Collection of Musical Misconceptions

Myth 1. “My radio outputs 200 watts”

The basis of the misconception is the confusion of the concepts of rated and maximum power. Manufacturers of audio equipment (and not only automobile ones) like to indicate peak power figures, without explaining that these values ​​can only be obtained by testing acoustics on special stands. By definition, the consumer will not receive two hundred watts. Instead, you can look for the parameters of the nominal, that is, actually achievable power - if you find at least the inscription "4x15 W", there is already a reason for joy - your radio is not the worst.

Where does such a significant difference in readings come from? When talking about peak power, it should be borne in mind that this is a certain limit, upon reaching which the end comes for the equipment. In the literal sense of the word, this is a test of technology's strength.

Beautiful peak power numbers can be achieved in different ways. One method is to cool the equipment with liquid nitrogen. The overheated equipment, on the verge of failure, will cool down a little, and then the last juice will be squeezed out of it, which will then give a reason to stick a bright sticker on the production model with the promise of those same two or three hundred watts. Cheap Asian brands, however, are not so scrupulous. Without any testing, they claim high power, the numbers of which are taken from the air. The risk is zero: the consumer almost never has the opportunity to check these numbers.

Myth 2. “I have a good expensive car, therefore the “music” in it is excellent”

In this essay, we start from the concept of “high-quality car audio,” which implies first-class components, correctly matched to each other and installed on the car by professionals. Economics will help debunk this myth: you have to pay for everything good. Ultimately - to the consumer, but first - still to the manufacturer. This is not profitable for him: it is not a fact that a car with a decent increase in price will sell well. And only professionals, who always strive to improve something on their own, will appreciate a cool audio system. According to experts, there are only a few cars with a good standard audio system.

Myth 3. “My car has 12 speakers, that’s the sound!”

The sound quality in a car is not achieved by the number of speakers. If the equipment is mediocre, then the effect will be even the opposite: noise and wheezing will come at you from all 10 (12, 18, etc.) speakers. Often a powerful front end, a subwoofer and a 4-channel amplifier are enough to make the car sound beautiful and strong. The number of standard speakers in a car is determined not by engineers, but by marketers. In the premium segment, the number already goes up to a good two dozen (the Mark Levinson audio system in Lexus includes 19 speakers scattered throughout the cabin), but the main function of such systems, with rare exceptions, is image-based. Often the size, shape and placement of speakers depends on the whim of the designer. You will see a beautiful column somewhere near the windshield trim line and you will never guess how “empty” it is.

Myth 4. “An active subwoofer will replace a whole bunch of other components for me.”

An active subwoofer differs from a regular subwoofer in that the amplifier is also located in the same housing. Meanwhile, the close proximity of these components is considered controversial from the point of view of efficiency. The option when the subwoofer is located in the trunk and the amplifier in the cabin (for example, under the seat) is preferable. Of course, the active subwoofer is larger in size - those who prefer it have a sort of hefty “barrel” in their trunk. How then was the myth born? The answer lies in the field of psychology: well, how can “active” be worse than “passive”?..

Myth 5. “More functions, good and different”

The pursuit of additional functions in certain devices is a kind of mania among both manufacturers and consumers. A phone without the Internet is not a phone, an audio system without a TV and navigation is the third grade of yesterday. Well, let it be today and the choice between two “or”: either all of this will work, but only half-heartedly, or some will work well, but some will not matter. Companies that compete for buyers in the lower price segment tend to mix everything together. Reputable brands, on the contrary, strive to “separate the flies from the cutlets”; for example, in Pioneer head units, the radio exists completely separately from the disc player.

Myth 6. “All components must be the same brand”

You can easily understand the logic of these people. A person opens a specialized magazine, reads a comparative test of head units and sees that the winner is a product from company N. Having reached this point, the person closes the magazine and goes to buy an N radio, N speakers, an N subwoofer and an amplifier. Having collected this entire N-set, he will probably even be satisfied with the result (if not the sound itself, then at least morally that he did everything right). Meanwhile, companies that produce the best head units turn out to be weak in the manufacture of other acoustics, and vice versa.

They produce it solely so that the line of components is represented to the maximum. How to explain the paradox? Disassemble the radio and speaker and look at what is inside both. Roughly speaking, in the first case microelectronics and corresponding technologies are used, in the second case macroelectronics are used. A competent seller is obliged to bring the buyer up to date, and an illiterate (or lacking initiative) will sell the same N-set. In a branded N-bag.

Myth 7. “Ford acoustics are best suited to my Ford”

This conclusion does not stand up to any criticism, but the error itself is forgivable. You really only need to select original parts for the car - spark plugs, light bulbs, brake pads. However, “music” is not included in this list. However, come on, does any automaker make acoustics of the same name? They do, although only a few. There are, for example, head units from Daewoo and Hyundai. But much more often, car companies simply order “music” on the side, and then put their logo on it. In this case, the opinion that makes up the seventh myth can be understood as follows: “the standard audio system of my car is the best option for it.” We have already said that great audio systems are not installed as standard.

For those who consider themselves sophisticated audiophiles, when buying a car, it is better to immediately abandon the basic audio system, if possible. In addition to the net benefit, you will also make life easier for the installers by saving them from unnecessary work. Here we will also touch on another myth that is close in meaning: they say, my standard equipment may not be very good, but I’ll buy a more expensive subwoofer and this will improve the matter. It won’t succeed - good technology works only with good technology, and with mediocre technology it itself is a mess.

Myth 8. “Acoustic N is the winner of car audio competitions, that’s why I choose it”

Competitions are different. We hear about SPL (Sound Pressure Level) competitions much more often than about competitions to determine the highest quality audio system. With sound pressure, everything is clear: the car is stuffed with all sorts of “booze” to the limit, the windows are reinforced so that they don’t fly out, and in order not to go deaf, at competitions they launch all this stuff from the remote control, while being at a distance.

Quality is not determined by volume at all. Here they study the general composition of the musical background and the influence of its components (tones and semitones, instrumental parts separately from vocal ones, etc.) on each other. For this purpose, recordings of various musical styles are specially selected. High-quality sound, to put it simply, allows you to hear all the musical features both together and separately. And which aspect is closer to you?

Myth 9. “The best body for installing audio equipment is a sedan”

An ancient opinion, regarding which, however, there is almost no mistake now. The judgment was fair ten years ago, when an audio system meant only a radio with speakers, and few had heard of subwoofers. The argument put forward was this: only in a sedan the shelf behind the rear seats is rigidly fixed; in hatchbacks and station wagons it is movable. Consequently, in the latter two bodies, the rear speakers will experience shaking, which will affect the sound quality.

Nowadays, no one cares about rear speakers: it is much more effective to install a subwoofer and a powerful “front” (see also myth 3). And priorities have now changed exactly the opposite: it is single-volume bodies that are considered the most suitable for installing a high-quality system. After all, a subwoofer installed in the trunk of a sedan is in stronger “insulation” than in a station wagon. The sound, of course, will pass through the hard back wall, but the much-valued compression effect, when the sound is not only heard, but also felt, will, of course, be much weaker.

Myth 10. “I’ll buy myself a capacitor and listen to music for hours without worrying about the battery.”

The role of a capacitor in an acoustic system is to accumulate energy, to be an energy buffer, ready to release this energy when necessary. But the point of the capacitor is not to replace the battery. The capacitor is powered by the battery in any case; it is simply included in the electrical circuit as an additional link. Again, the performance of a capacitor is not measured by the duration of listening to music while the engine is not running. The capacitor has a very narrow specialization: if the battery charge may simply not be enough (for example, other energy consumers are turned on), it gives up part of its energy to ensure normal sound. Not every audio system needs a capacitor, but only the most powerful of them (producing several hundred W of actual power).

Myth 11. “Actually, I understand electrics. I’ll install my audio system myself.”

A difficult legacy of previous decades, when the car owner had to be his own painter, mechanic, turner and electrician. The need to be a general repairman has faded away; we drive modern cars, but echoes of the era still sometimes arise. Most often - in the name of saving, of course.

No one will argue that it is not difficult to embed a radio into the dashboard. But this is a philistine level, and today we are talking about professional car audio. Dozens of components, selected from hundreds of combinations, are connected by meters of wiring, which takes more than one day (connecting the components is half the battle; you also have to painstakingly “listen” to the “scene”, achieving ideality). To enjoy music inside the car, you need to remember that in addition to assembling the components into one whole, the system also needs to be configured. After all, as mentioned above, good sound differs from ordinary sound in nuances.

And here, not only garage craftsmen show poor training, but also – take note – master installers of dealership centers. There is no staffing position “car audio master”, there is “additional equipment master”. Today it’s a subwoofer and an amplifier, tomorrow it’s a plastic body kit and xenon, the day after tomorrow it’s engine crankcase protection. It is clear that poor quality work will not allow even expensive equipment to be fully realized.

Myth 12. “It’s all nonsense. Cool “music” can be bought for five thousand - you need to know the place”

For five thousand - definitely not possible. You can’t even do it for ten, or – you’re still looking for some kind of middle option. The stingy one still pays twice - remember this when embarking on a pursuit of sound. Having decided on your desires, show your car to specialists. For any machine there is a standard conversion algorithm; you can follow it, you can work together to develop an individual path. The main thing is that car audio specialists should deal with car audio. As the English proverb says, The shoemaker makes good shoes because he makes shoes and nothing more - “the shoemaker makes good shoes because he makes shoes and nothing else.”