[typericey]

Sometimes (depending on the type of music i'm playing) I would like to have a "pro sound" in my car.

You know, the snappy snare and tight kick drum type of sound. The kind of sound you hear in small jazz concerts at the park or in a bar.

I know that this may not be the "correct" sound, but some types of music really sounds most pleasing with a pro sound characteristic.

Hope I'm making sense here. :blush:

So how do you achieve pro sound in the car? EQ? choice of drivers? dynamic range expanders or aural exciters (!) hooked up in the car?

 

[89grand]

I think I'd start with pro drivers.

 

[VP Electricity]

I think I'd start with pro drivers.

Driven by a professional on a closed course. Your mileage may vary. Always wear your seatbelt.

 

[shadowfactory]

Driven by a professional on a closed course. Your mileage may vary. Always wear your seatbelt.

 

[JSlabotsky]

The rules are about the same as pro audio. Step one is the environment - fix everything you can about the vehicle cabin that will color the sound. Deaden resonant panels, block sound intruding into the cabin, minimize early reflections, etc.

Again, just like pro audio the next building block is good drivers powered by clean, low noise amps with ample headroom so that you're nowhere near clipping at your preferred listening volume.

Based on my experience (albeit more with pro audio than car audio) I'd suggest a sealed subwoofer enclosure to get that tight, controlled bass response.

Frankly it shouldn't require a lot of processing to get a tight, controlled, clean sound. IMO enhancers and exciters are tools for fixing specific problems, not for building your fundamental sound. In pro audio I'd only use such tools in situations where a proper fix isn't an option, like running live sound in a crappy sounding room.

There is some cool DSP stuff around these days that can fix time alignment and do fun things like that. However, your question seems more focused on the general tonal quality and less on staging and imaging. If so, getting the basics as good as possible should get you there.