Naim in Luxury Cars

Posted by: Arun Mehan on 04 November 2000

I was just reading the specs of the new Lexus LS430 and was astonished to find out that Lexus had moved from a Nakamichi audio system to a Mark Levinson audio system.

Perhaps it's time that Naim looked into the mobile audio arena. It would be really nice to buy a luxury automobile with a Naim-enhanced hifi and would certainly increase consumer awareness.

Posted on: 04 November 2000 by Joe Petrik

Arun,

Naim built a prototype but they...

1) Thought the Lexus looked stupid with a 17-element Ron Smith Galaxy antenna,

2) Couldn't decide on which car battery provided the highest instananeous current but sill had acceptable noise figures,

3) Figured the average user would spend far too much time trying to determine if car fuses are also directional, and

4) Couldn't get the Flash to also activate the garage door.

So, the project was shelved.

Joe

P.S. Isn't Mark Levinson the new high-end Bose?

Posted on: 04 November 2000 by Arye_Gur

After spending so much money on Naim gear, I don't have more money to buy a luxury car....

Arie

Posted on: 04 November 2000 by Top Cat

...in any decent car, I'd rather have a decent engine note to listen to than Terry Wogan

Car audio, to me, is an afterthought; I much prefer to do my listening at home, stretched out, without having to change gears or watch the road in front...

John

Posted on: 04 November 2000 by Arun Mehan

Hey Joe great response, thanks for that. I haven't heard the new Mark Levinson hifi in the Lexus, but I've heard Bose-enhanced mobile audio systems and they didn't sound any better than a factory Delco.

Arie, come on man, I thought you were buying a big KRELL system to put in your Round Earth listening room. I just assumed you would have an expensive car in the garage

Hey John, have you ever heard a Lexus though??? That's just it, they are amazingly quiet, even the new sports sedan (IS300). True, it's nice to hear the roar of a good V8 (V10 if you must!), but when you buy a luxury automobile, you don't really expect to hear the engine, but a good stereo instead.

Posted on: 04 November 2000 by Arye_Gur

Arun,

The truth is that I have 3 very expensive cars in my garage - the problem is that I don't remember the location of my garage....

Arie

Posted on: 05 November 2000 by Former member

quote:
...in any decent car, I'd rather have a decent engine note to listen to than Terry Wogan

Too true - the best car I ever had in the UK was a Caterham Seven - a roofless, doorless and definitely stereo-less rocket. The engine note at full throttle and 7000rpm was all the in-car entertainment you'd ever need!

Posted on: 06 November 2000 by Rob Doorack

Art Dudley tells the tale of riding in Julian's hot - rodded Jaguar saloon on a moonless and rainy night, tearing through narrow twisting roads at a hair - raising rate of speed. Meanwhile Julian was enthusiastically discoursing on some hi fi design topic, looking at his passenger and frequently taking one hand off the wheel to make an emphasizing gesture. Art said it was the closest he's ever felt to imminent death. Apparently JV's Jag had the only Naim car stereo ever built.