McIntosh....in a jeep?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by tom1040, Jan 14, 2021.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. tom1040

    tom1040 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Coast of Maine
    displayname likes this.
  2. dudley07726

    dudley07726 Forum Resident

    Location:
    FLA
    They were in some Subaru models as an option in the past.
     
    displayname likes this.
  3. dianos

    dianos Forum Resident

    Location:
    The North
    Horrible IMO. But maybe it's a perfect match for the likes of Jeep and Mc.
     
    WvL and formu_la like this.
  4. IllinoisCheesehead

    IllinoisCheesehead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    I think that's actually pretty cool looking. Would love to hear it. Worst part -- it's in a Chrysler product... :p But has to sound better than the factory Bose system in my Tahoe.
     
  5. classicrocker

    classicrocker Life is good!

    Location:
    Worcester, MA, USA
    Hey Hey, easy on my beloved Jeeps. Not all FCA products are bad........:)

    I have owned four Jeep Grand Cherokees since I bought the first year model in 1993 and I am in the process of buying another this weekend due to my current 2017 Jeep GC Limited being totaled in a traffic accident.

    All my Grand Cherokees were very reliable and low maintenance with my last 2004 model being traded in for the 2017 model with 250K miles on the clock and still going strong.

    They are very comfortable and tremendous in the snow which is a must for me here in New England as I live out in the sticks.

    My 2017 model had an Alpine 9 speaker stereo which was not bad for a factory car system and I am looking at the 19 speaker Harman Kardon system in my next Jeep.

    Would love to hear the McIntosh unit but it will not be out until spring 2021 and I need a vehicle now to replace my wrecked GC.
     
  6. Juan Matus

    Juan Matus Reformed Audiophile

    Is it tubes?
     
    WvL and RhodesSupremacy like this.
  7. visolo

    visolo Well-Known Member

    Bingo Bongo likes this.
  8. BIGGER Dave

    BIGGER Dave Forum Resident

    I’ll take a wild guess - the head unit and amps are probably very good. Not having equally high expectations for the speakers...
     
  9. IllinoisCheesehead

    IllinoisCheesehead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    Sorry, couldn't resist taking a jab at FCA. To be honest, one of my favorite vehicles that I owned was a 1997 Jeep GC Laredo. Like you said, fantastic in the snow.

    Now, the 2013 RAM 3500 dually I owned is a completely different story. In a single year, it spent over 30 days in the shop. Must have been built on a Friday because it had nothing but issues. I feel sorry for whoever bought that from the Chevy dealer I pawned it off on. That said, the factory Infinity sound system was pretty decent.
     
  10. Juan Matus

    Juan Matus Reformed Audiophile

    I think they could be sonus farber - which the mcintosh group owns.

    Brands – McIntosh Group

    I never heard sonus farber but I think they make good speakers.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2021
  11. Thermionic Dude

    Thermionic Dude Forum Resident

    I love Jeeps, but the idea that one could have anything approaching a "high-end" listening "experience" in one is so incongruent with the realities of the vehicle (abundant interior squeaks and rattles, tire noise, wind noise, vibration, and all the wrong kinds of acoustically reflective surfaces) that I can't help but laugh at the idea. I mean, the last thing on your mind when bombing down some backcountry trail trying hard to avoid boulders and keep the vehicle upright is critiquing the soundstage, midrange, and detail retrieval of the stereo, LOL!

    I will say though, the blue meters sure look cool!

    This is just a cynical marketing exercise pandering to the folks who buy Jeeps as fashion statements and then never expose them to any terrain rougher than a pothole in the Costco parking lot!

    Does no one see the inherent beauty in rugged utilitarianism anymore?
     
    MonkeyMan and RhodesSupremacy like this.
  12. classicrocker

    classicrocker Life is good!

    Location:
    Worcester, MA, USA
    No worries I understand FCA does not have the greatest rep for vehicles so no offense was taken. Besides like I say I have had 4 going on 5 Jeep GC's and they are great vehicles IMHO.

    And there premium sound systems are actually pretty decent for an SUV in their price range.

    This sound system is going into the new 3-row seat larger Jeep GC marketed at families that need more seats so I doubt that vehicle is going to see much if any off road.

    As far as interior noise I am not sure if you ever owned a Grand Cherokee but I am going on my 5th and from my experience they are very well built and do not have "abundant interior squeaks and rattles, tire noise, wind noise, vibration" that you mentioned. In fact, they are amazingly quiet when rolling down the road especially if you pair them with a good quality tire like a Michelin. If the McIntosh is similar to the recent Jeep sound systems it may also have Automatic Noise Cancellation (ANC) built in to cancel out cabin noise.

    My 2017 Jeep GC Limited did not have ANC but the newer models, with what is considered premium sound systems, do have this feature. I will find out this weekend how effective it actually is as I am test driving new GC's.

    Also, keep in mind these premium sound systems are not just a bunch of parts thrown into a car with a high profile brand name. The audio companies work with the automobile Mfg early in the design process to customize the systems and EQ to each car. This is why you can't just buy the individual head units, amps and speakers after market.

    As far as a Jeep being a fashion statement I agree if you are talking about the Jeep Wrangler family, as I doubt most of those ever see any off roading, but the Grand Cherokee was more targeted as a family vehicle and always has been. When it was introduced in 1993 it was a replacement for the old premium Jeep Grand Wagoneer which was a family vehicle.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2021
    aphexacid likes this.
  13. RhodesSupremacy

    RhodesSupremacy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Away, India
    A car is only meant for two things and neither of those involve holographic imaging or transparent midrange. A high-end car stereo is worthless, much like having a TV in the bedroom.
     
  14. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    People bomb backcountry trails in Grand Cherokees?
     
  15. classicrocker

    classicrocker Life is good!

    Location:
    Worcester, MA, USA
    I agree not the best way to present high end audio but I respectfully disagree it is worthless as if you spend a couple of hours a day commuting to and from work a high-end system can make the trip much more enjoyable.

    Before Covid hit, and I started working from home, that two hour commute was where I had the most free time to listen to music and having a decent car stereo was a real pleasure for me.
     
    Tim 2 likes this.
  16. classicrocker

    classicrocker Life is good!

    Location:
    Worcester, MA, USA
    Not at what a Jeep GC cost these days. Not many SUV's are used off road IMHO. They are mainly family vehicles that never go off road.

    Now the older boxy Cherokee models are favored by off-roaders these day as they are inexpensive and there are plenty of companies selling off-road mods for them. I have a buddy who owns one and can't tell you how much he spent modding it for off-road but he does get it dirty on weekends.

    Here is pic of the older vintage but not his

    [​IMG]
     
    Tim 2 likes this.
  17. Chilli

    Chilli Pretend Engineer.

    Location:
    UK
    I can only imagine McIntosh's involvement went little further than emailing their logo over and the shade of blue for the LEDs.

     
    classicrocker likes this.
  18. IllinoisCheesehead

    IllinoisCheesehead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois
    Same here. 110 mile daily round-trip commute pre-COVID. Upgraded entertainment package always a requirement for me in any new car.
     
    classicrocker likes this.
  19. Bananajack

    Bananajack Phorum ... wat Phorum? Where am I?

    Location:
    Singapore
    McIntosh Car Audio is made by Clarion
    They acquired the brand name to be in the top class

    So nothing too special;)
     
    classicrocker likes this.
  20. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    I just spotted this on a TV commercial for the first time. I am surprised to see this, but....might sound very nice.....
     
    Tim 2 likes this.
  21. LostArk

    LostArk Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I recently was in a rental 2021 Toyota RAV4 with upgraded sound system which had the speakers placed on the dashboard near the windshield pillars. The soundstage was in fact holographic, and situated at ear level. I was very, very impressed. Apparently the RAV4 also uses DSP to cancel road and mechanical noise and boost lost frequencies. It was the closest thing to a "hi fi" car audio experience I've ever had, no cheesy boomy bass or any typical car audio horrors. Took me by complete surprise to say the least — I get into a boring as hell rental Toyota RAV4 and get blown away by the sound system? What a world!
     
    classicrocker and McLover like this.
  22. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Used to be. And Clarion nearly ruined the brand. Fortunately, D&M Holdings got it a while, and then Fine Sounds, and currently the McIntosh Group.
     
    MLutthans, classicrocker and Tim 2 like this.
  23. Drew769

    Drew769 Buyer of s*** I never knew I lacked

    Location:
    NJ
    The McIntosh-branded system that they are putting in the TOTL $85,000 to $115,000 2022 Grand Wagoneers is supposed to be excellent, based on reviews from people that have heard it. It’sa lot of money for a Jeep, but then again, the vintage ones are selling for up to $100,000 on the used market so why not?
     
    Tim 2 likes this.
  24. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    When I was a little kid car radios had tubes. You'd turn them on and the dials had a nice yellow glow and the volume would gradually come up as the tubes warmed up. I remember their first car with a solid state radio. Turn the knob and instant sound, amazing!
     
    Agitater and Juan Matus like this.
  25. jbmcb

    jbmcb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Troy, MI, USA
    I used to work for an electronics OEM that was staffed with a bunch of ex-Chrysler audio engineers. Those guys were *intense* about car audio. The head of the team pushed hard to get Chrysler to build DAT head units. He still had a prototype in his car. We'd get engineering samples of cars and they'd pick apart the acoustics and user interface of them in detail. "Not enough baffling in the door speakers," and "stereo image is off, they used the wrong tweeters." I'm pretty sure these were the guys responsible for the bonkers 10-speaker Infinity stereo system in the late 80's Chrysler TC.

    So, if anything, Chrysler's audio department has a history of, at least, wanting to get a quality system in their vehicles. I'm not sure why'd they partner with McIntosh besides brand recognition, though. McIntosh hasn't been heavily involved with car audio in years. I'm pretty sure the only thing the Infinity brand is used for by Harman nowadays is car audio.
     
    Tim 2 likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine