I like listening to podcasts in the car. Trouble is they get drowned out when I do 70 mph. So I crank up the volume to compensate which is that unfortunate side effect of amplifying some low frequency reverberation as people talk which I think is the bass.
In the manual the radio does have have settings, which may be able to be tweaked so that this noise goes away. I have already selected the 'vocal' equalizer preset which has helped a little bit.
I'll put the stuff I think might be more relevant in bold.
Options:
Network mode - 2-way + SW MULTI-AMP reproduction of bands (high/middle/low)
Standard mode:4 or 6 speaker system Cut-off frequency/Slope (this may be useful...) Crossover
Equalizer band:50Hz to 12.5KHz EQ level -6 to +6
EQ Setting - super bass, powerful, natural, vocal, custom, flat
Fader
Balance
Subwoofer (I don't think i have one)
Position
Loudness - compensate for clear sound at low volume
The critical frequencies for speech intelligibility are between 250Hz and 4kHz. The "vocal" preset on your EQ will probably boost these frequencies, but you might want to experiment with the graphical EQ bands yourself. Cutting the EQ bands below 250Hz will help to take out some of the boominess in male voices.
Most podcast apps have a setting to enable dynamic range compression; this will increase the volume of the quieter parts, without affecting the louder parts. This can significantly improve intelligibility in noisy environments, particularly for podcasts with less-than-perfect audio quality. This setting is called "volume boost" in Pocket Casts and "voice boost" in Overcast.
Have you considered buying a Bentley? I hear there offer excellent isolation from road noise, so that you could listen to your podcasts at a normal volume.
>>10798 How about not driving at all? Then you could plug some earbuds into a phone with the bonus of not being hassled by the various hassling cunts on the street.
How are your speakers? Stock and low end car speakers are, in my professional opinion, complete dog spunk in terms of clarity. Road noise can be hugely reduced with a bit of acoustic foam in the doors, but depending on the car that can be simple or almost impossible.
I would recommend replacing them. It's relatively easy to do yourself, and cheap enough to pay someone else to do it. If it's an older car your existing speakers are probably already ripped or damaged.
I've been listening to:
Talos cyber Intelligence podcasts. Most of the time I don't know what they're talking about but I'm hoping something will rub off if I listen long enough - https://www.talosintelligence.com/podcasts
No idea, possibly? The podcast is seriously good though if it clicks. It might not. I have to be in the right mood for it but when I am it's just pure joy pouring forth from headphones into my brain.