Car audio system?

[dpgstereo]

Anyone with a McIntosh system in their vehicle?

I have a F350 with (2) MCC602TM and (1) MCC302.
602 for front channel and the other for subs. 302 for rear fill.

MCC602TM takes things to another level (for a auto amp). So much headroom. Kinda like a MC1201's for your vehicle. They do take up some real estate.

[two dot]

Sounds nice but....

[-E-]

This I'd like to see, not many people use MCC602TM's, especially in a truck.

What speakers are you using?

[dpgstereo]

CDT, their ES Gold series, 6.5" with Upstage (x-over using 2 tweeters, one in door with mid-bass and second above dash in side pillar reflecting off windshield). Also in front, CDT Center Stage (second x-over in series with Upstage x-over),uses two 2.5" mid/tweeters centrally located on top of dash housed in their own enclosure, facing back at you with each tweeter being turned 30 degrees, driver side & passenger side. Center Stage has its own volume control / attenuator. Really puts the sound stage out in front of you.
Rear - tried and true MB Quart.
Subs - JL Audio 10". One JL's custom enclosure between front seats, second behind driver side rear seat. With JL's Sub volume control in front dash for quick tuning.

Kinda like an Ivan system for a vehicle. lol...

[-E-]

Originally Posted by two dot

Sounds nice but....

+1

This I need to see...

[JimJ]

Nice gear, but sounds like a lot of drivers playing the same frequency range in different places

Did you try it with just A-pillar tweets?

[dpgstereo]

True tweeters in the a-pillars alone do help bring the sound stage up higher. You can easily A/B by turning down the attenuator on the Center Stage. Esthetically, I don't care for the speaker pod sitting on top in the center of my dash. But the Center Stage system really does improve imaging and puts the sound out in front of you. Hard to do given speaker location in most vehicles. They also play lower than you would expect from a 2.5" speaker. Which even further creates the illusion of the band being in front of you. Time alignment only goes so far.

Another thing I like about this system is that with the "UpStage" the door tweeter, located next to the mid-bass, frequency is rolled off and doesn't play as high as the tweeter in the a-pillar. Eliminating to much high frequency.

Also the x-over for the "Center Stage" limits the higher frequencies. CDT really did put some thought into this system.

[Levi]

A good car audio starts with a good source. Why choose McIntosh? Simply it is the best sounding receiver! To me at the least. I have tried several receivers including Alpine, Nachamichi, Denon and I always go back to the sound of McIntosh receiver. The McIntosh MX406 is an excellent sounding receiver. It's sound quality is second to none. It lacks many features such as iPod integration, remote volume control, fast music search, XM radio, EQ or 7" screen. It is as plain as Jane! What it lacks in features gave ultimate in sound quality.

FM stations sounded much like CD! Dead silent with blacker background. MX406 pulls in distant station cleanly. It found stations that I didn't know existed. It is actually fun listening to FM again.

If FM is king, then CD is a bliss. If you are familiar with McIntosh home audio, then this will probably sound redundant. Top to bottom sound is very smooth and warm sounding. It is transparent, palpable and detailed. I hear excellent imaging and coherency. One does not need to crank up the volume to hear details in music. I hear sounds coming out from the boundaries of the car's interior. It is lifelike and Holographic.

I heard many car receiver in my car but so far I like the sound of McIntosh. It is a very musical system that is not fatiguing specially in long drives. It is expensive but the price of admission has long forgotten. It is important to match the McIntosh MX406 with good amp, speakers and cabling.

There is more to it than having great sound in the car. A good receiver is a good start!

Thanks for reading.

Levi


McIntosh MX406 in the cubby. Note Focal K2s 6K3PS.



McIntosh meters added.

McIntosh Amplifier

[Levi]

BTW, the best tweeter placement. Pilar mount just does not sound right to me at all.

Another retrofit.

[-E-]

I believe I have seen this car somewhere on the old place before...

I probably should re-up the pics of my system, too. It is in dire need of a re-do though. I got tired of the Focal Utopia separates as soon as I heard the bessel array...