Comparing different stereo systems in new vehicles using REW

[boogts]

Hi All,

I have tried to make good use of REW for years to make the mini-dsp adjustments in my old car work better, but when it comes to new cars, how can I best evaluate, objectively, what is the best stereo before buying - other than of course just playing some songs? As in what best feeds back the output signal frequencies most faithfully?

When running the wave, I get the attached graph - done with the left, right and then left and right speakers together. Am I to assume the flatter the line, the better the speaker system? Or what tools / windows would best help. I figured this is a bit obtuse since I'm not changing up anything in the room, just want a baseline to determine a systems capabilities. Thank you!

 

[Sonnie Parker]

The blue trace is a very nice response curve for a car... assuming you measured where your head is typically located.

Unfortunately with vehicles we are stuck with dampening material to help with resonances in the vehicle, which may or may not be measurable with a sweep... and then something like the miniDSP C-DSP 8x12 DL with Dirac Live, if you are willing to go aftermarket amps.

 

[boogts]

I measured with the mic (UMIK-1) at the driver's head, yes, though that is with 1/6 smoothing.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

1/6 smoothing is normal ... and closer to what you are actually hearing than what you see with non-smoothing.

Short of going aftermarket, I'd say you are doing pretty well.

 

[El Duderino]

Personally, if you're trying to determine the likelihood of your being satisfied with the OEM system, I'd start by testing stereo presentation with test tone tracks. If the stereo presentation is wrong, you're screwed, no matter the tonal performance. I use the Educar TestTune app (available in the iOS and Android App Stores).