Boosting sound bite

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Boosting sound bite
Published: 2/10/2009 at 12:00 AM
Bangkok Post. Newspaper section: Motoring

Changing your car's old audio system is the last thing you want to do especially when the economy isn't doing too well. There are other alternatives such as upgrades to the factory-issue audio system instead of replacing the entire system with a new one.


Pop-up monitor in Audi SUV.




Upgrading sound quality
This is the easiest and most basic improvement. Factory-issue systems emphasise design and exterior appearance. What we don't see are the speaker cables and electric wiring that are bunched up together; the quality of wire and cables is average.

If you change the wiring to premium grade, the result will be an improvement in sound quality. The level of improvement depends on your budget, but there's no definite formula on how much you have to spend to achieve a certain level of sound quality.

At any given time, factors that influence sound quality depend on speakers, so you will have to weigh your options on whether investing on new cables is worth more than buying new speakers. You will be able to reach this conclusion by going into listening rooms to test wire and cable quality.

Listening rooms with audio systems worth millions of baht can be found at Siam Paragon, Amarin Plaza and Fortune Town. The more you listen, the more trained yours ears become to sound quality - and you will be able to distinguish the character of each cable and make better decisions.

Upgrading wiring systems

This particular type of upgrade helps high-power head units work to their optimal level. You should select wiring with large copper specs or OFC (oxygen free copper) containing insulation that blocks RFI and EMI interference, the cause of poor signal reception or noise.

Upgrading installation

Increasing damping materials at your door panels will turn them into high quality "speaker enclosure" and reduce external noise as well.

Tweaking the angles of front speakers can improve sound stage. This can be done by installing spacers that will increase the angle of the front speakers - to face outwards as much as possible.

The results are quick and it is probably the most economical upgrade of all.

Upgrade by adding components

This method allows you to increase the capability of your audio system with the likes of multi-media and navigation systems.

Most factory-issue audio systems are a single component in the front console, or it might come with anti-theft or monitoring systems that are too complex for you to be replace or remove.

Take for example the Audi SUV which added a satellite navigation system and rear-view camera with a pop-up screen fitted to the console (shown in picture). The Speed Navi navigation system is compatible with DVD and rear-view camera.

The sound system of the pop-up monitor interfaces with the original system via an AUX input. It's an easy system and does not interfere with vehicle warranty. The only down side is that it's quite an eyesore though it's worth it when you look at the practicality and benefits. It's acceptable.

Translated by Alfred Tha Hla.

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With a big sound to match
Published: 11/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
Bangkok Post: Newspaper section: Motoring



This week's highlight is a Porsche Cayman S which has a brand new multimedia audio system installed by Suchart Sound.

The restriction of this setup is that the owner wanted a minimum of components in his Porsche and insisted all new bits be installed in the original positions of the outgoing audio system. The original theme, so to speak, must remain unchanged.

Components
- Alpine IVA-W502E head unit with iPod link.

- Focal 165KRX3 three-way front speakers.

- Focal 100KPS rear speakers which is a high-power type and feeds on power delivered from the head unit to all four channel speakers.

- The built-in power amp of the head unit works on a full load, especially the front channels which uses a three-way component speaker.

Installation
All of the speakers are fitted into the original slots of factory-issue speaker mounts. The head unit is also installed in place of the original head unit.

The picture quality is clear and reflections do not interfere on the display, but the viewing angle from the driver's perspective is a tad too low which may cause the driver to look away from the road in front.

User-friendliness
I give it full marks for the easy operation, no complexities whatsoever. You can easily adjust the sound quality from the head unit's touch-screen menu.

Simply enter the various menus available. It's pretty easy and straightforward. You could say it's not as complex as the menus in Nokia mobile phones or the new iPhones available in the market.

Alpine has the perfect menu design for multimedia systems and you don't actually need to read the owner's manual before operating the component.

If you don't know how to adjust the Crossover properly (which is located on the head unit), then the sound quality might be off a bit.

But the speakers won't be damaged because the passive crossover (which comes with the speakers) is capable of filtering out unnecessary frequencies signals before feeding the sound into the speakers.

Sound quality
At first when listening to the sound, I admit that the low frequency sound was like having a power amplifier and a subwoofer. Actually it's just a high-power amp and the interior cabin is small, in addition to the strength and high quality of the materials used in the vehicle. The result is great bass sound from a six-inch subwoofer.

The listening test was separated into Sound Quality and Sound Pressure Level. The SQ listening required adjusting the fader and channelling everything into the front speakers. In short, you are listening to a front stage setup.

The sound quality was much better than I expected in relation to the sound stage, image and focus. A key ingredient is the optimal speaker positions designed by Porsche audio engineers.

The tweeter is on top of the console, the mid-frequency signals are at the upper section of the door panels and the woofer is at the lower section of the door panel. The optimal distances of each speaker serve like time alignment and the end result is something on par with hi-end sound quality.

The SPL listening test requires using the rear speakers when you want to listen to something loud and exciting or AV (watching movies). The system delivered because it was able to create big sound, so to speak.

This was only the first stage because I was still waiting for an upgrade to stage which includes a Purist audio Super Tube One power amp. So we'll have to wait until next time.