Chrysler 5.1

[jrahrah]

It seems that not many visit the "mobile" section, so I'll repost here.......

The new Chrysler Pacifica boast a 5.1 factory installed audio system. As follows from their website...." Step up from the outstanding base package to the seven-speaker Infinity® Intermezzo™ 5.1 digital surround-sound system with subwoofer powered by a 385-watt digital amplifier. The system also features the available Sirius Satellite Radio (MOPAR hardware for Sirius radio is option)".

Cool! As far as I know this is the first factory installed unit. The only troublr I see is trying to sit in the sweet spot while driving.

 

[DPROKOPY]

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>The only troublr I see is trying to sit in the sweet spot while driving.[/quote]
I've always wondered the same thing. I mean, sometimes I even notice in with my regular car stereo that mixes can seem slightly unbalanced because I'm sitting closer to the left speaker than the right (particularly those sixties mixes, where things are panned hard left/right). I can't imagine a car 5.1 system would sound all that great, particularly with the rear speakers being muffled.

Has anyone here had any real significant experience with 5.1 car systems? (Yes, I know there's a whole forum for this as well. I'm asking more in a general sense.)

 

[The Quadfather]

I don't know about a 5.1 system in a car, but I once had a quad system in my old Dodge Dart. It worked quite well. When I was driving alone I could readjust the balance controls to drag the sweet spot over towards me a little. However, with a discrete system, it's not that much of a concern. You are close enough to all of the speakers to hear them well. So, when mobile, the sweet spot isn't a concern for me. Of course I no longer have a mobile quad setup so it's really not a concern anymore.

The Quadfather

 

[shark42]

how did i know you'd have a Quad system IN YOUR CAR.

I've said it once, I say it again. You da man.

 

[JonUrban]

I had a Panasonic Q8 player in my car in the late '70, early '80s. It blew everybody away. You don't need a sweet spot in a car, only the balance controls. The car is perfect for a surround environment. I just hope that when they come out, they give us control over the sound, and not be like Bose, where they control everything.

 

[The Quadfather]

Yeah, when I had that setup, they had just come out with boosters and equalizers for automobiles, so I had two Motorola booster/equalizer amps hung on to this thing. I installed preamp outs on the EQ's and ran those to Sanyo amps, not using the Motorola's amps. That sweetened the sound considerably, but is rather insignifigant compared to what is available today. It was a good clean 25 watts RMS for each channel which was great in those days. Still I enhanced it further by putting 12" woofers in the back which greatly enhanced the bass response. A 74 Dodge Dart coupe had a rather large rear deck and this was no problem. The shape of the vehicle sorta formed a large bass horn and the result was sublime. But the best car for the "bass horn" effect had to be the 72 Camaro. Even the crappy factory system sounded good in that car. Back then they were really crappy too. They used a large Germanium power transistor loaded into a coil as the output stage. there was no complimentary transistor, just that coil. A capacitor took the output to the speaker, and the result was not very linear. Getting back to my quad setup, I sold the in dash quad eight track player at a garage sale, thinking I would never use it again, of course that sealed it, it was done. I kept the equalizers, one was stolen and one was sold later. I think I still have the Sanyo amps I used.

The Quadfather

 

[shark42]

12" subs back in the day, eh? If the dart be a rockin', don't come a knockin'...

 

[sspsandy]

I too had noticed that with stereo in the car that the sound tended to pull into the front left speaker when I was driving. While it's not digital, the Fosgate RFQ5000 ProLogic II processor that I installed in my car sounds discrete wherever you're sitting. I mounted the center channel in the console between the seats, so when you're sitting in back with the rear speakers behind your head, you still hear a surround effect, and can hear the front channels as well. I no longer have that sense of the sound getting pulled into the front left speaker, the rears deliver different information than the fronts, and on certain recordings the sound swirls around the car very nicely. A vast improvement in my opinion, and well worth the effort. I didn't bother to install a subwoofer, but the RFQ5000 only provides a pass through for one anyway. I'd have to put in a larger alternator to handle the power demands of a subwoofer, and at the moment I'm getting plenty of bass, nice and deep. The key is a good power amp equalizer, didn't even need to upgrade the speakers, although I may get around to that eventually.

 

[The Quadfather]

Yeah, that old dodge did rock a few times when it was sitting still. It was a good car, it lasted eleven years before I finally had to get rid of it. She was good too!

The Quadfather

 

[kvsawilson]

I had a quad setup in a little Toyota Corolla back in the day and always thought it was incredible to listen to music in there. In fact, all my friends had quad 8 players in their cars. I would love a 5.1 setup in my car if I could afford it now. Haven't followed the link, but wonder if this setup could do DD, DTS, dvd-a? I think it would have to do it all including SACD to get me to buy in at this point.

KW