car audio explained

CAR AUDIO TIPS

1. Plan your audio system to fit your needs. First, examine what you want from your system: is it GIANT BASS?, is it an audiophile's dream system? is it just an upgrade to a factory ( original equipment) stereo? The listbelow might help you pinpoint your car stereo needs starting from the modest prices and going up to the most expensive price tags:

a) install a basic stereo, like a factory system..AM/FM cassette with pair of speakers

b) upgrade a factory system just slightly, adding speakers to get a bigger sound

c) upgrade to a system with CD player, amps and more speakers for audiophile sound, but not HUGE in volume

d) install a pounding audio system that will shake the car

e) install a competition-quality system that will drive the neighborhood crazy

2. Do some homework, learn what the gear does. Consider head units, amplifiers, separates (mids andtweeters), crossovers, equalizers and subwoofers. Learn what they do. First off, most of the head units that costover a hundred bucks do pretty much the same thing, they tune in radio stations, play cassettes and offer presetsfor convenience. The ones around $150.-250 might offer in-dash CD player. The better systems use a CDchanger, mounted seperately, to hold many discs at once. The CD changer will cost another $125.-350., so be sureyou think you need it. There are some nice features available in head units, so go to a big place like Best Buy andfiddle around and research brands.

3. Power.The next consideration: are you buying more POWER? If you want Volume, count on buyingamplifiers. The IC chips inside any head unit can only provide so much power, about 30 watts max, regardlesswhat the chassis says. That is about enough to power a pair of 5" 2-way speakers efficiently. If you add speakersto that, you will be under-powering them and you'll get distortion. If you don't want it loud... this minimum-sizedsystem will be okay. It's a basic factory stereo. If you want good, clean punchy music, buy the amps. Foraudiophiles: run about 100watts per channel into your mid and high frequencies, and another 200 watts dedicatedto your lows (subs) pushing subwoofer speakers. With the right drivers (speakers), this system will sound like astudio monitoring system! For you guys who want to FEEL it in your gut... double or triple the bass power.

Midrange drivers (4 to 6 inches) and Tweeters (for high frequencies) don't require much power to getLOUD, so sixty watts or so goes a long way. The big money comes in when you want BIG BASS, meaning morewatts driving more subwoofers. Many cars are pumping 800 watts and more into bass alone. Many proinstallations cost $1,500. in gear, then another 1,000. to install. The big boys spend ten times that.

4. BEWARE of inefficient sound systems! It's not uncommon to see a shop install a 800 watt system thatsounds like a 100 watt system. They are usually following orders from the client, who insists on a big 15" sub in aspace that doesn't allow it to work properly. Remember: 8" subs in the right enclosure will produce more basspressure than 15" subs installed "where-ever they fit". Throwing more power at poorly-thought-out speakersystems will not save you! The best sounding systems use multiple amps to power seperate frequency spectrums(bass, mids, highs), utilizing electronic crossovers to cleanly divide up the spectrum before sending each band foramplification. This way, each driver type is doing just it's job... efficiently.

In this way, you can power dome tweeters with 25 watts, mid range 4" drivers with 50 watts, 6.5" mid-bass with100watts, and a 10" dual voice coil sub with another 200 watts... and you'll get a pounding, high fidelity system,worthy of a studio engineer!

Replace the sub/amp with 500watts and a pair of 12" subs and you are pounding the neighborhood and making enemies. Past that, the sky's the limit.

5. HINT: Cheapskates: the quickest upgrade is to add a self-powered subwoofer to your factory system! In thisway, your existing system only has to push mids and highs, so it's not taxed as much...you can turn DOWN thevolume on your deck, turn up the volume, carefully, on the powered subwoofer, and the music FEELS loudwithout blasting your ears. You percieve it as volume. Most factory car stereos sound horrible when turned upbecause they distort from the strain of trying to produce BASS. Allow a self-powered sub to do that, and theremaining system usually sounds fine!

The advice listed here is worth a fortune. Return to site to shop for car audio.