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I've spent over $10k on it. I think that spells important.

The quality of my car stereo system is only somewhat important to me. While I spend a lot of time in my car (and indeed do most of my listening there), the road noise hides the details of a fine audio system. Nonetheless I have invested a sizable amount of money into my system to make it "listenable."

Actually, I don't have a car at the moment. But when I get one, you can be sure whatever crappy stereo comes with it won't stay for long! I've read that a lot of audiophiles don't bother with high end car audio because of the naturally noisy environment. Whatever. It may not be perfect but then neither is my $6K home stereo. And for around $2K I can put together a very sweet sounding car stereo. No, not a subwoofer on wheels, but a decent balanced sound with better imaging than most of you probably realize is possible. And being the DIY kinda guy that I am; I'll put it all in myself, which only adds to my enjoyment! One last thing: Car audio helped me discover High End Home Audio. Think about it.

I listen to low power radio stations in the car. They don't have the money for good sounding equipment, so I don't worry to much about the car stereo. I would like the sound on radio to better but the people in radio don't seem to care how it sounds as long as it is loud.

With a 70 dB noise floor and tizzy CD sound, why bother?

Being the good audiophile that I am, I have naturally put a system into my car. It helps that I install them for a living . . . I spend more time in my car than at home. With the 60+ minutes a day of commuting and the eight hours of sleep that I should be getting now, my "sweet spot" time is very limited.

Since stock car stereos still sound terrible, I had to do something about mine, so I installed a Pioneer CD and JL Audio Speakers. (No booming sub)

Ok very fun "Don't have a car"! Spent too much money on the Levinson huh? Don't spend the time in my car but only if B&W would make car speakers . . . Mobil nautlis anyone?

Factory systems suck!

Analog is better in Cars because the inherent ambient noise drowns out the "Rice Crispies"!

The stock Bose system in the '99 Nissan Maxima is actually pretty good.

my typical commute to work only lasts 10 minutes.

Although I drive a good car it is still a waste of money to invest in car stereo..whatever factory provides is fine with me.

The systemn which came with my Renault ESPACE van is pretty good - good enough to have some fun listening to good music while driving long distance. It has six speakers, a Pioneer CD changer, and a very good tuner section for excellent reception on the road. The tuner incorporates self-adjusting tuning plus self-adjusting volume, according to the suurounding noise in the car.

When Detroit's lone classical-music radio station changed to alternative rock in 1997, I turned my back on radio and leased a car with a CD changer. I went one step further in my next car purchase; in addition to the CD changer, I ordered my 1999 Mercury Sable with Ford's audiophile sound system (Mach Audio), one of the best-sounding OEM systems I've heard. Once the speakers broke in, which took more than a month, the system started delivering very musical sound. I enjoy listening to my kind of music, without the commercial and sonic annoyances that most FM stations broadcast, and I would not lease or buy another vehicle without some type of CD player or changer.

Even the best "options" ordered from an auto manufacturer pale compared to what can be installed later.

I prefer to concentrate on the imaging of the other vehicles around me and the soundstaging of the road surface. This way, I arrive home safely to listen to my real system.

it is good to have undistorted music but it will always be in competition withe the road,drivetrain and wind noise. so how refined do i get it? just enough to get the full sonic range of the music with nos distortion

. . . But not quite as important as my home system where I spend most of time. The world really needs a high-quality mag like Stereophile doing quality car audio. (Latest upgrades: CD head unit, Infinity speakers in all four corners, and an Alpine amp.)

as long as it does not have blown speakers, I'm fine.

I listen to talk radio, mostly on AM.

Commuting by car in the UK often means you have more time to listen to music in the car than at home. I can think of nothing (legal)that negates the tedium of a long-haul journey or rush-hour log jam than a decent car hi-fi. I also find it particularly conducive to familiarizing myself with all those new titles which I have bought and rarely get a chance to "get into" at home. Plus, you get an extra dimension when you finally listen at home again

I enjoy music very much so its important to me to have at least a reasonable level of reproduction wherever I am. But I am conscious of value here so I wouldn't spend more on my car system (by buying a Bose in car system for instance) than I spent on my home rig.

When I fly, I read. When I drive, I listen.

I spend about half of my listening time in my car . . . Too bad I can't put a nice tube rig in there.

My car ('92 Taurus) has so much other noise that I don't even try to make it hi-fi. I'd rather put my money into my home (dorm) system. aside: I went to Buzznet, and was very unimpressed by the ghetto-blaster truck they had on display there. Where would I be able to go to hear a good, clean, balanced car audio system?

AS much time as I spend in the car, it's sound system absolutely must be good. However, I will not go overboard and spend tons of money on a replacement for the stock system. I own a Lexus ES300 and RX300. With controls for Bass, Mids, & Treble, 7 speakers which include a subwoofer, I find that I can get reasonal sound and enjoyment for those long trips. I put my extra dollars into the complete NBS Monitor 0 cable system in my "Big Rig" which is Pass X600's & X1, MLAS 36 & 37, Basis Ovation/Graham 1.5/Benz Micro Glider/Phonomena, ESP Concert Grands, Marantz DR17 CD Recorder. Heaven on Earth!

I really can't get involved in music in a car. As long as it sounds okay that's good for me.

I rarely turn on the car radio aside from listening to news. I'm sorry it even is stereo. One should be devoting one's full attention to driving, and music takes my full concentration when I choose to listen. Of course, I'm not a big fan of driving, anyway - I put far more miles a year on the bicycle than in the bloody car.

I use car time as an oasis for solitude. With phone calls, cell phones, voice mail, meetings, Muzak, television, stereo, constant work, home and social pressures, I need a quiet time. That's where the car comes in.