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Why do I like the bass from my car's stock speakers?

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Posted on August 12, 2003 at 19:56:21
pillowfight
Audiophile

Posts: 39
Joined: February 25, 2003
 Why do I like the bass from my car's stock speakers? This a question that has been bothering me for some time now and I thought I'd ask for feedback on the subject.

I rarely listen to music on the stock stereo in my 1998 Jeep Cherokee, but when I do, it's a local FM station. The car system is definitely cheap -- I doubt if it cost more than $30 total.

At home, I listen to mostly jazz and rock music on a decent Rotel/Sonus Faber/REL setup. My home system is relatively refined, powerful and extended (I know it could be much more so, but that's another post.)

By most measures, the bass from my home system trounces the car system.

But there is something about the bass in my car that I really like. It is not extended or refined, yet it appeals to my ears in a way that I do not understand.

It sounds like the bass is pumped up and fat without being flabby or woolly. It sounds kind of like Barry White's voice -- very even and kind of gravelly.

The only time I've heard similar bass from a home system was when I demo'd a smaller Velodyne sub with Joseph monitor speakers and a Rotel/Bryston front end.

I realize that I am probably enjoying a certain type of distortion that a smaller, slightly overdriven bass driver produces. Whatever the case, I am surprised that I prefer this sound.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

 

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The same reason you like your singing voice in the shower..., posted on August 12, 2003 at 22:40:18
David Spear
 The smaller volume of a car interior reinforces the bass.

 

Re: sound in car, posted on August 13, 2003 at 05:36:35
geoffkait
 It's possible good sound in cars sometimes results from battery power, pneumatic (seismic) isolation and/or crossoverless speakers.

 

Distortion, posted on August 13, 2003 at 06:18:13
pburant
Audiophile

Posts: 2285
Location: New Hampshire
Joined: January 9, 2002
 I think the particular distortion you're getting in the car you happen to like. In addition, since yo listen to FM in the car, you're hearing compression, which will give everything more sustain, but you'll notice it most in the bass response.

Car systems are also engineered to have a bass sweet spot. You'll probably notice that your car system has sort of a one note bass response - for instance, listen to the pitch of the bass guitar notes - chances are that most of the notes are getting a bit lost and end up exciting your car system's sweet spot.

I notice these effects most when I hear male voices over FM on a car system. Everyone seems to get a little James Earl Jones in their voice....

It's no secret that distortion can be pleasant. If that weren't the case, fewer people would listen to tube amps. Distortion is always present in every system - it's just a matter of how much and what type.

-Pete

 

I would agree with..., posted on August 13, 2003 at 07:55:16
Charles Hansen
Manufacturer

Posts: 6984
Joined: August 1, 2001
 your first and last points (battery power and crossoverless speakers), but wonder about the "pneumatic isolation". It seems to me that the vibration from both the engine and the road would have an impact. Could you explain further?

I also tend to agree with the original poster's observations. It seems that many car radios (especially the older ones that are crossoverless) do tend to produce a great degree of enjoyment and involvement, especially compared to many home hi-fi systems.

Thanks,
Charles Hansen

 

The bass in male voices..., posted on August 13, 2003 at 07:58:54
Charles Hansen
Manufacturer

Posts: 6984
Joined: August 1, 2001
 is actually due to the "proximity effect". This occurs when using uni-direction (e.g., cardioid) microphones at close distances. They are typically designed to be used at several feet from the sound source to give flat response. But when they are used close up they will produce a bass boost of up to 10 dB. This is compounded when the speakers have a bass boost because the Q of the driver resonance is too high.

Best regards,
Charles Hansen

 

Re: I would agree with..., posted on August 13, 2003 at 08:24:25
geoffkait
 Speculating that the very low vibration of ground/road (< 5Hz caused by Earth crust "hum" and cars & trucks passing ovwer the highway) is attentuated by car's shock absorbers, that act like air spring isolators; the motor-generated vibration would (presumably) be considerably higher in frequency (and perhaps not as detrimental). I would insist on car like Volvo with air springs for motor mounts instead of the usual rubber grommets.. :-)

 

Mid Bass Sweet Spot, posted on August 13, 2003 at 15:06:14
Lymp Baygul
Audiophile

Posts: 11
Location: New York
Joined: July 14, 2003
 Your car system probably has an underdamped woofer. This is a typical design of lower priced audio equipment because it gives a warm friendly euphonic mid bass bumpat the expense of actual bass response. So the thing has a rise from about 100Hz to 250 Hz oaf around 2db at 160Hz (or similar numbers), so that it still is within the +-3dB spec, and instead of rolling off at 40Hz like it would if it wer properly damped, it rolls off at 50Hz. Either way, you are never going to get true bass extension, and even if you did, the road noise would drown it out anyway. The same thing is frequently done with mid-fi bookshelf speakers to give them more show room appeal. The price of an underdamped woofer is that you get monotone base, where every bass note excites the resonance peak. Put on somethingf with a nice string bass sols, like _Stanley Clark_, _If This Bass Could Only Speak_, and you will hear the difference between home and car systems.

 

Maybe this..., posted on August 16, 2003 at 08:11:14
Superfly
Audiophile

Posts: 148
Joined: August 9, 2003
 DC power
Your local radio station's output is Tubed
Car's speakers (I'm guessing) have a bump around 100Hz or so (helps with beat driven music...boom chika boom boom...)
**Backwaves disappear when speakers are mounted free-air and in the doors.
Car's acoustics in general

 

Easy to produce bass inside car & no standing waves under roughly 60Hz., posted on August 18, 2003 at 10:33:22
Richard BassNut Greene
 The modal range starts at about 40Hz. for a large van and at about 80Hz. for a two-seat sports car. Let's use 60Hz. for an "average car":

Below 60Hz. there are no standing waves so bass frequency response is potentially much smoother than in a home listening room ... and you
have no room ringing to muddy the bass below 60Hz.

You also get 12dB/octave cabin gain inside a sealed car = a 'free' 12dB boost at 30Hz. that really helps too.

There are so many advantages in car acoustics below roughly 60Hz. that relatively cheap bass drivers inside a car often outperform expensive bass drivers used inside a home listening room.

 

Re: Why do I like the bass from my car's stock speakers?, posted on August 23, 2003 at 14:07:03
Curt W
Manufacturer

Posts: 13
Joined: October 4, 2001
 Bass response inside a car has a +12dB per octave "rise" at the low end, not the usual rolloff that home systems have, this is nice and can make even less expensive systems sound better, fuller and more balanced.

 

Re: Why do I like the bass from my car's stock speakers?, posted on March 16, 2004 at 21:53:10
Todd Krieger
Audiophile

Posts: 37333
Location: SW United States
Joined: November 2, 2000
 For how good home systems are relative to car systems, no AC power supply has the rock solid LF source impedance of a car battery. For no matter how good or bad the car system is otherwise, I've almost never heard a car system (from inside the car) that sounded "slow" or "muddy" like I often hear in home systems.

 

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