With the Big Three automakers (again) slashing jobs quicker than Jason in a Friday the 13th movie, the once-mighty Motor City continues its decades-long decline. But for a week or so at the beginning of 2006, Detroit, MI, was the place to be-not for Super Bowl XL, but for the car industry's marquee event, the North American International Auto Show.
And while all eyes and subsequent media attention were on way-cool concept cars-namely Chevy's Camaro and Dodge's Challenger stealing the scene from the foreign exotics and further signaling the return of the muscle car-CA&E was on hand to suss out the latest and greatest in in-car entertainment. As confirmed by the sampling below of the best systems from the show, car manufacturers are getting more and more serious about their A/V offerings.
Audi This World
The '07 Audi S8 on display at Cobo Center was hot enough even without a smokin' sound system. But add to its elegant interior the sophisticated Bang & Olufsen (B&O) Advanced Sound System, and you've got a formidable performance pairing. The system sports 14 individual speakers, each powered by a dedicated channel of amplification, for a total of 1,000 watts.
Plus, the system just looks spectacular in the car. The dash tweeters-or Acoustic Lenses, as B&O terms them-slowly elevate out of each corner when the system is turned on, while the rest of the speakers are topped with gleaming aluminum grilles specially made for the car. But even more impressive is the sound of the system. For my demo, a B&O representative played the music of a Danish (naturally) female jazz vocalist and the mellow music perfectly exhibited the sterling attributes of the system: precise tonal detail, pinpoint imaging and staging, rich and deep up-front bass. Memories of the legendary Speaker Works/Richard Clark Buick Grand National and Alpine's BMW X5 came to mind-in other words, some of the best aftermarket systems I've ever heard. But this was in a production car.
Okay, I thought, the system sounded great with well-mannered audiophile jazz, but can it really kick out the jams? As if anticipating my question, the B&O guy cued up the AC/DC screamer "Thunderstruck," and I willfully twisted the rotary volume control in the center console clockwise. The resultant sound was HUGE, with the system playing as loudly and cleanly as my ears could stand.
"We waited until we had the right technology before we entered the car market," the rep grinned through his heavy Scandinavian accent. And I'd have to say the wait is well worth it. Although buyers of the S8 and A8, the two Audi vehicles the system will be available in, will have to decide if the $6,300 to $7,800 price tag of the B&O system option is worth it. But by car audio enthusiast standards, it's almost a bargain since you can't even think about getting an aftermarket system of this caliber installed for less than that.
Watching Maybach
Across the aisle from Audi was the Mercedes-Benz booth, and in one cordoned-off area sat the new Maybach 57 S. Noticing my press badge, a Maybach rep plucked me from the gawking crowd and invited me behind the velvet rope to actually sit inside the car. For a moment I felt like one of the privileged elite as I slipped into one of the supple leather rear seats. Staring at me was a 9.5-inch monitor inset into the back of the front seat and bordered by shiny, black piano-lacquer trim. Among the coolest aspects of the system were the retro-looking monogrammed Maybach headphones that pipe in digital surround. They're part of the $367,000 sedan's Bose Everywhere system boasting 21 speakers powered by 600 watts, and for that much coinage you also get a lifetime Sirius subscription and integrated front and rear cell phones.
Switching to the front seat for a critical listen a little later, the 57 S system had a hard act to follow after my experience in the Audi S8, yet it still sounded awesome with Diana Krall's Live in Paris DVD. The system was also very easy to operate. But if you can afford this ride, you'd probably have one of your assistants handle those little details.
North Sea Alliance
When the Volvo C70 hits the road this spring, the unique convertible with a retractable three-piece hardtop will put even more distance between the Swedish carmaker and its once stodgy image. And like VW, which hooked up with Dynaudio for a sweet premium system in the '06 Passat, Volvo has tapped the Danish speaker specialist to supply the C70's 14 drivers (including dual 9" subwoofers behind the rear seats) that are powered by over 900 watts (provided by Class D amplifiers).
The program material that Volvo used as a demo in Detroit (forgotten '70s-rock stalwarts Foghat) perhaps didn't cast the system in the best light, but I was intrigued by the dual center-channel speakers and the DSP technology that's used to adjust not only the volume but the tone of the system when the top is both up and down. I'd love to get this sexy Swede out on the road with its top down-with some appropriate tunes-to see what it can really do.
Zephyr Rustles
Among all the exotics at the Detroit auto show, the modest '06 Lincoln Zephyr seemed seriously out-gunned-although not in the audio category. With a THX II Certified Car Audio System discreetly installed in its ultra-quiet interior, this old-school mom-and-pop sedan competes with the best of them when it comes to rocking the block, thanks to its 14-speaker, 600-watt sonic arsenal.
THX's Configurable Speaker Array effectively enhances the soundstage for everyone in the cabin, while processors seamlessly compensate for fluctuations in exterior noise and vehicle acceleration. Like the other three systems mentioned above, the one in the Zephyr has a surround-sound mode, which added extra depth to Steely Dan's ????. But I'd opt for excellent 2-channel sound like that of the Zephyr over simulated surround any day-especially when you can hear the exact same music in full-resolution DVD-Audio in a handful of other production cars.