Has anyone sat in different locations in the car and listened to how differently your DVD-A's sound? I had my wife drive while I was trying to diagnose the source of a rattle in the backseat. I figured that there would be a lot of rear channel (and I was right) but was surprised at how little front channel I could hear. There are some parts buried in the rear channels I wasn't aware of in the front, too. I have so few backseat passengers, but thought it interesting nonetheless.

 

The sound is very directional and position dependent. Someone pointed out some time ago that a recording sounds completely different if you just turn your head to the side as happens when you do a shoulder check. However, if you look over your shoulder long enough to detect this, you will probably hit someone.

 

I also sat in my rear seats...and found the sound very strange....it's almost like an echo chamber....it's obvious the ES has tuned the sound for the front seats only....tha'ts not a problem for me...but it might be for others who frequently carry rear seat passengers.

 

A gentleman who reviewed the system (you will find the link for the review on the elssurround.com website) spoke with Scheiner about the back seat accoustics. Scheiner acknowledged that the rear seat sound was inferior to the front, but explained that people rarely sat in the back. Instead of balancing the system, he decided not to compromise front seat sound. Wise decision.

 

Back seat passengers = XM satellite radio

 

Cars with a DSP can modify them presentation based on the number of occupied seats. DVD-A is an interesting concept, but DVD-A with no spacial enhancement and no MP3 support really misses the core of the auto audio market. It is like building in a phone interface with no way to deal with voice menus (such as at the Acura deal: "press 1 for sales; press 2 for service...").

 

Uhhh, playing MP3s in a sound system like this is like putting 87 octane in the gas tank. You could do it - but why would you want to?