So what can you look forward to in 2008 for your in-car media system? More integration with digital media devices (ie.
iPods), better sounding compact speakers, lower prices on those high-end all-in-one units, and technologies to enhance the quality of the sound, not just the volume.
More than anything it seems like 2008 will be the year that iPod integration and
Bluetooth become standard on all but the lowest-end systems. Every all-in-one system from Kenwood and Pioneer featured the abilities, and almost every standard CD player system provided iPod connectivity. Some of the more basic models have even been fitted with Bluetooth. That means you can say goodbye to those headsets that make
you look like a jerk.
As for those all-in-one units that combine
GPS with audio and video functions, look for prices to continue to take a nosedive. Prices start at $1,000 for units from Kenwood, Pioneer, and Alpine, but we expect by the end of the year prices will fall even further.
Meanwhile, Pioneer says it is going back to it roots: sound quality. iPods allow us to carry our entire music collections in our back pocket, but the problem with digital audio is that it's compressed in order to make the file smaller. Pioneer is using a technology they call ASR (Advanced Sound Retrieval) to restore some of the lost frequency range due to compression, and after a demo we were quite impressed.
Lastly, as with everything else, thin is in when it comes to car speakers. Just about every company that makes car speakers was showing off shallow subwoofers for those who don't want to gut or mod their car to get amazing bass.
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