Music and cars

[Ralston]

Music and cars; they are made for each other. I had a portable LP record player in my first car, a Model A Ford. It only worked when parked in Big Boys. Next was a factory 8-track in a new ’67 Mustang. Then came cassettes, CDs, only to replaced by the iPod. And so it goes.

Much of my C8 dreaming has me listening to music while cruising. Besides the AM, FM, satellite broadcasts and streaming services, how will you fill your car with sound? Music on phones, iPods, flash drives, SD cards? The Bose 14-Speaker system may need HD music to fully appreciate its capabilities.

This leads to another question: What will you employ to get the best sounds? HD MP3 players? Or is your hearing so shot that any old iPhone will do the trick?

[Racer86]

good question, sounds like an HD MP3 player to get uncompressed music files,,,,might have to start learning about this

[meyerweb]

Will depend, I guess, on the quality of the audio system and how quiet the interior actually is. On the C7, the music source doesn't matter much because the frequency response of the Bose system, combined with the noise level inside the car, masks the difference between OK and Really Good. The difference between non-compressed files and high quality MP3s (emphasis on high quality, high bit-rate) is hard to hear. I just put the MP3s on a thumb drive and let the Bose do the D/A conversion.

Maybe the Bose system in the C8 is a lot better. Maybe the interior will be quiet enough to hear the difference in uncompressed audio files. I have my doubts, though. Car interiors are notoriously difficult environments to get really good sound out of, especially with the top off / down. And I'm not really buying a Corvette for an audiophile experience. I have fairly high-end components at home for that.

[V1 VR]

Well 40 plus years around jet aircraft has made my ability to distinguish HD from normal compression in today’s audio formats a “mute” point 🙉
That said the C7 Bose audio was good enough for me and I have enjoyed it and I look forward to the C8’s improved Bose system. The Xm channels will be my go to source but I do have my Motorboy mix file on my phone for those special drives...

[Meldoon]

My experience with the system in the C7 is that sound quality is very much “source dependent”. The XM source being the worst. If I have my phone connected via AndroidAuto via Bluetooth, and listen to Spotify, the sound quality is far better than XM. Connecting the phone or IPod via the headphone jack sounds even better.

[MrBluster]

I will have to find a shop to help me mount my old 8Track in the frunk! Then, like many of the others, I will have to go to Costco for hearing aids so I can use the capabilities of that Bose system.

[Boomer]

iPods. Work fine with my C7 2lt sound.

[WayneZ06]

The C8 is going to have a much quieter interior. The huge rear tires are not directly behind you, and no hatchback to amplify it. Rather, the mid engine design isolates a lot of the noises we were use to. Although some went to great lengths in the C7 to dampen it, I do not think that will be necessary in the C8. There were comments from the GM Corvette team at the NCM Anniversary that at first they said it was too quiet.

Like Meldoon, I find XM satellite radio to be of poor quality. The audio from iPhones and most other streaming music apps definitely sound superior in comparison. HD radio is a plus also.

I believe we will be very happy in the C8 with the new Bose system and interior noise isolation. Cannot wait to experience it with some of my favorite tunes cruising down two lane roads, long distance trips, tracks, and at the strip! Although at different volume levels accordingly!

[dolfanlon]

Sirius/XM Radio on channel 74 Bluesville...

[tbs156]

Music and cars; they are made for each other. I had a portable LP record player in my first car, a Model A Ford. It only worked when parked in Big Boys. Next was a factory 8-track in a new ’67 Mustang. Then came cassettes, CDs, only to replaced by the iPod. And so it goes.

Much of my C8 dreaming has me listening to music while cruising. Besides the AM, FM, satellite broadcasts and streaming services, how will you fill your car with sound? Music on phones, iPods, flash drives, SD cards? The Bose 14-Speaker system may need HD music to fully appreciate its capabilities.

This leads to another question: What will you employ to get the best sounds? HD MP3 players? Or is your hearing so shot that any old iPhone will do the trick?

HD MP3 Player?! What year is this?!

In a moving car, no way I can hear the difference between 320kbps on Spotify and lossless streaming apps like Tidal. Spotify will do just fine.

[68roadster]

I am hooked on Spotify. I have my playlists with hundreds of tunes in each category which I play off my phone. Use it in the car and at work. I will not make any changes to the car other than connecting up my iphone for the spotify.

[joemessman]

My music is from ripped LPs and 45s so quality of sound wasn't really there in the first place. Sticking with my flash drive for the C8. I think my hearing is only about 75 percent. I can't even hear the birds tweeting in the morning.

[cutnout]

My C5s', C6s' and 3 C7s' all sounded great to an old man. I did like the 12 disc in the 5 series and wish it was in the later series. Charlie aka cutnout

[CClose]

Great topic! As a has-been musician, music is VERY important to me. I have high end equipment in my house, and can't wait to try out the new Bose system in my 3LT C8! It's tops on my list of C8 features to play with. I've never had a CarPlay vehicle (Lexus didn't offer it in my last purchase). So, I'm anxious to try it out. Hopefully, it supports high-res music streaming from Tidal and Qobuz. I subscribe to both, and I believe iOS CarPlay supports them both. I will also try using the Tidal and Qobuz apps on the iPhone, directly connected to the C8 Infotainment System (i.e. not through CarPlay). The Mark Levinson system in my Lexus will be hard to top, but I hold out hope for the Bose Premium system in my C8. I will definitely post my reviews here on this forum.