I say buy him a Lexus with a nice stereo and let him put the whole thing in
the studio.


"Mark" wrote in message
om...
Hmm... Perhaps I didn't explain myself well...

I am asking this group because this car stereo is for his recording
studio. He has a set of nice Mackies in his recording studio as
monitors. He said he'd like a car stereo in the studio so that he can
get an idea of what the mix sounds like in a less than optimal setup.
He's looking to verify that the mixes sound good through the monitors
AND through a lower quality system. He mentioned that a lot of people
tend to listen to music in their cars and that's why he wants to do
the comparison - to make sure that the mix sounds okay regardless of
where it's being played.

He's not going to put this stereo in his car! :-)

I'm looking for advice as to what kinds of car stereos interface with
professional recording equipment the easiest (I doubt there are car
stereos with balanced inputs), what is the easiest way to control it
(is a remote important?), and what kind of "sound" should I look for
(bassy, neutral, bright?)? He said that this is fairly common to have
something like this... maybe it isn't?

Anyway, he let me use his recording studio and equipment for a couple
of days (not to mention his time and expertise). I figure this is the
least I can do to pay him back.

Thanks for all your help!!!

Mark


(Mike Rivers) wrote in message
news:znr1070541357k@trad...
In article
writes:

Looking for suggestions or recommendations on a car stereo to buy as a
gift for a friend.

He made a
passing comment that the only thing he needs is a car stereo to get an
idea of what the mixes sound like outside the studio monitors.

So what should I look for? Obviously, it would need to have an input,
but what types work the best (for my price range ~$150)?

First look at his car. Does he have a 1967 Chevy pickup truck? I can't
imagine any car made in the last 20 years that doesn't have a stereo
system that's better than what you could buy for $150. Or is he really
wanting a CD player, because his present car doesn't have one?

When I bought my 1993 Lexus, the CD player was a $2,000 option (it
was bundled the sunroof or something) so I passed on it, and spent
several of the next ten years looking for a satisfactory aftermarket
CD player. The built-in sound system was so tightly integrated with
the body that no in-dash CD player would interface with it, assuming
there was a sensible place to put it (which there wasn't). I looked at
those in-the-trunk CD changers with an FM RF modulator that plays the
CD through the radio antenna, but there wasn't even a sensible place
in the cockpit to mount the remote control for the CD changer. My
final semi-solution was to use one of those adapters that looks like a
tape cassette and plays through the cassette player, using a Walkman
CD player on the passenger seat.

Ten years later I gave up and bought a new Lexus, which includes a CD
player even in the base model (which also has a sunroof and leather
upholstery).