Mo'Stereos

["Al Powell" <APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu>]

> From:          Eddi Jew <jew@rysa.dtc.hp.com>

> I tend to echo (pun) the rest of what's already posted - I prefer accuracy 
> over SPL. Listening to Quad ESLs (and Magnepans) at home, I am a little 
> too extreme in this.
> One of these days, I really do want to improve the sound in my 5KS, but
> there is so much hype (and so many products) in car-audio. Also, I tend
> to buy used gear (on the serious stuff), and haven't been able to find out
> how to reliably buy good, used, car audio gear.

DITTO!  Actually, I am delighted with the sentiments of many on this 
group as far as their goal in installing superior sound systems.  
Unfortunately, as Eddie points out, when I read car audio magazines, 
they seem to be oriented to MegaWatt-BleedingEar-ThumpThump oriented 
teens with too much cash for their own good.  The articles tend to 
stress installations with stacks upon stacks of amps and speakers.

Whattaya do when you just went clean sound at moderate volume - with 
occasional excursions into high voume when "Born to Be Wild" or Steve 
Winwood's old "I'm a Man" comes on??  You either have to sort it out 
for yourself or pay someone a LOT of money to design and install a 
system.

Like Eddie, I tend to buy used gear (and factory rebuilts) and for me 
to spend more than $600 on a car stereo would be a new record.  I 
suppose I'm sitting in the "cheep" seats, but I still get pretty 
decent sound - as per my judgement based on 20 years in radio &
TV production.

To that end, Crutchfield, Damark and I have become friends.  My 
Datson Z has my own ($550) Radio/Cassette/CD changer setup - with 
rear speaker amp bought for $40 at a police auction because I knew what 
they had and they didn't...) and the Audi is next.  What actually bothers 
me the most is the absolutely Execrable reception of the Bose radio.  It 
has the worst signal rejection and lowest sensitivity of any car radio I 
have ever owned.  Heck, when parked in the university parking structure, 
I have a $50 Radio Shack pocket radio that picks up AM stations cleaner - 
inside the car - then the Bose unit!  YEEEeeeesssshh.  Traveling in 
that car and trying to use the radio is a joke.

What would I like in my Audi 200?

- Am/FM with tape head unit
- Outboard CD changer (direct cable input)
- Good sound from the stock speaker placements (I can live with 
them)
- Enough power to drown out my own singing when I play ZZ Top
- Add a small subwoofer just  cuz I think it would be cool (if I did 
this, it would probably be one of those which would mount in a corner 
of the trunk and have a tube port extended up to reach under the 
rear deck material.

I can do that for under six bills (minus the subwoofer) if I don't have to 
change the speakers.  Sounds like a spring (or after-xmas) project.


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Al Powell                           Voice:  409/845-2807
Ag Communications                   Fax:    409/862-1202
107 Reed McDonald Bldg.             Email:  a-powell1@tamu.edu 
College Station, TX  77843-2112
W3 page - http://agcomwww.tamu.edu/agcom/rpe/alpage.htm

        "Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day."
                 - Sam Goldwyn, movie mogul.
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