Vendor quote: "The key for good sound quality is the way its installed"

[harmon_bro]

I had been to this place called Metal Effects in Chennai. Mr. Charles who runs the place is known for his fibreglass mould work etc. I met up with him today for inputs on my car audio upgrade. He did not even take a second to listen to my Infinity comp/oval setup and outrightly says nah! not good and tells me
"The key for good sound quality is the way its installed" no matter what speakers or subs you use.

I asked him what speaker/sub components would he recommend and he tells me again it can be anything and guarantees good installation would bring out good sound out of any speakers and that it really does not matter if its an Infinity or a Hertz etc etc.... He also ridiculed(a big NO) to Dynamat.

He asked me to wait for a minute and gave me a demo of his setup on an Innova, it had a Pioneer headunit, Pioneer components on a kick panel for both front and rear door placement. He played my CDs and sounded, ahem! BAD. I still felt my current setup in my car sounded a lot better.

I had nothing more to ask him, thought I share this story with everyone here and know what you guys have to say about this.

[panky12345]

see you basically went to a guy who is onto making enclosures etc. i.e. a carpenter. He has to sell installation, so he will.

Moreover, you would be having different tastes (listening pleasure levels) altogther. Good for me doesnt necessarily mean good for you.

I can show you one of my sardar friends, whos happy with the SQ given by Pio 2150 X 4; 3 Pio 306 DVC; 2 Pio TS20 in his car.

[rocksterraghu]

Originally Posted by harmon_bro

He did not even take a second to listen to my (Infinity comp/oval) setup and outrightly says nah! not good

Should tell you how he bases his decisions on his beliefs and perceptions.

Originally Posted by harmon_bro

"The key for good sound quality is the way its installed" no matter what speakers or subs you use.

he tells me again it can be anything and guarantees good installation would bring out good sound out of any speakers and that it really does not matter

The point is, equipment and the install are important, even though there is no way of saying which is more important. A bad installer can make the best of equipment sound bad, but it is not the other way around. If it is bad equipment, it will stay bad. IMO.

[panky12345]

true raghu, a bad equipment is bad. ask him, can he make my sony 222 and pio 305 svc combo better sounding than my jbl 301.1 and cs1204t bass tube??.... whatever location he might install it, be it the car top.... crap would sound crap.

the rattling of the doors is actually a plus point in selling these local equipment, "bhai sahab kya awaaj hai....darwaze bhi hil rahe hain"...."aur kitni dhamak chaiye?"

[navin]

Originally Posted by rocksterraghu

A bad installer can make the best of equipment sound bad, but it is not the other way around. If it is bad equipment, it will stay bad. IMO.

One can often make bad equipment sound listenable. pad the treble, tune the bass or lower it so that it is not so noticeable, change a the XO so that drivers are not overloaded or not pushed into break up, etc...

[gunbir]

Originally Posted by navin

One can often make bad equipment sound listenable. pad the treble, tune the bass or lower it so that it is not so noticeable, change a the XO so that drivers are not overloaded or not pushed into break up, etc...

This could be summed up in one word... BOSE, but I guess that would be less than 20 characters

[speedzak]

The Installer is trying to show off his virtues. That's all. And he is very much wrong to claim that any product will sound good with a good installer. Bully crap!!
Bad equipment with bad installer is the worst. Good equpment with bad installer is bad. Bad equipment with a good installer is better. Good equipment with good installer is the best!

The quote in your title is very much true! "The key for good sound quality is the way its installed"..... But, it would've been better said: "The key for good sound quality is also the way its installed"

[navin]

Originally Posted by gunbir

. BOSE,

Very funny Gunbir, BOSE only does OEM right?

BTW you can make BOSE listenable. Simple, just turn it off.

[filcord]

Originally Posted by gunbir

This could be summed up in one word... BOSE

I second that. In the US I sat in my cousin's Audi, with a Bose sound system (came with the car). The sound is at first extremely likable, clear vocals, bass in your face. After a while it irritates the ears, and really... like eating spoon after spoon after spoon of honey.
Bose is a con job.

[binz]

Originally Posted by filcord

I second that. In the US I sat in my cousin's Audi, with a Bose sound system (came with the car). The sound is at first extremely likable, clear vocals, bass in your face. After a while it irritates the ears, and really... like eating spoon after spoon after spoon of honey.
Bose is a con job.

Are you sure it was bose? .. Coz if im not wrong,the audis,atleast in india come with harmon..

[akshay1234]

Originally Posted by binz

Are you sure it was bose? .. Coz if im not wrong,the audis,atleast in india come with harmon..

they have optional bose systems which are quite useless IMO. my friends a6 has their 10 speaker system and honestly i prefer my innovas alpine setup.

[filcord]

Originally Posted by binz

Are you sure it was bose? .. Coz if im not wrong,the audis,atleast in india come with harmon..

It's an Audi, can't remember the model, about five years old.

[Autophile]

Audi in India come with Bose.

[binz]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

they have optional bose systems which are quite useless IMO. my friends a6 has their 10 speaker system and honestly i prefer my innovas alpine setup.

Ya ive heard the setup playing Korn with a 17yr old at the wheel.My pio sounded better.

Ok its Bose if everyone says so..

[DerAlte]

Audi IS advertised with Bose (check the newspaper ads).

But, what's with this prejudice? Aren't we being conceited here? A lot of people like Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood, Bose, ... Is there a criteria that should fail these brands from being acceptable / successful? For every person who says they are c**p, there are a 100 others saying otherwise.

If you see the revenues earned by Sony (by whatever strategy) as compared to the others, one would find it difficult to believe they are bad. Ditto Bose. Nothing becomes better by using esoteric terminology, citing awards or having a fan/cult following.

In the end the end-users are able to discriminate according to personal taste. There are as many who subscribe to BOOM at the lowest price, as there are who believe that any less than 6-digit INR ICE is something that they shouldn't be seen in the company of.

Easy to make comments - there are very very few souls who will have the courage to take a controlled blind test. And a lot who would lack the courage to admit that they can't.