I am making this thread due to the apparently large number of people out there who are simply misinformed when it comes to Brand v. Quality and what separates quality audio from garbage audio. Mods, this would make a great sticky.
If you are only interested in making noise and shaking bolts loose on your car this thread is not for you.
Ok, so the first and most important part of any sound track, etc, is format. You can have the most expensive sound system in the world, but if the soundtrack is in the wrong format, you might as well be listening to it in a stock setup. Let me explain:
First you need to know these definitions:
.WAV : Waveform Audio File Format: Uncompressed WAV files using LPCM are the most common form of audio format in terms of quality. An example of where you would hear this form is from any Music CD you actually purchase from the store. These tracks are all pressed in WAV format.
Lossy Codec: Lossy Codec is when you compress a .WAV file into a smaller file in which you lose quality due to the fact that you are simply compressing a large file into a smaller file. Examples would include MP3, WMA, etc. These formats are common due to the fact smaller files are easier to transfer and store.
Lossless Codec: A Lossless Codec is a file system in which files are also compressed, just not nearly as much as a Lossy Codec. When speaking in terms of Car Audio, this form is basically as good as it gets. Examples of this would be FLAC, WavPack, etc. This form is not popular as it take much more file space to store the same file. Therefore increasing transfer/download times and using more space than a Lossy Codec. This system is still not as high in quality as a strictly uncompressed .WAV but it is the answer to having a quality sound in your car without using as much space as an uncompressed WAV and unless you have a high quality output system this is just as good as WAV.
So after reading the above format information, we have concluded that the best format for car audio would be uncompressed WAV, or a WAV using a Lossless Codec such as FLAC. If you have your music in this format you ahead of 99% of people out there.
Important things to know regarding output equipment:
Name Brand (Big Box) does NOT, I repeat NOT, mean you have good equipment.
Bose, Harmon Kardon, are just a couple of popular brands in which people automatically assume they have the best there is.
Now before we even get into speakers, the second most important part of audio output is your processing unit, and the path/energy your audio takes to get to the speakers. I.E (Amps, if needed and your “head unit”.)
A good head unit will give you the ability to control your audio I.E (Equalizer) whether that is digital or manual, either one works. Equalizing your audio, (Bass, mids, highs, fq, etc) is VERY important and varies from music types to personal preference. Second, your head unit has to be able to “PUSH” the music out to the speakers in order to maintain quality. Good head units will come with “built in” amps to help this process. If you are asking a lot of your system, additional amps are sometimes required.
Other devices to help quality would include line conditioners, and capacitors if your output devices are highly demanding.
Speakers and Steup:
Speakers are where all that hard work to just get the music ready to listen to comes into play. Your speakers have to be able to keep up with your quality or your whole setup will be compromised.
Brand: As previously mentioned brand name is a flaw in the audio world. Brands such as Bose, Harmon Kardon, etc are example of overpriced equipment with mediocre quality. The truth is, a 200W speaker is a 200W speaker. What separates the two would be quality of the materials used and how it is put together. Because of this a 200W speaker can cost $25.00, or it can cost $2,500. Point here is DO YOUR RESEARCH before purchasing your equipment.
Balance: Balance is also very important in terms of quality. I can’t tell you how angry it makes me to see some kid driving around in a $5k car with a $5k stereo system, listening to Rap(Not Music), with nothing but BASS hitting your eardrums. Congrats, you just spent $5K to have the worst quality sound possible.
In order to maintain quality you need to balance your speaker setup. 12" speakers in a car are overkill and ruin quality. A good set of 8" subs in tune with the rest of your system is ideal. Again the idea here is not Loudness, it is quality.
Power: Example: You have a 500W system in your car with a 200W head unit.
In order to maximize quality you want to have your output devices, outputting the most it can to the speakers WITHOUT hitting or going over the rated max. In the above case you need to somehow incease your output NO MORE than 300W. If your output power never exceeds the ratings on the speakers, you can listen to high quality music at any loudness without sacrificing quality. If you have a 1000W amp pushing to 500W speakers, you will blow the speakers, and before you get to that point, quality will be severely compromised.
Conclusion: There is a lot more to this than what I posted. This is just to give everyone an idea so when you are talking about your audio system to someone who knows what they are talking about, you aren’t bragging about your Bose sound system, while listening to MP3’s of Eminem, through a 12" subwoofer.
Anyone else who knows what they are talking about feel free to add anything you deem important. Thank you.