Quote:
Originally Posted by mstevens
No, I don't think number of speakers or power output matter much at all.
A small number of excellent speakers will always be better than a large number of crappy speakers. Always. For one thing, good speakers reproduce sound more accurately than bad speakers. For another, each wire run and crossover introduces sources of distortion.
Wattage, which is purely the power output of the amp, matters very little as long as it is sufficient to drive the speakers. Accuracy of sound representation is vastly more important than sound output. Tons of power pumping out distorted sound is going to sound terrible, but loud.
My personal goal in reproducing music is to have it sound as much as possible like what I would hear if I'd been there for the original performance. That includes volume. This is never going to be possible in a car to begin with, but I'm still looking for accurate reproduction more than anything else. If you're primarily listening to an iPod, this may not matter much since the signal is close to garbage to begin with.
I don't have a particularly high-end setup (Rega Planar 3 turntable with Elys cartridge, PS Audio preamp, B&K ST240 amp, old custom CD transport with custom DAC) but even on this gear the same performance is audibly different if the source is vinyl LP, CD, or various file formats (.mp3, .aac, etc.)
The very best-sounding systems are quite often the most minimalist.
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I understand what you're saying, but when you're talking the difference between systems in BMW's, I don't think we're talking about cheap systems. There are a couple of different systems and I was very interested to find out which one is the Premium Sound version. I agree that the # of speakers doesn't necessarily mean quality but I also think sound is a very subjective thing.
For example, I have the Logic 7 system in my 3-series and I think it sounds great. I've read people online who say they think the same system sounds terrible. It's all in the eye (or ears) of the beholder.
Have to say, I disagree with you about the ipod. I know the sound is compressed, but it depends on the source itself. I have some tunes on my ipod that sound like garbage and some that sound pretty amazing. Some, I can't tell the difference between CD (and I'm not talking about tracks ripped directly from CD). Again, it's so subjective. Your ears are different from my ears. As you said, an automobile is not the ideal listening environment, so I think (especially in a 2-seater with a reduced area), that the relative strength of the ipod is not as important as say....listening at home on a high-end system.
Knowing the BMW and the sound I've heard before, I am fairly certain that the more powerful system is the one I'd want. I heard the base system in the 35i and it was not the greatest, in my opinion. In my experience, in the BMW, the more powerful system gives you just as clean sound and tight bass at higher volumes. The base system sounds flat to me.