Sean's Blog

In just about every car I’ve owned or been in, I’ve found myself completely and utterly disappointed by the sound systems manufacturers put in their cars—even the expensive “upgrades.” Honestly, it amazes me that people can think these systems sound even remotely decent, though I suppose all it takes with modern music is a preponderance of bass (not to sound too terribly pretentious or anything). Whether it says Bose, Harmon/Kardon, Rockford Fosgate, or anything else, if it came from the factory, it generally sucks hard.

Because of that, I’ve always put in aftermarket stereos. My first car had an Alpine head unit, with CDT components, a Boston Acoustics subwoofer (not to provide the boom-boom-boom, but rather to complement the exemplary midranges and highs of the CDTs), and outboard amplifiers for each. My current car has that same Alpine head unit, and upgraded CDT component speakers, but I’ve always been too lazy to throw the rest of the components in. And since I’ve been looking to get a new car, I naturally started to think about the stereo that I’d have in it.

This past weekend, I ordered my new car (a Volkswagen GTI), and while I thought the “premium” sound system would be a disappointment, I gave it a try anyway, and I’m glad I did. It’s truly the best sounding stock stereo I’ve ever heard; the mids and highs are incredibly clear and detailed (though the soundstage is a bit higher than is ideal), and the lows are quite good as well. Could someone do better in the aftermarket? Sure, with lots of money and time to tear the car apart and put it back together. Since I’m slowly making the transition to the Real World™, I don’t really feel like taking an entire weekend to do that anymore. And the number of people who could tell the difference are few and far between anyway. In short, VW did a great job of partnering with Dynaudio to provide a stock stereo even an audiophile could appreciate. They’re certainly the first manufacturer that I can be as kind to, as far as audio is concerned…