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If you?re serious about sound then you?ve probably put a lot of thought ? and money ? into your car audio system. Unfortunately, even the best components may sound crummy if your vehicle?s acoustics are poor.
What exactly are acoustics? According to Webster's Dictionary, ?acoustics? refers to the ?qualities that determine the ability of an enclosure to reflect sound waves in such as way as to produce distinct hearing.? In other words, it?s all the stuff ? road noise, electrical interference, vibrations, echoes, dead space, and a dozen other factors ? that combine to make an automobile a good or bad listening environment.
To put it as simply as possible, improving your vehicle's acoustics generally involves two things:
The road is a noisy place when you?re driving. Your engine makes noise, the tires make noise, the wind rushing over the car makes noise, and other vehicles make noise. To create a good listening environment, you need to reduce the amount of sonic clutter entering your car.The age and condition of your vehicle have a direct impact on the amount of noise intrusion you have. Older vehicles may have engine knocks or squeaky suspensions. Also, the seals around the windows and doors may be worn and brittle, allowing more air noise to penetrate. Also keep in mind that expensive cars such as BMWs and Volvos are generally quieter to begin with because of the engineering and quality of construction that went into the vehicle. A 10-year-old Pontiac will almost certainly be noisier than a Lexus of the same year.
 It's a good idea to consider your vehicle's acoustic properties when planning your stereo system.  Acoustics has to do with the behavior of sound waves in an enclosed space. |
If you?re serious about sound then you?ve probably put a lot of thought ? and money ? into your car audio system. Unfortunately, even the best components may sound crummy if your vehicle?s acoustics are poor.
What exactly are acoustics? According to Webster's Dictionary, ?acoustics? refers to the ?qualities that determine the ability of an enclosure to reflect sound waves in such as way as to produce distinct hearing.? In other words, it?s all the stuff ? road noise, electrical interference, vibrations, echoes, dead space, and a dozen other factors ? that combine to make an automobile a good or bad listening environment.
To put it as simply as possible, improving your vehicle's acoustics generally involves two things:
- Eliminating environmental ?noise? that interferes with music listening.
- Enhancing the mechanical issues such as speaker placement and interior surfaces that affect sound.
The road is a noisy place when you?re driving. Your engine makes noise, the tires make noise, the wind rushing over the car makes noise, and other vehicles make noise. To create a good listening environment, you need to reduce the amount of sonic clutter entering your car.The age and condition of your vehicle have a direct impact on the amount of noise intrusion you have. Older vehicles may have engine knocks or squeaky suspensions. Also, the seals around the windows and doors may be worn and brittle, allowing more air noise to penetrate. Also keep in mind that expensive cars such as BMWs and Volvos are generally quieter to begin with because of the engineering and quality of construction that went into the vehicle. A 10-year-old Pontiac will almost certainly be noisier than a Lexus of the same year.
