You don't really need a balanced sound front-back...because the front stage is exactly that - its in the front. Theoretically, you don't even need rear speakers (but I put mine on a hardcore delay so it sounds like an echo off a back wall)...kidna coo, but i keep it off most of the time.

 

I'm quite happy with the sound quality/balance of the S&S package stereo. Only very rarely do I want more bass. I just wish I could turn it up past 24 without the door panels/dash/a-pillars rattling. One of these days, probably this weekend, I'll see if I can figure out what exactly is rattling, and try to silence it.

 

don't need rear speakers?? maybe if your in a pick up or something. The delay thing would be a kind of cool effect for some types of music but personally I prefer being surrounded by speakers IMO it gives off the best overall sound. Just having fronts on doesn't cut it for me.

 

I'm a hardcore music guy (I've done Professional sound work and junk like that), so I guess I could SQ compete with my car (with some work)...

Go to a concert (which is what you're doing with a CD...replicating a live concert) and see if there are any rear speakers...there arent any...if it's in an enclosed building, you get some echo off the walls...

All (and I mean all) of the sound should sound like it's originating from the front 2 speakers. In an ideal situation, your subwoofer would be up front too, but in a car setting it's not that practical (another reason why the alpine civic sounded ****in' amazing....)


bah...tired....

 

Actually most concerts I have been to do have speakers in the back. They usually aren't as powerful or loud as the ones in front but they are there. The other thing is the Acoustics of a car are WAY different than the acoustics of a concert hall This has to be compensated for.

 

Whaaat!? Speakers in the back at a concert? ya right...Who was it?

The acoustics are different, but the end result is still the same.

 

Uncle Cracker in Portland 2003

 

The only concert I've been to with speakers in the back was a Floyd show. When Waters goes around, he does the same stuff... just slightly differently. Now THOSE are concerts that use some rear channels. Unfortunately, the CD medium doesn't account too much for that, DVDA and SACD do, but I haven't seen too many car systems up to snuff to handle that kind of processing and reproduce it well (with the exception of some amazing rides)

Many SQ competitors, and I'd venture to say most, do not use rear speakers. Even if they have them, they turn them off in the lanes (or XO them to specifically handle lows) Because as SK said, the music comes from the front. Musical recordings are meant to be a reproduction of a live musical event. When you sit and watch a string quartet, the music comes from in front of you, the same is true of most rock/rap/etc shows. (apparently Uncle Cracker has us all guessing) Something that I believe would benefit most audio enthusiasts, be it home or car, is to go witness live music. Go see classical musicians play in the park, at a museum, etc. Go listen to your local accousitc artists. Learn what music sounds like... then try to reproduce it. Don't try to reproduce the reproduction you heard at the audio shop on the corner where they spent $10,000 to set up a room (applies mostly to HA, not CA... but similar) And when testing new components BRING MATERIAL YOU KNOW! Also, don't audition too many sets of components in a day... 2 or 3 tops. Your ears do fatieuge (sp) And you'll lose the subtle nuances of each set if you try to listen to too many. Any good shop should be more than happy to audition you for as long as you'd like.

Wow... this is kinda rambling...

I'll prolly edit this later.

 

I think it sounds better when front and rear speakers are used. When it's just the front, it sounds like the band is up in my dashboard somewhere. With all the speakers in use, I'm right in the middle of it. In fact, the default fade setting on my radio sounded a bit too front-heavy for me, so I faded it back to where the front seat passengers are right in the middle.

Whatever the SQ judges are looking for must be different than what sounds best to me. In the case of me listening to music in my car, my opinion is what matters most.

 

There would be more people running DVDA and SACD if there were any decks that played them!


Listen to a GOOD home theatre system (BS the salesman if you have to) - listen to B&W speakers (www.bwspeakers.com to find a dealer). They're one of the best imaging speakers out there - listen to the 804's in particular if possible. Put on the latest Holly Cole disc (won many awards for sound engineering) and you will be able to hear some sounds come from beyond the room - the sound stage is soooo wide...it's amazing, really. That's what you want your car to be...(now, if it was only that easy...)

 

yea your lookin at some serious money getting into that. The system you have in your car looks pretty nice I like the JL audio stuff that you have. Your system isn't a cheap one by any means but to get the type of sound your talkin about in your last posts your looking at many times what you spent. Looks like you had a pretty good idea of what you wanted in your car so why would you recomend not having back speakers in other peoples cars?

 

I would actually recommend against this. I prefer 4 speakers, though I recognize that 2 is ideal for SQ competition. More than that, no speaker/component/etc is perfect. By getting two different brands/models/etc, each pairing can make up for the deficiencies in the other's sound.

In a lot of cars, the fronts and rears are different sizes anyway, so it's not like there's even flexibility to get the same speakers in both positions. At the very least, the speakers are going to be in different positions, firing in different direction, bouncing off different materials, etc. The same speakers in the fronts and the rears won't necessarily sound alike. Given that, saying that you get a more balanced sound with the same speakers in the front and rear just doesn't make sense.
-N

 

the thing is when you mix and match speakers you don't ballance out sound you get different types of sound and pitches that IMO degrade the level of clarity that you can get. Go to any home audio store ask them what works best for a surround sound system Every one I have been to have all said the same thing "pick a brand of speaker and use all that brand" amps and subs can be different no problem but speakers should be the same brand so that they operate off the same platform even if its not the same exact speaker because as mentioned sizes and locations are different but you can still keep brand the same.

 

Wow, what a thread for me to hop on, eh? Number 1, a system that has quality and looks pretty kicks the crap out of the loudest system out in the world that has in install like a kindergartener did it. If people know car audio, they know I mean quality, just from the name. Good quality installs with very good tuning sounds amazing, how do I know, I just went from bass-head to a tune-head. My system has the capability to be louder than most kids out there who think their stuff is the bomb. In other words, I have the capability to hit 151 DBs, if I choose. But I prefer SQ over SPL. And Sentinal, you step foot in my car, you will realize that you don't need rear speakers, my channel lengths/widths are tuned perfectly for. Stock rear speakers are basically there to serve as bass speakers. Once you install a subwoofer, the rear speakers will probably throw it off or make it sound like garbage. I ripped mine out immediately once I had my install done. For pictures and equipment list, check out my profile. Any questions, PM me or Higgity Hank, he is a very smart man when it comes to this stuff as well. So my answer to your poll is Good sound quality PLUS look banging!

 

MMMM i used to sell Zapco...So I know EXACTLY what you mean

BTW (not to hijack), but very nice install

I'd love to hear your car one day if you want to drive up to Kanadia...