Car stereo EQ

[Russtopher]

I'm curious to know what sort of EQ other posters use in their cars. For *years* I admit I was one of those "smiley face" EQ drivers, exaggerated bass and highs and scooped mids, but a year or so ago I realized that the exaggerated EQ in the car (where probably 80% of my real music listening occurs) was causing me to add WAY too much bass to my mixes, no matter what type of song I was working on.

Since then I go flat across the board in the car and now whenever I'm in someone else's car with that smiley face EQ, everything just sounds like shit. Curious to know what you guys do - flat EQ, or do you adjust based on what you're listening to? Or do you do the smiley?

 

[Morgan C]

Whatever your car needs. I do +1/5 treble, +1/5 bass. My friend puts his bass so hard everything distorts. :/

 

[Damian B]

I generally add 1 notch of bass (out of 6) and that's it.

 

[Ermz]

I treat it like tuning a live system. You listen and tweak dials until it sounds right. Flat isn't necessarily 'correct' for all circumstances, as the environment of the car and the natural exertion of the speakers will add its own effect.

What I do hate is when clients listen to mixes on these 'V-systems', and complain that the instrument balances are whack. Duh genius, you've just sent the entire midrange about 10dB back.

 

[JayB]

A little treble boost usually maybe +1 on the bass

 

[Mago]

really depends on the car...in the small hyundai (my others car before my sister wrecked it) i had to boost the bass.
in the civic (fathers car) i take them out....
it really depends on the car and what kind of system is in there.
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nowaday's in only can tweak the EQ of my mp3 player though...damn^^

 

[Ganks]

I love my car stereo. I can't stand to listen to music on other systems, except my studio monitors!

My settings:

Treble - 4 out of 6
Mids - 3 out of 6
Bass - 1 out of 6
(These settings apply to my door speakers)

I have 2 10" subs in an enclosed box in my trunk.
I have my subs set to filter out everything above 125 Hz.
I'll adjust the level of "thump" per album.

Also, I keep my iPod on the "Treble Booster" settings on it's audio EQ.

Oh, and I don't have my subs cranked to where you can't hear anything but bass.
I have them up just enough to where the bass rides nicely, and the kick drum punches you in the chest.

Gotta get a new box though. Mine got wet (?) and is falling apart quite rapidly.

 

[Norris-wf]

I just press the Xplod preset on mine, Does anyone know what this does specifically? or does anyone else use presets?

 

[Nuno Filipe]

I just press the Xplod preset on mine, Does anyone know what this does specifically? or does anyone else use presets?

Xpold gives you the booooooooooommmmm!lol more serious, it puts the things a little to bassy for my ears.

 

[DanLights]

I hate bass "X-pand" presets on home and car stereos, it always sounds all boomy and bad to my ears. In my old For Explorer I use to give some 2 or 3 + boost on bass and treble depending on what I was listening to.

 

[botus99]

I ALWAYS gotta boost my highs (I wear thick beanies and hats most of the time, gotta compensate man!) then usually a -1 or -2 drop in mids. Its all subjective though, I'm sure the settings would be different in a different car or with different size speakers... LOTS of variables

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

You guys would probably cry if you saw my car stereo. The speakers cost about 15e. I have to keep the EQ at low +10dB, mid +10dB, high -10db and put socks over the tweeters to be able to hear something else than cymbals.

 

[Cacoph0ny]

5/6 on bass and treble ahaha

 

[DanLights]

You guys would probably cry if you saw my car stereo. The speakers cost about 15e. I have to keep the EQ at low +10dB, mid +10dB, high -10db and put socks over the tweeters to be able to hear something else than cymbals.

shit hahahaha

don´t you hate when you get on someone´s car and he´s listening to metal and has all the treble in the world boosted and no bass? clank clank clank clank this is the painkiller clank clank uke:

 

[updog]

Shit needs bass, so I have my lows at 10 out of 10. Haven't boosted mids at all, but I've boosted the highs like +6. It sounds about okay to me.

I think the speakers in my car are surprisingly good, I can even hear some nyances I've only heard through my monitors. That also might be because I *know* those nyances are there, and think I can hear them...

What's bullshit about my car is that it only has worthless insulation in the doors, so outside it it sounds like I'm blasting my car stereos at full volume, even when they sound pretty quiet to me. Thank god I don't listen to techno.