The role of acoustics was played by a lone speaker installed at the feet of the right passenger.
The funny thing is that then all this seemed to us optimal and perfect. In addition, there was not the slightest headache with the choice of what is called today … correctly - “head”! More precisely - the head unit of a musical automobile complex, often called in simple terms - a radio. And which "head" to choose in an era of market abundance?
MAGNETS WITHOUT MAGNETS
It is clear that the term “radio tape recorder” originally implied the presence of magnetic tape. Cassettes are still alive, but there is no need to talk about the rush demand. Nevertheless, they represent the conditional first group of head units - we have repeatedly talked about them.
The second group of “radio tape recorders” has nothing to do with magnetic recording anymore - it is represented by CD-receivers (in common people - “sidushniki”). It was they who knocked out the real radio tape recorders from the market, outright replaying them in terms of performance technique and catching up with them in terms of accessibility. At the same time, almost any modern “sidyushnik” can play discs recorded in MP3 format (Em-Pe-Three) - in addition, many of them easily digest various “Internet” formats such as WMA, etc. You just need to remember that MP3 also vary, no matter how strange it sounds. For example, a disc recorded using the VBR (variable bit rate) technology, which implies a variable speed of a digital data stream, will be successfully played only on the “heads” of the corresponding qualification and with the same characters - VBR.
Generally speaking, MP3s can be treated differently. On the one hand, their advantages are obvious: all your favorite "pop" on one disc - it's convenient. In addition, you can do homework - record, rewrite, compose, etc. But here also lies a drawback - MP3 initially has a kind of artisanal shade, and therefore the very concept of "company record" here simply does not make sense. Of course, there are exceptions such as studio recordings from Akai, but this does not apply to the mass buyer.
However, the main problem of MP3s is not at all in this. The more information the em-pe-three disk contains, the worse it sounds: conservation laws have not yet been refuted! In practice, 99% of students will not catch this difference: information is compressed using the most sophisticated methods. However, the true connoisseurs of Sound to MP3 and other MPEG never go down. Therefore, MP3 information does not reproduce both the cheapest and … the most expensive "heads"! The former do not know how, the latter do not want to!
The “head” of the third category has a familiar name - DVD. “DVC” does not need special introductions - the video market has long penetrated not only our homes, but also cars. We only note that such "heads" can reproduce, of course, not only video, but also audio discs - the so-called DVD-Audio. In terms of sound quality, they are superior to conventional CDs - it may very well be that soon they will generally displace them from the market. Unless, of course, they themselves are supplanted by something else. For example - "Ha-De-De"!
HA-DE-DE - IT'S A MAGNETOL?
"Ha-De-De" (HDD) is a kind of "step back" to the previously rejected magnetic recording. A hard magnetic disk migrated from computers to car “heads” and got perfectly settled there. Moreover, it is precisely such “radio tape recorders” that make up the fourth group of modern head units. The hard disk can be either integrated into the CD-receiver or connected to it externally.
This group cannot yet be called massive, but it is "gaining momentum." How convenient it is to use such a technique, everyone decides for himself. You can drag this disc home and load it from a computer, you can record radio programs in the machine, you can finally “roll” your favorite discs of your friends.
However, in my opinion, the future of information carriers looks somewhat different. Any "mechanics" should disappear as a class - flash cards already contribute to this. Connect it to the “head” slot and listen to your health: a gigabyte card holds about 15 MP3 discs! What in this case will be sold in stores and where to get your favorite record from is not yet clear. Again from the computer?
CHOICE OF GOALS
Confused completely? If so, then let's unravel … What should I look for when choosing a "head"? Let's start with ergonomics. If, for example, you prefer the “twist” to the “more or less” keys, then some of the models will be eliminated by itself. Evaluate whether the menu will be convenient for you - in many cases they are unnecessarily complicated. The color of the backlight in almost all modern devices can be changed - even in many cheap ones. By the way, with regard to brand selection, you should know that most models are standardized, and for every Kenwood you will find your Pioneer - almost the same. And if image is important to you, then you yourself will find out with which model the interior of your car will look “cooler”.
The next position is the price: here advisers are not needed, since you should pay. And then you definitely can’t do without a good clue. Where to get it? If there are no "advanced" acquaintances, then you have to listen to the seller - but not everyone. Ignore large department stores by definition (expensive and stupid), but specialized boutique-type stores will do. Here the seller is constantly undergoing training and is always “in the know”. He will talk about the “best tuners in the world” from Blaupunkt, and that the built-in amplifiers on field-effect transistors are not so bad, and about the importance of several line outputs, if in the future you decide to upgrade.
