What do audiophiles do in their cars?

There is no sweeter music than a perfectly tuned exhaust.

aewarren -- Or the clatter of the valves & the whine of the gearbox.

Silence is golden now as I mostly just enjoy the drive, even on marathon road trips which are common in my Malone tuned 2015 VW TDI SEL.

Its system is NoFi HiFi. If I listen in the car at all it’s very brief amounts of Radio Paradise via iPhone Bluetooth - my car’s sonic preference, go figure! A Volkswagen / Panasonic badged “Fender” system. Use of the sunroof shade door as a treble control with everything set works wonders - just open for exposed glass surface if more brilliance is required.
It was a different story though 40 years ago when cassettes ruled.

For all you old-timers it was Concord head units with matched azimuth & speed to my home Nakamichi 480 before graduating to a Nak CR5/TD700 combo that was my game over source. Typically paired with ADS power & main spkrs 👍

I used to spend money on upgrading the stereo system.  After market when I was younger then buying the premium audio.

I stopped doing that as my home system go better because it just couldn't hold a candle to it.  I've had factory Burmister's, Harman Karmon, B&O but the last 3 cars I didn't make decisions based on the audio. 

Unless of course you counting then engine.  Then that was the first criteria and option.

I have an Acura 2009 which came with a Elliot Schiener/Panasonic 5.1 DVD Audio player.  When I got the car in 2009, DVD-Audio's were already out of print. However, I was able to buy around 30 oop DVD-Audio discs from Ebay, Amazon and other music sites - as well as burn a ton of 5.1 discs. 

The better discs like Hotel California, Rumors were recorded at194 khz/24 bit even back then. To this day, I feel that the sound in my Acura is better than the analog sound from the system I have at home, which is not too shabby. For the first few years, I was really into my car stereo and the 5.1 sound. But like everything else, it got old. I'm more into 2-channel now, but I still have all my 5.1 discs (< 100) and will occasionally listen to it in the car, especially during longer trips.