Head to head - Car audio buyer's guide

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Head to Head - Car audio buyer's guide

Drive a Maruti, a Ford or a Honda, but you've still got to find a way to drive the frustration of traffic away. We tell you which entry-level hi-fi car audio system you should buy and, more importantly why.

Old habits die hard and the inexpensive, capable cassette player is far from dead. Though the compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), and the recordable Mini disc are the future, the humble cassette is still the most practical and usable system of transporting recorded sound today.

In the early ’50s a young doctor at MIT selected a music system based on the specifications of the components alone. However what seemed an excellent choice on paper left much to be desired when he got around to listening to the system. Sorely disappointed, the young doctor of engineering decided to do something about it and founded a corporation dedicated to improving the quality of recorded sound. The young man was Dr Amar Bose and the rest as they say is history. What this amply illustrates is that though you can tell a lot about a music system by looking at its specifications, ultimately its net worth can only be measured by listening, measuring and comparing it with its peers.

For our test we chose systems that fell within the Rs 10,000-13,000 range. Each of the manufacturers were asked to pick out a tape and tuner head unit along with a set of four speakers. So without much further ado...

SPECIFICATIONS
Total Price	Rs. 13920

Tape/Tuner Model	TDM-754E

Wow & Flutter	0.06%

Frequency Response	30Hz-20,000 Hz ± 3dB

Signal to Noise Ratio	65dB

Tone Controls Bass	±10dB @ 30Hz

Treble	±10dB @10kHz

Max Power	35W x 4

RMS power	15W x 4

Speakers (rear)	TLC-6920

Type/size	2-way 6x9

Frequecy Response	48Hz-21,000Hz

Power Handling	90W

Sensivity	92dB

Speakers(front)	TLC 1320
-

ALPINE
ALPINE TDM 7574E with
TLL 6920 TLL 1320 speakers

Alpine has always portrayed itself as a performance-based system manufacturer - the Lamborghini of car audio! The 7574E forms part of Alpine’s new range and it comes with a more ‘organic’ and modern look, however Alpine’s signature opaque frosted buttons remain. Finish is more solid than slick, so also operation. The tape deck boasts the lowest wow and flutter and the widest frequency response. Due to bass boost being at 30Hz, more thump is delivered. It is a fun system that soon gets you in the party mood, especially the low frequency response that had us listening to the punchier tracks again and again. Bass is tight, clean and loud, making it the most exciting system to listen to.

Data from Real Time Analyser also proved that the Alpine consistently pushed out the most impressive values between 25 and 100Hz. Vocals and mid-range were also amongst the cleanest, though highs were not as detailed and separated as some of the competition, especially the JVC. Definitely the one if you want excitement but the most expensive.

SPECIFICATIONS
Total Price	Rs. 12,850

Tape/Tuner Model	Jackson CM148

Wow & Flutter	0.10% dB

Frequency Response	30Hz-15,000 Hz ± 3dB

Signal to Noise Ratio	65dB (stereo)

Tone Controls Bass	±10dB @ 100Hz

Treble	±10dB @10kHz

Max Power	35W x 4

RMS power	13.5W x 4

Speakers (rear)	TX-3961

Type/size	3-way 6x9

Frequecy Response	30Hz-25,000Hz

Power Handling	150W

Sensivity	92dB

Speakers(front)	AL-100
-

BLAUPUNKT
Jackson CM 148 with TX 3691 and Al 100 speakers

Manufactured and owned by Bosch, Blaupunkt has made serious inroads into our car audio market. Good products and an association with the ‘made in Germany’ tag gives it an edge. The Jackson does not have the twin-dial and smiling face signature look, though the German finish and slick operation of its buttons are a joy. Controls though are not logical at all, and we had to hunt through the manual to find the tone and balance controls. The deck has an extremely useful fade-in that increases the volume gradually when you insert a cassette, preventing a sharp step up in volume. With 13.5W RMS this system is the least powerful of the lot. While it delivered enough punch and clarity to keep the music interesting at lower volumes, up the volume and the clarity and sharpness disappear. The front speakers cannot handle as much bass and you need to fade them out considerably. The Blaupunkt’s mids and highs though sounded extremely natural and uncoloured and this makes the Jackson a joy to listen to if you’re not interested in listening to your music really loud.

Our Choice

SPECIFICATIONS
Company	JVC

Total Price	Rs. 11,430

Tape/Tuner Model	KS-F150

Wow & Flutter	0.15% (WRMS)

Frequency Response	50Hz-14,000 Hz ± 3dB

Signal to Noise Ratio	52dB

Tone Controls Bass	±10dB @ 100Hz

Treble	±10dB @ 10kHz

Max Power	40W x 4

RMS power	16W x 4

Speakers (rear)	CS-V6930

Type/size	3-way (6x9)

Frequecy Response	28Hz-27,000Hz

Power Handling	120W

Sensivity	93dB

Speakers(front)	CS-V420
-

JVC
JVC KS F 150 with CSV6930
and CSV420 speakers

The DESIGN and finish of Japan Victor Company’s unit is exemplary. The logical, soft-touch buttons function superbly, and controls and features come easily to hand - easily has the best finish of this bunch.

The JVC was the most ‘musical’ of the systems tested. It is crystal clear and feels as if a layer of haze has lifted; turn off the music, the difference is that perceptible.

Slot the cassette in and you’ll immediately be knocked over by highs that are detailed, clean and crisp with an impressive amount of separation between the vocals and each of the individual instruments.

Drive the JVC hard, even upto 100dB and still very little harshness is felt. Bass though is on the lighter side and nowhere as punchy as the Alpine or even the Sony.
Though the 16W per channel amp provides ample power, bass responses seem limited by the frequency response of the tape player that don’t go below 50Hz! Despite this, the JVC manages to retain the title of the best sounding system here, a winner despite any sizeable amount of punch from the system. What’s more, it’s also got the friendliest price.

SPECIFICATIONS
Total Price	Rs. 12,570

Tape/Tuner Model	KRC-387

Wow & Flutter	0.08% (WRMS)

Frequency Response	30Hz-14,000 Hz (± 3dB)

Signal to Noise Ratio	54dB

Tone Controls Bass	±10dB @ 100Hz

Treble	±10dB @10kHz

Max Power	40W x 4

RMS power	20W x 4

Speakers (rear)	KFC-1666

Type/size	2-way 6

Frequecy Response	35Hz-22,000Hz

Power Handling	130W

Sensivity	91dB

Speakers(front)	KFC-1056
-

KENWOOD
KENWOOD KRC 387 with KFC 1666
and KFC 1056 speakers

Kenwood’s association with the McLaren Formula 1 team and its position as OE supplier to Maruti means it is a brand that is well known. The KRC 387, the deck we tested, is a real looker with a blue digital display and smart-looking buttons. Getting to grips with the Kenwood system though is not easy as adjusting the bass treble controls requires a number of second or even third guesses. Please do read the manual if you buy this one.

Kenwood’s tape deck is impressively specified, with amongst the lowest wow and flutter ratings of any of the decks here, save for the Alpine. It also ranks amongst the most powerful amplifiers and proved that it could stay with the pack as far as loudness and decibel levels were concerned, reaching a peak of 94dB before any appreciable amount of distortion set in. Separation and detail were also impressive on the Kenwood with individual instruments not getting muddled together. However what let the Kenwood down is that the rear speakers were a touch underspecified. Thus bass responses were not all that they could have been, and ended up being apologetically weak.

SPECIFICATIONS
Total Price	Rs. 13,415

Tape/Tuner Model	CQ-R155EW

Wow & Flutter	0.12% (WRMS)

Frequency Response	35Hz-14,000 Hz

Signal to Noise Ratio	52dB

Tone Controls Bass	±12dB @ 30Hz

Treble	±12dB @10kHz

Max Power	30W x 4

RMS power	15W x 4(DIN 45 324)

Speakers (rear)	EAK-H958

Type/size	2-way (6x9)

Frequecy Response	40Hz-20,000Hz

Power Handling	130W

Sensivity	93dB

Speakers(front)	RD-400
-

PANASONIC
PANASONIC CQ-R155EW with EAK H958 RD 400 speakers

Another typically confusing Japanese design, the faceplate of the Panasonic looks like it has been designed by stirring up all the buttons and then suddenly pressing pause! Controls are really confusing and we strongly advise you don’t try and figure them while on the road. Though the deck is well- specked, the game for the Panasonic is well and truly lost in the sound quality department. The frequency response is nothing to write home about and signal to noise ratio is amongst the lowest. The amp is quite beefy though with a 15W RMS rating. Though vocals and other mid-range signals have a certain degree of clarity to them, there’s not much else that impressed us. Sound is very mid-range, biased and flat, and even making judicious use of the tone controls has little effect on the flat sound. Buy this one if you like to listen to music with a lot of vocals or string instruments.

SPECIFICATIONS
Total Price	Rs. 9700^*

Tape/Tuner Model	XR-1807

Wow & Flutter	0.13% (WRMS)

Frequency Response	30Hz-15,000 Hz

Signal to Noise Ratio	55dB

Tone Controls Bass	±8dB @ 100Hz

Treble	±8dB @10kHz

Max Power	35W x 4

RMS power	-

Speakers (rear)	XS-GT693D

Type/size	3-way (6x9)

Frequecy Response	-

Power Handling	160W

Sensivity	-

Speakers(front)	Not supplied
* without front speakers

SONY
SONY XR 1807 with XSGT693D
(no front speakers)

Easily the best known brand here, the 1807 though is not one of Sony’s newer designs. The forward, reverse and eject mechanisms are spring-loaded and feel older than other designs here. Controls however are the easiest to use and the large, simple LCD screen makes it easy to adjust the tone and the balance.

One of the pioneers of cassette deck technology means the Sony easily keeps pace with the leaders as far as the quality and clarity of sound are concerned.

There is a certain smoothness to the sound and mid-range performance is exceptionally clean and clear, the best around, with treble highs not too far behind. In addition, bass responses were tight and punchy though nowhere as fun as the Alpine. The Sony even went louder than all but the JVC, rocking hard and clean upto an impressive 96 decibels. It’s definitely a Sony!

This deck cannot control a CD-changer, making an upgrade at a later date almost impossible.

HOW WE TESTED

Let's get one thing straight - this is a test to find the best sounding system available within our budget. Stuff like aesthetics and finish, though they play a role, definitely take a back seat to overall sound quality. We hear through our ears and that's how the winners of this test have been decided. However, aiding our ears and backing up what we heard is a Real Time Analyser or RTA. The Larson Davis System 824 is a combination of a sound level meter and a real time analyser that can measure 48 sound pressure parameters at once! the log system allows you to gather sound pressure levels over any defined frequency and time so that a real comparison can be made.

Inputs from S Malvi

Source

April 2001

» Anatomy of a Car Audio System
» Car audio history
» Desirable features
» Car audio maintenance
» Alternative to attaching a CD player
» Installation tips
» In-Dash CD-Players
» Sound Advice - Car buyer's guide
» Audio Glossary

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