I need some advice on High End Car Audio...


I was asked by a friend to figure out what would be a good system to replace the awful standard BMW sound in an older X5. I live in NYC and don't drive anymore, but I remember Wes Phillips had a column a few years back in Stereophile that focused on High End Car audio. Does anyone have any ideas, links or reliable car audio dealers. Most of them sort of remind me of a sale Saturday at J&R Music World...

Regards,
Jody
jml
Save your money. The time and effort involved is not worth it. Put the money into your home system. I wish I had all the cash I put into car audio systems in the past. If I had bypassed the car audio trip I could have my dream system today.
For the same reason your home rig will most likely only sound as good as your room will allow, so it goes with the install in a car. As someone who has competed at the highest level in this hobby, and currently owns one the most successful vehicles ever, it's all about the proper implementation of quality components that makes or breaks it. Sadly, VERY few shops are capable of doing it right....if high-end sound in an automobile is what you're after. A great install with regards to keeping the pathlengths of the front stage as equal as possible, keeping the car buzz and rattle free....which can give away location cues if not accomplished, and to top it off, a great tune.....and you can get there.
The problem with high end car audio is that eventually some a*****e will break into your car and steal it. I've given up on car audio after having two head units stolen complete with broken windows and trashed dashboards. It's just not worth it.