ROLL CALL: Who has surround sound in their car(s)?

[callmez]

Hey folks,

Been away for a while, busy with other things... but am finally moving on from my old pickup that seemed a poor candidate for surround sound and bought a 2008 Chevy HHR Panel which should be a real nice vehicle for tunes. So... my Sony MEXDV2200 arrived in the mail today, other components on the way! Soon to join the ranks of the mobile surrounded!

Mark Z (with "Blow by Blow" playing in the background, can't wait to have that one cranked up while rolling down the road!)

[elmer]

Hey folks,

Been away for a while, busy with other things... but am finally moving on from my old pickup that seemed a poor candidate for surround sound and bought a 2008 Chevy HHR Panel which should be a real nice vehicle for tunes. So... my Sony MEXDV2200 arrived in the mail today, other components on the way! Soon to join the ranks of the mobile surrounded!

Mark Z (with "Blow by Blow" playing in the background, can't wait to have that one cranked up while rolling down the road!)

Congrats - I think you're gonna dig the Sony unit - have had mine now for a few months and it sounds great! Enjoy!

[Pibroch]

What year, make and model of car: 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Supercharged

Did you install it yourself (if not factory installed): Yes

What surround formats can you play: SACD, DVD-V (Dolby Digital and DTS), DTS-CD, Dolby PLII for stereo stuff

How would you rate the system, and would you recommend it to others: I love this Sony deck, and wish I had known about it sooner.

The Sony MEX-DV2200 deck is hooked to my stock 6 speaker system and the subwoofer out is going to an old Realistic 80w EQ/booster I picked up for $6 at the thrift store, which then goes to a little 12" sub in the trunk that my neighbor was just tossing out. A little bass goes a long way for me. I love this thing, I have been buying dualdiscs and SACDs by the ttruckload at used stores and filing them in a little case I carry in the car at all times. It's almost full, it has 72 slots. I have also been obtaining quad rips. Some of my favorite discs for the car: Aerosmith - Rocks, Roxy Music - Avalon, The Police - Every Breath You Take: The Classics, Jethro Tull - Warchild. I was blasting Warchild with a huge smile on my face yesterday, I had never heard the quad mix before and it's just gorgeous. I have decided that the car is the best place for multichannel listening. My rear speakers aren't quite full-range, so I may put some nicer ones back there, but it's good enough for now.

[elmer]

I took a buddy of mine out the other day and he was blown away by my system. He emailed this article to me today. It may not be a revelation to some here, but I found it interesting enough to share.

http://www.believermag.com/issues/20...rticle_collins

[bobou2]

picked up my 2012 Acura TL Monday.....2011-08-29_18-07-34_553.jpg

[Time Lord]

I have a tale of happiness and of woe. 3 weeks ago I picked up a brand new Mercedes ML 300 CDI Grand Edition with the optional audio upgrade allowing me to enjoy my DVDA collection in the car as well. The first album I loaded was Porcupine Tree's The Incident. The next day I thought that although a great sound it may not have been the best choice for first play given the subject matter of the album. The very next day on the way home on a road I have travelled thousands of times I could not avoid hitting a kangaroo that hopped onto the road without warning. For those of you not in Australia in metropolitan areas (except Canberra) it is very rare to see a kangaroo except in reserves or zoos. For the animal lovers I was able to break hard enough that the kangaroo survived and hopped away seemingly uninjured. The car however has a broken headlight and left front panel damage and a linear dent in the passenger front door that I suspect was the impact of it's tail. It was driven to the repairers the next day and I haven't got it back yet. I will blow a $500 excess as the kangaroo did not stop for me to get it's insurance details, I suspect it was uninsured and is probably of no fixed address and I am not sure I could identify it with certainty at a police line up. When I get the car back I will probably change The Incident for King Crimson or Talking Heads.

[w.a.reid]

my three year old boy really freaked me out the other day- he was doing this
"duh duh duh du duu - dunna dunna dunna dun dun dun - i am iron man - duna duna duna dun dun dun" me the wife and and the girl joined in - so for a minute there - we had sabbath - iron man in quad.

have an airstream with a sansui qrx7001 in it - thats almost a car.

william

[Time Lord]

I have my new car back now, am really enjoying the multichannel offerings, the traffic snarls seem so much less irritating, now just to keep away from the kangaroos

[Rck60s]

I just took the plunge and bought the Sony MEX DV 2200, Alpine center speaker Rockford Fosgate subs, speakers and amp had them installed and now I am learning the curve but it sounds awesome...........Thanks for the guidance on what to buy and putting up with all my questions....

[elshagon]

Just bought a 2012 Hyundai Genesis and I'm waiting for delivery to the dealership! I've also confirmed the Genesis will play watermarked copies without any issues!!!

[holland123]

wow, hyundai offers dvd-a too, awesome i was not aware of that one, i wonder who makes that for them? dvd-a in the car can't be beat. and it will ignore wm's as well? too cool. I talked to a guy at an audi dealership and he tells me more and more people are requesting the dvd-a sound systems as well. dvd-a = not dead yet. excellent!

[Chiburb]

wow, hyundai offers dvd-a too, awesome i was not aware of that one, i wonder who makes that for them? dvd-a in the car can't be beat. and it will ignore wm's as well? too cool. I talked to a guy at an audi dealership and he tells me more and more people are requesting the dvd-a sound systems as well. dvd-a = not dead yet. excellent!

It's a Lexicon 7.1 system with 17 speakers.
I can't wait for Elshagon's review.

[eardoc]

Just to toss my two cents in, I've put every single mile on my 2005 Acura TL...it now has 166,000 miles.

Loving the surround sound...eventually I'll have to get another car, and its surround-sound capability will make my shopping list short!

[bayards]

Had an 8 track quad unit in my Fiat 850 in Belgium, way back in 1975. I crashed in it, as back speakers were sounding a horn at one point - oh well.

[Bidkat]

my three year old boy really freaked me out the other day- he was doing this
"duh duh duh du duu - dunna dunna dunna dun dun dun - i am iron man - duna duna duna dun dun dun" me the wife and and the girl joined in - so for a minute there - we had sabbath - iron man in quad.

have an airstream with a sansui qrx7001 in it - thats almost a car.

william

Possibly the funniest post in QQ history.

[Pibroch]

I just wanted to post here because I'm all psyched we're going to a drive-in movie tonight and I can apply Pro Logic II to the FM feed they send out. :lol:

I actually did add a center channel and a real amp to power the subwoofer and center. MUCH nicer, and I've got a ton of surround DVD's and DTS discs that I cycle through. So cool. I maintain that the car is ALMOST the ideal environment to experience surround in, especially if your car is well sealed against wind and engine noise. Mine is fairly well insulated but has no A/C so I'm cranking the windows and sunroof when it's hot. Still awesome.

I'm hoping the Sony deck doesn't die on me.

Those of you with the DV2200 know the DTS disc track skipping problem? I found a program for Mac called "Burn" that when I burn the files as WAV with, it results in a disc that does not skip every third track. I've re-ripped and -burned all my DTS CD's and they are all fixed. Don't know why, but it worked. Awesome fix to a REALLY annoying issue.

[Bidkat]

About that Sony MEX DV2200:

1) how old? (not current, I presume)

2) plays MC SACDs, DTS CDs, and DTS & Dolby AC3 tracks from DVDs?

3) can be retrofitted (without blowtorch) to a stock car 5- speaker system

4) bass tube or subwoofer can be easily added

5) it skips every 3rd track on DTS CDs:
A) homemade on any program but Mac Burn
B) Other tracks
C) all disks

6) otherwise a great unit?

Thanks.
BK

[elmer]

About that Sony MEX DV2200:

1) how old? (not current, I presume) Current model (within last 1-2 years)

2) plays MC SACDs, DTS CDs, and DTS & Dolby AC3 tracks from DVDs? Yes & Dolby PLII

3) can be retrofitted (without blowtorch) to a stock car 5- speaker system (Yes - but you should check compatibility with your vehicle - Cructhfield.com has a compatability guide)

4) bass tube or subwoofer can be easily added - Yes - has 4 channel amp. Will require separate amp for sub & center channel)

5) it skips every 3rd track on DTS CDs: I use ImgBurn on PC - have no issues with the track skipping problem - except for some retail DTS CD discs - no other issues on ANY discs
A) homemade on any program but Mac Burn
B) Other tracks
C) all disks

6) otherwise a great unit? YES!

There are a number of other threads and comments here regarding the Sony MEX DV2200 - just type MEXDV200 in the search box.

Thanks.
BK

Here's one for example http://www.quadraphonicquad.com/foru...mex#post135019

[Pibroch]

I know there are others that have had issues with the DTS CD track skip problem, it's specifically on DTS CD's, not DVD's. I'm not sure what the cause of the issue is, but I know once I started using Burn, the problem stopped, and I've since reburned all of my DTS CD's that exhibited the issue and it fixed them.

I've been very happy with this unit. It's got a 7-band EQ, HPF and LPF, and it does a center channel virtualization where it puts the CC in the front 2 speakers if you don't have one. This did introduce some weird phasing issues with my discs though, and I was much happier with the sound once I installed a dedicated center channel. Much clearer sound.

I highly recommend this unit, as it does play SACD and DTS, as well as standard DD discs. It does not do MLP DVD-A, but I've converted some MLP to DTS and I've been very pleased with the results.

The one issue I have had is someone stole my first batch of discs from my car, but they took the remote for the unit as well. They didn't bother taking the deck itself, thank the maker. Unfortunately, I can't change the audio mode from PLII to stereo if I wanted to, nor can I switch audio tracks while a DVD disc is playing. This means I have to manually (and blindly) do so through the menu system, and I only get one chance to do this before I get into the audio program and can't get back to the menu. I've taken to inscribing the exact series of steps needed to switch to my preferred audio track on each disc. For example, the Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" disc defaults to 2 channel DD, and I have to remember the series of button presses needed to get to the audio menu and then switch to the 5.1 track. Annoying. I can't fathom spending $30 to get a new one.

[peterzach]

Well I ended 2012, exactly on Dec.31 to pickup a 2013 Acura ILX which I had been checking prices throughout the year and as dealer incentives at end of year thought maybe this is the time to pull the trigger as I am not getting any younger. Well drove it home yesterday and tried putting the demo disk in, no go,something already in the player, a Italian opera disk left by previous person(I picked up a demo car). Start listening to the demo it definitely put a big smile on my face once the surround version of China Grove by Doobies came on after Elliot does his explanation and played stereo version first. I am a bit over whelmed by all the techie gadgets in the car and haven't really played with audio settings yet etc but hope to figure things out over next few days.

Over the next while hope that some of the experts here can give me a hand or explain how to convert Dvd Video dts disk's to dvd audio as there are so many that I have: Genesis,Depeche Mode,Nick Cave,Opeth,Gentle Giant,ELO,etc.

[CPR]

Update: Now have an Acura 2012/TL/SH AWD/Tech
Plays DVD/A's, DTS, & SACD/Hybrids/ONLY!
Great system, for Ipods, BT Audio, CD's, MP3's, etc

[JonUrban]

Well I ended 2012, exactly on Dec.31 to pickup a 2013 Acura ILX which I had been checking prices throughout the year and as dealer incentives at end of year thought maybe this is the time to pull the trigger......

Update: Now have an Acura 2012/TL/SH AWD/Tech
Plays DVD/A's, DTS, & SACD/Hybrids/ONLY!
Great system, for Ipods, BT Audio, CD's, MP3's, etc

Congratulations guys! Nice to hear about new Acura owners who actually know what they have in their cars!! Crank 'em up!

I'd be interested to hear if the latest ELS systems still check for the watermark. I mean really, what's the point of keeping it in there?

[peterzach]

Congratulations guys! Nice to hear about new Acura owners who actually know what they have in their cars!! Crank 'em up!

I'd be interested to hear if the latest ELS systems still check for the watermark. I mean really, what's the point of keeping it in there?

Thanks Jon, its through this site that I have learned to appreciate so many more things about surround sound. I have listened to 3 different dvda's and one of them is a ISO burn of Rush-Farewell to Kings, should that one have been watermarked as it played fine.
Driving to and from work this week has been such a pleasure as the sound in the car's sound is so balanced, really enjoying it. For a introductary Acura I am pretty happy with it so far.

[elshagon]

Over the next while hope that some of the experts here can give me a hand or explain how to convert Dvd Video dts disk's to dvd audio as there are so many that I have: Genesis,Depeche Mode,Nick Cave,Opeth,Gentle Giant,ELO,etc.

First of all if your car plays the dvd video there's no real advantage to converting to dvd-audio aside from having everything one format for making mixed discs. The dts audio won't improve by converting it to dvd-audio. Some of those artists have discs out in higher resolution than dts so if you can, get the dvd-audio. The easiest way to convert those dts tracks is to use a program called "DVD Audio Extractor". Choose your dvd video disc from your pc's dvd drive in the menu and it will then show you all the tracks on the disc. Make sure to select the dts 5.1 as there's options to rip the stereo as well. Then rip those tracks to 6 mono files making sure to keep the audio the same bit rate as the original. once you have the 6 mono files for each track then you must use a program such as Surcode MLP to encode those mono files to .mlp. MLP is what you will use to make your dvd-audio disc. It's much easier with original dvd-audio discs as you can simply rip the tracks straight to mlp.

[UFL1138]

Near the end of January I bought a certified 2011 Hyundai Genesis 3.8L V6 w/ Tech Package. It has a black exterior with "cashmere" interior.

One of the features that steered me toward this car was its 17-speaker Lexicon audio system: http://hyundai.lexicon.com/hyundai.aspx

It sounds great! It may be less forceful on the bass than I would have imagined, but I'm not cranking it all the way up in the (3-band) equalizer, either.

I have a bunch of King Crimson DVD-Audio backups that I play in the car, and I'm working on my method for converting SACD ISOs to DVD-Audio. I'm also hoping to be able to convert the latest DSotM 5.1 mix to DVD-A for listening in the car.

In addition to DVD-Audio, the car has built-in XM and HD Radio tuners, an AUX input, USB input, iPod interface (which connects to both AUX and USB simultaneously in one dock adapter). It at least plays 320kbps and V0 MP3s from both DVD-R discs and USB. No flac yet. I'm also interested in learning how to create a DVD-Video with DTS 96/24 audio and basically a static image for the "video" portion. This would allow for several surround albums on a single DVD, which would be nice.

Guess that's it for now.