[unavailablezl1]

Nice system, but overkill. Good for SEMA but that is about it. I listen to the ZL1 when I am driving.

[JB'sZL1]

Originally Posted by unavailablezl1

Nice system, but overkill. Good for SEMA but that is about it. I listen to the ZL1 when I am driving.

That is music, isn't it?

[unavailablezl1]

Originally Posted by JB'sZL1

That is music, isn't it?

It sure is. When I want music or loud movie I listen to my home stereo, which no car stereo can touch. Mine sounds better then going to the movies.

[JB'sZL1]

Originally Posted by unavailablezl1

It sure is. When I want music or loud movie I listen to my home stereo, which no car stereo can touch. Mine sounds better then going to the movies.

I was going to state that. I have had a theater for 15 years. And have had serious subs, amps and speakers (home type, not car) for longer than that.

Kudos to those that outfit their cars with uber sound, but it will in no way compare with a good home system. When I'm in my Z I want to drive.

[LODuncan]

Love the wrap on the car!

[drfeelgood]

Originally Posted by JB'sZL1

I was going to state that. I have had a theater for 15 years. And have had serious subs, amps and speakers (home type, not car) for longer than that.

Kudos to those that outfit their cars with uber sound, but it will in no way compare with a good home system. When I'm in my Z I want to drive.

Even with perfect sound deadening (like the OP) no car will ever sound as good as a good home theatre system. But living in LA, the traffic is so bad, it helps having a good SQ setup in the cars as well. My CTS-V has an active 3 way front stage with competition grade drivers, amps and processors, DVD audio, DVD player, carputer (BitplayHD) full digital setup with Dolby 5.1 Surround...

My ZL1 has a nice setup also, (not as nice as the V) with an active 3-way front stage which helps when the top is down. But you're right, both pale in comparison to my home theatre setup.

[JB'sZL1]

Originally Posted by drfeelgood

Even with perfect sound deadening (like the OP) no car will ever sound as good as a good home theatre system. But living in LA, the traffic is so bad, it helps having a good SQ setup in the cars as well. My CTS-V has an active 3 way front stage with competition grade drivers, amps and processors, DVD audio, DVD player, carputer (BitplayHD) full digital setup with Dolby 5.1 Surround...

My ZL1 has a nice setup also, (not as nice as the V) with an active 3-way front stage which helps when the top is down. But you're right, both pale in comparison to my home theatre setup.

I feel your pain living in LA.

I've deadened my doors, and will be doing my trunk...then I'm done. Sound (better music sound quality and less road/traffic noise) is already better with just the doors.

[motorhead]

Wow! Love the detail in the build and the thread. I bet it sounds amazing. I love the A-pillar speaker design. Looks great! I would hate to see the coin that took to build.

[JB'sZL1]

I am more of a purist, except when it comes to my SACD system. I believe less is often more. A well designed 4.1 system can be very pure, particularly when well placed and coupled with ample deadening. Extraneous pillar, center and other speakers are simply redundant, and, can actually be confounding (because one gets the best sound from the main speakers). More surround speakers does not necessarily mean better sound, or more accurate sound. This is a complex thing in a theater. In a tiny auto it is exponentially tougher.

[motorhead]

Originally Posted by JB'sZL1

I am more of a purist, except when it comes to my SACD system. I believe less is often more. A well designed 4.1 system can be very pure, particularly when well placed and coupled with ample deadening. Extraneous pillar, center and other speakers are simply redundant, and, can actually be confounding (because one gets the best sound from the main speakers). More surround speakers does not necessarily mean better sound, or more accurate sound. This is a complex thing in a theater. In a tiny auto it is exponentially tougher.

I do agree. Some of my best sounding systems were very basic with good speaker placement and good cabin acoustics.

[drfeelgood]

Originally Posted by JB'sZL1

I am more of a purist, except when it comes to my SACD system. I believe less is often more. A well designed 4.1 system can be very pure, particularly when well placed and coupled with ample deadening. Extraneous pillar, center and other speakers are simply redundant, and, can actually be confounding (because one gets the best sound from the main speakers). More surround speakers does not necessarily mean better sound, or more accurate sound. This is a complex thing in a theater. In a tiny auto it is exponentially tougher.

IMO, a 3 way front stage is ideal, at least for me. I like my sound stage a little higher, and it’s hard to get that in a 2 way setup when your mid-bass/mid-range is in the doors. A good midrange/tweeter combo in the A pillar sounds great. I fired my midrange off glass, and created a pillars with on axis tweeters.

I removed the center channel, and it sounds better this way. The V is setup for movies, so the Dolby 5.1 comes in handy for that. But I have four separate settings in the bitone and I don’t run the center channel when listening to music

[unavailablezl1]

You can't get a great division of sound in a car. The right speaker is bouncing off of the left side of the car and visa versa. When you set to the side in the driver's seat, to get really good left and right you have to offset the balance compared to setting in true center between speakers. I have been a high end audiophile most of my life and after a certain amount of speakers and money, you won't tell any difference between spending $8k and $15k on a stereo in a car. Having a DVD in the car is ridiculous, who is watching a movie in a ZL1? No one. If they are, they bought the wrong car.

[ICTsccaCamaro]

He needed the 750hp upgrade to make the car move after all the weight that was added to the car

[drfeelgood]

Originally Posted by unavailablezl1

You can't get a great division of sound in a car. The right speaker is bouncing off of the left side of the car and visa versa. When you set to the side in the driver's seat, to get really good left and right you have to offset the balance compared to setting in true center between speakers. I have been a high end audiophile most of my life and after a certain amount of speakers and money, you won't tell any difference between spending $8k and $15k on a stereo in a car. Having a DVD in the car is ridiculous, who is watching a movie in a ZL1? No one. If they are, they bought the wrong car.

I once knew someone who claimed to be an audiophile. When I asked him where he purchased his FLAC files to play in his car, he looked at me lost and said he never heard of FLAC, that was the end of the conversation

The ZL1 doesn’t even have a CD player, let alone a DVD player so not sure where you deciphered that. I mentioned that in the CTSV build

The estimated cost for the OP’s system that we mentioned was the customer cost, because most of the cost for a customer will be labor. However, Audiophile/competition grade equipment in a vehicle can still run pretty high (>$15k for equipment alone , especially in a competition vehicle... see any of Scott Bewulda’s builds). If you have to ask, Scott Bewulda holds the highest combination score of any vehicle of any IASCA competition in history. The equipment for that vehicle was over $40k alone

As for sound in a vehicle, as many of us have mentioned, you can only get so much SQ in a vehicle , even with the proper sound deadening. The acoustics in a vehicle are horrible. Even when using a DSP with DTA to center your sound stage on the driver (which I do) it will never be perfect. Most of us try to maximize the possibilities and minimize the imperfections