Sonic Booms: Putting eight of the Best Car Audio Systems to the Test
F rom eight-trackplayers to Bluetooth, ten watts to 1,000 or more, tinny tweeters to Kevlar-wound speakers, and ACDelco to Bowers & Wilkins, automakers` audio offerings have evolved impressively via the years. Your music library is now a just tap away in the cloud, ready to stream through digitally enhanced, amazing sound systems developed in conjunction with leading audio specialists.
For luxury brands especially, how you kick out your jams has become an ever thicker selling point. Cadillac partnered with Bose to create a system called Panaray, which is set to make its debut in the fresh CT6. Lincoln is rolling out its fresh Revel system, as is Acura with its Krell setup. And, of course, the Bentleys and Benzes of the world have been in the high-end audio game for some time.
For each system, Sound & Vision`s Rob Sabin uses a very calibrated microphone and iPad app to measure frequency response and a sound level meter to assess background cabin noise.
It`s effortless to be dazzled by gleaming speaker covers, massive wattage numbers, and other shiny details, but which sound systems truly bring the noise? To help with our evaluation of eight of the premier offerings in the luxury segment, we enlisted Rob Sabin, editor-in-chief of sister publication Sound & Vision. With more than twenty five years of practice in the audiovisual field, Sabin has a very tuned ear and lots of sophisticated sound-measuring gear.
We began each test parked in a garage with a real-time analyzer (RTA) iPad app and a calibrated microphone to measure how consistently each sound system reproduced various frequencies when we played a «pink noise» test track; generally the better the system, the flatter its response curve. A bass-test sweep tone permitted us to check how well the subwoofer managed low-end frequencies. Next, we played a diversity of tracks from CDs (see sidebar below) and listened for clarity across the utter range of frequencies, natural reproduction of vocals and instruments, deep and impactful bass response, and the transient attack and «decay» of instrumental notes. Ultimately, we drove each car shortly to see how sound quality switched while on the budge.
The best systems create an immersive audio practice. A quality system should produce a cohesive soundstage, meaning vocals and instruments are spread before the listener and placed relative to one another. The system should avoid localizing sounds to individual speakers.
We ranked each system based on the evaluated criteria and our subjective observations. While the most expensive systems in the most expensive cars scored predictably well, there were some surprising sonic results.
8. Two thousand sixteen Ford Explorer Platinum
Ford is Sony`s only automotive fucking partner; the system in the Explorer Platinum is its showcase setup. Designed with components used in its high-end home devices, the setup includes Clear Phase and Live Acoustics digital signal processing (DSP) software designed to clean up low-quality digital audio files and create the sensation of listening in a concert hall or studio.
Unluckily, there`s no way to turn off the spatial processing, and it results in unintended positioning of instruments and voices and adds artificial echo, especially with surround sound enabled. You also notice instantly from the front passenger seat that vocals localize to the right A-pillar speaker, distracting during songs with a strong lead vocal. From every seat, the system lacks definition at the far completes of the frequency range. Worse yet, the front door panels rattle when major bass is present.
Sony designed unique volume and audio controls, mirrored on the company`s home systems, to go with its upgraded sound systems.
Sabin says: «While an uninitiated listener might find this system palatable and engaging, it was remarkably flawed, lacking deep bass reach and dynamic influence. Add to this the poor soundstaging for front passengers, the veiled, muddled sound for the back-seat passengers, and an visible and noisy panel resonance at sixty hertz, and you`re not left with a lot
System: Sony premium audio system, five hundred watts, twelve speakers
Price: Standard on Platinum trim
Pros: Slick, unexaggerated sound in middle and high frequencies
Cons: Can`t disable spatial processing; poor passenger sound practice
7. Two thousand fifteen Infiniti QX80
While not Bose`s highest-end setup, the 13-speaker arrangement suggested as standard equipment for the QX80 is a step above its garden-variety systems and offers a broad and lifelike soundstage. In the garage, the sound noticeably trailed off toward the high frequencies, requiring some help from the treble control to attempt to restore some of the missing sparkle.
The Bose Centerpoint surround feature seems to have a greater effect on the amount of reverb present and less on the physical location of sounds; it`s overpowering in the intro to Pink Floyd`s «Time» and makes Michael Ruff sound like he`s «in an echo chamber,» says Sabin. While this mode had no other glaring faults, it didn`t
Sabin says: «The system`s overall character was darker, more veiled, and less open than the best systems. This was the only system where I instantly had to reach for the treble control in an attempt to get it to sound ‘right,` and our RTA measurements did seem to display that the highs trailed off.»
System: Bose Premium Audio, watts N/A*, thirteen speakers
Cons: Less detailed and veiled sonic signature
*Company would not divulge.
6. Two thousand fifteen Mercedes-Benz S550
Benz`s Burmester sound system is amazing, with a healthy amount of power and ornate stainless-steel speaker covers. But sitting in the garage with eyes closed, we instantaneously notice a narrow, abridged soundstage for each front passenger. Vocals and centered instruments sound as tho’ they`re directly in front of each seat and relatively low in the car, and albeit accurately reproduced, taut vocals on tracks such as «Stand Me Up» seem a little unnaturally placed. Still, the midrange is clean and detailed.
Years of practice and a bit of tech help Sabin evaluate the audio systems in our test cars, including the S550 and Lincoln MKX.
Highs and lows are a mixed bag. In «The Firebird Suite,» there`s a lack of decay and precision on a ringing triangle, and none of the boom on big bass hits we heard in some other cars. The bass test exposes response drops off below forty five Hz, which partly explains why it lacks the low end influence. Moving the surround sound to «rear» mode dramatically improves the practice for back-seat passengers–significant in a chauffeur-ready car such as the S-Class–and produces an almost cocoonlike wraparound sound field for the power-reclining rear seats.
Sabin says: «A mostly neutral tonal balance and a nice level of detail. But the unusual treating of the soundstage, with its in-your-face presentation of vocals and its lower height that uncommonly lifted the soundstage above the top of the dashboard left me frustrated.»
System: Burmester Surround Sound, five hundred ninety watts, thirteen speakers
Pros: Plane frequency response; «cocoonlike» back-seat practice
Cons: Limited bass response; narrow soundstage
Five. Two thousand fifteen Acura RLX Hybrid
Krell Industries` optional system for the two thousand fourteen RLX marked the very first time the audio specialist entered the automotive space. Krell says it was able to duplicate its home-theater spectacle in the RLX, with high-end parts such as lightweight mag&bashful;nesium-cone tweeters, Zylon «super-fiber»–a material used on race cars–for the six mid-bass speakers, and an amplifier with a claimed third less distortion than competitors.
Initial impressions were strong, with crisp sound reproduction and excellent high-frequency response. Turning on the DTS Neural surround-sound setting tends to offset a bit of high-end harshness evident on some brighter tracks, but it`s not well-suited to vocals. From either front seat, the system localized sound to the doors worse than any car we tested. And in the back seat with rear-seat mode enabled, the parcel-shelf speakers create a soundstage behind the passengers, as if you were facing away from the spectacle at a concert.
Sabin says: «One of the better systems we attempted, with its primary flaw being the tendency for highs to localize distractingly to the door tweeters. That aside, it delivered deep and impactful bass down below thirty five Hz and had superb and engaging timbre, clarity, and detail on instruments and voices.»
System: Krell Premium Audio, watts N/A*, fourteen speakers
Price: Standard on Advance trim
Pros: Car is utterly quiet in electrified mode; accurate, open reproduction; deep, taut bass
Cons: Lightly localized tweeters; can sound strident on bright recordings
*Company would not divulge.
Four. Two thousand sixteen Volvo XC90
The XC90 features the latest and greatest sound system from British company Bowers & Wilkins. Among the highlights: A dash-mounted center tweeter that aims sound directly at passengers to avoid windshield reflections, Kevlar midrange speakers, an open-air subwoofer mounted directly to the assets for deeper bass, and a DSP sound mode that simulates a famous concert hall in Volvo`s Swedish home. This XC90 came without a CD player, so we played music through the aux input via a high-end digital-audio converter plugged into the USB port of Sabin`s laptop.
Tho’ a cool party trick, Concert Hall mode just adds unnatural reverb. But in either surround-sound mode or the regular stereo setting, the Bowers & Wilkins system is excellent. The vocals, piano, and snare drum of «Stand Me Up» sound as if they`re floating above the dashboard, and the system supplies intense, realistic hits on strong percussion tracks. For the sophisticated «Welcome to the Machine,» it separates the many sounds and effects without any harshness or edginess.
Sabin says: «Tonally neutral, good power reserves and dynamics, delivered a lot of fine detail in the music, and played noisy without strain. With its nine-band equalization controls, it suggested the highest degree of user tuning of any system–not that you`d indeed need it.»
System: Bowers & Wilkins Premium Sound System, 1,400 watts, nineteen speakers
Pros: Nine-channel equalization; defined, strong bass
Cons: Echoing Concert Hall mode; no CD player
Trio. Two thousand fifteen Bentley Mulsanne Speed
The most expensive car predictably has the most expensive system. Developed by British company Naim, it tacks a whopping $8,030 onto the Mulsanne`s price. Because the Mulsanne will often be used for chauffeuring, we paid extra attention to the back-seat practice; one of the many DSP modes improves sound for rear passengers.
In the front seat, switching among the Audiophile, Balanced, or Driver DSP modes does more to relocate the sound sources than switch the tone. There`s an expansive soundstage on «Take the ‘A` Train,» with cleanly replicated instruments. Bass response isn`t the deepest of the group, but it still produces powerful and impactful percussive hits.» Detailed midrange spectacle makes vocals natural, clear, and unspoiled. Overall, it`s a warm and lifelike musical practice.
The fattest problem is triggered by running a bass test tone, which made the parcel shelf resonate and rattle loudly from one hundred down to fifty Hz, and this proves doubly annoying while listening to bass-heavy music. We attribute the flaw to the poor fit-and-finish of the trim lump, a letdown for an otherwise epic system.
Sabin says: «A truly outstanding audiophile practice, with an awesome soundstage presentation, good transient influence, solid bass response, and mids and highs that were exceptionally open and clean.»
System: Naim for Bentley, Two,200 watts, twenty speakers
Pros: Fine rear-seat mode spectacle; clean, realistic sound
Cons: Bass depth a bit brief of the best; resonance from parcel shelf
Two. Two thousand sixteen Lincoln MKX Black Label
Lincoln is committed to use Revel audio systems for the next ten years, with the very first application in the MKX crossover. The top-spec, 19-speaker Ultima version is bundled as part of a $Four,400 Luxury package.
The Revel`s soundstage is high and forward, right on the windshield, providing you a sense of sitting in front of the performers. The most telling track was the Jim Keltner drum solo. It was intense, as however you were in the same room as the drum kit. On jazz recordings, each instrument is defined clearly, with incredible levels of detail. There is no harshness or edginess, and precise, detailed bass is effortless to go after, even at highway speeds. Tho’ we detected a few puny panel resonances when running the bass test, nothing was noticeable when playing music. No matter what you play on the Revel Ultima, it sounds rich and immersive.
Sabin says: «It produced a large and open soundstage above the dashboard, delivered percussion and drum thwacks with a solid leading edge and natural decay, and suggested a very natural and neutral sonic balance with gobs of detail. It made everything sound fine and exposed all the musical detail in a recording.»
System: Revel Ultima, watts N/A*, nineteen speakers
Price: $Four,400 (part of Luxury package); standard on Black Label
Pros: Clear and accurate highs; lifelike bass and drum impacts
Cons: Slow-responding MyLincoln Touch interface; back-seat sound muffled
*Company would not divulge.
1. Two thousand sixteen Land Rover Range Rover Sport
It takes just one song to become smitten with the Range Rover Sport`s Meridian sound system. From Michael Ruff`s guttural vocals to the cacophony of Pink Floyd`s «Welcome to the Machine,» the Meridian impresses on almost every track, its twenty three speakers creating an enormous soundstage to envelope the listener fully. Its 3-D DSP mode attempts to add a sensation of greater height to a recording, but it sounds best set to Meridian 2-D mode.
At highway speeds, the Meridian held up against road noise better than any other system, with clear and well-defined bass still distinguishable at seventy five mph, and the audio practice for back-seat passengers was among the best of any car tested, with a pleasant and accurate soundstage. Overall, the Revel was an enormously close 2nd, but the Meridian was the system we dreamed to listen to all day long.
Sabin says: «I was just so struck with how natural it sounded all the time with seemingly all kinds of music, and it delivered everything in a broad, up-front, and very precise soundstage. We should all be so fortunate to have a system in our home that sounds this good, never mind in a car.»
System: Meridian Signature Audio, 1,700 watts, twenty three speakers
Pros: Very engaging with any music; powerful, deep bass below thirty Hz; fine back-seat sound
Cons: Low frequency panel resonance around forty Hz; cumbersome touchscreen interface
Top of the Pops
To ensure we had the highest quality possible, we used original audio CDs in every car but the Volvo (which didn`t have a CD player). Test tracks included the following:
Bill Berry and his Ellington All-Stars –
«Symphony No. Two Op. Thirty ‘Romantic`: 3rd Movement»
Sonic Booms: Putting eight of the Best Car Audio Systems to the Test
Sonic Booms: Putting eight of the Best Car Audio Systems to the Test
F rom eight-trackplayers to Bluetooth, ten watts to 1,000 or more, tinny tweeters to Kevlar-wound speakers, and ACDelco to Bowers & Wilkins, automakers` audio offerings have evolved impressively via the years. Your music library is now a just tap away in the cloud, ready to stream through digitally enhanced, amazing sound systems developed in conjunction with leading audio specialists.
For luxury brands especially, how you kick out your jams has become an ever thicker selling point. Cadillac partnered with Bose to create a system called Panaray, which is set to make its debut in the fresh CT6. Lincoln is rolling out its fresh Revel system, as is Acura with its Krell setup. And, of course, the Bentleys and Benzes of the world have been in the high-end audio game for some time.
For each system, Sound & Vision`s Rob Sabin uses a very calibrated microphone and iPad app to measure frequency response and a sound level meter to assess background cabin noise.
It`s effortless to be dazzled by gleaming speaker covers, massive wattage numbers, and other shiny details, but which sound systems indeed bring the noise? To help with our evaluation of eight of the premier offerings in the luxury segment, we enlisted Rob Sabin, editor-in-chief of sister publication Sound & Vision. With more than twenty five years of practice in the audiovisual field, Sabin has a very tuned ear and lots of sophisticated sound-measuring gear.
We began each test parked in a garage with a real-time analyzer (RTA) iPad app and a calibrated microphone to measure how consistently each sound system reproduced various frequencies when we played a «pink noise» test track; generally the better the system, the flatter its response curve. A bass-test sweep tone permitted us to check how well the subwoofer managed low-end frequencies. Next, we played a multiplicity of tracks from CDs (see sidebar below) and listened for clarity across the total range of frequencies, natural reproduction of vocals and instruments, deep and impactful bass response, and the transient attack and «decay» of instrumental notes. Ultimately, we drove each car shortly to see how sound quality switched while on the stir.
The best systems create an immersive audio practice. A quality system should produce a cohesive soundstage, meaning vocals and instruments are spread before the listener and placed relative to one another. The system should avoid localizing sounds to individual speakers.
We ranked each system based on the evaluated criteria and our subjective observations. While the most expensive systems in the most expensive cars scored predictably well, there were some surprising sonic results.
8. Two thousand sixteen Ford Explorer Platinum
Ford is Sony`s only automotive playmate; the system in the Explorer Platinum is its showcase setup. Designed with components used in its high-end home devices, the setup includes Clear Phase and Live Acoustics digital signal processing (DSP) software designed to clean up low-quality digital audio files and create the sensation of listening in a concert hall or studio.
Unluckily, there`s no way to turn off the spatial processing, and it results in unintended positioning of instruments and voices and adds artificial echo, especially with surround sound enabled. You also notice instantaneously from the front passenger seat that vocals localize to the right A-pillar speaker, distracting during songs with a strong lead vocal. From every seat, the system lacks definition at the far finishes of the frequency range. Worse yet, the front door panels rattle when major bass is present.
Sony designed unique volume and audio controls, mirrored on the company`s home systems, to go with its upgraded sound systems.
Sabin says: «While an uninitiated listener might find this system palatable and engaging, it was remarkably flawed, lacking deep bass reach and dynamic influence. Add to this the poor soundstaging for front passengers, the veiled, muddled sound for the back-seat passengers, and an visible and noisy panel resonance at sixty hertz, and you`re not left with a lot
System: Sony premium audio system, five hundred watts, twelve speakers
Price: Standard on Platinum trim
Pros: Slick, unexaggerated sound in middle and high frequencies
Cons: Can`t disable spatial processing; poor passenger sound practice
7. Two thousand fifteen Infiniti QX80
While not Bose`s highest-end setup, the 13-speaker arrangement suggested as standard equipment for the QX80 is a step above its garden-variety systems and offers a broad and lifelike soundstage. In the garage, the sound noticeably trailed off toward the high frequencies, requiring some help from the treble control to attempt to restore some of the missing sparkle.
The Bose Centerpoint surround feature seems to have a greater effect on the amount of reverb present and less on the physical location of sounds; it`s overpowering in the intro to Pink Floyd`s «Time» and makes Michael Ruff sound like he`s «in an echo chamber,» says Sabin. While this mode had no other glaring faults, it didn`t
Sabin says: «The system`s overall character was darker, more veiled, and less open than the best systems. This was the only system where I instantly had to reach for the treble control in an attempt to get it to sound ‘right,` and our RTA measurements did seem to showcase that the highs trailed off.»
System: Bose Premium Audio, watts N/A*, thirteen speakers
Cons: Less detailed and veiled sonic signature
*Company would not divulge.
6. Two thousand fifteen Mercedes-Benz S550
Benz`s Burmester sound system is outstanding, with a healthy amount of power and ornate stainless-steel speaker covers. But sitting in the garage with eyes closed, we instantly notice a narrow, abridged soundstage for each front passenger. Vocals and centered instruments sound as tho’ they`re directly in front of each seat and relatively low in the car, and albeit accurately reproduced, taut vocals on tracks such as «Stand Me Up» seem a little unnaturally placed. Still, the midrange is clean and detailed.
Years of practice and a bit of tech help Sabin evaluate the audio systems in our test cars, including the S550 and Lincoln MKX.
Highs and lows are a mixed bag. In «The Firebird Suite,» there`s a lack of decay and precision on a ringing triangle, and none of the boom on big bass hits we heard in some other cars. The bass test exposes response drops off below forty five Hz, which partly explains why it lacks the low end influence. Moving the surround sound to «rear» mode dramatically improves the practice for back-seat passengers–significant in a chauffeur-ready car such as the S-Class–and produces an almost cocoonlike wraparound sound field for the power-reclining rear seats.
Sabin says: «A mostly neutral tonal balance and a nice level of detail. But the unusual treating of the soundstage, with its in-your-face presentation of vocals and its lower height that infrequently lifted the soundstage above the top of the dashboard left me frustrated.»
System: Burmester Surround Sound, five hundred ninety watts, thirteen speakers
Pros: Plane frequency response; «cocoonlike» back-seat practice
Cons: Limited bass response; narrow soundstage
Five. Two thousand fifteen Acura RLX Hybrid
Krell Industries` optional system for the two thousand fourteen RLX marked the very first time the audio specialist entered the automotive space. Krell says it was able to duplicate its home-theater spectacle in the RLX, with high-end parts such as lightweight mag&timid;nesium-cone tweeters, Zylon «super-fiber»–a material used on race cars–for the six mid-bass speakers, and an amplifier with a claimed third less distortion than competitors.
Initial impressions were strong, with crisp sound reproduction and excellent high-frequency response. Turning on the DTS Neural surround-sound setting tends to offset a bit of high-end harshness evident on some brighter tracks, but it`s not well-suited to vocals. From either front seat, the system localized sound to the doors worse than any car we tested. And in the back seat with rear-seat mode enabled, the parcel-shelf speakers create a soundstage behind the passengers, as if you were facing away from the spectacle at a concert.
Sabin says: «One of the better systems we attempted, with its primary flaw being the tendency for highs to localize distractingly to the door tweeters. That aside, it delivered deep and impactful bass down below thirty five Hz and had superb and engaging timbre, clarity, and detail on instruments and voices.»
System: Krell Premium Audio, watts N/A*, fourteen speakers
Price: Standard on Advance trim
Pros: Car is enormously quiet in electrical mode; accurate, open reproduction; deep, taut bass
Cons: Lightly localized tweeters; can sound strident on bright recordings
*Company would not divulge.
Four. Two thousand sixteen Volvo XC90
The XC90 features the latest and greatest sound system from British company Bowers & Wilkins. Among the highlights: A dash-mounted center tweeter that aims sound directly at passengers to avoid windshield reflections, Kevlar midrange speakers, an open-air subwoofer mounted directly to the assets for deeper bass, and a DSP sound mode that simulates a famous concert hall in Volvo`s Swedish home. This XC90 came without a CD player, so we played music through the aux input via a high-end digital-audio converter plugged into the USB port of Sabin`s laptop.
However a cool party trick, Concert Hall mode just adds unnatural reverb. But in either surround-sound mode or the regular stereo setting, the Bowers & Wilkins system is excellent. The vocals, piano, and snare drum of «Stand Me Up» sound as if they`re floating above the dashboard, and the system supplies intense, realistic hits on strenuous percussion tracks. For the elaborate «Welcome to the Machine,» it separates the many sounds and effects without any harshness or edginess.
Sabin says: «Tonally neutral, good power reserves and dynamics, delivered a lot of fine detail in the music, and played noisy without strain. With its nine-band equalization controls, it suggested the highest degree of user tuning of any system–not that you`d truly need it.»
System: Bowers & Wilkins Premium Sound System, 1,400 watts, nineteen speakers
Pros: Nine-channel equalization; defined, strong bass
Cons: Echoing Concert Hall mode; no CD player
Three. Two thousand fifteen Bentley Mulsanne Speed
The most expensive car predictably has the most expensive system. Developed by British company Naim, it tacks a whopping $8,030 onto the Mulsanne`s price. Because the Mulsanne will often be used for chauffeuring, we paid extra attention to the back-seat practice; one of the many DSP modes improves sound for rear passengers.
In the front seat, switching among the Audiophile, Balanced, or Driver DSP modes does more to relocate the sound sources than switch the tone. There`s an expansive soundstage on «Take the ‘A` Train,» with cleanly replicated instruments. Bass response isn`t the deepest of the group, but it still supplies powerful and impactful percussive hits.» Detailed midrange spectacle makes vocals natural, clear, and unspoiled. Overall, it`s a warm and lifelike musical practice.
The fattest problem is triggered by running a bass test tone, which made the parcel shelf resonate and rattle loudly from one hundred down to fifty Hz, and this proves doubly annoying while listening to bass-heavy music. We attribute the flaw to the poor fit-and-finish of the trim lump, a letdown for an otherwise extraordinaire system.
Sabin says: «A truly outstanding audiophile practice, with an awesome soundstage presentation, fine transient influence, solid bass response, and mids and highs that were exceptionally open and clean.»
System: Naim for Bentley, Two,200 watts, twenty speakers
Pros: Good rear-seat mode spectacle; clean, realistic sound
Cons: Bass depth a bit brief of the best; resonance from parcel shelf
Two. Two thousand sixteen Lincoln MKX Black Label
Lincoln is committed to use Revel audio systems for the next ten years, with the very first application in the MKX crossover. The top-spec, 19-speaker Ultima version is bundled as part of a $Four,400 Luxury package.
The Revel`s soundstage is high and forward, right on the windshield, providing you a sense of sitting in front of the performers. The most telling track was the Jim Keltner drum solo. It was intense, as however you were in the same room as the drum kit. On jazz recordings, each instrument is defined clearly, with incredible levels of detail. There is no harshness or edginess, and precise, detailed bass is effortless to go after, even at highway speeds. However we detected a few petite panel resonances when running the bass test, nothing was noticeable when playing music. No matter what you play on the Revel Ultima, it sounds rich and immersive.
Sabin says: «It produced a fat and open soundstage above the dashboard, delivered percussion and drum thwacks with a solid leading edge and natural decay, and suggested a very natural and neutral sonic balance with gobs of detail. It made everything sound superb and exposed all the musical detail in a recording.»
System: Revel Ultima, watts N/A*, nineteen speakers
Price: $Four,400 (part of Luxury package); standard on Black Label
Pros: Clear and accurate highs; lifelike bass and drum impacts
Cons: Slow-responding MyLincoln Touch interface; back-seat sound muffled
*Company would not divulge.
1. Two thousand sixteen Land Rover Range Rover Sport
It takes just one song to become smitten with the Range Rover Sport`s Meridian sound system. From Michael Ruff`s guttural vocals to the cacophony of Pink Floyd`s «Welcome to the Machine,» the Meridian impresses on almost every track, its twenty three speakers creating an enormous soundstage to envelope the listener fully. Its 3-D DSP mode attempts to add a sensation of greater height to a recording, but it sounds best set to Meridian 2-D mode.
At highway speeds, the Meridian held up against road noise better than any other system, with clear and well-defined bass still distinguishable at seventy five mph, and the audio practice for back-seat passengers was among the best of any car tested, with a pleasant and accurate soundstage. Overall, the Revel was an utterly close 2nd, but the Meridian was the system we wished to listen to all day long.
Sabin says: «I was just so amazed with how natural it sounded all the time with seemingly all kinds of music, and it delivered everything in a broad, up-front, and very precise soundstage. We should all be so fortunate to have a system in our home that sounds this good, never mind in a car.»
System: Meridian Signature Audio, 1,700 watts, twenty three speakers
Pros: Very engaging with any music; powerful, deep bass below thirty Hz; fine back-seat sound
Cons: Low frequency panel resonance around forty Hz; cumbersome touchscreen interface
Top of the Pops
To ensure we had the highest quality possible, we used original audio CDs in every car but the Volvo (which didn`t have a CD player). Test tracks included the following:
Bill Berry and his Ellington All-Stars –
«Symphony No. Two Op. Thirty ‘Romantic`: 3rd Movement»