Trusted tracks make car audio easy

Audiophiles rejoice! Chev's lead music man Matt Kirsch divulges his top 10 playlist for crystal clear in-car sound

Ever wondered how to tune your car's audio system so that it's just right for any track, no matter how eclectic your music library may be? Well thankfully Chevrolet has divulged a couple of its best kept secrets on how it manages to get the most out of a car stereo long before you ever get behind the wheel – and being a company itself immortalised in over 600 songs, it should know a thing or two about how it's done.

To help those of us endlessly fiddling with our car's audio settings, Chev's own music man, lead audio engineer Matt Kirsch, has complied his top 10 best tracks for evaluating in car acoustics and created a playlist you can download from iTunes to try it for yourself.

Kirsch is responsible for fitting a dynamic soundstage that works for every kind of music genre when heard in the compact space that is your car's cabin. He and his team have conducted extensive research to find a selection of tracks that ensure the most rigorous test of a new sound system with tips on what to listen for in each track to see if that new car audio system is up to scratch.

It may interest you to know that this exact playlist, along with literally thousands of other tracks, has been used to measure the acoustics of models including the Barina, Cruze and Captiva, among others.

According to Kirsch, it's not how loud you can make an audio package but how much definition and clarity it has.

"Most people think that the best sound systems have to make the loudest noise possible, but you should listen for all-round dynamic tonality and punchy vocal characteristics to determine quality – whether you're listening to a smooth jazzy sound or R&B," explained Kirsch.

"From spending years listening to all kinds of music types and styles, we actually have a few trusted tracks that we always turn to in order to measure the true acoustics of a vehicle.  We think it's a kind of 'greatest hits' from both a technical and auditory point of view.

"In our work we need to be certain that the infotainment system can cope with the hardest 'power' chords, singers with a broad vocal register, as well as instrumental tracks with a deep, thumping bass."

In terms of playback technology, Kirsch and his team are continually challenged by the changing face of downloaded music, ensuring digital signals sound equally as good as other formats when owners connect their music via MP3, listen to a CD or play the radio.

"It's definitely not an easy job.  We spend a huge amount of time tuning sound systems for ambiance and clarity, so that sitting in a car like the Cruze sounds like sitting in the front row at a concert hall.

"Test driving the sound system when you're car shopping is an important 'buy button' that can be as key to your long-term satisfaction as checking out how well the vehicle handles. We set out to deliver a far better audio experience.

If you're keen to give it a shot, Kirsch's top 10 can be downloaded from iTunes by clicking on this link with the following cheat sheet letting you know just what to listen for in each track.

    "Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box" by Radiohead: listen for the punch from the percussive bass, and the ring of the steel drums
    "Bird on a Wire" by Johnny Cash: listen for the clarity in Johnny's distinctive voice, and his guitar to sound natural and free of any colouration
    "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones: listen for Norah's voice to sound natural, and centred in front of you
    "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez: listen for strong vocals, and for the instruments to be set across a wide sound stage
    "No One" by Alicia Keys: listen for clarity in Alicia's vocals and spacious background sound
    "Hotel California" by the Eagles: listen for the clarity and dynamic range during the opening guitar solo, and of course the powerful drum beat
    "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas: listen for powerful, accurate bass beats, even at full volume
    "Rock that Body" by the Black Eyed Peas: listen for clear, intelligible lyrics over the powerful, persistent bass beat
    "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap: listen for the enveloping ambiance of the song, building on the openness and dynamic vocals
    "He Mele No Lilo" by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu: listen for the ambience and staging as the children's chorus is offset by powerful bass

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