HiFi, in a car?

In the HiFi world, there are nutcases out there called audiophiles. I happen to be one of them, and until recently, we haven’t been able to experience music playback in cars at anything like the levels we expect in the comfort of our own living rooms. Car stereos have, however, been around for just about ever. In 1956, Chrysler vehicles had the option of having an LP player built into the dashboard. Then tapes came along, and with it, a new subculture of modified sound systems.

This following is going strong today, but it isn’t without its problems. Basically, the main issue is how these sound products are targeted. It’s an inescapable truth that most people who modify their mobile audio are young men, so companies target them by quoting outrageous wattage amounts and making the drive units look ridiculous. First, the wattage issue: I cannot, and will not believe that something like a 10 cm midrange driver could handle 100-200 watts; most of the time, it turns out these quotes are for peak power spikes. Normally, the average wattage of a 10cm driver would be more like 30 watts. Secondly, the components themselves: by putting ugly plastic covers over drivers, and amplifiers in garish boxes, speaker manufacturers hit their target market square on. No real effort is ever put into the sound quality, because the target market doesn’t care what it sounds like, just as long as it’s loud enough to wake up half the street.

This puts people who do want good sound quality in a bit of a mire, that is, until recently. A whole new generation of speaker systems have flooded the market, and who is leading the charge? HiFi manufacturers. These guys have taken all their values and injected their philosophy into a car environment. Ok, so there aren’t any kits you can go out and buy and install in your own car; instead, HiFi manufacturers have worked closely with car makers to tailor car interiors to get the best acoustic refinement from it.

So, what brands are doing this: Volkswagen, and it’s partnership with Dynaudio. Audi and Bang & Olufsen, who also works with Aston Martin and AMG. Jaguar and Bowers and Wilkins. Bentley and Naim, and a whole slew of other companies… and no, BOSE is not one of them *Runs away from Franco*.

A special mention has to be made for the Bang & Olufsen systems. They feature tweeters (the driver units that cover the high frequency range of the audio spectrum) that rise out of the dashboard, showing the driver unit facing up. A reflector above it then disperses the sound around the car. This makes for a more airy, natural presentation than most in car speaker systems that can be very in your face.

It is a well known fact around First Gear supporters that Franco and I have not yet passed our driving tests, so I reckon testing these sound systems are ideal for us. We don’t have to drive it, just listen to the music in a dealership. So, Ferrari? Lamborghini? Any chance of a test listen?

Roman

The Art of British

I am here to address with you today ladies and gentlemen a question that has been lingering with me for some time.. why the British car industry hasn't got its act together? This of course calls for a few paragraphs of sentimental gazing into the past that was a proud and well oiled British car industry.

Let's choose some highlights, I don't like the whole timeline thing... ehrr, the Rolls Royce Corniche. Quiet possibly the only convertible I would be happy to step into. This car first engrained its authority into my head when I watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, with Michael Caine pootling about in it in the South of France.

I recently saw a Bentley Mulliner Flying Spur, and it ferociously dragged my eyes over its panel beaten rear arches, leading in a smooth but strong crease to the front of the car. No other car in this modern age can do that. I can get excited when I see a Lamborghini Gallardo for example; but that's because one sees the sharp angular edges that define the air scoops, and the outlandish angles and surfaces. I know that it's a Lamborghini, and therefore know that it is good. What happened with the Bentley was different, it drew my eyes towards it. I did not know what it was, but I knew it was special. This is a car that does not get motor heads drooling over it, this is a car which the ladies of the Cote d'Azur swoon over. No modern car can do that, not even the latest Bentleys, which have lost their way, being the preserve of the football stars.

I have now come to the inevitable, the impossible black whole that sucks any article even remotely mentioning historic British cars into it. This dark void in space is of course the E-Type effect. Impossibly cool, retro in a non-cliched way, the Jaguar E-Type could never hit 150 mph, it probably leaves trails of carbon dioxide that would make a 4X4 look green, but my God, parked next to a shop window, seated in its armchairs, you will never have a cooler reflection. When you first see one, the first thing you'll notice is how small it is. You'll then realise just how special a car it is. The spoked wheels, the contoured bodywork with chrome detailing that is effective but not in your face, all make this a design ikon. It has been years before jaguar have managed to get that panache back into its models. It is of course the latest Jaguar XKR that has restored the link  between power and these Isles. Of course, that's not without a little help from Tata.

In fact, JLR as it is now known is owned not by Ford, but by the Indian Megabusiness. And here is the key to why Jaguar are starting to build world class cars again. Yes, our car industry needs backing by foreign companies, but it needs to be companies that are willing to act like a rich Father spoiling their children. Ford tried to impose its ideals onto Jaguar with disasterous effect. Take the X-Type for example. A horrible car for people who think Jaguar should be kept perpetually in the 1960s.

The only car companies that have managed to go it alone successfully are Caterham, Morgan and Lotus. These are companies with probably some of the best engineers in the world, and all they need is a caring adopter to sky rocket them into Ferrari territory.

Roman