Is car audio/DIY dying?

It seems the car audio world should be petitioning and speaking to the automobile manufacturers and engineers to allow for easier integration. This might be way too simplified, but I would think a couple of factory optical outputs and some more flexibility with the factory headunits and aftermarket amps/dsp's would help close the gap between the two.

The industries seem to clash at times with there integration. Some of the car audio tech is stuck in the eighties and new cars are finally taking a step forward in giving people what they are already used to in other parts of there lives. USB, wifi, bluetooth, toslink, voice command etc. Half of the aftermarket audio industry is trying to embrace it, the rest seems to resist it.

I know I'm too much of an optimist at times, but the industries should try to meet more in the middle. Or at least car audio needs to keep up. There is less and less of a reason to have to pull my dash apart to plug 3 fucking wires in, just to get an amp running, instead of having connectability in other places in the vehicle. Its just a turn off with how much work needs to be done, for something pretty simple. Make installation of basic upgrades doable for the average Joe and the hobby will come roaring back. Just a rambling opinion though.
 
Hell, even if they would put a couple of sets of clean RCA's on the back, it would be a welcome change. Getting OEMs on board would be an uphill battle. They have no interest in people altering the electrical system at all.
 
Yes, tough to call a head unit an upgrade, when $1000 spent, still requires you to purchase hundreds of dollars of modules, wire kits, dash kits (that look like garbage more often than not). Just to be able to keep what the vehicle came with from the dealership. Never mind the increasingly difficult dashboard install.

It presents itself as a rip off and leaves install shops trying to convince the novice that all this stuff is necessary to properly install the gear.

"Wow, $500 for a sweet deck"
"Plus $175 for wire/dash kits"......oh ok.
"And of course $150 for the actual install and labour"......hmmm.
"Also, you won't be able to keep your chimes and backup camera"........pass!

A little sarcastic, but not too far from the truth. ;-)
 
blockrocker said:
Yes, tough to call a head unit an upgrade, when $1000 spent, still requires you to purchase hundreds of dollars of modules, wire kits, dash kits (that look like garbage more often than not). Just to be able to keep what the vehicle came with from the dealership. Never mind the increasingly difficult dashboard install.

It presents itself as a rip off and leaves install shops trying to convince the novice that all this stuff is necessary to properly install the gear.

"Wow, $500 for a sweet deck"
"Plus $175 for wire/dash kits"......oh ok.
"And of course $150 for the actual install and labour"......hmmm.
"Also, you won't be able to keep your chimes and backup camera"........pass!

A little sarcastic, but not too far from the truth. ;-)
Click to expand...

In addition to this situation

IF They agree to all the above as in
"ok all of that is understandable. Lets go ahead and get this installed" after explaining everything to them....

Check stock.... "oh and we have to order those parts it takes up to X (weeks or days) to get them in" OR "oh actually they don't make those parts for your specific car yet..." so we'll have to go this route...

Customer "so I can't get this stereo installed yet, or maybe not at all?"

You: "yeah, you can still get subs installed but lose XYZ functionality"

Customer "thanks.... let me think about it...."
 
I think they will move towards a phone plan type set-up .
The HU is $165.00 with all modules installed . . . As long as we get paid each month . . . ( Sirius and this , and this . . . $125.00 )
 
blockrocker said:
It seems the car audio world should be petitioning and speaking to the automobile manufacturers and engineers to allow for easier integration. This might be way too simplified, but I would think a couple of factory optical outputs and some more flexibility with the factory headunits and aftermarket amps/dsp's would help close the gap between the two.

The industries seem to clash at times with there integration. Some of the car audio tech is stuck in the eighties and new cars are finally taking a step forward in giving people what they are already used to in other parts of there lives. USB, wifi, bluetooth, toslink, voice command etc. Half of the aftermarket audio industry is trying to embrace it, the rest seems to resist it.

I know I'm too much of an optimist at times, but the industries should try to meet more in the middle. Or at least car audio needs to keep up. There is less and less of a reason to have to pull my dash apart to plug 3 fucking wires in, just to get an amp running, instead of having connectability in other places in the vehicle. Its just a turn off with how much work needs to be done, for something pretty simple. Make installation of basic upgrades doable for the average Joe and the hobby will come roaring back. Just a rambling opinion though.
Click to expand...
If you think this is even a possibility, I'm gunna need whatever drugs you're on lol

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For you guys who are worried about getting a new car and not being able to out a system in as easily.. DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE HAND. I cannot even tell you how many people tell me "yeah I got this car with the base model system so itll be easier to integrate into", meanwhile it's actually harder. A lot of newer cars have interfaces available. Even some of the spdif hyundais and Kia's are about to have interfaces available. Feel free to shoot me a message if you need help choosing or need help integrating with a car you already have.

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As many have already said; I don't believe the car audio industry is dying... but it is definitely changing.

Car manufacturers aren't just sticking some shitty casette deck in a vehicle anymore... it's all integrated with navigation, bluetooth, etc.
From this perspective; car audio is becoming more specialized and complicated to integrate.
The learning curve is steep (and can be intimidating), so some folks get scared away quicker than in days past.

The other issue is the way we purchase things online nowadays. Amazon is massively successful, and department stores are going bankrupt.
People have access to information, like never before. This includes price comparisons. It also offers access to worldwide products, right at their fingertips.
This isn't to say there isn't value in the retail audio shop... but it does require most shops to focus on installations, in order to be commercially viable.
There isn't a lot of profit in reselling audio gear...
 
SkizeR said:
If you think this is even a possibility, I'm gunna need whatever drugs you're on lol

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Click to expand...

LAUGHING MY ASS OFF....hey nick have a conference call with all the automobile engineers and let them know us here in the SQ world “demand easy integration”...LOL..


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naiku said:
The amount of people I see on a daily basis, walking around, driving etc. with Apple AirPods in is somewhat comical to me. It's the strangest thing, before AirPods existed there was never this many people walking around with ear buds/headphones of any type, yet now everyone is listening to music that they keep them in constantly. It's this weird status symbol that is reflective of society as a whole, gotta show that we have AirPods or we won't be viewed as cool. Saw an older couple a few weeks ago, mid 50's maybe, so not old old, but older, both walking around wearing AirPods, not walking around a park or something for exercise, but walking into stores. Are those people really so un-interested in each other that they would sooner be listening to music than talking to each other?
Click to expand...

It's partly status symbol and partly to discourage people who might try to talk to them. Today's people live alone in their own little worlds.
 
gumbeelee said:
LAUGHING MY ASS OFF....hey nick have a conference call with all the automobile engineers and let them know us here in the SQ world “demand easy integration”...LOL..
Click to expand...

Lol. Fair enough, it may have been a bit of a stretch. How about a call with the car audio engineers and tell them we want more than rca interconnects and the need for massive runs of power wires. I'll keep reaching....;-)
 
SlvrDragon50 said:
Car audio is so incredibly dated IMO. Can't believe we don't have 1080p double DIN headunits as a minimum. At the very least, 720p.
Click to expand...
I'm still waiting on optical output on a decent headunit, and DTS or Dolby Digital surround in a dsp. My phone has 2560x1440 resolution, and most others have damn good resolution, too. Maybe we can talk the phone manufacturers into implementing everthing we need. It's not very likely, though.
 
Ipad mini ( optical out ) ?
LG G7 ( optical out ) ?

Works for 'asian invasion' !
Check 1rst page of build log.
 
blockrocker said:
It seems the car audio world should be petitioning and speaking to the automobile manufacturers and engineers to allow for easier integration. This might be way too simplified, but I would think a couple of factory optical outputs and some more flexibility with the factory headunits and aftermarket amps/dsp's would help close the gap between the two.
Click to expand...

I find it hard to believe that Harley-Davidson has the market cornered when it comes to aftermarket integration with a factory deck. Since 2014, the H-D radio has been able to have EQ curves loaded into it to support various aftermarket additions.
 
I appreciate everyone's input. What I've noticed is the enthusiasts claim that its "changing" while the people who work in the industry say its been slowing down significantly. I see both sides and think I'll quote the great Ben Stiller when he says...

"a little bit of both"
 
gumbeelee said:
LAUGHING MY ASS OFF....hey nick have a conference call with all the automobile engineers and let them know us here in the SQ world “demand easy integration”...LOL..


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Click to expand...
I'll call natan or joe. They'll both ask me if I'm losing my mind lol

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blockrocker said:
Lol. Fair enough, it may have been a bit of a stretch. How about a call with the car audio engineers and tell them we want more than rca interconnects and the need for massive runs of power wires. I'll keep reaching....;-)
Click to expand...
I had a customer recently tell me that we dont need an interface because we can just use the rca outputs out of the OEM head unit....

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SkizeR said:
I had a customer recently tell me that we dont need an interface because we can just use the rca outputs out of the OEM head unit....

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Click to expand...

:LOL:

Maybe an opportunity to have them "pay you to prove them wrong?"

Excuse me Mr/Mrs.... would you come into the install bay with me for a second and please show me where those RCA outputs are???? .......

OHH I'm sorry I recall you telling me they have them built-in... well you can buy the interface since you need it.... You still have to pay me for labor....
 
SkizeR said:
I had a customer recently tell me that we dont need an interface because we can just use the rca outputs out of the OEM head unit....

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Click to expand...

Maybe on certain Scion or Mazda vehicles.
 
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