surprizing stock car speaker quality

[friendly_jacek]

my son argued how stock car speakers are junk and should always be replaced by aftermarket. i whipped my old Stryke's Basszone CD and in 3 toyota cars (base trims) my family owns (2006-2010) the stock 6-speaker systems (no sub-woofers) comfortable reproduce 36-13,000 Hz and weakening only at 32 Hz and 16,000 Hz. I personally can barely hear 16,000 Hz myself. This is not much worse compared to my decent speakers at home that strongly go down to 28 Hz due to a large sub-woofer and their 16,000 Hz are a bit stronger.

on the other hand, the cheap aftermarket 2 and 3 way speakers my son bought for his car can barely go under 100 Hz and are useless without a sub-woofer.

now, i'm not talking about boom cars and bleeding ears here, just simple listening to music at normal levels that are safe for hearing.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

OEMs have the purchasing power and buy in sufficient volume ... way greater volume than even the biggest aftermarket deck manufacturers ... to design and have fabricated custom chipsets that offer very good radio performance.

I've measured many OEM decks on the bench with an oscilloscope and can tell you with no reservation that they measure quite well, as good as any aftermarket deck that costs less than $250, and broadly speaking have better AM/FM performance than aftermarket decks that cost less than $400.

It's not like Toyota is throwing wads of cash at their base OEM sound systems ... they aren't. But $100 ($5~10 per speaker, the rest on the deck) goes a long way when you make more cars in a month than the largest aftermarket car audio brands sell in ... well, years.

Actually improving auto sound is not as easy as many are led to believe. There is a lot of misinformation to wade through, and it takes experience to make good choices.

If Toyota's $5 per speaker sounds cheap to you, know that the manufactured cost of a retail packaged and sold aftermarket speaker is 10 to 20% of MSRP. So those "cheap" Toyota OEM speakers would retail for $50 to $100 a pair.

I like to build good car stereo systems, but I don't follow the (well) beaten path. I use the OEM decks with a line-out converter, a decent amp and never use "car audio" speakers; I choose drivers carefully from reputable manufacturer catalogs, the same ones who make the drivers for home HiFi, measure the speakers, build a true crossover (not a single film capacitor, which simply blocks the lows from the tweeter, which is very common in car audio aftermarket speakers) using modelling software, and work within a budget.

People, and especially "knowledgeable car stereo guys" are blown away by the sound quality, and can't believe I'm using the factory deck (or maybe a specific model from the OEM that fits like stock and bought second-hand).

 

[Jetronic]

I got the bose factory upgrade in my car, couldn't be happier. Sound better than any aftermarket setup and is tucked away neatly, all at afraction of the cost of going aftermarket.

There are extra speakers in the system though (10 speaker setup) and the speakers wheigh double of the base system speakers (6 speaker setup). Heavier magnets amongst other things no doubt.

 

[SteveSRT8]

My sig car has a very rare factory installed Kicker 13 speaker system that is pretty awesome for a "factory" system.

But there's no way it compares to my son's 3500 watt aftermarket monster...

 

[Jetronic]

I guess it compares favourably on price and space occupation

do you even need any audio system in an srt8?

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Our Cadillac has a pretty good system. I'm certainly no automotive audiophile, but I think it sounds nice. It's sure nicer than the days when "if" the vehicle had the optional AM radio it was connected to a single speaker in the middle of the dash.

 

[JHZR2]

I love the Harmon Kardon Hifi stereo in my 135i, though it was an upgrade.

I've been pleasantly surprised with the spstock stereo in the odyssey, though I do think homda systems emphasize treble. When adjusted right,Mir has come to sound great, including input from a sub to emphasize some low bass.

I'm still impressed generally with the sound quality of the cardboard speakers in my 30yo MBs, fed by the Becker head unit. They won't keep up playing very dynamic and punchy music necessarily, but their clarity and crispness is still great, and a reason why I hesitate to change them...

 

[WANG]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
my son argued how stock car speakers are junk and should always be replaced by aftermarket. i whipped my old Stryke's Basszone CD and in 3 toyota cars (base trims) my family owns (2006-2010) the stock 6-speaker systems (no sub-woofers) comfortable reproduce 36-13,000 Hz and weakening only at 32 Hz and 16,000 Hz. I personally can barely hear 16,000 Hz myself. This is not much worse compared to my decent speakers at home that strongly go down to 28 Hz due to a large sub-woofer and their 16,000 Hz are a bit stronger.

on the other hand, the cheap aftermarket 2 and 3 way speakers my son bought for his car can barely go under 100 Hz and are useless without a sub-woofer.

now, i'm not talking about boom cars and bleeding ears here, just simple listening to music at normal levels that are safe for hearing.


That's funny,I was making similar observation on the stock stereo in my Canyon before setting down the upgrade path. Playing test tones only to get an idea what it could play was very surprising. You can certainly do worse than the high efficiency paper drivers in most stock systems. Not that it is hard to do better, mind. But you can do worse, especially if you don't approach the upgrade as a system.

 

[Nick1994]

Some factory radios suck... Some are fantastic.

My grandmother's 2002 Chevy Trailblazer LTZ has the Bose Stereo and it sounds incredible, even after 13 1/2 years it is great, I blast that stereo every time I drive it!

My VW has the Monsoon package and I had to replace the door speakers, which cost a pretty penny. It now sounds incredible too. I have a 2 hour drive to do this morning, the stereo will be blasting the whole way

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Johnny2Bad
OEMs have the purchasing power and buy in sufficient volume ... way greater volume than even the biggest aftermarket deck manufacturers ... to design and have fabricated custom chipsets that offer very good radio performance.

I've measured many OEM decks on the bench with an oscilloscope and can tell you with no reservation that they measure quite well, as good as any aftermarket deck that costs less than $250, and broadly speaking have better AM/FM performance than aftermarket decks that cost less than $400.

It's not like Toyota is throwing wads of cash at their base OEM sound systems ... they aren't. But $100 ($5~10 per speaker, the rest on the deck) goes a long way when you make more cars in a month than the largest aftermarket car audio brands sell in ... well, years.

Actually improving auto sound is not as easy as many are led to believe. There is a lot of misinformation to wade through, and it takes experience to make good choices.

If Toyota's $5 per speaker sounds cheap to you, know that the manufactured cost of a retail packaged and sold aftermarket speaker is 10 to 20% of MSRP. So those "cheap" Toyota OEM speakers would retail for $50 to $100 a pair.

I like to build good car stereo systems, but I don't follow the (well) beaten path. I use the OEM decks with a line-out converter, a decent amp and never use "car audio" speakers; I choose drivers carefully from reputable manufacturer catalogs, the same ones who make the drivers for home HiFi, measure the speakers, build a true crossover (not a single film capacitor, which simply blocks the lows from the tweeter, which is very common in car audio aftermarket speakers) using modelling software, and work within a budget.

People, and especially "knowledgeable car stereo guys" are blown away by the sound quality, and can't believe I'm using the factory deck (or maybe a specific model from the OEM that fits like stock and bought second-hand).
Harmon Industries is a large OEM auto speaker supplier and they can supply good speakers if the vehicle maker wants to pay a bit extra. Only downside to using home audio speakers is they may not be designed to withstand the car environment, especially direct sunlight on the rear deck. Parts Express in the US has a good selection. On the other hand we just pulled the OEM speakers from an '83 633CSI my son't getting into shape --- strange size, plain paper cones, and really toasted by the sun.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
my son argued how stock car speakers are junk and should always be replaced by aftermarket. i whipped my old Stryke's Basszone CD and in 3 toyota cars (base trims) my family owns (2006-2010) the stock 6-speaker systems (no sub-woofers) comfortable reproduce 36-13,000 Hz and weakening only at 32 Hz and 16,000 Hz.

First, let's not equate frequency range to quality. The whole 'quality' aspect when it comes to audio is very subjective. What you and I may consider great sound may not be the same what others do. While I agree that the ability to extend down and up in frequency response is important, there is more to good sound than just that.

The OEM has the advantage of being able to actually test speaker components and adjust crossovers and EQ at the time when the car is being designed. The same cannot be said about aftermarket speaker manufacturers. So, just dumping in aftermarket speakers in place of the OEM ones often can lead to undesirable results as the new speakers may not align well with the available enclosures, crossovers, factory programmed EQ, etc.

Good sound is achieved when the speakers react well with the environment in which they were placed. And only the car mfg knows that environment in advance. Aftermarket speakers are designed to fit variety of vehicles/environments and as a result may not fit any particular environment exceptionally well. Can you get it to sound great? Sure, but it may take a lot of tweaking, and enclosure redesign that most people have no patience or willingness for.

I used to be very demanding when it comes to audio when I was younger. As I got older, not only did my hearing range diminished, but my priorities also changed, so I am not as discriminating in this area as I used to be. With that said, I too agree that many OEM audio systems sound pretty good. I do enjoy the stock audio in wife's Q5. The dealer (and internet forums) were really trying to convince us to go for the upgraded B&O sound, but hearing the stock system, I have not once regretted not getting the B&O.

The stock audio system in my 530i isn't too good though. It does lack bass in a noticeable way since all the speakers are rather tiny and there is no sub. Alas, I drive so little these days, investing serious money into a great sounding audio system in a 13-year-old car just does not add up for me.

 

[ls1mike]

The Trans Am has a Monsoon system, The Grand Prix has a Bose. I really like how both of them sound.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Jetronic
I guess it compares favourably on price and space occupation

do you even need any audio system in an srt8?


Since my car is stock it is as quiet as a Lincoln inside. But many do prefer to roll the windows down and hear the 6.1 roar a bit. Even mine will bark when you get on it, but you'll need the windows down to hear anything.

Regarding the Kicker thing even my son grudgingly admitted that "for a single 10" sub system it hits pretty good"...

 

[hattaresguy]

The stock speakers in my truck sound very good.

I was in an Audi A8 the other day with the upgraded sound system, costs $5k, it sounded amazing.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

I used to be very demanding when it comes to audio when I was younger. As I got older, not only did my hearing range diminished, but my priorities also changed, so I am not as discriminating in this area as I used to be.


LOL sounds very true to me too.

 

[sciphi]

Folks got more demanding in recent years, and the OEM's responded by upping their game in the car audio department. I'll take it.

 

[CBR.worm]

My biggest complaint with my OEM Bose systems is the artificial bass boosting at low volumes, and I'm someone who likes bass. It is not a normal loudness curve.

My second biggest complaint is how bad XM/Sirius satellite sounds.

Our E60 BMW stereo sounds decent in most conditions, I don't remember what stereo option it has aside from the iPhone & USB connection.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: CBR.worm
My biggest complaint with my OEM Bose systems is the artificial bass boosting at low volumes, and I'm someone who likes bass. It is not a normal loudness curve.

That's what they're known for - wow'ing people by deliberately boosting some frequencies and having huge dips in others, although from what I've heard, their car audio systems aren't as bad as their home audio systems.

Quote:

My second biggest complaint is how bad XM/Sirius satellite sounds.

Yup. They compress the [censored] out of the content in order to cram more channels into the available bandwidth. I wish they'd reduce the number of channels and give each channel higher bitrate instead.

 

[aquariuscsm]

My 87 Olds Trofeo han an incredible Bose factory system!! Sounded like you were at a live concert :^)

 

[OVERKILL]

The factory stereo in my M5 is fantastic. Tweeters on all the doors along with mid-range speakers; factory subs behind the rear seat. Don't remember the exact speaker count but it is decent. Factory DSP...etc.

The system in the Charger is also surprisingly good, manufactured by Alpine IIRC. Good bass reproduction, which is good for the wife as what she listens to tends to be bass heavy.

The Expedition system is decent but not great. The old JBL that came in the Town Car was a lot better.