My intent is to share my experiences with both upgrading my audio system as well as my opinion on various codecs versus WAV based on side by side comparisons to save others from trial and error. If you are interested, here are some past reviews I did:

Escort 8500 X50 with ZR3 Laser Shifter Review: https://g35driver.com/forums/audio-video-electronics/65590-escort-zr3-8500-x50-install-review.html

Tein Basics Suspension Review: https://g35driver.com/forums/reviews/35796-review-tein-basics-350evo-arms-spc-camber-kit.html

I hope this helps.


Part I: Audio system upgrade.

I have a 2004 sedan with the non-Bose audio system. This system is comprised of a Clarion made head unit with a built in 120 watt 4 channel amplifier (useable clean wattage is really around 8-10 watts per channel), a pair of 6.5” Panasonic 4 ohm speakers in the rear doors, and a pair of 6.5”/1” Panasonic 4 ohm separates in the front doors.

As an amateur audiophile, I found several things lacking in the stock system that I wanted to improve:

1. The system was unable to reproduce the full range of vocals, tones, sounds, and granularity in music. In a word: it sounded muddy.
2. The system lacked a mid-range control which rendered me unable to even attempt tuning the sound.
3. Listener fatigue set in very early due to the first two problems.
4. While I could input 6 CD’s, and could write WAV/CDA files on a CDR, I would prefer placing all my songs properly arranged in folders on one disc. With available codecs, I hoped to have everything on one disc and yield about double what I could do on 6 WAV/CDA discs.

I was NOT looking to have a super loud or bass heavy or competition level system; and, my budget was $2,000 (I own the vehicle and plan to keep it 7-10 years). I just wanted a solid, clean system that could accurately reproduce music across the range. After much research, here is where I ended up:

DD Conversion Kit: I purchased a DD finisher and A/C controller from Grubbs, and the dash pocket from my local dealer. In hindsight, I should of just ordered everything locally so if I ran into problems I could address it locally. Either way, these parts enabled a factory plug and play installation of either a single or double din head unit.

Head Unit: I had 3 requirements: a) the pre-amp RCA outputs had to be 4 Volts or higher (to me, this is THE litmus test as to the sound quality of the head unit); b) the CD player had to accept as many codecs as possible; and c) a minimum bass, mid, and treble controls.

I decided upon a 2005 model Eclipse CD8445 unit. This had 8 volt outputs, accepted MP3, ATRAC3 (via Sony memory stick), and WMA codecs, and had all three sound controls. This unit sells for $700 list, but because it was January and the 2006 models are about to arrive, I shopped around and found a local authorized dealer who had a little-used floor model for $299. I checked it out and it was very clean, had the original parts and box, and factory warranty. I also purchased the steering wheel interface for it made by PAC, SWI-ECL made for Eclipses.

Speakers: Ever since I installed a set of separates in my new 1988 Toyota truck, I’ve always been a Boston Acoustics fan. I listened to others and found them either lacking (JL Audio) or creating listener fatigue (MB Quart/Focal). In this case, just when I was about to get a set of Boston SL’s (I had listened to the Pros and the Z and felt the extra money just wasn’t worth it) I started reading on this forum and hearing from people about DLS.

I never heard of DLS, though they claim they’ve been around since 1979. I went to several local dealers none of whom had them set up for demo. After speaking with their home office staff in Sweden (David in tech support), I went with DLS Ultimate UP6 separates up front and Classic 226 co-axils just for fill in the rear. Yes I gambled and broke rule #1 about listening before buying speakers, but this was one time I gambled and won . . . more in a minute about the results.

Amplifier: My initial thought was a DLS Classic model CA-41 (50w x 4), but after speaking with David, he sold me on getting the Reference RA-40 (same power). He actually said the Ultimate series is the way to go, but I had to keep things in budget.

Noise Control: They are all good, but I wound up with Cascade Audio V-MAX for the doors (3 boxes enough for 6 doors), and a pair of Deflex pads for the front. I wanted the inner metal door panels and speaker mounts covered in VMAX. It later turned out that I should have bought 4 boxes because the installer ran out of material so the rear doors are only covered 60%.

Installation: I went to four different places ranging from large chain stores to one owner operations. I ended up going with a one owner DLS dealer who was in business for 20 years. His shop was the cleanest and most organized. I dealt with the owner who does the install himself and he listened and worked with me. His labor was 30% less than the big guys and was the only one who spent the time with me to do a thorough walk through of how I wanted the installation done including running wiring, mounting the amp, and ensuring the speakers were fully sealed up against the door. I also saw his other work and was impressed. He needed a day and a half for installation. Every place needed two to three days. Note that I did have to fine tune the amp settings to my liking which took me and a friend about 10 minutes.

Results: AMAZING! I am now sold on DLS. Their sound exceeded my expectation and any other system I have ever heard, even Boston Acoustics. Talk about reproducing music: I am able to hear sounds in songs I’ve been listening to for 20 years that I never knew were there! The vocals are outrageously real, and the sound is the cleanest I’ve ever heard (I’m sure the 8 volt outlet on the Eclipse helps). The front stage is spot on. I can only imagine what a larger budget for a larger amp and a subwoofer would sound like . . .



Part II: Codec vs. WAV/CDA comparison.

One of the unintended consequences of the new system is that it reveals not only every granular sound but also reveals all the shortcomings of recorded media. Of course, uncompressed WAV/CDA files sound great and give the results I want; the question now was what about codec. The whole value proposition of codec is that you can have well over a hundred tracks (around 140) on one CD and even organize them into named file folders for easy access.

The Eclipse handles 3 codecs:

MP3: very popular, cheap because of widely available cheap on-line single track downloads. Old technology but good enough quality for most users.

ATRAC3: Sony’s version of MP3. Sony claims it sounds better than MP3. In the Eclipse, you have to use a Sony 128 MB Magic Gate memory stick to which you can either rip CD tracks from the Eclipse CD player to the stick or download purchased music tracks from Sony online and transfer to the memory stick in ATRAC3 format.

WMA: Microsoft’s version of MP3. MS claims it is near CD quality, sounds better than MP3, and uses a more efficient smaller file size than MP3. MS even has a side by side comparison of WAV, MP3, and WMA on its website. The problem, however, is that WMA files purchased on-line (from Microsoft, Napster, Wal-mart, Rhapsody, etc.) are all encoded with DRM (digital rights management) which prevents you from transferring them to CD’s for use in your car even though you paid for the track! The only thing you can do is rip a store bought CD to WMA format (via Windows Media player), then organize your WMA files on your computer, and then create a Data CD. This negates the cost-effectiveness of downloading single songs on-line.

Comparison Results:

I chose several tracks with a wide range of sounds and complexity and created files in all four formats for back to back comparison: WAV/CDA, MP3, ATRAC3, and WMA. After I tested them and rendered my own opinion, I also had my musician friend listen to the same tracks but not knowing what the formats were. We indepently wrote down our opinions and when compared we actually reached the exact same conclusions:

1. WAV/CDA rendered the best sound quality and was the benchmark.
2. MP3: to the ordinary listener in a normal system, probably sounds about 85% like WAV/CDA quality, but in my car’s system we both agreed MP3 was truly about 75% of the quality of WAV/CDA. The Eclipse does have a “harmonizer” feature which supposedly adds to the missing sounds of codec music to make it more WAV like, but we felt all this feature did was actually alter the actual sound of the music and made it “fake”.
3. ATRAC3: very slightly better than MP3. If MP3 is 75%, ATRAC3 might be 80% at best.
4. WMA: very near WAV/CDA quality. We felt 95%. Since this is the case, I have decided to create WMA tracks onto one CD by ripping/converting my original CD’s. In my opinion, WMA is the only codec that makes its convenience balance with any lost sound quality.

 

MiamiG35sedan, good review and thanks for taking the time to write this. Just one comment on the choice of codecs. iPod and the associated free audio software, iTunes support MPEG-4 audio codec called AAC. When you purchase the music from Apple iTunes store, the songs are encoded in AAC protected format, at 128 kbps. I encode my own songs from CDs at 160 kbps. At this rate, it is a great competitor to the WMA format, and sometimes appears to be slightly less harsh (note, this is just my own personal opinion, so don't flame me!). I know the Head unit you purchased most likely does not give you the option of using AAC format, but many on this forum have integrated their iPods with their car stereo, and AAC therefore is yet another possible choice for audio codecs in this configuration.

 

Thank you. Since I have not done side by side comparisons with MPEG-4 I cannot confirm or deny your opinion on sound quality. You are right that my head unit does not support MPEG-4/AAC format (though I'm not sure any out there do; I know some brands state they do but then have a disclaimer that if the music was downloaded from iTunes it won't play. You have to rip a CD just like I do with WMA to get around DRM).

On the other issue of convenience/portability, I agree that iPod is an alternative vehicle. Maybe it's a Mac vs. PC thing.

 

Thanks, Miami, for your experiences/opinions
I thoroughly enjoyed Part I

got a question & a request...

1) what bit rate did you convert the files to for each of the formats? (If I have to use MP3 I usually use 320kbps...)

2) would you mind taking & posting a pic of your head unit installed... would like to see what the DD finisher, A/C controller, and the dash pocket look like together with the Eclipse deck.

 

I think you will find if you use the LAME encoder at 256 or 320 using the -insane- preset it will be very hard to tell a difference between it and the wav source.

I rip all my cd's at 320 -insane, and frequently I will hear something that sounds harsh or unnatural, I will go back to the original CD and find it was mastered that way. It is funny some of the musical 'sounds' we have accepted into our daily music because of the digital revolution.

Good S/N is nice, but there is something to be said for a perfect reproduction even if there is some hiss. I still have all my analog equipment - but it is only good for listening to old music, Even new vinyl is digitally mastered.

 

Thank you. The bit rate was 192kbps.

Here are two pics. Sorry the pic quality is not better, but the forum limits me to under 100kb pics. As you can see, with the headlights on, I set it for amber lighting. Whether the headlights are on or not, there are 4 buttons that are always blue and you cannot adjust their brightness. If the unit was placed higher in the dash I think this might be a distraction, but it sits low enough where it's not. The blue also matches my Escort 8500 x50 display.

 

Pictures of your setup!

 

I have found that if I rip my mp3's at 320 (which I do), they do sound appreciably better than 128 and even 192. I can't really tell the difference between 256 and 320, but do it at 320 anyways since storage is so cheap now.

Dave

 

just wondering how much is the up6 retails??? and how much online dealers are selling them for?? thanks

 

I havent seen any online retailers for the up6's I plan to bother el_duderino about them ;p

 

Nice writeup and good installation!

Looks like a great system!