[MOSFET]

This group has turned into a ghost-town but I know there are those like
myself who come here from time to time to see if anyone's posted anything.

This is my favorite hobby (car audio) and I love to talk about it, so in the
desperate attempt to start SOME kind of discourse let me throw out a
question:

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT CAR AUDIO TECHNOLOGY HAS ADVANCED THE MOST IN THE LAST
10-15 YEARS?

Perhaps this is a cop-out answer, but IMHO, I would say it's a tie between
head-units and speakers.

First, the reason I say HU is because today's HU's can do SO MUCH MORE than
their older couterparts. There was a day when you needed a HU, an outboard
X-over, an outboard EQ and other outboard DSP or other such processors like
BBE or noise-gates. Today, ALL of those functions can be found on the
modern HU. Add to that the fact that today's HU's can play MP3's on a
burned CD or even DVD, AND they generally all sound fantastic! Many new
units now have SD card slots or USB interfaces. ON TOP OF THAT, the
displays on modern HU's have become much more advanced utilizing the best
imaging technogies like LCD, ect. This makes for a display that can
"display" more information as well as frankly looking cooler. But again,
for me, the biggest improvement is the fact that today's HU can basically
do-it-all, something I vividly recall wishing they could do many years ago.

And then speaker technology advances. EVERY TIME I'm in my car and listen
to my system I am utterely impressed at the SQ and in particular, the
incredible amount of midbass I get out of my Alpine Class R 6.5" midbass
speaks. I have owned several top-of-the-line 6.5" speperates over the years
from companies including BA, JL and MB Quart. None of those could produce
the quantity of midbass I get from my newer Alpine's. I have NO DOUBT that
this is largely due to technology spill-over from the REMARKABLE
improvements in subwoofer technology. Newer cone materials, larger formers
and magnets, improved spider and surround materials, have helped produce
subwoofers with AMAZING Xmax and yet still sound great and don't break the
bank. The same can be said for all other types of speakers. It is frankly
amazing how little you have to spend anymore for a good set of subwoofers OR
seperates or even coaxials.

Anyway, I enjoy this technology improvement EVERY TIME I drive my car so I
really have to put speaker technology improvements right up there with HU
technology improvments. I mean, if HU's were still the same as they were 15
years ago I could certainly go out and buy outboard X-overs and EQ's, but
when you have just a 6.5" hole in your door, you're a little stuck. So
although it would be easy to state that the HU has progressed the most in
terms of technology, from the perspective of what has changed the SOUND of
my system the most, it most definately has been improvements in speakers.

That's my $.02. I would really like to hear other opinions or comments
about what I have said. Anything to get a discusion going...

Take care all,

MOSFET