I think it usually is farmed out, at least the speakers I've pulled out of vehicles usually had another brands markings on it too. It's just a matter of whether they pick low grade stuff, decent stuff but don't use it as a marketing point, a well-known but ultimately overhyped for what it is brand like Bose or JBL and try to market it, or something really high end most people have never heard of and very few would actually appreciate.

Since in a car there's always outside noise and my hearing is half fucked now anyways I'm usually happy with either of the middle two options. The JBL system in our Rav4 and the Bose system in my parents old G35 sounded pretty good, but so did the unmarked systems in my Celica and Prelude. I just can't handle complete trash like what Jeep uses.

Fair point. But overall my experience with branded audio has mostly been a big fat meh with Bose being one of the worst. The only time I've ever thought wow this is good was the Bowers in the X5, and it's a $6000 standalone option.

Is it good? Yes. Is it 6000 good? That's hard for me to quantify.

Most brands have a "ready made" system ready to put in, so standard amp, head, and speaker set. They get custom brackets for each model and the same pieces get put into each car. The rear passenger speaker blew in my dad's Genesis Coupe. I ordered a new speaker on ebay for $100 and it fits all that generation of Genesis cars and Sonata as well.

From reading about R&D posts, BMW USED to have HK do actual R&D in their cars and customize the speaker sets, but that was the E chassis era. HK became a standardized set in the F chassis cars and honestly the HK set in my M3 is also a big fat meh. The bass is muddy, the high non-existent, but yes it is better than the base audio system.

Toyota uses JBL. Lexus Uses mark levinson a company that makes home speakers. Cadillac use AKG a headphone company. All 3 brands are owned by Harmon International who is owned by Samsung. They have one division that does all there OEM Automotive stuff. The names are just used as a way for car manufactures to differentiate product lines. JBL makes great aftermarket car audio speakers but those speakers are not used for JBL OEM. The name does not really matter.

The head Harmon's OEM division is a Car Audio Champion so you would think the OEM stuff would sound great but it doesn't.
https://news.harman.com/blog/car-aud...-natan-budiono

Audi uses Bang & Olufsen ... decent.

That's also Harman International. The bought out B and O's automotive division in 2015.

Gosh... all this car audio talk is making me miss the days when I still had the time and patience to remove door cards and yank out head units to fiddle with car audio...

The factory system in the Mazda2 is absolute dog shxt -- everything is murky and muddy. Replacing the speakers alone is apparently useless bcos primary problem is the HU, although the speakers are also bottom of the barrel stuff too.

Do people even meddle with car audio anymore? Whatever happened to the good ol' days with SQL and SPL competitions? :alone:

Weird fact: I think the audio setup in my R53 Mini is worth three times more than the car itself. :pokerface:

Yes SQL and SPL is still very much alive! Orgasm donor is still donating!

How do you even do audio anymore, all the screens are integrated into everything, maps, climate control. Can you even just change speakers anymore cuz the 15 speaker system probably uses a weird ohm and size and it's all tied into the factory amp.

You can run a box in the middle containing an Android SOC that basically takes the stock signal (audio and video) and passes it through to the video screen, but you can inject audio/video as desired. Will retain climate, maps, etc everything.

Yah, the trend does seem like Car audio upgrade stores must be feeling it. How is Ralph's or Soundsgood doing?

Nowadays, most people just android auto or apple car play into existing system and be done with it as long as it plays their Spotify music without any static and with a little bass ... it's bearable. There are also these ghetto $100 screen gadgets that bluetooth (or Aux cord) into your factory speaker system and you get a screen you can put onto your dash with all the accessories on your phone. Pretty practical actually for mid older cars (prior to 2016/2017).

https://scontent.fcxh3-1.fna.fbcdn.n...2A&oe=68B10051

Save the $$ on audio upgrade for Temu/Aliexpress spoiler, lip, CAI.

A great sounding system sounds with speaker placement/cabin design
These speaker builders are just speccing some stuff to the size/price point the OEM decided.

Good cabin design is how MDX audio competes with 7 series $5k optional B&W & Burmester 4D.
Bad cabin design w/ expensive setup is Cadillac Lyriq, even with AKG system.

That said lol Lucid has both bad speaker placement and cheaper speakers!

WK and WL Grand Cherokee have excellent setups - almost perfect placement, great bass extension without mid-bass ‘boom’. They’ve put a ton of work into cabin design & the results are great.

Do you mean WK or WK2? I owned a WK and it was meh at best.

I've got the WK2 in mind - Alpine system works really well with that cabin design.

Edmunds seems to agree: https://www.edmunds.com/car-technolo...io-review.html

https://youtu.be/LiDflyT95E0?si=WtcT3hMMfLVHcIfa

Just peasants doing peasant things

BMW iX3

https://www.bmw.ca/en/all-models/x-s...3/bmw-ix3.html

its fucking hideous

I actually like the new X3 but man, wtf is this!

iX3 and EV GLC are both ugly and of poor taste.

Don't even get a camera for Microsoft Teams / a passenger display for all the ugly they put in this thing.

What? Do cars now come with a camera and Microsoft Teams as features? :ahwow: What year is this? I'm not sure how I feel about it.

On one hand - I want to drive home and not be seen on camera. On the other hand, you are productive...'ish. :pokerface:

CLA EV and E/S class have this.

If you use it while the hands and eyes free Drive Pilot is active on S class, you can see the presentation content & browse the web.

Having a MS Teams camera would make me not buy a car... the fuck is wrong with you that you gotta be accessible non-stop

It's ok man, average age here is at least 40+.

Think about the Bellevue parents who leave work at 3PM to make 45 minute drive to school pickup then to sports/piano lessons .
They still gotta be accessible till 6PM.

Then you have us late-20s working at tech companies that now are giving us 60-90 minute commutes into the office, 3-5 days a week.
If I can knock out 1:1s/networking calls in traffic, i'm gonna do it because it lets me have my life back after 7PM.

Then you have MB/VW buyers in the EU who get these as management leases because salaries much lower.
Traffic in Munich/Frankfurt on Autobahn also blows - the hands free driving shit/Teams is for them as well.

Couldn't you just cut yourself a square of electrical tape, and stick it on the camera hole? :D

Off topic but is it appropriate within your age group to network while driving a car?

To 68style's point, I would not buy a car simply for this feature. I would rather drive a soul-sucking ICE Toyota wishing it were a BMW.