[mithun]

List of car audio manufacturers and brands - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Which manufacturers among the above list would the ICE Gurus consider in the order of preference (price-wise & SQ-wise) ?

Please pour your unbiased views so that everyone can make purchasing decisions (in addition to their own auditioning) since most of brands are quite new to the laymen here in InDiA !

Also include the pros & cons and notorious histories(if any)...

Try to classify them as :

1. Best Brands (considering performance):
2. Value for money Brands :
3. Low end brands (Decent stuff):
4. Crap brands (ones to look out for):

PS : This list is incomplete; and some cos are missing.

[navin]

Originally Posted by mithun

Which manufacturers among the above list would the ICE Gurus consider in the order of preference
Try to classify them as :
1. Best Brands (considering performance):
2. Value for money Brands :
3. Low end brands (Decent stuff):
4. Crap brands (ones to look out for):

1, As you have mentioned the list is not exhaustive. Many brands are not there.
2. Best and VFM are subjective parameters. Each member will have his own opinion as to what sounds best and what is most VFM. This will only confuse you further.
3. What you can do is eliminate the poor brands. For example there is a general concensus on TBHP that Sony speakers are not very good.

If you are shopping for a car stereo you need to first be VERY clear on the following:
1. BUDGET. Trust me if you dont put a limit on it you can get into some serious trouble.
2. Space. Almost all car subwoofers will be installed in the space in the trunk. How much space are you willing to allocate to the subwoofer?
3. Modfications. How extreme are you willing to go to modify the car. If you search some of the international forums you will some really extreme installs where the entire car is gutted and new panels and housings are made of Carbon, Fiberlgass, Aluminum, Stainsteel, etc..

THe 3 parameters that will affect the above are
1. Taste in music. What do you listen to -do you listen to Trance or Acapella?
2. SPL. How loud do you want it to go.
3. Sound Preference. What do yo want it to sound like. Do you want it to sound like a Discotheque or like a live concert. Do you want it "blast your ears off" or do you prefer a laid back easy listening tone?

[vikram18]

Originally Posted by mithun

Which manufacturers among the above list would the ICE Gurus consider in the order of preference (price-wise & SQ-wise) ?

In addition to what Navin has already pointed out, my personal opinion is that SQ people are extremely fussy and it is very unlikely that they'll make a choice ONLY going by suggestions here.

Secondly, choice of equipment, in India, will also depend on availability locally (for service, warranty, etc.) and that by itself is a limitation.

Music is SO subjective that you can only let your ears decide, and while I understand completely the idea behind this thread, there are simply FAR too many variables to enable one to rank the brands solely by manufacturers.

Since ICE involves a host of components (speakers, amplifiers, cables, subwoofers, monoblocks, etc.), simply selecting even the "best" might not always be very satisfactory, which leads to further confusion. an outright SQ guy might like some "warmth" and if the "best" configuration produces a very sterile sound, he'll end up hating it!

Personally, I'd take the easy way out. I'd simply PM Navin and a couple of other ICE gurus and then shortlist my equipment, audition it, and then plan the bank job

[mithun]

Got one list : Copy of the CAC Good, Bad, and Ugly List

Thanks to determinus .