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But all is not lost for SQ aficionados. Trends usually last only so long before leading us back to whatever it was we were trending against. This period can be a great opportunity for manufacturers. It's a second chance for them to have fun again! We have to trust ourselves that as the market grows and matures that sound quality will re-develop as it always has. We just have so many directions for the youth to go with in the car today: wheels, tires, exhaust, intake, stereo systems, body kits, etc. So education is the key factor. All these companies have been around for a long time; they could use that to their advantage. History, if you have it, is golden! With all the development in the subwoofer technology field over the past ten years, just think what might come out of these tiny computer monitors over the next five years. Eventually, the progress in one area will positively affect the issue of sound quality. It just takes time. In the meanwhile, why not enjoy the woofer mania, the monster SPL battles.

Once you are bit by the SQ-EXP (sound quality experience) bug within a vehicle you will be hooked. If you haven't thought of this before and you want to educate yourself, the best thing to do is listen to as much as possible before you make your decisions (and don't forget to bring those favorite CDs). It is important to bring music that you know, and have listened to over and over. Great sounding systems will sound different than what most of us are used to; and maybe you will hear things you never heard before on the same discs. At least I hope so! Go to car audio competitions where numerous top quality cars will be gathered. This is the best place to listen to several cars over the weekend and reference your CDs to start to form your own opinion of what you like instead of taking your local dealers word for it. Most of you may never get this opportunity, but if possible make it a point to get there!

Editorial note: Congratulations to Jacob Josephsen and Ken Stewart for correctly answering the question in October Driver's Seat. They win free stuff! For more check out the Holiday Giveaway pages.

Speaking of standards... Lately I've been considering the question that I know others in the industry also have on their minds. It developed out of a few other people asking me, "What happened to sound quality?" But implied in that is the question: what happened to everyone's frame of reference? Right from the very first issue of CA&E in 1988 it was about sound quality. But things change. If there's a growing indifference as regards the former issue, then some of that can be attributed to a lack of attention paid to the latter. In general, it's not a surprise that SQ is not as important as it used to be, while at the same time, woofers and SPL have gained primacy among enthusiasts. Look at the number of competitors in USAC, IASCA and dB Drag. In last year's finals there were more competitors for dB than the others. In a certain sense bass is easy to get into - you take one thing to the extreme, see how low it goes, how much sound pressure you can build... It's easy to get a definite result. On the other hand, developing a SQ system can sometimes seem like an endless and fruitless pursuit.

You want someone to blame for this trend? Maybe you can look to the baby-boomer generation of parents who were happy just to have recorded music in stereo. Maybe the industry is to blame, too! Maybe the Japanese for making electronic goods so damned small (which probably has to do with their shortage of living space). Blame it on the Internet! The home stereo market has gone smaller but not really better. We have different generations of people who grew up with cabinet speakers, shelf speakers or computer speakers. Not exactly progress. These products have had a direct effect on our "standards," on what we expect from our car audio systems. Those of us with the larger cabinet speakers in the home probably tried to establish that same sound in the car. Kids today who listen to a lot of music through their computer speakers are probably more concerned with the number of songs they can download for free than the quality of the sound they're getting. Let's face it MP3 files are a step back in audio fidelity. Of course we have had headphones for quite some time. That's been a great way to get musical detail. Unfortunately most people use them while on the go, for jogging, for instance, and less in the home where they can concentrate on the music.