Stereo Or No Stereo - That Is My Question

[RJD]

While wind noise and rumbling pipes are music to my ears, the wife says a stereo would be nice on those longer cruises in the roadster. As I finish up my wiring, I'm wondering whether it would be worth it to install one - in other words, will we even be able to hear it while cruising?

Guess it's better to install one now and have the option, but some encouragement from forum members with stereos installed, could go a long way in making me feel better about it. I'll be going with the Gas-n sidepipes by the way.

My wife looks forward to reading your replies so she can tell me, "told you so."

Thanks.

[shark92651]

I figure between the roar of the engine and the wind noise it will be pretty loud to get decent sound. I'm going no stereo, and if I really want music I'll use my phone and a wireless bluetooth speaker or ear buds. Most likely I will just enjoy the roar of the engine.

[wallace18]

If you are using the FFR side pipes you will never hear the radio. If you use the aftermarket quiet pipes you can enjoy the radio except when under hard acceleration.

[scottiec]

Agreed ^ . The stock side pipes are pretty loud. Maybe while cruising on the highway you can. But I'd much prefer to listen to the LSA and duration of my cam LOL. Haven't heard the quiet pipes, but you will probably be fine.

[DadofThree]

No Stereo: Ear buds for your Dear Wife

[edwardb]

You'll get lots of opinions on this. I put a pretty elaborate system in my #7750 build (nice head unit, Alpine power amp, four Polk Audio speakers, etc.). We used it while driving maybe a handful of times. But in general, it had to be up so loud to be heard over wind noise, road noise, etc. it wasn't pleasant to listen to. That was with Gas-N pipes. I'd recommend a couple of alternatives over a permanent installation. Earbuds for your wife with a smartphone. Or one of the bluetooth powered speakers. Several guys have used those. There are a number of good units out there, and they sound pretty amazing.

[skidd]

I'm in GelCoat, and no stereo. Love the sound of the motor. Don't really miss the tunes.. except once in a while.
I commute to work in my car, and I take some nice easy surface-streets. 20minutes of easy driving. More than quiet enough for some morning tunes.
so... I'm going to put one in when I pull it off teh road for paint this fall.
Going Stealth(ish) though. pair of 2-way 6" speakers behind the seats, behind some low-profile black grills (hard to see)
single 2-channel 200+ watt amp.
and one of these bluetooth controller jobbies... or similar mounted .... not sure where yet.
https://www.amazon.com/NVX-Universal-Bluetooth-Controller-XUBT4/dp/B01982RGWA
No head unit! just a few buttons, and Pandora through my phone.
my 02c

[BEAR-AvHistory]

I have a system built into a lower console with speakers on the console sides & the panels below the doors.. Sound is good up to 65MPH or so. Wind nose is the biggest issue over 65. At low throttle openings the COYOTE is naturally quiet so its not an issue even with stock FFR pipes.

Yeah the engine sounds nice but I can always turn off the radio to listen to it. Meanwhile cruising to my oldies & beach music is a great pleasure.

[GoDadGo]

I installed the same head unit as Sir EdwardB's 2nd build and was thrilled with it, until my engine's 1st start.
Maybe the new motor will be quieter?
Hummmmm?????

[Ducky2009]

I did install a radio. It has good sound up to about 50-60, not on the expressway. Some roads (quality of blacktop) are better or worse. It is set back about an inch from the face of the dash. Makes it easier to read in the bring sunlight. I also used marine speakers, all four mounted in the back cockpit wall. Maybe not water proof, but water resistant for sure. I used 3/32" steel, bent the side corners and bottom, welded and sanded smooth. Top tabs on each size make it easy to unbolt and remove if needed. Had to set a light on the console to make it show up, otherwise you almost don't even notice it's there.

Edited: My in-car insulation, under the carpet, is foil lined on one side only (Thermo Tec). The foil is to the heat side (down). It's rated for heat AND sound. Yes, it's loud outside the car, but the sound isn't echoing inside the car.

[edwardb]

Everyone talks about pipes, engine noise, etc. Even with the quietest setup, at highway speeds an open cockpit with wind, road, and traffic noise is still a very loud environment. Just saying.

[Big Blocker]

Isn't it kind of a moot point, if we're all supposed to be wearing ear plugs out on the highway?? to protect our hearing.

Only option I use is ear buds that are "wired" to my cell phone - cuts out road / wind noise and replaces it with my [in the Cobra] playlist . . .

Doc

[cv2065]

It would almost be personal sacrilege not to have tunes in any car that I've ever had. I love the melodic drone of a nice engine flying down the highway, but without some AC/DC or Van Halen, its all for naught!

I haven't decided exactly what route I'm going to take. I'll probably do speakers in the rear seat panel and a nice bluetooth amp with no head unit. Although, I didn't think about what Paul had mentioned around Bluetooth speakers. Haven't really listened to those but I'm sure there are some good ones out there. Maybe one of those would sound good in the seat panel but hidden by carpeting.

I believe that its against the law to wear earbuds while driving in Florida, but I wear just one on my motorcycle. Probably am not attracting as much attention on it as the Cobra will attract though...:)

IMO, tunes are a necessity!

[Jazzman]

As with so many other subjects, "Opinions are like navels . . . everybody's got one!" I'm a musician and music nut. I can't envision a car of this quality without a stereo. No, it's not much good at highway speeds. I don't care. It's a joy for me whenever I can hear it, and that's good enough for me. Bottom line, if you want it do it. If you don't care, don't bother. Just don't expect a "Home Theatre surround sound experience"! Four solid speakers and a subwoofer are the minimum.

Enjoy the build.

[Avalanche325]

The noise floor in a Cobra is so high, that a stereo is either useless or at hearing loss levels. If you need tunes, you need to concentrate on having a mild engine and upgraded or under car exhaust. I promise you that a stereo in mine would be totally useless. I am a music lover, but you would need quantity sound in a Cobra, not quality sound. That is me out. Of course, you did say AC/DC................

Speaking of AC/DC. My wife and I met Brian Johnson and his wife at the Daytona vintage 24. He and his wife both race. Very cool couple. Had lots of time to talk racing and about his TV show, Cars the Rock. (Really good car show if you haven't seen it)

From what I see, running red lights while talking on the phone and speeding is legal in FL. LOL. I can't imagine getting pulled over for ear buds or ear plugs, which I wear all the time.

[Ducky2009]

Just a thought..... Maybe you can find a stereo with a headphone jack.

[SLOKarl]

Tunes are great, but useless in my Cobra. I opted for no radio.

[cv2065]

Speaking of AC/DC. My wife and I met Brian Johnson and his wife at the Daytona vintage 24. He and his wife both race. Very cool couple. Had lots of time to talk racing and about his TV show, Cars the Rock. (Really good car show if you haven't seen it)

From what I see, running red lights while talking on the phone and speeding is legal in FL. LOL. I can't imagine getting pulled over for ear buds or ear plugs, which I wear all the time.

Brian Johnson? Very cool. Is his voice wasted these days? I've heard Angus Young doing some commercials lately. I saw Billy Idol perform in Vegas last year at the House of Blues. His voice was thoroughly wasted while he was talking, but when he started performing, you would have thought you were back in the 80's. He did an acoustic of Eyes Without a Face...Incredible.

I'm with you on the cell phone speeding around here. Even worse with all of the summer time out of towners looking for a Disney fix. Never had any ear bud issues on my bike, but it's not a Cobra...:)

[cv2065]

Just a thought..... Maybe you can find a stereo with a headphone jack.

88497

[David Hodgkins]

I put a very nice 4-speaker hidden Alpine stereo in my brother's build but I actually like the sound of my UE BOOM Bluetooth speaker:

https://www.amazon.com/UE-BOOM-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B00CM0XHNS

Velcro it on top of the dash touching the windscreen and sound fills the whole cockpit, even at speed!

:)

[Ray]

If you are using the FFR side pipes you will never hear the radio. If you use the aftermarket quiet pipes you can enjoy the radio except when under hard acceleration.

I have a pair of 6” 2-way speakers mounted between the seats near the top of the cockpit. They’re powered by a 300 watt motorcycle amp with an input cable for my iPod or iPhone. We hear the music better with ear plugs in, but you can hear it just fine over the pipes and road noise.

Ray

[MisterAdam]

Have an "Out of Sight" bluetooth system that i have used twice. Do about 5000 miles a summer and my wife has her earbuds for her phone. Without a doubt would not install one if there is a second build in my future

[JRD56]

I put a stereo in mine, but I'm a big music fan. (can't play anything, but love music) I've got stock Factory Five pipes. In 5th gear on the hiway you can hear it ok. Granted its turned up pretty high but its comforting to have the music in the back ground.

[Jim1855]

My car isn't close to on-the-road but in a previous life the little 427w idled at about 95dB and maxed at just over 123dB. This was measured mid car from the rear cowl with the SPL meter aimed at the windscreen. It will be louder to the outside ear.

I seldom drove w/o ear buds of some form or another.

For music or entertainment an iPod and ear buds from the following source worked well for me. Could easily be a driver/passenger system tuned to personal preferences. I've tried serious conversation in the car but seldom successfully. And after the first few drives the excitement of listening to the musical exhaust wears out.

https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/earphones.html

Protect your hearing, ringing sucks.

Jim

[Papa]

I'm considering a set of these for the highway. They have a plug for the iPod and a PTT intercom so you can talk to each other without shouting.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LLNJ2HC/?coliid=I37D4OM8XA7QPS&colid=TU1R4N1KFE6A&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

[cv2065]

I put a very nice 4-speaker hidden Alpine stereo in my brother's build but I actually like the sound of my UE BOOM Bluetooth speaker:

https://www.amazon.com/UE-BOOM-Wireless-Bluetooth-Speaker/dp/B00CM0XHNS

Velcro it on top of the dash touching the windscreen and sound fills the whole cockpit, even at speed!

:)

This is what I'll be doing. Simple, effective and removable.

[tonywy]

Big block, big cam, FFR pipes- best tunes I've ever heard. And it's in stereo.

[Paparazzi]

Never considered it for my MkIII - no regrets. I use ear plugs for highway driving, more for wind and road noise than exhaust, but couldn't imagine trying to drown out that wonderful exhaust sound. I'm also constantly subconsciously listening out for the slightest change in sound that might indicate a problem. I had a coil go on me last summer - I could hear the arcing long before there was any indication of an issue. It was subtle, but a stereo likely would have hidden the problem.

[edwardb]

Never considered it for my MkIII - no regrets. I use ear plugs for highway driving, more for wind and road noise than exhaust, but couldn't imagine trying to drown out that wonderful exhaust sound. I'm also constantly subconsciously listening out for the slightest change in sound that might indicate a problem. I had a coil go on me last summer - I could hear the arcing long before there was any indication of an issue. It was subtle, but a stereo likely would have hidden the problem.

That reminds of a kind of funny story from my past. In high school I worked a couple of summers in Idaho haying, plowing, milking, etc. Real work. At that time, pressure cabs for tractors, combines, etc. were coming into vogue. (That dates the story right there...). The guys that did mechanic work loved them. Said the farmers would run their equipment into the ground because they couldn't hear things going wrong until it got really bad. Unlike the days when they were out in the open and could hear the slightest problem.

[mburger]

Sometimes I have music in the car, and sometimes I don't. I use the Oontz Angle 3 Ultra and sit it on the center console under the dash. I set my playlist on my iPhone to shuffle and keep the iPhone in the door pocket. Cruising around there is plenty of volume. Out on the interstate, well no.
https://www.amazon.com/OontZ-Angle-ULTRA-Hi-Quality-Splashproof/dp/B073BVWRSP

[Dave Howard]

I've made my opinion on stereos known on a number of occasions. I spent a lot of time, effort and $$ on the system in my build. Quite simply, it's worthless while driving at highway speeds. Besides, I wear custom ear plugs on the highway to keep out the road noise. If you want music in the roadster - EARBUDS. Driving the roadster on the highway is like driving a boat at 50-60 MPH. Lots of wind noise and some engine noise. Most stereos in boats at 50 MPH can be best heard by people on shore not the people in the boat. We just finished a couple thousand kilometer trip around Southern Ontario. Stayed off the major highways. The 400 series (like interstates) are choked with traffic. Try listening to the stereo with a tractor trailer beside you. Even tooting around town, I find the volume has to be up high, kinda like some gang banging boom boxing teenager. Not my style thanks. When asked what I would do differently in the next build my answer is NO STEREO. I use my roadster stereo more now for tunes in the garage.

[Kpt112]

I got an inexpensive Kenwood Stereo ($80,00) with $50.00 speakers. The unit has bluetooth so I sync it with my iPod and it works great. I do have quiet pipes and the sound is not too bad that you can't hear the music. I agree with the sentiment that this car needs tunes. To each his own. I am just saying for a minimal expense it is a great option. I live in Bucks County PA and we have tons of tree lined back roads with stunning scenery that music make that much more enjoyable to drive this car.

88611

[mikeinatlanta]

If you are willing to spend enough $$ for a decent stereo, go bose noise cancelling ear buds. They give decent sound, fantastic noise reduction, allow use of the cell phone while driving, and the button that allows voice pass through eliminates the need to remove them for holding a conversation.

[Arch]

I have a Sony head unit, three amps, eight speakers and two small subs. All hidde