This post was sponsored by A Girls Guide to Cars and Harman. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
You’ve heard me talking a lot about the Kia Stinger and why I love it so much. I even used it as an example for financing my dream car. Clearly, I’m a fan. During my initial driving experience, I touched briefly on custom harman/kardon design for the Stinger including dual-underseat mounted subwoofers.
When we drove the Stinger in California last November, we also were given a USB drive of music to help us test out the Clari-fi digital music restoration technology. With the sample music, we heard the best spectrum of audio quality.
But ask yourself this… when you get in a car with a premium sound system, are you listening to music because it picks up all of the correct frequencies? Or are you listening because these are your jams? And more importantly, are you singing along to those jams?
One of the ways I measure the quality of a sound system is the ability to feel like I’m experiencing the music, and the ability to drown out my poor voice while still making me think I actually sound good.
At the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), Harman Kardon asked me to really put their sound system to the test in the Kia Stinger in a most embarrassing way. They asked me to create a playlist of music that moves me and then play a little carpool karaoke.
As if karaoke isn’t embarrassing enough (well, it is with my voice), I had to “perform” in the Stinger inside, on the floor of the auto show, with the windows down. My only saving grace is that there were mostly a few straggler journalists wandering the floor. Most of them simple looked at me and laughed. But I like to think they were laughing with me and not at me. The twinkle in their eye told me they wished they had the freedom to be as ridiculous.
Want the proof? I didn’t just sing some of my favorite sones. I actually performed them LIVE for anyone to see.
Besides just listening to my pipes, it helps to know what makes this premium audio. For this Stinger:
The Harman Kardon® QuantumLogic™ technology transforms the Stinger cabin into an astounding 7.1 channel surround sound experience. Clari-Fi™ restoration technology delivers music as it was intended to be heard.
That means you’re getting a surround sound experience and you’re hearing it the way you should. The technology excels at reviving lost tones from digitally compressed music. So what kind of music needs to be experienced?
Why, SHOWTUNES, of course!
Now before you think I’m a total theater geek, let me assure you that I’m simply at entertainment geek. I love soundtracks to plays, movies, tv shows, and even commercials. The music audibly transports you to that visual experience. It’s the best of all senses!
If you’ve listened to the clips on my Facebook Live above and you want this same show-stopping playlist, it’s yours to experience on Spotify. In fact, I invite you to identify the entertainment connection for every single one of these songs!
[spotify https://open.spotify.com/user/1210882349/playlist/0ifyzoukczwFfSPTOFMfF6 ]
Are you familiar with the harman/kardon premium audio system? You’ll find it in large number of automotive brands – more than you think perhaps. Harman, the parent company, also provides sister brands JBL and Revel (a premium brand) to even more automotive brands.
When we started our event at the New York Auto Show, I admitted to a few people that I typically listen to audiobooks or podcasts when I’m driving. If I’m not, I’m probably listening to a playlist like the one above, imagining that I sound as good as I think I do. I also admitted that I don’t think about the quality of audio in a vehicle unless and until it’s really bad. (If what you’re listening to sounds really muffled, you’ve got some bad audio).
It was nice to have a chance to really focus on the music and show off some of my favorite songs (even though my “drive partner” Valerie didn’t know most of them!). As the songs went on, the volume went up and finally a journalist came over and asked if we wouldn’t mind turning it down a touch (to be fair, he was filming a segment). Even the best playlists have to come to an end.
11 comments
This is great! I’d definitely be jamming to The Freedom Song by Jason Mraz! #HarmanKardon #sweepstakes
I can jam along to Jason Mraz but I’d probably pick I’m Yours!
Another song I’d love to jam is Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight and the Pips!
I love that song! I can do a great Gladys Knight impression. In my car. With no one listening.
I can rock out to most anything but right now No Scrubs from TLC has been stuck in my head. Stupid middle school lip sync battle b
And now it’s stuck in my head…
I can rock out to most everything but lately it’s been No Scrubs from TLC.
Dancing Queen – ABBA
A great song to vibe to any time of the year is September by Earth Wind & Fire!
Don’t Say by Jon B. would be another song I could totally jam to!
Push It from Salt ‘N Pepa would be a great throwback song!