Silly question. Music vs movies which is easier for a home theater to handle.

[awongshing]

I was recently listening to some music on my home theater system that I also recently listened to in my car. I have a pretty nice custom system in my car. I came to the realization that car system sounded superior to my home theater. Is it a more difficult job for a home theater system to handle music rather than movies?

[Hammie]

IMO, cars are easier to fill with sound due to their size. I also think higher quallity car speakers are less money than home speakers. This is primarily because car speakers do not come with cabinets.

Just my two cents.

[crazyBLUE]

Do you have A amplifier in your car & not one in the HT .

[jomari]

a number of variables can be listed here,
- larger space
- room interaction
- quality of components (both comparing your car and your HT setup)
- placement.

a car as mentioened by lou is a smaller enclosure, plus the listening distance as well is much more smaller too.

too many variances, but also a matter of preference. i prefer to spend my money in home theater than in my car. others do the flipside of it.

logistics wise, its a difficult toss, if done right, you can have both.

[awongshing]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Do you have A amplifier in your car & not one in the HT .

Hey Crazy,
I have two amplifiers in my car my home theater is powered by only my Denon 2309.

[HAMP]

There is also just a simple answer; your car system is designed for music as your Home Theater is designed for movies.

I’m sure you have heard the statement that some manufacture of home speaker sound better with music and other sound better with movies. It’s all in the design, when I went speaker shopping the first thing the guy asked me was “Which do I listen to more, music or movies?”

I wanted to get the towers, but I told him I watch 90% movies and maybe 10% music. It was explained to me that the towers I wanted I would be wasting my money, because they are more musical and it would be best for me to get something different other then the towers.

I had some Klipsch towers before and they were great for movies but not music, I’m not sure if it was because of the horns in them and not the tweeters or maybe the mid-range on them were not as fast as car speakers.

Every speaker is designed different for movies or music, or the type of music can be a factor in the design/settings such as Rap or Classical music. In your car I’m sure different music will sound good while other will be terrible, if you switch from Hard-Rock to Smooth Jazz, I’m sure you will think the same way as the difference with music and movies in your Home Theater.

[awongshing]

Originally Posted by HAMP

There is also just a simple answer; your car system is designed for music as your Home Theater is designed for movies.

I’m sure you have heard the statement that some manufacture of home speaker sound better with music and other sound better with movies. It’s all in the design, when I went speaker shopping the first thing the guy asked me was “Which do I listen to more, music or movies?”

I wanted to get the towers, but I told him I watch 90% movies and maybe 10% music. It was explained to me that the towers I wanted I would be wasting my money, because they are more musical and it would be best for me to get something different other then the towers.

I had some Klipsch towers before and they were great for movies but not music, I’m not sure if it was because of the horns in them and not the tweeters or maybe the mid-range on them were not as fast as car speakers.

Every speaker is designed different for movies or music, or the type of music can be a factor in the design/settings such as Rap or Classical music. In your car I’m sure different music will sound good while other will be terrible, if you switch from Hard-Rock to Smooth Jazz, I’m sure you will think the same way as the difference with music and movies in your Home Theater.

Thanks HAMP,
That sounds like it may be the case.

[Big Daddy]

It is scientifically and staistically incorrect to make statements like that. You should never draw general conclusions based on the performance of your system in your room or your car.

Music in my HT room sounds 10 times better than in my car. That doesn't prove anything. It just means my HT system is better than my car system. It should, as my HT equipment cost more than the price of the car.

[JasonR]

I think in car audio it is basic knowledge to push all of your speakers with an external amp, bypassing the receiver. In home audio you get in the mindset of "my receiver should do the job just fine". That and if you total your 6x9s, 6 1/2s, and tweeters does that equal the cost of your front two speakers? I know when I was into car audio, the total of those alone cost about as much as my front two. Then total in what you think a cabinet would cost....

[ddgtr]

I'm with Big Dad on this one.

I have a nice system in my 01 3500 Gmc diesel, which diesel although quieter than previous models totally negates the use of a nice sound system...

Diamond speakers, JL 4 ch amp, Alpine sub amp, 12" JL sub, Pioneer stereo the whole shebang. Sounds awesome with the engine off, otherwise I have to turn it way up.

However, for the past 2 years or so since I put together my 2 channel I cannot listen to my truck system at all, because it sounds like crap compared to my 2 channel at home. Now mind you, everyone else who listens to my car setup thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread...

Therefore, I have decided to dismantle my truck setup and put it on ebay. Just haven't had a chance to do it...

My 02 cents...

[Halcro 1]

I feel for example 5k in HT gear will sound better tha 5k in a car...Not as loud in the HT but who cares. Car audio is extremly overrated and expensive to get it right, Thats why car audio isnt as big as it once was..

[ninel]

Originally Posted by HAMP

There is also just a simple answer; your car system is designed for music as your Home Theater is designed for movies.

I’m sure you have heard the statement that some manufacture of home speaker sound better with music and other sound better with movies. It’s all in the design, when I went speaker shopping the first thing the guy asked me was “Which do I listen to more, music or movies?”

I wanted to get the towers, but I told him I watch 90% movies and maybe 10% music. It was explained to me that the towers I wanted I would be wasting my money, because they are more musical and it would be best for me to get something different other then the towers.

I had some Klipsch towers before and they were great for movies but not music, I’m not sure if it was because of the horns in them and not the tweeters or maybe the mid-range on them were not as fast as car speakers.

Every speaker is designed different for movies or music, or the type of music can be a factor in the design/settings such as Rap or Classical music. In your car I’m sure different music will sound good while other will be terrible, if you switch from Hard-Rock to Smooth Jazz, I’m sure you will think the same way as the difference with music and movies in your Home Theater.

That's right.

Also, you should switch your receiver for music when you listen music. For instance Sony has this AFD (Auto Format Decode) mode, if it sees signal from 2 channels then it provides you with nice music. On the other hand if you would switch to so called "Digital Cinema Ex.B" mode (that is dedicated for movies), the music will sound shit. That is what I experience with my system.

[Gremal]

Unless your PS3 fan sounds as loud as your engine, your wheels on the road, rain on the windshield and other cars whizzing by, I don't see how there is even a baseline for such a comparison. There are too many variables for audiophiles to try to take car audio seriously. Can't adjust the speaker position, listening position or other key parameters enough for it to be a worthy pursuit. If you're enjoying music more in the car than in your HT, something's wrong, unless you're just high off the adreniline of driving.

[JBL4645]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

It is scientifically and staistically incorrect to make statements like that. You should never draw general conclusions based on the performance of your system in your room or your car.

Music in my HT room sounds 10 times better than in my car. That doesn't prove anything. It just means my HT system is better than my car system. It should, as my HT equipment cost more than the price of the car.

Yeah, awongshing should run a frequency sweep of the car with REW on laptop then run sweep of the living room home cinema system at (seated locations car and home) There the fact will show to you what is good and what is bad or what can be corrected or improved.

Car no way can it be better. You have engine running noise that forces you to play it louder and there is nothing too smart at playing it loud and punishing your hearing.

Also you have car vibration when travelling unless you’re stationary. I heard some car Hi-Fi before many years ago, all boom no real clarity a lot of unnatural air flowing around that masks the other portions of the frequency response.

[danfaz]

Originally Posted by ninel

That's right.

Also, you should switch your receiver for music when you listen music. For instance Sony has this AFD (Auto Format Decode) mode, if it sees signal from 2 channels then it provides you with nice music. On the other hand if you would switch to so called "Digital Cinema Ex.B" mode (that is dedicated for movies), the music will sound shit. That is what I experience with my system.

Good point! I use the AFD when playing music, and it works perfectly. Might as well use the technology they give ya

[Odin75]

I can relate to the OP to some degree.
My setup at home does sound better, but I just enjoy listening to music in my mom's old Kia SUV. Sure, it doesn't have the dynamic range, the clarity, or bass response, but there is something about those crappy speakers that I love.

I have no other thing to call it, other than Nostalgia. It's not the best, but it sure is more enjoyable. I'm sure that doesn't make sense, nor many will relate, but that's the way it is.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Here's my 2 cents

Anyone that thinks car audio can even come remotely close to a home system is out to lunch. Car Audio is about 2 things....volume and bass! They are both easy to obtain as you're in a very small confined space.

Home audio is not just about volume and bass. It is about soundstage and imaging, which is not something that is even remotely possible to attain in a car.

John

[Yeha-Noha]

My HT system sounds just as superb whether it be music or movies. My musical tastes may differ from the average person since I prefer classical, opera, and jazz. But, many a movie soundtrack has bits of classical or 'modern' classical too as well as singing and vocals besides just dialogue. So, I think it's an absolute must that when I buy speakers, receivers, BD players, and amplifiers that they perform well to the task no matter what I listen to.

Speakers especially, as mentioned many times, need careful consideration. I prefer neutral, natural sounding speakers. To say that one speaker is designed for HT, another for classical, and yet another for rock/rap music means that such speakers, for me anyway, aren't worthy of consideration. It doesn't make sense to me that speakers be designed that way, other than for specialized functions that subwoofers and surround speakers are designed for. That's why I prefer Energy speakers. They are the most neutral, natural sounding speakers I've ever owned besides my old Tannoys whether they are for the fronts, center, or surrounds. When used with the rest of my system I can enjoy anything I want to the utmost extent, be it music, movies or a concert.

For me there are no compromises to accommodate one or the other. It's all or none.

So in conclusion, if my HT system can't handle both movies and music equally well, then IMO it's a piece of crap. My logic is sound (no pun intended) because most movies I listen to don't just have intense action sounds and dialogue, but they also have quite a bit of music too in their soundtracks. And when I do want to listen to just pure music, if my HT system can't handle that, then it's a piece of crap.

My HT system can just as easily handle both to my satisfaction!