car audio at the New York auto show

The Chevy Sonic Boom concept made a strong impression at the New York auto show.

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Baby Boom!

The little Sonic Boom's hatch was jam-packed with two throbbing 15-inch subwoofers, 24 speakers, and a hefty 4,000-watt sound system. The sound lived up to its name.

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Bang & Olufsen sound system

The $3,700 Bang & Olufsen system packs 16 speakers in a BMW 640i, it was the best-sounding car system I heard at the show. The tonal balance was good, and the stereo imaging was closer to a home system, thanks to the clever center channel speaker that pokes out of the dashboard.

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Fender Premium Audio System

Jimi Hendrix played Fender guitars, and now the Volkswagen Jetta GLI offers Fender Car Audio systems, but the sound didn't light my fire. The nine-speaker system uses Panasonic electronics.

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Scion Pioneer audio system

I couldn't find much about what's included in the Scion iQ's Pioneer audio system, but it sounded very average, and looked outrageously awful. It didn't aesthetically integrate with anything else in the car's interior.

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Becker Automotive

Becker Auto Design

The main reason car audio sound is so bad is that car interiors are too small, so it takes something a bit larger, like a mammoth Mercedes Sprinter Jet Van, outfitted with a Becker Auto Design system to deliver audiophile-quality sound. The van at the show had McIntosh Labs amplifiers, Dynaudio speakers, and a JL Audio subwoofer system.

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Bose Open Air Sound System

So if the confined space of a closed car cramps your audio a bit too much, maybe the Bose Open Air Sound System in a swoopy Infiniti G37 convertible will be a better solution. It features speakers embedded in the car's seats and headrests, with proprietary technologies that adapt to the acoustic demands of the convertible's open cabin.

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Naim Audio/Bentley Motor Cars

When you're sitting in a Bentley Mulsanne, it's impossible not to be wowed by the ultraplush surroundings, but the 1,100-watt Naim Audio system is nothing special. I toggled through a range of mode settings, but the sound never matched the rest of the car's opulence.

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