Do you Think the McIntosh Brand Is Cheapened By Getting Into Car Stereo?

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by jfray

Ok I test drove the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve today and while it was a good car McIntosh totally missed the mark and I was highly unimpressed………. It honestly sounded terrible. Yes it’s car audio but my F150 sounds better

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by jfray

Ok I test drove the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve today and while it was a good car McIntosh totally missed the mark and I was highly unimpressed………. It honestly sounded terrible. Yes it’s car audio but my F150 sounds better

Perhaps the system settings where just messed up by some dealership bozo by the time you got to it.

[jfray]

Yeah it could have been….. I love McIntosh but it seemed like an afterthought. To display the VU meters is a button buried in the GUI. Sure hope there is a shortcut way to pull up the meters that the salesman didn’t know about.

[Porsche993TT]

I haven't heard any cars with great OEM sound, burmester was in all my Porsche cars and it sucked, replaced with dynaudio and accuton

[dixon007]

I have a B&W system and its sound quality (especially bass) greatly depends on how one programs the sound equalizer. Probably initial settings are not fully capturing what these upgraded systems are capable.

[PeterMusic]

Originally Posted by Porsche993TT

I haven't heard any cars with great OEM sound, burmester was in all my Porsche cars and it sucked, replaced with dynaudio and accuton

This is the basic marketing problem--for whatever reason, it is all too easy to get mediocre sound from a car stereo. Thus, to use the OP's words, it "cheapens the brand"

[Masterlu]

JBL is in my Ferrari’s, no complaints although I listen more to the engine.

[kd4ylq]

I think yes, it does the brand image no good at all, at least as far as I'm concerned. It's long ago that I ever listened to music in a car. I don't spend enough time in the vehicle to even want to sink into thoughtful listening. The background noise is way too high, and safe driving requires complete attention & situational awareness. Maybe if I were driving on empty, straight roads (as I have on past road trips out in the SW) it could be useful, but that's pretty rare. But for those who think differently, I say let your Tesla do the driving have at it!

[Formerly YB-2]

If they do VW or Hyundai or.................. All depends on the marque(s) they go with.

[knotscott]

Capitalizing on brand success is good business....though not necessarily good for the commitment to the advancement of audio technology. The larger a company gets, the more corporate they tend to become, which tends to mean the focus shifts more to profit than sound. Look to the smaller businesses to move the audio bar higher.