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Listening & Impression Report
StageFront UpStage System Model: M519T
by Rich Truesdell
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Having been involved with mobile electronics for the past 30 years, it takes something special for me to get excited, especially where speakers are concerned. I think I've seen it all, bigger woofer, smaller Tweeters, exotic materials, you name it. StageFront is special, very special.
While I at first questioned CDT's choice of a Chrysler Crossfire as a demo vehicle, in reality, it's a great choice. Its high door sills and low seating position serve to conspire to lower the front sound stage even more than on most contemporary cars. If StageFront could raise the soundstage on this example, then I know that it will work on less challenging acoustic environments.
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Rather than get all caught up in my usual lengthy descriptions of woofers, watts and wires, I'd rather drill right into what was one of the most immediate and ear-opening experiences I've had in autosound in quite a while. Grabbing some of my own favorite discs, ones that I was intimately familiar with, I was struck with the unmistakable impression that Kate Pierson's voice and her backing rhythm section seemed to be emanating from at least a foot above the dash.
I could see the speakers mounted in their usual location - in the bottom of the left and right door panels but the sound I was hearing did not seem to be coming from down low where the speakers were at all. I noticed a small pair of Tweeters mounted on the pillars to the left and right of the windshield but sound did not seem to be coming from them either. It was like a new soundstage had been created that covered the top of the dash board and extended from front to back.
It's obvious that CDT has created a radically raised soundstage with StageFront. While not knowing enough about what CDT has done to create this illusion, all that I can say is that it works. CDT claims that by connecting their carefully selected crossover filter in line with the door speakers and adding an additional pair of Tweeters up on either side of the windshield, the resultant sound no longer seems to come from the area of my knees but from in front of me - much like the musical presentation you get at a live concert. This goes far beyond what's usually accomplished by adding a set of A-pillar mounted Tweeters to augment the sound coming from poorly positioned full-range speakers mounted in the typical, forward low door location. The sound and the sonic image is closer to custom-mounted kick panel-located speakers in a high-end, competition-level system,
The sound stage created by this StageFront system in the Crossfire was a really enjoyable departure from the more typical imaging I've heard in so many installations. The voices were nicely separated and the instrumentation was spread across the width of the dash.
At last there seems to be a technology that really hits my three biggest Hot Buttons:
StageFront creates significant improvement in musicality and the "fun factor" of car audio that is immediately apparent.
It's simple to install (meaning that more people will be able to enjoy it.)
It doesn't cost a lot (meaning that even more people can now enjoy better sound in the vehicle and hear more lifelike music.)
CDT has a winner with their StageFront technology and is presented with an opportunity to offer a wide cross section of mobile audio buyers a true, high-end listening experience at a cost not much more than ordinary speakers. That this can be sold as an enhancement to almost any existing system, OEM or aftermarket, bodes well for its potential in the marketplace. Kudos to all concerned.
Rich Truesdell
AUTOtronic@aol.com |
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