Car Audio Explained, Part 17: Choosing a Shop, the Car Audio Business and SQ Competitions (Andy Wehmeyer's Lessons)

4 days ago

30 min read

This is Part 17 of 19 in the series Andy Wehmeyer on Car Audio, Explained for Beginners. Start here · Download the full guide as a PDF

Unofficial guide. Andy Wehmeyer's points are paraphrased from his public forum posts, blog, tuning guides, videos and podcasts, with a link to each source; the plain-English explanations were written for this guide. Not written, reviewed or endorsed by Andy Wehmeyer or Audiofrog.

5.4 Choosing and working with a shop or installer

What this part is about: How to choose a car-audio shop and work with it, and how Andy thinks a good shop should handle tuning, troubleshooting and its own staff. Some points speak to customers; others speak to shop owners and installers.

5.4 #1 · Go to the best, most expensive shop in town and have it build a mid-level system.

Paying about 30% more for "the guy who can build the space shuttle" beats asking a cheap shop to work above its level. Tell them your budget. [RARE] Source: OFCAP 19 @2:43:04

In plain English: Many people believe a modest budget means going to a modest, cheaper shop. He says the opposite. Go to the best shop in town, tell them honestly what you can spend, and have them build a mid-level system. You may pay about 30% more, but the work is done by someone capable of very ambitious builds ("the guy who can build the space shuttle"). Asking a cheap shop to work above its usual level doesn't make it better at the job. So in practice: pick the top shop, tell it your budget, and let it build to that.

5.4 #2 · Specify the outcome, not the method.

Forum recipes (pod angles, a named DSP, rears out of phase) can make your goal impossible; good shops make you choose performance or your method. Source: OFCAP 19 @2:48:07

In plain English: Tell the shop the result you want, not how to get it. Many enthusiasts arrive with instructions picked up on forums: angle the speaker pods this way, use this particular DSP, wire the rear speakers out of phase. (A DSP, or digital sound processor, is a small computer that adjusts the sound sent to each speaker. "Out of phase" means one speaker pushes air while another pulls.) He says such recipes can make the result you actually care about impossible. A good shop will make you choose: the performance you want, or your method. It can't promise both.

5.4 #3 · Don't shop installation on price or take a consultation then buy online.

Saving $80–340 leaves the tech unmotivated "by human nature"; good installers live on product plus labour margin. [RARE] Sources: SQOLOGY Pt 2 @45:05 · OFCAP 19 @2:32:00

In plain English: He warns against two common habits: choosing an installer just because they are the cheapest, and getting a shop's advice, then buying the equipment online and bringing it in to be fitted. Saving something like $80 to $340 this way backfires. The technician who then does the work is, "by human nature", less motivated, and in a hurry to get the car in and out. Good installers make their living from two things together: the profit (margin) on the products they sell, and the labour they charge. Many people see buying gear online as simply smart shopping; his point is that it takes away part of what pays for careful work.

5.4 #4 · The best shop won't tune a car it didn't build.

Tuning is the payoff of its whole process; if you built it yourself, buy a measurement kit and get coached. Source: OFCAP 19 @2:40:02

In plain English: "Tuning" means setting up the sound processor so the system sounds right in that particular car: the level of each speaker, its timing, its crossover (which range of notes each speaker plays) and its EQ (boosting or cutting particular ranges of notes). He says the best shops won't tune a car someone else installed. For such a shop, tuning is the payoff of its whole process, the step where all its earlier work comes together. If you installed your own system, his advice is to buy a measurement kit (a measurement microphone plus software that shows what the speakers are really doing in the car) and get someone to coach you through tuning it yourself.

5.4 #5 · Tuning is part of the installation, so bill real time for it.

"System tuning isn't really optimizing, it's troubleshooting"; shops show four-month builds that don't sound great and say "not bad for the 20 minutes I spent" on the tune. [RARE] Sources: ME column Aug 2017 · B2 @22:22 · OFCAP 19 @1:08:06

In plain English: Many people treat tuning as a quick finishing touch after the "real" work of installing. He says tuning is part of the installation itself, and a shop should spend, and bill for, real time on it. In his words, tuning "isn't really optimizing, it's troubleshooting": it is mostly finding and fixing problems, not polishing a system that already works. He describes shops proudly showing him cars that took four months to build and still didn't sound great, with the installer saying "not bad for the 20 minutes I spent" on the tune. The build got months; the sound got minutes.

5.4 #6 · A professional tune needs an agreed endpoint and a time estimate.

Open-ended hourly tuning is like a painter who won't name the colour; a front-plus-sub system takes him 1–2 hours. Sources: DIYMA 2015-07-14 · UMI-1 video @6:06

In plain English: Before a professional starts tuning, he says, the tuner and the customer should agree what "finished" means and roughly how long it will take. Charging by the hour with no defined end is, in his comparison, like hiring a painter who won't tell you what colour your walls will be: you are paying without knowing what result you will get. For a sense of scale, he says tuning a system with front speakers plus a subwoofer (the large speaker that plays the deepest bass) takes him 1 to 2 hours.

5.4 #7 · Judge a tuning process by whether it reaches "correct", then by speed and teachability.

He teaches only repeatable processes aimed at retailers' predictable, timely work; open-ended experiments (months of dash removal, by-ear all-pass fiddling) have unknown value. Sources: OFCAP 19 @3:19:02 · DIYMA 2021-09-07 · DIYMA 2021-06-20

In plain English: When comparing ways to tune a car, he puts the questions in order. First: does the method actually get the system to a correct result? Only then: how fast is it, and can it be taught to other people? He teaches only repeatable methods, because shops need work that is predictable and finished on time. Open-ended experiments, such as spending months taking a dashboard apart, or fiddling with all-pass filters by ear, have in his view unknown value. (An all-pass filter is a processor setting that shifts the timing, or phase, of a range of notes without changing how loud they are.)

5.4 #8 · There are no "tuning tricks", only a process: pick one and don't blend gurus.

A barrel of tips from a contest winner isn't a process (he posted a 29-step parody of ear-tuning); if someone can't say why a step works, he doesn't know that it works. [RARE] Sources: DIYMA 2018-07-02 · OFCAP 19 @3:20:06 · DIYMA 2021-07-09

In plain English: Many hobbyists collect "tuning tricks" from contest winners and forum experts and mix them together. He says there are no tricks, only a process: a set of steps done in a sensible order, each for a known reason. A pile of tips, even from a competition winner, is not a process. To make the point, he once posted a 29-step parody of tuning by ear. His test for any step: if the person recommending it can't say why it works, they don't actually know that it works. So in practice: choose one teacher's process and follow it, rather than blending several "gurus".

5.4 #9 · Measure first, listen last.

He never listens until measurements say the car is ready, then listens once; hours of touch-up afterwards mean the measurement, the tuner or the process failed. Tuning purely by ear is aimless fiddling, and "golden ears" posturing scares customers. [RARE] Sources: DIYMA 2017-06-28 · DIYMA 2021-07-09 · DIYMA 2016-01-29

In plain English: Many people believe the best tuners do everything by ear. His order is the reverse. Measure first, with a microphone and analysis software, and don't listen at all until the measurements say the car is ready. Then listen once, as a final check. If hours of touching-up by ear follow, something has failed: the measurement, the person tuning, or the process. Tuning purely by ear, he says, is aimless fiddling. He also warns that tuners who pose as having "golden ears" (a special gift of hearing) scare customers rather than reassure them.

5.4 #10 · More precision is not more performance for a professional.

Beyond a point precision buys nothing; hobbyists may enjoy the endless search, professionals can't. Tips you can't explain are "monkeys", so experiment on your own car, not customers'. Sources: OFCAP 19 @1:53:04 · ME tag page 2017

In plain English: He says that beyond a certain point, measuring and adjusting more precisely brings no improvement in sound. In the source, his examples of precision that adds nothing are laser-aligning the tweeters (small speakers for the highest notes) and midrange speakers, and ultra-precise phase measurement between them. A hobbyist working on his own car may enjoy that endless search; a professional being paid by a customer can't afford it. He calls tips you can't explain "a barrel of monkeys likely to make a big mess." So in practice: try new ideas on your own car, not on customers' cars.

5.4 #11 · Cars usually need fixing before tuning; troubleshoot before blaming the car.

Only one car ever reached his office ready to tune. One contest car had no centre because the owner typed distances where the DSP wanted delays; long forum "breakthrough" sagas usually end when the delays are finally right. If you followed the manual and it didn't work, assume you made a mistake. [RARE] Sources: OFCAP 19 @1:58:00 · B1 @44:23 · B1 @47:54

In plain English: He says most cars brought in for tuning first need something fixed; only one car ever reached his office actually ready to tune. His examples here involve delays. Sound from the nearer speakers reaches you first, so a DSP can hold those speakers back by a few thousandths of a second (milliseconds) so that all the sound arrives together. One contest car had no "centre" (the singer didn't seem to stand in the middle) because the owner typed distances into boxes where the DSP expected delay times. He adds that long forum threads about a sudden "breakthrough" usually end when the person finally gets the delays right. So in practice: if you followed the manual and it didn't work, assume you made a mistake, and look for it before blaming the car.

5.4 #12 · Blame setup before gear.

About 70% of GB25 warranty claims are DSP input clipping (about 25% broken terminal screws); when a "blown speaker" appears suddenly, ask what changed in the source (new phone, new streaming app). [RARE] Sources: OFCAP 19 @1:49:05 · DIYMA 2022-03-13 · DIYMA 2022-01-15

In plain English: The GB25 is a tweeter made by Audiofrog, Andy's company. He says about 70% of GB25 warranty claims come down to clipping at the DSP's input, and about 25% to broken terminal screws (the screws the speaker wires attach to). "Clipping" happens when a signal is pushed past the most a device can handle: the tops of the sound wave get cut off, producing harsh distortion that can destroy tweeters. In other words, the most common cause was the system's setup, not the speaker. So in practice: when a speaker suddenly seems "blown", first ask what changed at the music source, such as a new phone or a new streaming app. He also suggests asking whether it happens with music stored somewhere else.

5.4 #13 · Never "quick-fix" someone else's tune.

You can't know their compromises; a contest "tweak booth" undid a car's noise compromise and cost more points than the noise. Source: DIYMA 2016-01-29

In plain English: Every tune contains compromises: choices that accept one small problem to avoid a bigger one, for reasons only the original tuner knows. He says never make quick "fixes" to someone else's tune, because you can't know what those compromises were. His example: before a contest, a car had a deliberate compromise over engine noise. Overnight, a "tweak and tune" booth at the event redid its wiring connections. The noise was still there, the left and right channels ended up reversed, and the connections were unreliable. That cost the car more points than the noise would have.

5.4 #14 · Expertise is knowing the general case well enough to spot the outlier.

You don't ask a heart surgeon whether he has operated on someone named Bruce; cars are "more alike than different", and knowing a DSP's menus isn't knowing audio. [RARE] Sources: DIYMA 2021-12-22 · DIYMA 2021-08-26

In plain English: Many people believe an expert is someone who has already worked on their exact car. His comparison: you wouldn't ask a heart surgeon whether he has ever operated on someone named Bruce. The name doesn't matter; what matters is knowing how hearts work. Cars, he says, are "more alike than different". Real expertise means understanding the general case so well that you can recognise the rare car that truly is different (the outlier). In the same way, knowing your way around one DSP's menus is not the same as understanding audio.

5.4 #15 · "Correct" is the beginning of expertise; the rest is backing off correct for the customer.

A shop serving only perfect spaghetti had better be in New York. His case: a 1970s-disco fan boosted bass 12 dB at the head unit, clipping it and blowing tweeters and midbass; the fix was a higher, pro-style crossover, giving up up-front bass he didn't care about. [RARE] Sources: B2 @42:16 · B2 @43:34

In plain English: He says learning to get a system technically "correct" is only the start of expertise. The rest is knowing how to step back from correct to please a customer who wants something different. His analogy: a restaurant that serves only perfect spaghetti had better be in a big city like New York, because elsewhere there aren't enough customers who want exactly that. His real case: a fan of 1970s disco kept blowing his speakers. Those recordings have little bass, so he turned the bass up by 12 dB at the head unit (the car radio). A dB, or decibel, is the unit for loudness and signal level; 12 dB is a large boost. That drove the head unit into clipping (overload distortion) and destroyed the tweeters and the midbass speakers (the door speakers that play upper bass). A crossover is the dividing line that decides which speaker plays which range of notes. The fix was a higher crossover, set up the way professional sound systems are, giving up bass from the front speakers, which this customer didn't care about.

5.4 #16 · If good sound depends on techs who love audio, "we suck".

A written process lets people who don't love audio deliver a passable car; otherwise assign one person to check every car. Never invent on the critical path; schedule skill-building. Sources: OFCAP 19 @2:03:05 · OFCAP 38 @24:00

In plain English: If a shop's good sound depends on having technicians who happen to love audio, his blunt verdict is "we suck". A written, step-by-step process means that technicians who don't especially love audio can still deliver a car that sounds passable. Without such a process, a shop should assign one person to check every car. "Critical path" is a planning term for the chain of tasks that decides when a job is finished. He says never invent new methods on that path, that is, on work that is holding up delivery; instead, schedule separate time for building skills.

5.4 #17 · Shops that won't charge enough or pay enough create unhappy customers.

Installer ads offer about $35K, less than fast food; installation is now a tech job that needs trained leads. Source: OFCAP 19 @2:10:02

In plain English: He links low prices and low wages to unhappy customers. Job ads for installers offer about $35,000 a year, which he says is less than fast food pays. Yet installing audio in modern cars is now a technical job, and shops need trained lead technicians to do it. His point is that a shop that won't charge enough, or pay enough, ends up with unhappy customers.

5.4 #18 · Use binaural recordings to demo upgrade tiers and document builds.

Record each stage with a dummy-head mic; customers hear on headphones whether bass is up front and there's a centre (not loudness). [RARE] Sources: CMA 2023 @49:01 · Audiofrog Binaural (COMPANY)

In plain English: A binaural recording is made with a "dummy head": a model of a human head with a microphone in each ear. Played back on headphones, it sounds much as if you were sitting where the head was. He suggests recording the car at each stage of an upgrade. Customers can then hear on headphones the things that matter, such as whether the bass seems to come from the front and whether there is a clear centre (a singer who seems to stand in the middle), rather than just which version is louder. The same recordings also document each build.

5.5 Selling and the business of car audio

What this part is about: How Andy thinks car audio should be sold to customers, and how he sees the business side of the industry: shop margins, online sales, factory-fitted systems, training, product design and where car audio is heading.

5.5 #1 · Customers want reassurance, not an education.

He doesn't want to learn dog surgery, he wants a vet he trusts; explain only enough to show their risk is covered. (Host Matt Schaeffer argued for educating clients.) Sources: OFCAP 19 @40:01 · OFCAP 19 @49:01

In plain English: Many people in the trade believe the way to sell is to teach the customer all about the technology. He disagrees: customers mainly want to feel they are in safe hands. His comparison: if his dog needs surgery, he doesn't want to learn how to do it; he wants a vet he trusts. So a salesperson should explain only enough to show the customer that their risk is covered. The podcast host, Matt Schaeffer, argued the other side: that shops should educate their clients.

5.5 #2 · Qualify customers in their own car by observation.

Turn their stereo to about three-quarters (if they never listen that loud they'll turn it down) and play what they drove in with; your role is "investigator and translator". [RARE] Source: OFCAP 19 @1:01:05

In plain English: "Qualifying" a customer is sales language for finding out what they really want and need. He says do it by watching them in their own car, not just by asking questions, because customers won't honestly say how loud they listen. With the customer in the driver's seat, turn their stereo to about three-quarters volume and play the music they arrived with. If they never listen that loud, they'll reach over and turn it down. The salesperson's job is to be an "investigator and translator": find out what the customer wants, then translate it into what can be done for their budget.

5.5 #3 · Find out whether imaging matters before selling it, and don't treat club listeners as lesser.

Ask where music last moved them; concert-goers, club-goers and home-system lovers want different presentations. Club listeners still need a DSP, because impact comes from correct midbass-to-sub phase and DSPs keep drivers safe. [RARE] Sources: OFCAP 19 @1:19:00 · B2 @43:02 · B2 @46:57

In plain English: "Imaging" is the illusion that singers and instruments are placed at particular spots in front of you, as on a stage. Many sound-quality fans assume every customer wants this. He says find out first, by asking where music last moved them. People who love live concerts, people who love nightclubs, and people who mainly enjoy their own home hi-fi each want music presented differently. Club listeners are not lesser customers, and they still need a DSP. In his view, the punch they want comes from the midbass speakers and the subwoofer being correctly in phase (moving together), and the DSP also keeps the speakers ("drivers") safe from damage.

5.5 #4 · Demo late, as confirmation; never open with "what's your budget?"

The best demo proves you heard the customer's story; read the car they arrived in and test budget by showing something and hinting at price. Sources: OFCAP 19 @1:22:03 · OFCAP 19 @1:26:01

In plain English: A "demo" is letting the customer hear a display car or system. He says don't start with one, and never open the conversation with "what's your budget?". Listen to the customer first. The best demo comes near the end and proves you heard their story: it confirms you understood what they want. To get a feel for their budget, look at the car they arrived in, and show them something while hinting at its price to see how they react.

5.5 #5 · Selling is persuading someone to trust you; scripted display-to-display selling fails.

Untrained salespeople lose customers who made the effort to find a specialist. Source: OFCAP 19 @1:28:07

In plain English: He sees selling as persuading someone to trust you, not walking them through a script from one display to the next. Customers who went to the trouble of finding a specialist shop are lost when they meet a salesperson who hasn't been trained.

5.5 #6 · With modern cars, assess constraints before pitching; "rip it all out" loses.

A modern car may have 32 speakers designed by PhDs and a radio and amp that can't come out; sell what you can change. [RARE] Source: OFCAP 19 @55:03

In plain English: A common pitch is to tell the customer the factory system is junk and must all be replaced. He says that pitch loses with modern cars. A modern car may have 32 speakers in a system designed by engineers with PhDs, and its radio and amplifier often can't be removed. So in practice: first work out what can and can't be changed in this particular car, then sell improvements to the parts you can change.

5.5 #7 · Answer "what's your cheapest option?" by explaining why you aren't the cheapest.

Cite equipment, care for the car, reputation and expertise; you plant a seed for a friend who isn't price-shopping. [RARE] Source: MEA KnowledgeFest clip

In plain English: When someone phones asking only for the cheapest option, he suggests explaining why your shop isn't the cheapest: the equipment it has invested in, the care it takes with customers' cars, its reputation, and its expertise. That caller may still go elsewhere. But you have planted a seed: they may later mention you to a friend who isn't shopping on price.

5.5 #8 · Explain labour charges; customers arrive defensive

after being gouged elsewhere. Source: OFCAP 19 @2:38:02

In plain English: He says shops should explain what their labour charges are for, because many customers arrive on guard after being overcharged ("gouged") somewhere else.

5.5 #9 · "Nobody's asking for that" can be an opportunity

that just means "that would take work". Source: OFCAP 19 @2:22:04

In plain English: When people in a shop say "nobody's asking for that", he suggests it may really mean "that would take work". He adds the other side: with a little work, you could be the only shop in town offering it, and charge accordingly.

5.5 #10 · Honesty sells: say what you'll do, do it, and send buyers elsewhere when you don't fit.

He would rather lose a sale than disappoint, recommends other brands, and says the truth is "a damn good story" for salespeople. Sources: OFCAP 19 @2:51:01 · DIYMA 2017-08-09 · B2 @29:47

In plain English: His sales philosophy is plain honesty. Tell the customer what you will do, then do it. If your product or shop isn't the right fit, send them somewhere that is. He would rather lose a sale than leave someone disappointed, and he recommends other brands when they suit a buyer better. He tells salespeople that the truth is "a damn good story": they don't need to exaggerate.

5.5 #11 · Demos sell, but shops demo the wrong cars.

Boom and competition cars don't speak to ordinary buyers who want a great $2k system. Sources: DIYMA 2008-12-02 · ME Audiofrog tag page

In plain English: He agrees that demo cars sell systems, but says shops often show the wrong ones. "Boom" cars (built for extreme bass and loudness) and competition cars don't speak to an ordinary buyer, who wants a great system for about $2,000. His point is that the demo should match what ordinary buyers actually want.

5.5 #12 · Online selling and margin-cutting hollow out the category; software and tuning are worth paying for.

He told Amazon that listing Audiofrog would kill it; no retail margin means no R&D money. Expecting free software is like expecting free doctor visits. [RARE] Sources: OFCAP 19 @2:32:00 · DIYMA 2008-07-05 · DIYMA 2017-07-25

In plain English: "Margin" is the difference between what a shop pays for a product and what it sells it for: the money that keeps the business running. He argues that selling online and cutting prices drains that money out of the whole high-end car-audio category. He told Amazon that listing Audiofrog products there would kill the brand, because with no retail margin there is no money for R&D (research and development of new products). He also says software and tuning are worth paying for: expecting free software is like expecting free visits to the doctor.

5.5 #13 · How big brands lost the high end, and why Audiofrog started when it did.

In the Great Recession brands chased emerging markets with cheap speakers; as money flowed back to developed markets, high-end car audio became an enthusiast opening that still needs installers. Sources: CMA 2021 @7:03 · SQOLOGY Pt 2 @26:05 · B2 @7:27

In plain English: This is his account of recent industry history. During the Great Recession (the worldwide economic downturn that began around 2008), big car-audio brands chased fast-growing markets in developing countries with cheap speakers. As money later flowed back to wealthier countries, the high end had been left open: an opportunity for products aimed at enthusiasts. That, in his telling, is why Audiofrog started when it did. He adds that this market still needs installers.

5.5 #14 · Premium buyers are about 35–70, not 16–24, and often decide with a partner.

In about 25 years he never sold a premium system to a 16–24-year-old (except with dad paying); hence a friendly, self-effacing name that's memorable, lowers expectations and wins the household negotiation. [RARE] Sources: B2 @10:48 · B2 @11:36 · SQOLOGY Pt 2 @30:00

In plain English: Many people picture the typical car-audio buyer as a teenager or young adult. He says buyers of premium systems are about 35 to 70 years old, and they often decide together with a partner. In about 25 years he never sold a premium system to a 16- to 24-year-old, except when dad was paying. That is why he chose a friendly, slightly self-effacing (modest) brand name, "Audiofrog". It is memorable, it doesn't promise too much (the way a name like "perfect speaker" would), and it doesn't put off the partner who has a say in the purchase.

5.5 #15 · Three kinds of shops sell audio, and all must deliver great sound.

Audio specialists, accessory shops that diversified, and high-end upfitters/restorers; techs must master woodwork, electronics and disassembly too. Source: B2 @20:22

In plain English: He describes three kinds of businesses that sell car audio: dedicated audio specialists; accessory shops that branched out into other products and services; and high-end upfitters and restorers (businesses that customise or restore vehicles). All three must deliver great sound that the customer loves. Their technicians need to master woodwork, electronics and taking cars apart, as well as audio.

5.5 #16 · Factory systems are engineered by experts; learn what they do before "improving" them.

OEM teams of PhDs spend years per system; aftermarket listeners judge them only on bass and loudness and miss the envelopment and two-seat imaging already there. Many carmakers deliberately image in front of each seat. [RARE] Sources: SQOLOGY Pt 1 @59:05 · B2 @37:25 · B1 @56:27

In plain English: "OEM" (original equipment manufacturer) here means the carmaker and the system it fits at the factory; "aftermarket" means equipment bought and installed later. Many enthusiasts assume factory systems are poor. He says they are designed by teams of PhD engineers who spend years on each system. Aftermarket listeners tend to judge them only on bass and loudness, and so miss what is already there: "envelopment" (the feeling of being surrounded by sound) and imaging that works for two seats, not just the driver's. Many carmakers deliberately make the sound image appear in front of each seat. So in practice: learn what a factory system does before trying to "improve" it.

5.5 #17 · Good OEM premium systems beat typical aftermarket installs, and factory Harman drivers outperform many aftermarket ones.

BMW owners complain about tuning, bass and format, not the drivers; Gary Biggs's IASCA BMW kept every factory driver. [RARE] Sources: DIYMA 2008-07-09 · DIYMA 2022-01-10

In plain English: A "driver" is a single speaker unit. Harman is a large audio company that supplies factory sound systems to many carmakers. He says good factory "premium" systems beat typical aftermarket installations, and the speakers Harman supplies to carmakers outperform many aftermarket speakers. BMW owners, he notes, complain about the tuning, the bass and the format, not the speakers themselves. (In the sources, "format" covers complaints such as how the Logic 7 surround processing sounds, where the centre image sits, and quiet rear speakers in surround mode.) His example: Gary Biggs's BMW, built for IASCA sound-quality competition, kept every factory speaker.

5.5 #18 · The aftermarket isn't obsolete: OEM and aftermarket do different jobs.

Carmakers work within weight, electrical and reliability limits and buy audio brands for the badge; enthusiasts who disagree with OEM tuning keep the aftermarket alive. Sources: Big 5 / CE Outlook Jul 2018 · DIYMA 2021-04-15

In plain English: Many people believe good factory systems have made aftermarket car audio obsolete. He says the two do different jobs. Carmakers must work within limits on weight, on the car's electrical system and on reliability, and they pay for well-known audio brand names mainly for the badge. Enthusiasts who disagree with how the factory tuned their system are what keep the aftermarket alive.

5.5 #19 · Self-tuning DSPs exist because the industry can't train enough tuners.

Harman wouldn't fund 30 trainers, so the MS-8 tuned itself; 473 sold in under two weeks, only 25 to DIYers. Sources: DIYMA 2011-06-09 · SQOLOGY Pt 1 @23:06

In plain English: This point is about one product, the JBL MS-8, a sound processor from Harman that could tune itself automatically using a microphone. He explains that self-tuning processors exist because the industry can't train enough people to tune cars by hand. Harman wouldn't pay for 30 trainers to teach installers, so the MS-8 was designed to tune itself. In under two weeks 473 were sold, and only 25 of those went to DIYers (people installing in their own cars).

5.5 #20 · Products are shaped by specs and product managers; that's why DSPs lack upmixers.

Head units lack good EQ because nobody writes it into the spec. Upmixer licences aren't expensive; they're missing because product managers don't understand or fight for them in finance meetings, and someone must then teach their use. [RARE] Sources: DIYMA 2016-06-03 · DIYMA 2017-07-07 · DIYMA 2021-08-01

In plain English: A "spec" (specification) is the document that says what a product must do; a product manager decides what goes into it. An "upmixer" is processing that takes ordinary two-channel stereo and creates extra channels from it, such as a centre or rear channel. EQ (equalisation) adjusts the loudness of different ranges of notes. He says head units (car radios) lack good EQ simply because nobody writes it into the spec. In the same way, DSPs lack upmixers, not because the licences are expensive (they aren't), but because product managers don't understand them or don't fight for them in budget meetings. And once an upmixer is included, someone also has to teach people how to use it.

5.5 #21 · Training separates shops, and Audiofrog's second job is teaching.

It went dealer-direct, capped Audiofrog U classes at four techs, and uses the UMI-1 kit, blog and support to explain great audio; a measurement tool need not be expensive. Sources: GridOto Aug 2019 · B2 @18:41

In plain English: He sees training as what separates good shops from the rest, and teaching as Audiofrog's second job alongside making products. Audiofrog sells directly to its dealers (shops), limits its "Audiofrog U" training classes to four technicians at a time, and uses its UMI-1 measurement kit, its blog and its customer support to explain how to get great sound. He adds that a measurement tool doesn't have to be expensive.

5.5 #22 · Standardize the tools you teach with.

Dealers given a $150 parts list substituted parts to save $8, so Audiofrog sold one kit; about 1,500 sold by March 2021 (about 60% to DIYers). Sources: UMI-1 video @3:00 · CMA 2021 @13:05

In plain English: For years he gave dealers a parts list, about $150 worth of sound card and microphone, so they could put together their own measurement setup. They kept swapping in other parts to save $8, so he ended up supporting endless different combinations. So Audiofrog began selling one standard kit. About 1,500 had sold by March 2021, about 60% of them to DIYers. His lesson: if you teach a method, make sure everyone uses the same tools.

5.5 #23 · Design shows care, and good products work even for people who don't read the manual.

Performance first, then "wrap something beautiful" around it; the GB25 was designed so any small pod works. A business plan isn't what will happen, but it tells you how far off plan you are. Sources: B1 @16:38 · DIYMA 2017-07-02 · B2 @10:25

In plain English: His product philosophy: get the performance right first, then "wrap something beautiful" around it, because good design shows care. Good products should also work for people who never read the manual. For example, Audiofrog's GB25 tweeter was designed to work in any small pod (the small housing an installer builds to hold a tweeter). On planning, he says a business plan isn't a prediction of what will happen, but it does tell you how far off plan you are.

5.5 #24 · Price-fixing talk in trade groups is illegal.

He warned a trade-association group about Sherman Antitrust Act exposure. Source: OFCAP 19 @3:51:06

In plain English: Price-fixing is when competing businesses agree among themselves what prices to charge. He warned the admins of an industry trade-association group (a Facebook group, according to the sources) that a discussion about setting prices could expose its members to legal liability under the Sherman Antitrust Act, the main US law against such agreements.

5.5 #25 · The future is multi-seat and immersive.

Carmakers are building audio zones, Atmos and spatial audio show where listening is going, and 30 years of two-channel SQ "leaves room for something else". Car DSP itself began in the early 1990s (Sony Mobile ES, Rockford Symmetry). Sources: CMA 2023 @39:03 · D&F live @26:03 · DIYMA 2021-10-15

In plain English: He sees car audio heading towards sound designed for every seat and towards "immersive" sound that surrounds the listener. Carmakers are building "audio zones" (different sound for different seats), and Dolby Atmos and "spatial audio" (formats that place sounds all around, and even above, the listener) show where listening is going. "SQ" means sound quality. After 30 years of two-channel (stereo) SQ, he says, there is "room for something else". On history, he notes that sound processing (DSP) in cars began in the early 1990s, with products such as Sony's Mobile ES line and Rockford's Symmetry.

5.6 SQ competitions and judging

What this part is about: Car-audio sound-quality ("SQ") competitions, such as those run by IASCA and MECA, where judges listen to cars and score them. Andy explains what winning does and doesn't prove, how cars get built to score points, and how he thinks judging should change.

5.6 #1 · Winning IASCA or MECA "means you win contests", not that the car is correct.

Some of the worst-sounding cars he heard were winners, and winning creates no new physics. Competition is "Formula 1", a contrived pursuit separate from the "luxury sedan" mainstream. [RARE] Sources: DIYMA 2013-03-20 · DIYMA 2021-09-09 · DIYMA 2020-10-07

In plain English: IASCA and MECA are organisations that run car-audio competitions. Many people assume a contest-winning car shows how a system should be done. He says winning just "means you win contests", not that the car is technically correct. Some of the worst-sounding cars he has heard were winners, and a win doesn't create new physics: a method isn't proven right just because a car using it won. He compares competition to Formula 1 racing: a contrived pursuit, separate from the "luxury sedan" mainstream, meaning the everyday systems most people listen to.

5.6 #2 · How judged cars game the score sheet.

Separate competition tunes per track, an all-pass filter for the centre-vocal track, deliberately out-of-phase treble that judges score as width, and uncorrelated pink noise to game the RTA lane; "it isn't great audio". His tongue-in-cheek 2012 recipe: build to the rules and talk the talk. [RARE] Sources: OFCAP 38 @54:01 · DIYMA 2022-01-31 · DIYMA 2012-02-05

In plain English: Judges score cars on a score sheet while playing a disc of test tracks. He describes four ways cars are built to score rather than to sound right. First, a separate competition tune for each judging track. Second, an all-pass filter (a timing, or phase, adjustment) used just for the track that tests whether the singer is centred. Third, treble deliberately set out of phase between left and right, which sounds spacious and which judges score as "width". Fourth, uncorrelated pink noise used to game the part of the scoring done with an RTA. Pink noise is a hiss-like test sound containing all frequencies; "uncorrelated" means the left and right channels play different noise rather than the same noise. An RTA (real-time analyser) is a meter that shows how loud each range of notes is. His verdict: "it isn't great audio". In 2012 he posted a tongue-in-cheek "recipe" for winning: build to the rules and talk the talk. (In that same post he said the cars being discussed did sound great.)

5.6 #3 · Install-point rules are often arbitrary.

Zip ties every 18", fuses that protect nothing, wire gauges that "make no sense"; he won't run 4-gauge to a 100 W amp for points and moved to SQC-style events. Sources: DIYMA 2008-06-09 · DIYMA 2010-04-07

In plain English: Many competitions also award points for the installation, not just the sound. He says many of those rules are arbitrary: a zip tie every 18 inches (about 46 cm), fuses that don't actually protect anything, and wire sizes that "make no sense". He won't run 4-gauge wire (very thick power cable) to an amplifier of only 100 watts just to earn points. He also recalls an install judge marking him down because, the judge said, his amplifier wiring "couldn't work". He moved to SQC-style events instead; the sources don't describe that format in detail.

5.6 #4 · Contest folklore without reasons, and secrecy, are red flags.

No one who removes the steering wheel "for reflections" could name the frequency; centring the image with 31 sine waves is "really stupid"; hobbyists share while competitors "learn, conceal and win". Sources: DIYMA 2009-07-10 · DIYMA 2010-07-13 · DIYMA 2020-07-08

In plain English: He treats contest habits that come without reasons, and secrecy, as warning signs. Competitors "love to talk" about removing the steering wheel to get rid of a sound reflection, yet none could tell him what frequency the problem was at, or why. Centring the image (making the singer appear in the middle) using 31 sine waves, which are pure single-pitch test tones, he calls "really stupid". Elsewhere he explains that pure tones land in uneven dips caused by in-car reflections, and those dips differ between left and right. Finally, hobbyists share what they learn, while competitors "learn, conceal and win".

5.6 #5 · Competitions don't drive innovation (2008).

He knows "a hundred real scientists" building new tools, and none are judges; pitches that add complexity for points are suspect. Source: DIYMA 2008-06-11

In plain English: Many people believe competitions push the technology forward, the way motor racing is said to improve road cars. In 2008 he said they don't. He knew "a hundred real scientists" developing new audio tools, and none of them were judges. So a sales pitch that adds complexity just to win contest points should make you suspicious. This is his view as of 2008.

5.6 #6 · Richard Clark's era: credit and critique.

It moved car audio out of "witchery" and gave us differential inputs and low-impedance outputs, but "Time Misalignment" led competitors to dismiss delay entirely. Acknowledge the grey. Sources: DIYMA 2009-11-11 · DIYMA 2011-11-25

In plain English: Richard Clark is a famous name from car-audio competition's early decades; the sources also name Dave Navone and the AutoSound 2000 articles from that era. He gives that era credit: it moved car audio away from "witchery" (mysterious, unexplained claims) towards engineering. It also gave us differential inputs (amplifier inputs designed to reject electrical noise picked up in the car) and low-impedance outputs on head units (outputs that drive signal cables more robustly). But he also criticises it. An article called "Time Misalignment" was, in his view, technically right on a narrow point (that time alignment doesn't move the apparent source of a sound), yet it led many competitors to dismiss delay (time alignment) entirely. His conclusion: acknowledge the grey. The era did real good and some harm.

5.6 #7 · Judging music and test discs push real listeners away.

Free test tracks "suck", judges complain bass masks ambience "and they wonder why no hip-hoppers" enter, and the seven-drum imaging track can't check midbass placement. Sources: DIYMA 2011-10-15 · UMI-1 video @28:00

In plain English: Competitions judge cars using particular discs of music and test tracks. He says this pushes real listeners away. The free test tracks, in his words, "suck". Judges complain when bass masks the ambience (the subtle sense of the space a recording was made in), "and they wonder why no hip-hoppers" enter. And the seven-drum track used to judge imaging (where sounds appear across the stage) can't check where the midbass seems to come from. Midbass is the upper bass, usually played by the door speakers.

5.6 #8 · Judges who mark down a strong centre are wrong, but play to the sheet.

He advised MS-8 competitors in one-seat judging to switch Logic 7 off so the car sounds like the two-channel car judges expect. Source: DIYMA 2013-07-23

In plain English: This point relates to a specific product, the JBL MS-8 processor. Logic 7 is Harman's upmixer, built into the MS-8: it creates a centre channel and surround effects from ordinary stereo. Some judges mark down a car with a strong centre image (a solid, focused singer in the middle). He says those judges are wrong. But he is practical: if you compete, play to the score sheet. He advised MS-8 owners entering contests judged from one seat to switch Logic 7 off, so the car sounds like the plain two-channel car the judges expect.

5.6 #9 · Score sheets are worthwhile but should reward two seats.

No car should score a 10 until it sounds larger than itself and the same in every seat; he offered to help write two-seat rules. Sources: SQOLOGY Pt 1 @48:03 · SQOLOGY Pt 2 @21:02

In plain English: He supports having score sheets, but thinks they should reward cars that sound good from both front seats, not just the driver's seat. In his view, no car should get a top score of 10 until it sounds bigger than the car itself and sounds the same in every seat. He offered to help write judging rules for two seats.

5.6 #10 · "Experiment with delays for depth" is wrong, and contest lasers are mostly about symmetry.

Depth must be in the recording; laser-positioning a judge's head is irrelevant to daily driving. Sources: OFCAP 19 @3:23:07 · OFCAP 19 @3:38:00

In plain English: "Depth" is the sense that some performers stand farther back on the stage than others. Some people advise experimenting with the processor's delay settings to create depth. He says that's wrong: depth has to be in the recording itself. Some competition cars use lasers to position the judge's head precisely in the seat; he says that is irrelevant to everyday driving. When the podcast host said lasers in competition builds are really used to make the installation symmetrical, he agreed.

5.6 #11 · He competed to show judges the multichannel future.

An 18-speaker Logic 7 Mini (around 2004) and a Volvo S60R with room synthesis won shows and finals trophies; at CES, EMMA judges needed an hour and a briefcase of CDs to "break" Logic 7. Even Gary Summers' superb one-seat car sounded better to him in multichannel. [RARE] Sources: DIYMA 2021-09-08 · DIYMA 2016-02-05

In plain English: "Multichannel" means using more than the two stereo channels, for example adding a centre channel and side or rear channels, often created by an upmixer such as Logic 7. He entered competitions to show judges where he believed car audio was heading. He competed with an 18-speaker Mini using Logic 7 (around 2004) and a Volvo S60R using "room synthesis" (processing that creates a sense of space beyond the car). Both won shows and trophies at finals. At CES (the big annual consumer electronics show), judges from EMMA, another competition organisation, needed an hour and a briefcase full of CDs to find a track that "broke" Logic 7, that is, made it sound wrong. Even Gary Summers' superb competition car, set up for one seat (he called its stereo mode maybe the best one-seat car he had heard), sounded better to him in multichannel.

The full series

Download the complete guide as one PDF (351 pages, every point with its explanation).