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Why are you into car audio?

9K views 80 replies 60 participants last post by  LBaudio 
#1 ·
Is it because you truly love car audio or is it really because you can't do a proper home setup? ;)

I couldn't do proper home audio when I lived with my parents, and can't do it now because I live in a small cage (e.g. NYC apartment :) ).

All it takes is ONE CHECK for me to have amazing home audio if I could just have the freakin space to do it in (and also, the issue with disturbing the peace which is sorta a real issue in condos & co-ops).

My boy will load his van with some great amps, speakers, turntable, cd player, interconnects, drive up from VA and set everything up and tune, tune, tune. Heaven and I didn't even have to rip my walls apart ;)

Now contrast to car audio:

1) CAR: Spend months trying to figure out what to buy
HOME: Show up to showroom and listen, decision easy
2) CAR: Finally buy, then take dedicated time to install
HOME: Most time is spent in transit...set up time maybe an hour
3) CAR: After lots of time and troubleshooting you've got nice sound, but never perfect
HOME: For someone good, optimal sound can be had in a matter of hours....
4) CAR: Parts break, need to fix
HOME: Parts rarely break because of usage/environment...
5) CAR: Need to change equipment....takes time to make swap...
HOME: Easy to do. Minutes to do.
6) CAR: Alternator whine may or may not be introduced
HOME: Noise floor is almost non existent.
7) CAR: Embark on a never ending quest to get the perfect door install
HOME: Perfect enclosure straight from the factory.
8) CAR: Spend a lifetime to get perfect imaging.....while
HOME: 5-10 minutes of aiming if you're good.

It's really hilarious....and we should all give each other a hug for the things we do for great auto sound!

Things recently starting happening where the frustration has kicked in. Just when the sound was awesome, the center channel blew, then alternator whine creeped in....now I get speakers coming in and out sometimes when I'm driving (but not when stopped....loose connection maybe?)....

It's just crazy. And the amount of money dropped just on this car alone easily could have banged out a new subcompact car. I've sacrificed a supreme suspension kit, nice rims, tires, and other assorted goodies in the name of sound.....and I'm a born car guy!!

Car audio is not for the faint of heart.....and for those who do it despite these obstacles, amen!
 
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#4 ·
I drive about 80 miles roundtrip to work, so having something to make the trip shorter helps.

The biggest two reasons are unrelated, but not:
1. I grew up listening to all sorts of music thanks to my mom. She used to love Lionel Richie, Eagles, Rod Stewart, Bee Gees, on and on... I guess the love for music got instilled in me. I was a big Michael Jackson fan, and just really enjoyed music. That's followed me throughout life.
2. I like working with my hands. I'm a more technical guy and learn hands on. Car audio gives me the outlet to build, fabricate, test, and listen. I get a lot of hands on experience in many categories and I get to apply it to making music sound good.
 
#6 ·
At first, I wanted a CD player in my then car. After that, It's just my nature to take things apart/and learn about them. A few yearsa go, I was happy with "different speakers." pretty much. Now that I drive 2+ hours a day, I'm a huge critic of my system.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the responses guys....

The heart of what I was really asking wasn't so much why you're into car audio (we all like it deep down), but more of for those who have decided to take it to that NEXT LEVEL......how you've budgeted for car vs. home audio...

It seems rare to see people do both to a high level...a lot of home guys don't bother with cars, and a lot of the hardcore car guys' systems are worth more than their home setups.
 
#8 ·
I think it would be more fair to compare home speaker building/design to car audio considering all the variables. You just cant buy a car system thats plug and play and will work in your car with no hitches or tuning. Same thing if you build speakers for home.

But you can buy home speakers that are as simple as plug and play because all the work is done for you.
 
#9 ·
I am into car audio cause I needed something to dump my excess cash flow into, and smoking pot all day was no longer an option for me as I needed to grow up.
 
#36 ·
Damn. I need to start growing plants for a living so I have too much money burning a hole in my pocket. I don't see a remotely possible situation where I had "excess" cash flow. Unless I was hiding money from the courts or the government. Or if the IRS was giving me a full rectal exam.:D
 
#14 ·
^I agree. I just don't listen to music at home, and I don't even watch movies very often. And living in an apartment, I feel bad playing my music too loud. Not to mention the electric bill for having 1000+ watts is never fun. The car is somewhere you know you'll use it everyday.

I do eventually want a home theater set up. I do have an older Denon 7.1 receiver, and some cheap speakers. But I was just able to finally buy a nice TV, so I'll probably DIY myself some speakers when I get a chance. I'm planning on building some Dayton MTM's but it's probably a long ways down the road. I don't even have the space for any type of woodworking at my apartment, so I'll have to find a new place to live, so I can build myself some speakers. :D . But even so, I know they'll never get the use that I get out of my car audio set up.
 
#12 ·
i have to say, i have no idea why.....

it is nice to relax and work on the car, but the amount of time i actually work on my care in the past 9 months has to be ZERO.......

i'll think of a good reason this weekend

also, i'm not really into home audio, beyond getting a new bookshelf setup for the desk in my room, i have no desire to fab up any towers, even though lately i spend 75% of my time studying in my room :mad:

car audio is addictive, i'll def give it that
 
#15 ·
I really don't have the time to sit down and listen to a home system...that's why I'm not into home audio...it consumes too much time. While in car audio, you can listen passively while commuting.
 
#18 ·
For me it probably was always due to how intense and in your face the music can be inside of a car. I remember the first CD player I had in my car was one of the early generation MP3 AIWA decks and boy did I think it was cool. LOL. I would go on road trips that were upwards of around 5 hours each way and some of those moments while listening to that crumby deck were very memorable and offered me alot of introspective opportunities. Music has always been a very powerful force in my life and something about driving while listening to good tunes just seems to go hand in hand.

Additionally I also love the creative and challenging aspect thats follows incorporating a nice system in the car enviroment. If it were not for car audio I would have never become adept at working and crafting things with my hands.The passion of the music always seemed to drive me to continue to try and get those kick panels right or those A pillar fabrications after I had already screwed up a number of times. All in all car audio has been a very productive and rewarding albeit expensive ;) endeavor for me during my life. In these uncertain times of military industrial partnerships there are far worse things your money and time could be going to than some harmless engineers who are designing toys to make music sound good and continue to further enrich our lives...
 
#19 ·
For me I was into car audio in the late 80's in high school cause your car was your identity back then. I later became interested in home theater and I built one out in the basement of my home.

Now that I'm older and have a show vehicle, it's time to put an A/V system in my truck. And it certainly is bringing back the car audio fever again.:D Somethig about a nice clean install that sounds as good as it looks. The only difference these days is the addition of video into a car audio system. So in essence you can have a mobile theater to go along with a home theater.
 
#20 ·
I got into car audio back in the early 90's in fact I got my first car in 1991. I am still into car audio, because I am spoiled. I cant stand to be in cars with stock radio's and not hear the music the way its supposed to be. The fun with being in your 30's now, is one year you revamp the cars stereo, and the next you revamp the home stereo lol
 
#21 ·
Well I spend more time driving in a day (2 1/2 hrs.)than I do at home so...........

Besides I have enjoyed designing,fabricating,experimenting ect. with car audio since I bought my first car back in 1981.
 
#22 ·
For the sound baby !
Been this way since the early '70's...try to make the sound better in one of the worst environments available...the car.
As a teen my life was in my car. Later my wife to be lived 400 miles away and I made the 800 mile round trip every weekend for a year until we married...30 years ago.
I have a very nice system in my house but generally use it for tv/movie's rather than music...unless we are entertaining then it is either a cd or a music dvd.
In my car it is audio all the way. It soothes the tension when in traffic and keeps me awake as needed. It is also a bit easier, to me, to focus on the music with fewer distractions...other than traffic, etc.
 
#23 ·
I love building things and working with my hands. I love audio and video and just electronics in general. In the future when I have my own place, I will start building things for my house, but for now I'm stuck living at home paying my mom rent.

I like everything I own to be custom and unique. It's very satisfying to look at something of mine and think that I made it or at least customized it and put some of myself into whatever it is.
 
#26 ·
Out of boredom, a bit of mania. There are certainly more rewarding and less time & money consuming hobbies out there.
 
#29 ·
If I had a house it would definitely be where I would try and build the optimum SQ system. I tried running the system I had while living with my parents in an apartment; I was evicted from every one I moved into. I'm trying to achieve the same SQ in a car :mad: :confused: I'm not their by a long shot.
 
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