Hey,
just wondering if anyone knows of any devices for car stereos or with a
controller that increases or decreases the volume as the ambient noises
increase or decrease?
Thanks

That's what we trained professionale refer to as the "driver" :-)

JD

Brett wrote:
Hey,
just wondering if anyone knows of any devices for car stereos or with a
controller that increases or decreases the volume as the ambient noises
increase or decrease?
Thanks

I could be wrong, but i believe that the speed control volumes on the
GM product just ramp it up according to what speed youre at. It might
be difficult to use a seperate microphone circuit to detect ambient
noise increases, because the volume of the system would affect it.
however you could always invert the system signal and feed it back into
the "noise" microphone so that it doesnt "show up". im describing an
active noise canceling system. hmm, there are probably schematics out
there for that. well this probably doesnt help because you most likely
want a component to do that. again, its been a long day
Jester
BTW, i love the driver remark! thats great!

Actually, all HU's are equipped with just such a sophisticated device, it's
called a "volume control" and your hand.

Seriously though, John's right, all the so called "ambient-noise"
controllers I've ever seen are simply volume controls that adjust based on
the car's speed. I have never used one of these, but I have heard that they
are actually quite annoying in actual practice. The problem with a device
that actually "listened" for ambient noise (like noise canceling headphones)
might be confused by passenger voices. However, that being said, as engine,
road and wind noise produce a constant sound, it actually seems like a
pretty good idea to produce an out-of-phase canceling sound. Perhaps some
manufacturers have experimented with this.

MOSFET

MOSFET
"jesse" wrote in message
ups.com...
I could be wrong, but i believe that the speed control volumes on the
GM product just ramp it up according to what speed youre at. It might
be difficult to use a seperate microphone circuit to detect ambient
noise increases, because the volume of the system would affect it.
however you could always invert the system signal and feed it back into
the "noise" microphone so that it doesnt "show up". im describing an
active noise canceling system. hmm, there are probably schematics out
there for that. well this probably doesnt help because you most likely
want a component to do that. again, its been a long day
Jester
BTW, i love the driver remark! thats great!

"However, that being said, as engine, road and wind noise produce a constant
sound, it actually seems like a pretty good idea to produce an out-of-phase
canceling sound. Perhaps some manufacturers have experimented with this."

I'm sure there are more that utilize noise cancellation, but one that I know
of for sure is the 2005 and up Acura RL. The system has a microphone that
listens for road noise and then produces sound out of phase to reduce that
noise. I've read a few reviews of the RL and have noted that they are
praised for being very quiet cars, but how much of that can be attributed to
the noise cancelling system vs. conventional methods (quiet tires, thick
glass, aerodynamics, etc) I'm not sure. If I remember correctly, the system
produces this noise even with the stereo turned off. It would be very
interesting to see what the noise level would be at with the system on vs.
completely deactivated.

Tony



--
2001 Nissan Maxima SE Anniversary Edition
Clarion DRZ9255 Head Unit, Phoenix Gold ZX475ti, ZX450 and Xenon X1200.1
Amplifiers, Dynaudio System 360 Tri-Amped In Front and Focal 130HCs For Rear
Fill, Image Dynamics IDMAX10 D4 v.3 Sub

2001 Chevy S10 ZR2
Pioneer DEH-P9600MP Head Unit, Phoenix Gold Ti500.4 Amp, Focal 165HC
Speakers & Image Dynamics ID8 D4 v.3 Sub

In article ,
"Tony F" wrote:

"However, that being said, as engine, road and wind noise produce a constant
sound, it actually seems like a pretty good idea to produce an out-of-phase
canceling sound. Perhaps some manufacturers have experimented with this."

I'm sure there are more that utilize noise cancellation, but one that I know
of for sure is the 2005 and up Acura RL. The system has a microphone that
listens for road noise and then produces sound out of phase to reduce that
noise. I've read a few reviews of the RL and have noted that they are
praised for being very quiet cars, but how much of that can be attributed to
the noise cancelling system vs. conventional methods (quiet tires, thick
glass, aerodynamics, etc) I'm not sure. If I remember correctly, the system
produces this noise even with the stereo turned off. It would be very
interesting to see what the noise level would be at with the system on vs.
completely deactivated.

Tony

The GM setup is annoying at best. Phase changes in audio makes me feel
like I'm falling over.

IMO Treat one's acoustical space as best you can, then buy audio gear.

Too bad no car makers actually put the speaker holes somewhere near your
head, still haven't grown those ankle ears yet.

--
Cyrus

*coughcasaucedoprodigynetcough*

"Too bad no car makers actually put the speaker holes somewhere near your
head, still haven't grown those ankle ears yet."

I know Bose makes systems for Infiniti. There are small speakers built in
to the top of the seat uprights, just below the head rests. Not sure how it
sounds.

Tony



--
2001 Nissan Maxima SE Anniversary Edition
Clarion DRZ9255 Head Unit, Phoenix Gold ZX475ti, ZX450 and Xenon X1200.1
Amplifiers, Dynaudio System 360 Tri-Amped In Front and Focal 130HCs For Rear
Fill, Image Dynamics IDMAX10 D4 v.3 Sub

2001 Chevy S10 ZR2
Pioneer DEH-P9600MP Head Unit, Phoenix Gold Ti500.4 Amp, Focal 165HC
Speakers & Image Dynamics ID8 D4 v.3 Sub

Too bad no car makers actually put the speaker holes somewhere near your
head, still haven't grown those ankle ears yet.

Yes, but in a way, THAT'S PRECISELY what I love about car audio, the
challenge. Let's face it, any moron can buy great home gear, set two
speakers equal distance apart and have FANTASTIC sound. With car audio,
however, you have a million issues to overcome you DON'T have with home
audio (speaker placement, road noise, room for amps, room for subs,
electrical problems and the list goes on and on). I guarantee NO ONE in
this group has exactly the same system, or has it connected the same, or has
it placed about the car the same. That's what makes it so interesting and
CREATIVE! OK, I'll say it: HOME STEREO IS BORING.

MOSFET

"Yes, but in a way, THAT'S PRECISELY what I love about car audio, the
challenge. Let's face it, any moron can buy great home gear, set two
speakers equal distance apart and have FANTASTIC sound. With car audio,
however, you have a million issues to overcome you DON'T have with home
audio (speaker placement, road noise, room for amps, room for subs,
electrical problems and the list goes on and on). I guarantee NO ONE in
this group has exactly the same system, or has it connected the same, or has
it placed about the car the same. That's what makes it so interesting and
CREATIVE! OK, I'll say it: HOME STEREO IS BORING."

While I won't go as far as to say that home audio is boring, I've definitely
never shared even the tiniest fraction of passion for it that I do with car
audio. I mean, I have a nice big-screen TV, DVD player, amplifier/reciever
& speakers, but I don't feel the need to improve upon it...I enjoy it for
what it is and that's that. I've never really analyzed it before, but I
always attributed my passion for car audio in large part to my passion for
automobiles. I love cars, I love driving cars, I love modifying cars, I
love talking about cars, I love looking at pictures of cars...you get the
point. There's nothing as relaxing for me as taking a random road trip with
a bunch of my favorite CDs in my Maxima. Being an agnostic, it's as much as
a spiritual experience as anything for me.

Tony



--
2001 Nissan Maxima SE Anniversary Edition
Clarion DRZ9255 Head Unit, Phoenix Gold ZX475ti, ZX450 and Xenon X1200.1
Amplifiers, Dynaudio System 360 Tri-Amped In Front and Focal 130HCs For Rear
Fill, Image Dynamics IDMAX10 D4 v.3 Sub

2001 Chevy S10 ZR2
Pioneer DEH-P9600MP Head Unit, Phoenix Gold Ti500.4 Amp, Focal 165HC
Speakers & Image Dynamics ID8 D4 v.3 Sub

Being an agnostic, it's as much as
a spiritual experience as anything for me.

Yes, Tony, I'm an agnostic too and I feel the same way. Only in my car can
I enjoy the music I like the VOLUME I want it.

I, too, enjoy my home system. The heart of my system is a Denon AVR-3600,
big screen, DVD, subwoofer, surrounds, the works, and I love it. But it's
done. With my car system, there always seems like there are countless ways
to improve it, again because there are so many different ways to do things.
I use four different amps with 10 channels of amplification, just mixing my
amps, channels and changing X-over settings around gives me COUNTLESS ways
to tweak and improve it. With my home system, there's one way to do things,
AND THAT'S IT.

MOSFET