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New York 2011: We check out VW’s new Fender audio systems

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Technology, Volkswagen

2012 Volkswagen New Beetle

At the 2011 New York Auto Show we experienced the 400-watt, nine-speaker Fender premium audio system in the Volkswagen Passat, Jetta GLI and Beetle, the three models in which it will be offered. When VW announced the partnership last December, the company said “Volkswagen and Fender put the concert in the car.” That wasn’t just a reference to getting good sounds in your ride, it was also a clue to how you’d get that sound. But before we even sat down in the Passat for a listen, our first question was: why Fender?

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New York 2011: We check out VW’s new Fender audio systems originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Custom car audio system shreds phone books with sound

Filed under: Aftermarket, SUV, Etc., Technology, Videos, Chevrolet

Steve Meade Designs Tahoe

Steve Meade Designs’ phone book-shredding Chevrolet Tahoe – Click above to view videos after the jump

There’s ridiculous bass, and then there’s this madness. Steve Meade Designs is a custom car audio shop that specializes in the kind of audio systems that require 10 batteries and three alternators to run. This clip features Meade’s own 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe, and its compliment of four 18-inch subwoofers, backed by a total of 13 amps and 26 smaller speakers, including 10 6.5-inch mids, and 10 one-inch tweeters.

The result of all that firepower directed at four 18-inch woofers is a phone book-shredding bass attack. We don’t mean phone book-shredding in the figurative sense, either. As the videos after the jump clearly show (hint: fast-forward first video to 3:00), Steve Meade Designs has built a stereo system so powerful it can shred your average metropolitan phone book to bits in minutes. Just think about what it’ll do to your ear drums.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Custom car audio system shreds phone books with sound

Video: Custom car audio system shreds phone books with sound originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Nelly shows off Ford Explorer audio system, commercial director adds unnecessary zazz

Filed under: SUV, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Crossover, Ford, Celebrities, Humor

Nelly and the 2011 Ford Explorer

Nelly disapproves of back-up dancers and falling snow – Click above to watch video after the jump

The audio system in the 2011 Ford Explorer was created by Sony and features Dolby Pro Logic II Surround Technology being pumped through 12 speakers, including a subwoofer. The crisp-sounding system can pick up HD Radio channels and tag songs so you can buy them later with iTunes. Ford tapped multiple Grammy Award-winner Nelly to discuss the virtues of this setup.

Ford also got a hold of a director that thinks Nelly and the 2011 Ford Explorer are not enough to make a stand-out commercial. He decides to add some pizazz, and Nelly feels it’s not needed. The premise sounds iffy but the results are surprisingly hilarious. Check out the clip for yourself by clicking past the jump. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to go brush up on our Country Grammar…

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Nelly shows off Ford Explorer audio system, commercial director adds unnecessary zazz

Video: Nelly shows off Ford Explorer audio system, commercial director adds unnecessary zazz originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW teams up with Fender for in-car audio systems

Filed under: Volkswagen

Four years ago Volkswagen came up with the V-Dub Rocks promotion, giving away a free guitar with nearly every new 2007 model. So it came with the slightest sense of deja vu when VW announced a partnership with Fender. This time, however, a guitar isn’t part of the package, and instead, VW will be offering select 2012 models with an all-new Fender Premium Audio System, featuring nine speakers equipped with proprietary Panasonic tech, dual voice coil speakers and extended range tweeters. The first model to get the new system is the hotted-up 2012 Jetta GLI, followed by the all-new mid-size sedan and soon-to-be unveiled 2012 Beetle. Hit the jump for all the details.

Continue reading VW teams up with Fender for in-car audio systems

VW teams up with Fender for in-car audio systems originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audio engineer lists top 10 songs to test a car stereo

Filed under: Etc., Technology, GM

Bang & Olufson speaker in Audi A8

Music and driving, like ranch dressing and fries, are two things that go great together. When a vehicle is equipped with a good audio system, it helps complete a journey that starts when you twist the key and ends when you arrive at your destination whistling the song you just listened to.

In order to achieve top notch listening environments, automakers often employ audio engineers who are quite skilled at being good listeners. We imagine they also enjoy ruining social events by droning on about such things as oxygen-free copper center conductors and ohm impedance. Matt Kirsch however, an audio engineer with General Motors, may be more interesting judging by his preferred playlist used when testing audio setups. Kirsh has made public his own Top 10 list for testing the mettle of our own sound systems.

“Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones. Listen for Norah’s voice to sound natural, and centered in front of you.
“Diamonds and Rust” by Joan Baez. Listen for strong vocals, and for the instruments to be set across a wide sound stage.
“No One” by Alicia Keys. Listen for clarity in Alicia’s vocals and spacious background sound.
“Hotel California” by the Eagles. Listen for the clarity and dynamic range during the opening guitar solo, and of course the powerful drum beat.
“Boom Boom Pow“by the Black Eyed Peas. Listen for powerful, accurate bass beats, even at full volume.
“Rock that Body“by the Black Eyed Peas. Listen clear, intelligible lyrics over the powerful, persistent bass beat.
“Hide and Seek“by Imogen Heap. Listen for the enveloping ambience of the song, building on the openness and dynamic vocals.
“He Mele No Lilo” by Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu from Lilo and Stitch.Listen for the ambience and staging as the children’s chorus is offset by powerful bass.
“Bird on a Wire” by Johnny Cash. Listen for the clarity in Johnny’s distinctive voice, and his guitar to sound natural and free of any coloration.
“Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box” by Radiohead. Listen for the punch from the percussive bass, and the ring of the steel drums.

The list is varied between genres and decades, and it’s jam packed with a plethora of instruments to stretch the legs on your tweeters, mid-range units and on down to the subs. Finding music with high highs and lovely lows is necessary to experience the complete auditory road trip, and Kirsh’s playlist does just that. Don’t believe us? The General posted the playlist on iTunes so you can see for yourself.

[Source: USA Today]

Audio engineer lists top 10 songs to test a car stereo originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Volkswagen rigs newspaper to play audio ad

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Volkswagen, India

Volkswagen talking newspaper ad

Volkswagen’s talking newspaper ad – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Imagine sitting down to this with your morning coffee. Volkswagen has teamed up with The Times Of India to insert an audio chip into its full-page ad on the back of the newspaper. Nifty, yes, but we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that a handful of readers were startled enough to blow tea out their nose. It’s an unexpected piece of advertising, but it certainly draws in a reader’s attention.

According to the folks at Wired, the audio chip appears to use a photodiode (a device that controls an electric current based on the presence of a light source) attached to a small battery for power. The audio loop is activated once the newspaper is opened and keeps playing until the paper is shut (or until cereal milk is spilled on it – whichever comes first). Seeing is believing, though, so hit the jump to watch a video of the talking ad in action.

[Source: Wired]

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Video: Volkswagen rigs newspaper to play audio ad originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Latest OnStar focuses on infotainment, adds audio Facebook integration, voice texting

Filed under: Safety, Technology, GM

After 15 years of offering comprehensive safety coverage to General Motors vehicle owners, OnStar will be getting a well-deserved boost in functionality to better take on Ford’s Sync and other upstart systems.

New infotainment systems are one of the hottest trends in the automotive marketplace, and GM certainly can’t afford to be behind the curve. Because of this, OnStar will be relaunching its brand image, citing the phrase “responsible connectivity” as the motto for everything moving forward. This means that OnStar won’t just be about safety anymore, though its core values will continue to be improved.

Two of the main infotainment technologies being tested right now are audio Facebook integration and voice text messaging. OnStar recently released a brief bit of information about these two functions, but we were able to attend a presentation to see these new social functions firsthand.

OnStar’s Facebook integration will allow subscribers to post audio status updates directly from the car. These messages will appear as audio updates on the Facebook news feed, and drivers will also have the ability to have their personal news feed read back to them. Even though this technology is still undergoing beta testing, the whole process works relatively seamlessly, though the read-back audio could still benefit from some smoothing-out.

Voice text messaging piggybacks on this same audio technology. Using a Bluetooth-paired phone, drivers can have text messages read to them via the car’s audio system. From there, the driver can press a button on the steering wheel to verbally select one of OnStar’s four pre-set replies – things like, “I received your text message, but am currently driving,” or, “Please call me.”

All of this being tested in correlation with OnStar’s ninth-generation hardware, which improves voice recognition, adds a Bluetooth phonebook, help ‘wizard,’ improved navigation and uses advanced notification services for traffic and weather alerts. This is just the start to what OnStar is working on, though. Stay tuned for a deeper dive into the future technologies OnStar is working to bring to GM vehicles. In the meantime, hit the jump for the official press release.

[Source: OnStar]

Continue reading Latest OnStar focuses on infotainment, adds audio Facebook integration, voice texting

Latest OnStar focuses on infotainment, adds audio Facebook integration, voice texting originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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