Where would we be without DSP? Digital Signal Processing is everywhere. It's in smart alarm clocks, speaker docks, soundbars, audio-video receivers, multimedia speakers, Bluetooth headsets, even table radios.
DSP bends, twists and shapes a signal into something it wasn't. It adds life to compressed audio, boosts bass, creates a virtual surround-sound sensation from a single speaker and force-feeds rock-stadium-jazz-classical shadings to music played through an audio-video receiver — all with uneven, often artificial-sounding, results.
But rarely is digital signal processing available as a stand-alone accessory, DSP in a box, especially for a car. But JBL's MS-2 pocket digital processor, from Harman International Industries, is designed for car use with an iPhone, iPod, Android phone or any other smartphone or digital music player.
The MS-2, in my tests, unquestionably reshaped the acoustic characteristics of music player through an already formidable Bose sound system. But is it worth $200 and the additional wires cluttering a car's center console?
Maybe that's for the ears, and the wallet, to decide. The MS-2, shaped like an overstuffed remote control, tunes a car audio system automatically by adapting to the space's acoustics with a built-in microphone and test signals, much like a home theater's audio-video receiver that calibrates automatically.
First, the MS-2 must be connected to a portable music player or smartphone — not just an iPod or iPhone! — and the car radio's auxiliary jack, each with a supplied minijack cable. Then the MS-2 power supply connects to the car's cigarette lighter and, with its short USB extension, the iPod/iPhone/smartphone. So make room for four wires, a USB extension and two devices on the center console.
My light pickup truck — hand-crank windows and no auxiliary input — is ill-equipped and outdated for the MS-2. My wife's Nissan, however, with seven-speaker Bose setup, provided a suitable laboratory.
I was hoping the neighbors weren't watching when I pressed the "setup" button and held the MS-2 six inches from my face, frozen, for several minutes. This was not "ground control to Major Tom," dear neighbor, but the precise method for the device to use feedback from its built-in microphone to create a sonic sweet spot directed at my face.
OK, that sounds plausible. Once optimized, the MS-2 has additional settings to tweak the sound further with extra bass, treble, impact (midbass emphasis) or image (ensuring a full left-to-right soundstage). The image control activates digital time correction so that the sound from the front speakers arrives at the ear simultaneously.
None of these fine-tunings made nearly as much difference as the MS-2's full-force DSP, which reshaped the sound of the Bose system. The Bose seemingly projected sound from the dashboard like most good car systems. With the MS-2, however, the sound now emerged from mid-dash upward, as if the windshield were now the stage.
That was quite a jolt when, in anticipation ofSt. Patrick's Day, I cued up "Sake in the Jar" with Akiko Yano and the Chieftains. Did it sound natural? No, but when does music ever sound natural in a car? But it did sound good.
The music was bigger, broader, much more revealing in the higher frequencies and more clearly defined in the bass region. In the home, if music came toward me like that — mostly from above and beyond — I'd say, "Get that DSP outta my face!" (JBL, surprisingly, offers an optional power supply for the home.)
In the car, though, whatever I played through either an iPod Nano or iPhone sounded better than with the Bose alone. JBL says the "defeat' button on the MS-2 allows a quick before-after comparison. I'm not so trusting of these settings. The iDevices plugged straight into the Bose's auxiliary jack sound somewhat fuller than the "defeat" mode, perhaps because of a straighter path into the radio with fewer wires.
The MS-2, at higher volumes, distorted easily. And like any DSP , it sometimes shifted too far into artificiality. I don't think I'd pay $200 for the MS-2 and its clutter for a 10-mile daily commute, but road warriors should take note. This DSP is A-OK.
What: JBL MS-2 Car Audio Optimizer
Price: $200, jbl.com
Hot: Digitally reshapes the sound of your car's audio system. When set up properly, the difference is unmistakable.
Not: Expensive; multiple wires required.
