How to Configure Your Car Stereo for Maximum Sound Quality. Many in-car audio systems allow drivers to change significantly more than simply the volume. However, an industry expert believes it is advisable not to change the factory settings. Here is why.
ONE EXPERT RECOMMENDS NOT CHANGING CAR AUDIO SETTINGS
Christopher Herold, Harman International’s director of acoustic systems engineering, told Capital One, “When it comes to setting up your audio system, our first piece of advice is don’t touch that dial!” That’s because our engineers have already tuned the bass, treble, balance, and fading to deliver the best possible experience.”
Tuning a car radio requires a significant amount of time and work. During the design phase, the Harman team considers a variety of criteria, including seat style, door material, and interior space. They adjust the settings for coupes and convertibles, for example, because a folding top has different acoustic qualities than a fixed one.
Once the computers have finished their work and built a model, “our golden ears take over,” Herold says. “These engineers use their favorite songs and pieces of music to test and push the performance limits of an audio system. It’s a true labor of love, and many of them are musicians.
START WITH THE RIGHT TUNES IF YOU NEED TO CHANGE CAR AUDIO SETTINGS
If you can’t resist the impulse to fiddle with the automobile audio settings, Herold suggests car owners make a playlist of songs from various genres and listen to them in the drive. It will help you assess whether a specific vocal tone is excessively loud or if the bass is rocking you in your seat. From there, you can often adjust your infotainment system accordingly.
Bass and tonal balance are two common customizable characteristics. Some systems additionally include tone modification via graphic equalization, as well as spatial audio manipulation. “When setting your bass, look for presence, balance, and extension of low frequencies,” Herold said. “The bass should be punchy and tight so that each note is distinctly present and physically moving.”
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To achieve the appropriate tonal balance between bass, mid-range, and treble, Herold advises owners to “set the system so that high-frequency sounds, for example, cymbals complement the mid-range without a sense of harshness or irritation.”
Dialing in the spatial-audio settings to achieve the finest surround-sound profile involves some imagination. “The listening experience in a car should be comparable to attending a concert,” Herold said. So get into the driver’s seat, imagine a band performing in front of you, and “set the system so that the instruments appear naturally separated and accurately spread throughout the dashboard.”
YOUR CAR AUDIO QUALITY MATTERS THE MOST
Herold warns that purchasing an optional high-end automotive sound system is pointless if you play low-quality music. He advocates utilizing CDs because they provide good audio quality. However, the tried-and-true compact disc format is becoming obsolete, and the number of new automobiles equipped with a CD player is shrinking. If you’re downloading music, make sure to grab the highest-quality file possible since, according to Herold, it will allow you to “experience the full joy of your sound system.”
