Saturday, September 30, 2006
Car Video Monitors: They're Not Just For Your Kids Anymore
When car video monitors were first introduced to the market, they primarily consisted of either an overhead or flip down monitor. These types of monitors were geared mainly towards parents who took long trips in the family minivan with their kids. These days, there are quite a few more car video monitor options available to consumers with varying reasons as to what they are used for. Of course the market is still filled with parents looking to keep their keeps occupied during long rides, but now people are installing monitors to entertain business clients, review DVD presentations on the way to a meeting or play the latest Madden football game with their buddies on the way to a pro football game. Aside from the overhead and flip down monitors other types of car video monitors available to consumers include: in-dash monitors, headrest monitors, sun visor monitors, and mirror monitors.
Overhead Car Video Monitors: Overhead monitors are exactly what their name implies. You can attach an overhead monitor to the ceiling of your vehicle. Typically they are installed in larger vehicles such as minivans and sport utility vehicles since they require a good amount of headroom for the overhead installation. An overhead car video monitor often fits over your vehicle’s overhead lighting unit. A typical overhead monitor is 7 – 10 inches, but you can buy monitors as large as 20 inches.
Flip Down Car Video Monitors: A flip down monitor is basically an overhead monitor that flips down for viewing. When the monitor is not being viewed it can be flipped up to add more overhead space to the vehicle. This type of monitor is also popular with consumers that own cars, who want an overhead car video monitor for their back seat passengers. Flip down monitors come in the same sizes as overhead monitors.
In-Dash Car Video Monitors: In-dash car video monitors provide video entertainment to the often-neglected front seat passenger (and driver, although I don’t recommend viewing the in-dash monitor while you are driving). An in-dash monitor is usually one component of a larger unit that includes a TV tuner and receiver. Most in-dash monitors flip up from the unit when being viewed and flip back down to provide more front seat space when it is not being used. These monitors are usually 7 inches or less.
Headrest Car Video Monitors: Headrest monitors can either be mounted to the back of your vehicle’s headrest or mounted into your headrest with the use of a mounting bracket and mounting kit. There are even headrest replacement monitors that are designed to replace your vehicle’s original headrest. This allows the consumer to avoid cutting into the original headrest. When you sell or get rid of your vehicle you can replace the headrest monitors with the original headrests. Headrest monitors can be used in conjunction with or as a replacement to an overhead monitor. They are especially popular with car owners, since cars typically do not provide the necessary overhead space for overhead monitors. Headrest monitors are also generally 7 inches or less.
Sun Visor Car Video Monitors: Sun visor monitors can either be mounted into your vehicle’s current sun visor or purchased as a replacement to your original sun visor. Manufacturers of sun visor replacement monitors have designed the visors in many different colors and textures to match your vehicle’s interior as closely as possible. A typical sun visor monitor is 5 inches in length although they make them as large as 7 inches.
Mirror Car Video Monitors: Mirror car video monitors are LCD displays that are designed to fit over the existing rear-view mirror in your vehicle. Besides being used as a traditional video monitor, mirror monitors are also great for rear view cameras as well. This is the smallest type of monitor available for your vehicle and is generally no more than 4 inches long.
Should Cars Have High End Audio Cables?
For years it has been well understood in home audio that cables can have a tremendous impact on a sound system, both good and bad. Choose the right cables and you can expect a system to come to life. Choose poorly designed cables, and you may forever be wondering why you can’t get your system to come to life.
Car audio however, has been a different story. While many companies still offer coaxial interconnect cables, most have come to realize that the basic twisted pair design offers far better noise rejection in a vehicle. And then… Nothing. That’s it. Innovation seems to have hit a brick wall at the shielded twisted pair interconnect in car audio. This begs the question; Should Cars Have High End Audio Cables?
To begin with, let’s briefly go back to home audio. After many years of fighting an uphill battle, the idea that cables make a difference has become a mainstream ideology amongst audiophiles. But it isn’t just audiophiles who can hear the difference. In fact, in our own testing, the differences can be heard by just about anybody, even on very modest audio systems. It just takes a willingness to discard any preconceived notions and actually listen to some music.
So, if cables make a difference in home audio, is there a reason why it shouldn’t matter in car audio? The quick answer is no. The following outlines some of the reasons why cables matter just as much, if not more, in car audio.
- Cable Length – Longer Cables Generally Do More Sonic Damage
Many people are under the impression that car audio uses shorter cables than home audio, and therefore does not need to bother with high fidelity cables. This is completely incorrect. While the typical interconnect length in a home audio system is about 1 meter, vehicles will frequently use 5 or 6 meter interconnects to put amplifiers in the trunk. In terms of speaker cables, car audio almost always uses cables longer than the 6-8 feet used in most home audio setups.
- Environment – Cables Are Affected By Their Environment
Vehicles represent a far more challenging environment for cables than home audio systems. Two typical sources of noise in cables are Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). In vehicles, the entire chassis is frequently used as the ground return path. This allows noise from car components such as the alternator to be inducted into the audio cables via EMI. In terms of RFI, unless proper shielding is used, the longer cables in cars will act as antennas and pull in more noise. A third source of noise in a vehicle is vibration. This is of course far worse in a vehicle than in a home system. Pear Cable is the first company to bring out a car audio cable that virtually eliminates the noise caused by cable vibration. The TRIBODeadÔ technology present in the Comice Silver Interconnect is an electrically conductive plastic layer that prevents static electrical charges, caused by vibration, from building up in the cable.
- Is Quality Sound Just for Home Audio or does it have a Place in Car Audio Too?
Some people feel that a car audio sound system will never be as good as a home audio system, and therefore high fidelity cables are a waste of money in a car. This is a faulty conclusion. The experience of listening to music in your vehicle while driving down the highway is unique and cannot be replicated in the home audio environment. The bottom line here is that many people spend more time listening to their car audio system than their home system, and they want it to be the best that it can be. The characteristics of bad audio cables (listening fatigue, poor realism, overly bright treble, or general noise) will all still be audible in a car audio system. Just like home audio, the wrong cables in your vehicle will kill the listening experience.
At the end of the day, many people want quality sound in their vehicles. If you are installing an aftermarket system in your vehicle and you care about sound quality, you need to care about cables. If you are only interested in having the loudest car, without regards to accuracy, then high fidelity audio cables probably aren’t for you. Otherwise, it simply doesn’t make sense to shell out good money on amplifiers and speakers, only to hook it all up with mediocre wire. Car audio enthusiasts are every bit as serious as home audio enthusiasts, and now there is finally a cable company that is serious about serving their needs.
Replacing a Stock Radio in a Ford Taurus 2002 SEL
So my friend and I are somewhat into car audio/visual (it's a lot of fun) and decided to change out my stock Ford radio for an aftermarket one.
We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into until we got out the old deck. The 'ol junker (well not really a junker, since it's an EATC temperature control module coupled with a CD player) was one big circuit board. This thing looked so out-of-date that man could have went to the moon with it (produced in 1974).
We got the deck out, bought an aftermarket dash kit from the local car audio dealer, and connected the new deck. THAT part was easy - but wiring the EATC back up (electronic automatic temperature control) was worse then sticking yourself in the eye with a hot poker.
Here's a tip to anyone who wants to replace their stock car radios - NEVER cut the wiring harnesses. That being said, finding another wiring harness for the beast that actually works has been almost impossible. None of the wiring diagrams off any website were of merit - and Ford has none themselves that could be of help to us.
On top of that, the aftermarket dash kit we bought didn't have any knobs - they expected us to supply ones from the last heating system - and nothing to plug the knobs into. We could order the knobs - $12 each - order the switches - etc. The wiring harness was $80, the switches were around $100 for all three...so the total cost for fixing this heating system would be getting close to $500 when you incorporate the cost of the aftermarket dash kit as well.
I don't think I'll ever replace the stock radio in a Ford again. At least if I do, it would have to be a model that Ford RECOGNIZES and actually has help regarding the model. Buying replacement parts at Canadian Tire just dosen't cut it - they never work or fit - and when a Ford dealership can barely help you, you really wonder who can.
Long story short - with winter fast approaching we fused two wires together to turn the heat on for the winter. Simple solution. Likely when summer rolls around, we'll fuse a couple together to turn on the AC.
Only thing that bothers me is I can't turn the heat up or down. But it's on - so scrue it.
Nothing Quite Like a Pioneer Deck
I was skeptical - after I upgraded my stock stereo to aftermarket, I was unable to change my heat/air conditioner system's settings for some time as my friend cut the heating harness while working on it - that an aftermarket system could improve the sound quality of my stock system to that of something worth paying for.
Alas, I purchased a number of Pioneer decks wholeale when I started my car audio business and, being the selfless entrepenur I am - threw one into my car along with some 10" Swiss Audio subs I had ordered, just to see what it would sound like.
Hooking up the new system would had been relatively easy had my partner not snipped the heating harness I spoke of earlier - but that didn't change how easy it was to hook up the Pioneer deck.
It hooked up beautifully with an aftermarket dash kit I picked up, and after installing the deck the quality of sound with the Pioneer deck was superb. The subwoofers sounded like they could explode the streets using the superbass equalization, and even on the default setting ("powerful") the system was nothing to mess with.
The bass comes in great to some hip-hop, and I like to play rock on a different equalizer level with a little less bass.
Along with my underglow, my new audio/visual system still blows people away all the time. The underglow works great in winter too, as we're beginning to see the first snowfall here in Canada. (So far, anyways).
I highly recommend the Pioneer line to anyone looking to buy a new deck.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Pioneer Car Audio Video Systems The Top 3
If you’re looking for an in-car Pioneer car audio video system, there are a number of options to choose from. First, you must decide what features you want - just a basic sound system that plays DVD’s, or one that features a navigation system or other additions too? Here are the top three models of Pioneer car audio video they make.
1. AVH-P7500DVD: This car DVD player has a large anti-glare screen, and is compatible with a broad range of Pioneer accessories. It features DVD audio and video, CD and MP3. It has surround sound and AM/FM radio, and is XM radio-ready. It doesn’t have a navigation system, although it’s easy to add on features like navigation or a game box. The price ranges from $1199-$1680.
2. Pioneer AVIC-N2 Car DVD Player: This system also has a great deal of improved features, and in addition to the DVD system has a navigation system. The in-dash player and monitor plays CD’s, MP3’s, DVD’s, and CD-R and CD-RW. The navigation system has very detailed maps and up-to-date traffic information for most major cities, and the very sensitive touch screen ensures accuracy while searching. It has four channels and an optional XM radio tuner, as well as an amplifier. The price is anywhere from $1330 to $2000.
3. Pioneer NAV-SYS620T (includes AVD-W6210 and AVIC-88DVD): This system combines a lot of features to make an impressive system that will enhance any car. There is an 8- channel GPS receiver for excellent navigation, along with five different viewing modes for the touch screen. It has voice recognition software so users can use voice-control or touch screen mode. It also features “points of interest” on the map discs for the US and Canada. It has CD and DVD, although it doesn’t come with an AM/FM tuner. The price range is $1389 to $1890.
Our Leader Request Specific Articles: Mobile Audio and Video
This is part of the request we received for articles: Mobile-Audio-Video - Articles on automotive video and sound systems belong here, including suggestions and tips as well as system reviews.
Auto audio is a big thing here in Idaho if you visit a huge city like Twin Falls so I'm glad to oblige the webmaster.
The main drag of Twin is Blue Lakes Boulevard. Blue Lakes is the traffic-light center of South Central Idaho. That’s when you get to evaluate the auto audio systems. That’s exactly what our leader wants (see above).
Remember the Boom Boxes that teens carried on their shoulders blasting out rock music at 150 decibels? Anything above 100 decibels is considered to be damaging by our government who knows about such things.
That’s why you see jackhammer operators, airport workers, and shooters wearing those things that look like plastic earmuffs.
That’s also why I leave my swimming earplugs in when driving down Blue Lakes.
The Super Auto Boomer is found on Blue Lakes. I’m not sure where they are sold, but I think you can find one on the Internet like anything else you need.
I went to http://www.carstereo.com/ where auto audio sellers are listed and systems compared. I didn’t find Super Auto Boomer but I’m sure it’s on the Internet somewhere. Under Amplifiers I found the Kicker KX-Series KX2500.1 1-Channel Amplifier - 2500W RMS x 1 @ 2-ohm. It is the highest priced ($689.00) so you need to look no further.
Here is part of the description of that ear-buster as given on the site: KICKER’s KX2500.1 Class D Subwoofer Amplifier delivers 2,500-plus watts to your woofers. KICKER supplies jaw-dropping power in a single amplifier. It’s a fact. This brute serves-up the ridiculous power that other amps claim but can’t deliver. At 2-Ohm loads, the breakthrough KX2500.1 produces more than 2,500 ground-pounding watts for bass that lets ‘em know your coming.
I’ve decided what I’ve been calling the Super Auto Boomer is really this baby. It sure in Hades lets you know that it is coming.
The first time I heard one of those audio brutes was from a 1989 Chevy. The car had been in a few fender benders. I decided that these collisions occurred when old ladies had the besednics scared out of them and rammed him.
I invented the word “besednics” for this particular phenomenon.
Anyway, I was about two miles away when I first heard the KABOOM BOOM KABOOM of his woofers. He pulled off the road and then shot out of McDonalds with a coke and a Big Mac®. I caught up with him at the next stop light.
I yelled out the window :“CAN’T YOU TURN THAT THING DOWN?”
He couldn’t hear me of course.
He gave me a big smile with the special sauce running down his chin. He turned the volume down and said, “Thank you! It cost me a month’s wages."
Then he turned it back up to SUPER VOLUME and drove off. That’s when my conversion van started to shake, shutter, and vibrate.
My bumpers fell from my van to the street. It was that 2,500 ground-pounding watts for bass.
Mobile Video Systems I Have Known
Our webmaster has requested certain articles so this article is his fault. His request was as follows: Mobile-Audio-Video - Articles on automotive video and sound systems belong here, including suggestions and tips as well as system reviews.
In 1977 rather than repair the air conditioning system in my VW bus, I purchased a late 1996 GM conversion van. It had sat on the dealer’s lot for several months and he wanted to unload it. A beautiful critter that would not fit in my garage it had in additional to the mood lighting a VCR player and a television set.
The first thing we noticed when we brought the van home was that our dog, Zipper, just loved it. He jumped right in and would not get out. He knew that something was up with the moving company hauling our furniture out the front door. He was not going to be left behind.
Zipper was a member of No Dog Left Behind. That’s probably where the young Mrs. Bush got her idea for No Child Left Behind, a program that educator's and parents seem to hate. Personally, I have not objection to leaving certain kids behind.
Zipper was one of the reasons we had to have a van. He was a big Labrador retriever. The other reason was that my wife enjoys plants. She started the program No Plant Left Behind.
We filled the van with Zipper and the plants and off we went for Arizona, the “Land of the Sun” and “Allergy Hell.” (We didn’t know about the Juniper problem then.)
Our son, Jimmy, immediately slapped a tape in the VCR player and sat in the back watching Tobruk. To read some of the details of this movie go to: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062377/. Arthur Heller directed the movie and it starred Rock Hudson. Here is the plot: “September 1942 - With Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps on the march through Egypt, a British special forces unit, composed of German Jews who serve with the British despite the mutual resentment between both, kidnap a Canadian officer who is an expert topographer and who is held prisoner by the Vichy French in Algeria. The officer, Donald Craig, must negotiate a company of British and German-Jewish commandos through 800 miles of the Sahara to aide a pending amphibious landing against Tobruk's massive fuel storage base - a mission that sees one impediment after another, and which discovers an undetected German armored force ready to win the battle of Egypt.”
Sounds exciting, right? Well, Doris Day was missing.
Listening to he sound track I realized that Jimmy had been driving for about five years and had a valid New Jersey driving license. After some persuasion Jimmy was driving and I was back watching Tobruk.
When we got to Arizona, I bought Jimmy a Nissan pickup and my wife a Toyota Corolla. He took off for Utah to go to college. For that reason, since then, I’ve never sat in the back of my van and watched a movie.
Jimmie came back once and traded his pickup for my wife’s Corolla. We still have the pickup and Jimmie still has the Corolla. He didn’t stay long enough so that we could take a trip and I could watch a movie in the back of my van.
I’m not saying that my van’s video system is not used. When we go fishing, my grandkids pile in the back, pull down the sun shades, and turn on the VCR player and the television. I have heard the soundtrack of a dozen movies that I have not seen. My usual comment is, “TURN THAT DOWN!”
When the kids get out of the car, they leave everything on and the sun shades down. I tell them, “IF YOU DON’T LEARN TO LEAVE THE VAN THE WAY YOU FOUND IT, YOU WILL NEVER GO FISHING AGAIN!”
I mean it. I’m tired of them catching all the fish while I operate my “pole and reel repair shop” and bait the hooks for the girls.
So my suggestion for selection of a video system is this: Don’t buy one if you have grandkids. It’s cheaper to give them a coloring book and a box of crayons.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
MP3s on the Road: 3 Ways to Play your MP3s in your Car
Let’s face it, by now who doesn’t own some sort of MP3 player? Whether it is an IPOD or a less popular MP3 player made by manufacturers such as Sony or Creative Labs, everyone that I know has an MP3 player (except for my grandmother, who still doesn’t know what an MP3 is anyway). Regardless of the brand, to be able to use any type of MP3 player, you must have MP3s to upload and listen to on your MP3 player.
That being the case, many people prefer purchasing single MP3s from sites like iTunes and Napster versus paying ten dollars or more to purchase an entire CD which only contains one or two songs that the individual likes. With all of the MP3s that people have amassed over the few years that they’ve been extremely popular, it now presents somewhat of a dilemma when they want to play the MP3s they’ve collected in their car audio system. For those who have a standard in-dash CD player or CD changer, the only solution is to burn the MP3s onto a recordable CD and play the CD in the car. This solution can be both costly and time consuming if you are constantly updating your MP3 collection as you have to continuously buy blank CDs and go through the CD burning process each time you want to play a new collection of MP3s in your car. Thankfully there are several products on the market these days to give MP3 owners more options when it comes to playing their MP3s in the car.
MP3 Car Adapter Kit: The most economical way to play your MP3s directly in your vehicle is to purchase a simple MP3 Car Adapter Kit. These kits are similar to the portable CD player kits that were popular before CD players became standard in automobiles. In fact, many of the MP3 Car Adapter Kits also allow you the ability to still hook up a portable CD player or any other type of portable music device. These kits are very simple to use as well. In most cases you simply connect the adapter to your car’s 12v power supply or cigarette lighter and in turn hook up your MP3 player to the adapter. After your MP3 player is hooked up to your adapter, you simply play your music as you normally would on your MP3 player, and the music is broadcasted through your car’s speakers.
CD Player w/ MP3 playback: Another option would be to purchase an in-dash CD player that has the capability to play MP3s that are copied to a recordable CD. This type of CD player allows you to copy your MP3s onto a recordable CD instead of having to “burn” them onto the CD. This offers a cost and time advantage as by simply copying the MP3s to a recordable CD, you are able to copy more MP3 files versus burning the MP3s onto the CD. When you burn the MP3s onto a CD, the burning process transform the music file from its MP3 format to a format that is recognizable by traditional CD players. You are able to copy more MP3 files, allowing you to save disk space and in turn save money by purchasing less recordable CDs.
Digital CD/MP3 Receiver: Now there is something even better for MP3 owners who want to take their MP3s on the road with them. Sony recently released the first car audio receiver unit with the capability to “drag-and-drop” your MP3s into the unit just like you would normally do with your IPOD or MP3 player. The Sony GigaPanel MEX-1GP is a car audio receiver that features a removable faceplate like most of the other receivers on the market today. However this faceplate also comes with a USB port and a 1GB flash memory drive that allows you store up to 500 MP3 song files. You simply use the USB cable that comes with the receiver to connect it to your PC and transfer the MP3 files just like you would with your IPOD or MP3 player. Once you’re done copying your MP3s to the receiver’s faceplate, you simple reattach the faceplate and proceed to listen to your MP3s in your car. The receiver also allows you to play regular CDs and CDs with MP3 files copied onto them as well. This revolutionary new product is sure to make an impact in the highly competitive car audio industry. I’ve already ordered one for my vehicle and I can’t wait to install it!
Building the Best Car Stereo System
Today car sound systems are big business. People, especially the younger generation, want to build the very best in car sound systems and they usually do not care what they cost. This can become an expensive undertaking but for those who value music it is worth every penny.
Your first order of business is to decide on a proper car stereo head unit. This is the main control unit of the entire system and comes in the form of a tuner, compact disc player or cassette player or a combination of two. These days most people go with a compact disc player head unit as they are the most readily available and most people buy compact discs for their musical selection instead of cassette tapes that are somewhat hard to come by these days.
The head unit should be wired in where the existing stereo unit rests. The two may be different sizes so you will most likely need to buy a universal mounting kit. They are available from most large retailers and run under $25. Also, you should pick up a universal wiring harness to make the installation go more smoothly. If you have no knowledge of car wiring systems it is easy to short out the car or the stereo system if you do not know what you are doing. Universal wiring harnesses come with detailed instructions on matching up the wires by automotive type.
Next you will need to determine speakers for your sound system. This can be a tough decision depending on what your basic needs are. There are several speaker systems to choose from and you will need to pay close attention to the head unit you have purchased as it will tell you how many speakers it can handle on its own. Be sure to check the power rating and size of the speakers. You have so much room to work with in your car without taking away from passenger space. However, some prefer to use the trunk space to mount speakers and other accessories.
Along with speakers there is the amplifier. The amplifier is a device that will boost overall power and provide better quality high volume sound to your system. Amplifiers are available in a wide variety of sizes and prices depending on the power you wish to have for your car sound system.
Extras would include MP3 hook up adapters, bass boosters, compact disc changers, and lights. All of these are available from large retailers nationwide. You could spend a little or a lot depending on the brand and quality that you desire.
Keep in mind that the more complicated a car sound system the harder it is to install. Some companies that sell complete systems offer free installation with a purchase. This is a wise choice for someone who knows little about car stereo installation. Not only will all the equipment be installed properly to guard against malfunction but it will also look nice. Part of installing a system is running wires and capping lines that can be difficult for someone unsure of what they are doing.
Beginner's Guide to Car Audio Installation - DIY
Speaker Positioning
Speaker installation is very critical for performance. Whether you spent $1000 or $10,000 on a set of speakers, if they are not properly installed, they would not sound as they should. Even though it may seem that the best position for most speakers are in the stock housing's that came with the car e.g. on the door panel near your feet, this is just not so. You would see why such positions are still used however along with alternative solutions such as center channels for 5.1 dolby, LCD screen, in-dash DVD players. There are many factors that need to be considered in placing the speakers in the correct position.
Distance
The first thing to consider is distance. If the left speaker is only a couple feet away from your ears, while the right speaker is several feet away from you, then the sound will arrive at different times giving you poor sound. Since the left speaker is closer, it sounds louder. The best solution is to figure out a location where the difference between the distance of the right speaker to your ears and left speaker (also known as path length difference), are minimal. This is where kick panels become the preferred location.
Multiple Speaker Placement
If you have a system with two or more speakers per side, you need to try out different locations to obtain the best possible sound in your car. If you have a 2-way system with a tweeter and sub per side. The subs are mounted in the stock location at the bottom of the door. The tweeters are mounted high up on the front corner of the door panel. From the driver's seat, you can see that there are 4 speakers all aimed towards different orientations and all at a different distance to your ears. This interaction of sound waves at different frequencies arriving at your ears at different times seldom sounds good. The best thing to do is to position the woofer and tweeter on each side as close as possible to each other. This is also why kick panels are used so much these days. Professional installers do use some tricks such as inverting the tweeters' polarity when mounted for example on top of the dash while the woofers are low. Achieving good sound with unconventional mounting schemes is very, very hard and is only achieved after plenty of time has been spent trying different configurations.
Aiming
Our ears can distinguish the direction of sound more easily at higher frequencies. This means that aiming the mids, and most importantly, tweeters towards your ears play a critical role in sound imaging. Midbases are not so critical, but should be also aimed towards the listener's ears if possible. To figure out the best aiming angle involves many hours -even days- of work. To start, try to aim the speakers towards the center of the car. Play around with different angles until you obtain the best sounding position. Subwoofers should be mounted up front for best sound. Since this is not possible in most cars, mounting subs in the back is not such a bad thing, since most people can't distinguish where bass comes from. If you have good midbases going down to 60 Hz or less and subs picking up the signal below 60 Hz, then the bass will seem to come from the front.
Enclosures
Subwoofers need a properly designed enclosure to give top performance. Midbases and mids also do sound much better if they are installed in enclosures. The best sounding and easier to build enclosure type for midbases and mids is sealed.
Mounting Speakers
If you are using speakers that fit into the stock location, make sure there are no spaces or holes. Sometimes building a wood or fiberglass baffle helps reduce holes and gives you much better sound. Always be careful when using power tools around speakers. Holes in speakers usually are not covered by the warranty. For unconventional speaker locations, sometimes metal has to be cut. If you have the resources, plasma cutters and pneumatics tools work great. For most of us that do not have these tools, a pair of metal snips (left and right cut) will do the job.
Take your time to plan your system and dont just buy brand and product for the sake of popularity. Sometimes the simplest system is the most effective.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Building the Best Subwoofer Speaker Box Enclosure For Your Car or SUV
Box Building
Each type of sub requires it's own type of box. If a sub is installed in a box larger or smaller than what is supposed to, it will sound distorted/bad and could be destroyed. Boxes can be built in many shapes, but it is important that the box volume is calculated accurately to achieve maximum performance.
Materials
A box MUST be very sturdy. Most common building materials are 5/8" or thicker particle board or medium density fiberboard. If building a box with Plexiglas, do not use anything less that 1/2 inch thick. A common material used to mold complex shaped boxes is fiberglass, but it is very hard to work with, and require several layers for a smooth finish.
Gluing, Sealing
Glue should be used at all joints to fill any spaces. Any spaces will degrade the performance of your subs, not to mention the annoying noise air makes when being pushed out of a small hole. On applying the glue, let it cure for at least 24 hours before mounting the subs. This is a precautionary mesure to protect the rubbers used to make the subs from the high fumes that some manufacturers glue products have.
Holding Joints Together
In connecting box joints, it is best to screw the joints every four inches or so using 2" - 2-1/2" screws. Pre-drill about 3/4" deep, so that screws do not split the wood at the edges, especially when working with particle/bashboard.
Should I have a Box for Each Sub?
It is advised to have a separate chamber for each sub. Even though not necessary, here are two reasons why such a directive should be taken: First, if one of the subs blows, then the volume of the box will be "twice" as big for the one remaining working sub. This could cause problems and even damage the other sub. The second reason is bracing. Building a box with a divider in the middle will make the box more rigid.
Ports
Ports must be built into your box design to channel out the air made by the sub's vibrations. If a pre-made port is not available, the most common material is PVC . PVC is very rigid, comes in different diameters. Cut the tubing at the desired length. Consider the volume the port takes up when calculating the box volume. Cut a hole in the box. Make sure the hole is as perfect as possible to minimize gaps between the box and the tube. A couple wood braces can be added for screwing the port top the box. Seal the gaps using a proper sealant (Evo Stick or even silicone can be used).
Bracing
Boxes that are more than a foot in width or length or height, should be braced so that the box becomes more sturdy. This can be accomplished with a piece of wood maybe 3 or 4 inches wide across the box). It is a good idea to put wood blocks on the corners for reinforcement. Always consider that blocks, braces, neon lights, etc. inside a box take up space and should be accounted for when calculating internal volume.
Damping/Filling
Damping increases subwoofer efficiency by dissipating some energy that affects the sub, particularly the voice coil. It is advisable to put damping material inside a box. Pillow polyfill and fiberglass insulation are common, though polyfill is a lot easier on your skin. Polyfill also "tricks" a sub into thinking it is in a bigger box. Play around with different amounts of polyfill until you get the desired results.
Making it look professional
Make the box surface free from holes and spaces by adding wood fill. If you decide to paint the box, then you should apply primer first. Carpet or Vinyl padding is the best covering to use since they easily cover any outer blemishes on teh box and give the box a 'smooth' outlook. Be carefull when cutting the vinyl or carpet since such cutters tend to be very sharp. Cut a piece of carpet (or vinyl) big enough to cover the whole box. Apply adhesive to both box and carpet (EvoStick works great). Wait about a minute and place the fabric over the wood. For the best fit, stretch the fabric when applying it. The fabric should wrap around and end in a place of the box that will not be seen. Do one side at a time, cutting excess carpet. If possible, add staples preferabke heavy duty staples that can penetrate the box, to hold the fabric at the ends. NOTE: Do not cover each panel of the box before mounting it together since it would be impossible to find any 'leaks' that may exist in the box design much less fill these leaks.
Pioneer Car Audio MP3 What To Look For When Purchasing
When choosing a pioneer car audio MP3 it’s important to address a few key questions. How much do you want to spend? What features are most important to you? An MP3 is a way to encode audio that compresses data so it can store a lot more of it while keeping a high standard of quality. Pioneer has a long-standing reputation for quality and also for being one of the easiest car audio systems to install and use. They make a range of car audio that can play MP3’s, including the lower end DEH-P3700MP for a little over $100 to the AVICD1 navigation system for about $1,600. If you are looking for a basic system to play CD’s and MP3’s, a simpler system will be fine. But, if you want more features like navigation or a DVD player you will pay a lot more for a higher end system.
One of the most important things to look for is how you are going to navigate through all of your MP3 files, especially while driving. If you have a large library of music, you will need to find an MP3 player that makes browsing through the discs as easy as possible. Many discs can hold up to about 250 songs, and it’s crucial that you can find exactly what you’re looking for as quickly as possible. One of the most reasonably priced MP3 player’s Pioneer makes is the DEH-P5500M, which costs around $270 and allows you to organize files by artist, track, folder name, file name, and album. It also has satellite radio and CD changer controls. It’s also imperative that you check that the discs you use on your computer for music are compatible with the ones for the MP3 player, otherwise you might end up with a library of music that won’t play in your car. ID tags to identify songs must be a certain version compatible with the car’s system, or you’ll end up with a lot of unusable music. If you figure out what you’re looking for, you can make an educated decision about which system will best suit your budget and your listening needs.
How To Save Money On Car Audio Gear
How to get a good deal when buying car stereo equipment…
In this article, find out:
1. How to save at least 25% on expensive stereo equipment at your local stereo shop
2. How to save up to 50%+ (!!!) on stereo equipment from eBay
3. How to save even more on stereo equipment buying from auctions.
4. How to save money buying used equipment
5. How to save money buying refurbished equipment.
6. How to get sponsored, and get stuff for free
7. How to form a business, get stuff for cheap, and make money!
The situation:
Stereo equipment is expensive. In fact, autosound is the most expensive hobby I’ve ever had. As such, most of us who don’t make tons of money want to find the best deals possible, without going through tons o’ trouble.
Bet you didn’t know…
Stereo components don’t really cost their price. In fact, most dealers pay less than half of the MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) for a component. This doesn’t mean that a dealer can just turn around and sell the item for their cost. Dealers spend significant amounts of time and money to sell an item, and as such mark up the price of an item. I mean, if a dealer has a unit that sells for $500, they might spend $250 for it. HOWEVER, the dealer also has to pay rent, utilities, payroll, etc. in order to make that item available to you. On top of that, a dealer must also spend time locating the item, ordering the item, and storing the item. In short, the dealer is doing work, and needs to be paid for it. So, they mark up the price. This is to be expected. The good news is that many stereo shops won’t charge full MSRP if you bargain with them.
Bargaining…
So, you walk into mom and pop stereo shop in Anytown USA (or Anytown World), and see a unit that you like. The price is $499. You see a salesman hovering around, so you ask the salesman if you can buy it for $250. No way says the salesman.
Why did this happen?
You made a “lowball” offer to the salesman. You basically asked the salesman to sell the item without a profit. Forget about it. Most salesmen earn a commission on what they sell, and as such this salesman will not accept your offer because he won’t earn a commission. Would you work for free? Of course not.
Instead, make an offer that is well above the wholesale price, but well below the retail price. Halfway between these two prices is fair. If wholesale is $250, and retail is $500, offer $375.
The salesman still says no. Wait a second! I thought you said that you could bargain with the salesman, what the hell?
I was correct when I said you could bargain. However, the salesman is still thinking commissions. Why should he sell it at a price lower than he is used to? Because you’re willing to do something for him. Tell the salesman that you’ll tell your friends. Tell the salesman that you’ll promote his business. If you scratch his back, he’ll scratch yours.
Now, don’t be shady about this. Don’t lie to the salesman telling him that you’ll refer your friends to him, and not do it. Think about it, you just saved $125 on a piece of equipment. To be 100% fair, you should do $125 worth of work for the salesman. One way to do that is to refer your friends. Ask for a few business cards, and pass them on to your buddies.
How do I go about this?
This is the phrase that has always worked for me:
“What kind of deal can you get me on that DEH-P960?”
This phrase is highly effective because it gives the salesman some vital information:
1. You sound like you know what you’re talking about by using the model number
2. You are interested in buying—if the price is right
3. You want a deal
Many times, a salesman will come back with a slightly lower price. If the item was $500, they might say: “Well, how about $475?” You know you can do better, so just be up front with the salesman. “Come on, both you and I know you can do at least $400”. “Better still, let’s make it $375, and I’ll tell my friends—do you have any business cards?”
Chances are good that the salesman will say yes. If he says no, just raise your offer by a few dollars. Often times the salesman will make a counter-offer. Never accept it. At this point, the salesman REALLY wants the sale, and will be trying everything in his power to close the sale. Don’t be obnoxious or cocky, just be firm.
It has been my experience that I have been able to save about 25-33% on expensive gear at brick and mortar stereo shops.
Another hint: Don't try this at a national chain, you will get rejected. Why? Because these chains are bad bad companies. They've got enough money, anyway. Do business with local shops who actually care about car audio, and care about providing you with good service, and don't hire lame kids who don't know a whole lot of hooey!
2.) eBay
eBay. This is it. eBay has the best prices, and best selection I have seen for stereo equipment. The main drawbacks are that the availability of some brands is extremely limited (such as the high-end brands), you'll have to wait for the item to arrive (I know this can be nerve wracking), and some people are still concerned about conducting business transactions online, identity theft, fraud, etc. etc. However, with a few tips, you’ll be safe, and save big bucks on your stereo system.
First of all, if you don’t have an eBay account, GET ONE NOW. Go to www.ebay.com to sign up. While you’re at it, SIGN UP FOR PAYPAL, at https://www.paypal.com.
Now, let’s save some money! But first, a few tips to keep you safe.
First, check the seller’s feedback. I would hope that the seller would have at least a few hundred POSITIVE feedbacks, and no less than 98% positive. Many of the big time electronics dealers on eBay have THOUSANDS of positive feedback, and are very reliable.
Second, be sure that the seller is verified or certified by at least one online based third-party, that specializes in fraud prevention. These include BBB Online, ID Verify, and TrustE. This ensures that the seller is who they say they are, and do what they say they do. It also ensures that there are no major complaints against that merchant.
Third, look at the shipping price. Sometimes some of the less reputable sellers on eBay have seemingly great prices on stereo equipment, but have extremely high shipping prices. Usually, the total price comes out to about the same as other sellers, BUT this behavior is prohibited by eBay because the seller is fraudulently paying less eBay fees than they should. Do not trust people who do this.
Fourth, buy insurance. Many times sellers include this in their shipping price, or require it, but if they don’t, pay the few extra dollars for it. You would be quite upset if your $500 Alpine arrives with a cracked faceplate. This happened to me, and I was quite happy that I had insurance.
Fifth, be sure that the seller accepts Paypal. This is a great security point, and shows that IF the seller uses Paypal, then that seller has been approved by Paypal. You don’t have to pay with Paypal if you don’t want to, but…
Sixth, just pay with Paypal. The reason: They have powerful fraud protection built into their system. It’s just safer than paying through any other means.
Seventh, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Use caution!
3.) How to find liquidators/seized electronics dealers/auctions, etc.
This is how you’ll save the most money. Before continuing, I will tell you that it is possible to get electronics for pennies on the dollar. I would recommend this route for people who are interested in being in the stereo business. You can find liquidators and auctions where it is possible to buy throusands of dollars worth of equipment for only hundreds. You can find a few pieces to keep for yourself, and sell the rest on eBay, or through Craigslist, and make back all of your money and then some! It requires a little work, but can be quite rewarding.
4.) Another option: If you want to save bucks, you can also buy used equipment. Now, I personally wouldn’t buy used stuff unless I knew it was in great condition (which is hard to do through eBay), but you can get good equipment at very great prices if you are selective.
One creative way to do this might be through competitions. Go to a competition, and talk to a competitor. Usually these guys change their equipment frequently, and know their stuff (so you’ll know it wasn’t abused, and you’ll know it was installed correctly). You could easily find some TOP QUALITY equipment at extremely good prices just by talking to autosound competitors.
Check local newspapers, craigslist classifieds, online classifieds, car audio forums, car enthusiast websites, the possibilities are endless! It might be a lot of work, but if you can find a well taken care of piece of equipment, you will save money.
5.) Refurbished goods:
These are sorta half-used. Usually if a product has problems, it is sent back to the factory under warranty. The manufacturer will fix the broken part(s), re-package it, and sell it to wholesalers at a discount. Refurbished gear is great because it was basically restored to like-new condition, and sold at a discount. There is no shortage of refurbished gear on eBay, and I highly recommened it as a money-saving option.
6.) Sponsorships:
If you have a good looking car in great shape, you might be eligible for a sponsorship. Basically, with sponsorship, different manufacturers provide you with their products, and you install them. In return, you show your vehicle at shows, and promote the brand that sponsors you. This is one of the few ways to get free gear. Some work is required, but ummmm FREE CAR AUDIO GEAR!
7.) Go Legit:
Form a business, and get access to wholesalers. Usually all you'll need to do is get a "reseller's permit". Thisdocument is free to obtain, but beware! It also requires you to do certain things (like pay sales tax to the government). It's not hard at all, you just need to keep records. Check with your state board of equalization for more info.
Conclusion:
If you’re willing to work for it, it is quite easy to find great deals on stereo equipment.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Picking the Right Stereo System for Your Car
Most cars have a fairly average sound system in their car. This is why most people turn to after-market products to enhance their listening experience. There are so many different things to consider when enhancing your car stereo. We will go through some of these things in this article.
The first thing to consider is your car itself. Is it a 2 door, 4 door, hatch or sedan. This is important as it should greatly influence the type of sound system you purchase. Smaller cars don’t need as much power as larger cars, simply because there is smaller cabin space and too much power can be overkill.
Let’s start with a small car. Smaller cars generally have 4 speakers in the cabin. Simply upgrading these speakers will not be enough to greatly increase the sound quality. Most small cars come with CD players as standard, but the sound quality that can be obtained from the CD player will be quite poor. After all manufacturers don’t pay too much attention to the quality of music the CD player puts out. Upgrading the CD player to one that puts out 50watts per channel will give a great increase in sound quality.
For larger cars it gets a little more complicated. In some large cars there are 6 speakers in the cabin. It’s not necessary to replace all 6. Replacing the 4 will be sufficient. One thing to consider in larger cars is getting a sub-woofer. Sub-woofers usually sit in the boot of the car and can put out a good amount of bass depending on the sub-woofer. To run the sub-woofer and amplifier is also necessary.
Head Unit Features, And How They Effect YOU: A Guide
Build quality:
Some head units are flimsy and weak. Some are built to last. Usually the best way to determine this is by the weight of the unit. Also, check to see if anything doesn't "fit", or if there are parts that are cheap or flimsy. The truth is this: The bigger name units tend to be better. Also, the more expensive units tend to be better. This isn't always a big deal for everyone, but I believe that build quality is very important.
Basic Head Unit Features:
Power output:
Most head units have built-in amplifiers. These drive the speakers. Some head units do not have internal amps, and therefore, require the use of an external amp. Head units without amps are usually high-end models. Anyway, power is measured in WATTS. We'll talk more about watts later, but for now, just see more watts as more volume. Most head units (unfortunately) are deceptive about the power output. Usually, the power output spec on a unit will say "50Wx4 MAX output". This means that when the laws of physics are on your side, it's a clear day everywhere in the world, the planets are aligned, the bass hits really really low and hard, and for about a tenth of a second, yeah, your head unit will put out 50Wx4. However, most of the time, your head unit is probably putting out a quarter of that. It's not that the head unit manufacturer is lying, it's just that they are exaggerating the truth, AND MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW BETTER. So, anyway, many people put a lot of importance on a head unit's power output. I don't because head unit amps suck, and no serious car audio person uses the head unit's amp anyway. Most head unit brands have about the same power output anyway. 9 times out of 10, an aftermarket head unit will put out more power than your factory head unit, and as such, will sound better.
RCA Preouts:
These are used to connect external amps to your head unit. These are the same red and white cables that you use for your home system. Basic head units usually have one set of preouts (front left, front right). Some head units have two sets (front left, front right, rear left, rear right), but most decent head units have 3 sets (front left, front right, rear left, rear right, subwoofer left, subwoofer right). One quick note about subwoofer outputs: Sometimes they're called "non-fading" outputs because they are not effected by the head unit's fade control (front to back balance). If you're not planning on adding an external amp, you don't need to worry about RCA pre-outs. If you want to add an external amp (or amps), I would always recommend getting a unit with three pre-outs.
RCA Pre-out voltage:
Usually this spec is next to pre-out spec. It is measured in VOLTS (which we'll go over later). Basically, the higher the voltage, the LOUDER the music will be at your amp. Don't look at this as "free power" because it is not. In addition, the higher the voltage, the less noise that will be introduced to your system. Again, this spec doesn't matter if you don't plan on using an external amp. If you do plan on using an external amp, try to find the HIGHEST voltage you can. 2 volts is basic, 4 is standard for a good unit, sometimes you'll see units with 5 volts. I know Eclipse units have 8V(!) pre-outs. In short, more voltage=less noise and cleaner sound.
Digital time correction:
This is used to simulate a perfect stereo environment. If you're at home listening to music, you want to situate yourself in the middle of the two speakers to get the best sound. The same is true in the car, EXCEPT that it's a hell of a lot more difficult. Usually, the passenger side speaker will be farther from your ear than the driver side. Since sound travels fairly slow (comparfed to light), you'll have one ear receiving a portion of sound before the other ear. The digital time correction delays the music slightly so your ears will be perceiving the same music at the same time. This is a very important feature if you are planning an SQ system.
Crossover:
This feature is incorporated into many components in a car audio system. If your head unit doesn't have it, don't worry. Just be sure your amps have it. Basically, this makes sure the right speakers are playing the right sounds. I will go into more detail about crossovers later.
Equalizer aka EQ:
This feature allows you to tweak the sound. The most basic EQ is a two-band, and controls BASS and TREBLE. Some head units have 3-bands, BASS, MIDS, TREBLE. More advanced head units have 5-band EQs. If you are serious about tweaking your sound to perfection, you won't use your head unit's EQ; You will get an external unit, and some of these units have 30 bands! I will go into much more detail about EQs later.
Theft Deterents/Security Features:
There are a few options when it comes to head unit security:
Detachable Faceplate:
The most common method is a detachable faceplate. Basically, you remove the faceplate of the unit (where the screen and controls are), and the unit won't function. This will deter thieves, but please don't leave the faceplate in your car. Thieves know most people do this, and will still break into your car, find the faceplate and steal your head unit.
Password:
Some other units have a password function. When the unit is disconnected from power, then reconnected, the unit will require some sort of password. The unit will not function until the password is provided.
Key CD:
A few units use a key CD. Basically, the first time the unit is used, the unit will ask for a key CD. You insert any CD, and the unit will now designate that CD as the key CD. If the power is disconnected, the unit will ask for the key CD before it will function again.
Black out face:
When the unit is off, the head unit has a completely black face with no visible buttons or controls. Come on. Criminals aren't so stupid that they can't see that the head unit still has its face attached.
Hidden faceplate:
This is common for DVD players with screens, and one unit that I used to own, the Alpine CDA-7998. Basically, the face folds into the head unit, and looks exactly like a unit with the faceplate removed. Neat, but the unit is still vulnerable.
In short, all of these tactics are imperfect. Pick the one that makes the most sense to you, however most units only have a detachable faceplate feature.
CD Changer controls/Optional equipment interface:
This is a feature that allows you to connect other peripherals to your head unit. These peripherals are often CD changers, digital music players, satellite radio units, and video equipment. With this feature on your head unit, you'll be able to add additional capabilities to your stereo system in a convenient way. However, most of these interfaces are only compatible with the same brand. In other words, you'll need an Alpine head unit with the Ai-net interface connected to an Alpine CD changer with the Ai-net interface.
Remote Controls:
Some head units have remote control capability. This is a handy feature because you can control the headunit without taking your eyes off of the road.
OK, so these are some of the features of head units. Now, let's look at the specs of specific types of head units.
Tuner Features:
Most head units have AM/FM capability built in. Check out this information on getting the best AM/FM performance possible.
Presets: This feature allows you to save your favorite radio stations, and instantly recall them at the push of a button.
HD Radio: A new radio format that is close in sound quality to CDs. Basically, a radio station broadcasts their usual programming, but with an additional signal that can be received by units with "HD radio" capability. The availability of units with this feature is still small, and most radio stations haven't yet embraced the technology. I do expect this technology to take off, however because the sound quality is better, and not everyone wants to pay for satellite radio.
RDS: AKA "Radio Data System". A new feature for FM radios. This technology makes it possible for radio stations to transmit text to your receiver. This text can be used to show the station title or the artist name, and other information.
FM Sensitivity: The ability of your unit to tune into a weak signal
FM Selectivity: The ability of your unit to reject interference from other stations.
FM Stereo Seperation: The ability of a tuner to recreate the proper left/right channel sepearation.
CD Players:
CD-R/CD-RW Playback: This feature guarantees that your unit will play a CD-R or CD-RW that was made with a CD recording device.
CD-Text: This feature displays CD text information that is encoded on some CDs. This information includes artist names, song titles and album titles.
MP3/WMA/iTunes Playback: This spec assures you that certain digital file formats can be played back on certain units.
ID3 Tag Display: Displays text (such as song title and album name) encoded into MP3 files.
DAC: Digital to Analog converter. This device takes the digital signal from your CD, and turns it into an analog signal for your amp. The better your DAC, the more "real" your sound will be.
CD Frequency Response: The range of frequencies that the CD player can reproduce. It should at least cover the 20hz-20,000hz range.
Electronic Shock Protection: This feature prevents your CDs from skipping. If your head unit doesn't offer this, don't buy it. However, most players have it, and technology has gotten pretty good lately, so it's unlikely that you'll have any problems with skipping.
Signal to noise ratio (s/n): A measure of how well a CD player silences noise. The higher the rating, the less noise.
Zero Bit Detect mute: When the CD player detects a series of 0's on the CD (such as between songs), it will automatically mute the output. This feature isn't really important, but is often advertised.
Oversampling: The CD Audio format has a resolution of 16 bits, with a sampling rate of 44.1khz. What the hell does that mean? I really don't know, but think of a digital picture. Zoom in really close to this picture, and you see pixels. Think of each pixel as a sample. When you increase the pixels, you increase the sharpness and quality of the picture. When a CD player has oversampling, it takes the 44.1khz, and turns it into a bigger number. More samples=More realistic sound. Confused? I know. I am too, but a unit with oversampling will sound better than one without. Of course, the good news is that pretty much every unit these days has this feature.
Car Audio Mistakes
Many people just spend too much and in some cases go into debt. What can make this particular situation worse is that people go into debt for a system they realize they do not even like. First, figure out how much money there is available to spend. Then decide how much of the car audio system needs to be replaced. At this point plan a budget – how much can you afford to spend? Therefore you can locate system components in your price range. Deciding what is most important in the car audio system and plan to spend more on the important items. Going over budget is the first and most common mistake car audio system buyers make.
Another thing to consider is how much of the car is going to need to be modified for your potential choices. For example, some speaker installation will require many modifications to be made to the car. Modifications will need to be made by a professional and therefore you will have to budget into the total cost of the car audio system parts as well as labor. Another car audio systems mistake is that the owner of the car does not think about the future. How long are you going to keep the car for? Will you sell the car with the new audio system or will you remove it before sale? Remember audio systems never increase the value of a car enough to balance what was spent on the audio system in the first place. Also, if you plan on remove the system before you sell the car that could be problematic. Having a radio and an audio system are high priorities when people are searching for a new car to buy.
When and for what do you use the car for? If the car sees a lot of use as well as wear and tear, then buying higher quality components like the car speakers is a great idea. Understandably, if you are spending more time in your car then at home you want to make sure it is as comfortable and entertaining as possible. However, if the car is only used for weekly shopping, low end parts are more appropriate.
Another car audio system mistake people make is choosing a system, which is not appropriate for the type of music they listen too. This is probably the most important factor, which should influence the choice of the right car audio system. If the music that you enjoy is strong, bass beats then a high-end power amplifier is needed. In addition, subwoofers would also be a good choice. However, if your music choice is at the opposite end of the music range then you will need a different audio system setup. For example, if you listen to classical music or trendy pop music, you will need to get a car audio that has a strong speaker system that offer even play of the sound spectrum.
Monday, September 25, 2006
What Characterizes a Bad Car Audio System
In general make sure that if you are supposed to be paying for new car audio system components you see the box, the price, and installation materials before the company installs the your car audio systems. Many installation places will install used parts at new part prices. When buying used parts make sure you are getting a discount. Also, examine all parts before the are installed into your car. Once you drive the car of the installation company's lot you will not be able to complain, get a refund, or adjust your order. Once you drive away, you are stuck with whatever they have installed. Only through being an aggressive consumer will you get exactly what you paid for.
Head Unit – good head units will have multiple RCA outputs on the back of it. Also, a modern head unit which is basically a receiver or what people call a radio should include a CD tray, and plugs to plug in put devices into like a mp3 player. If the car audio system is bad the head unit will not have RCA outputs and therefore a RCA converter will have to be installed at added cost.
Amplifier – a low end or bad car audio system will have low voltage 0.5 volts or lower amplifier. Another characteristic o a bad car audio system is just one amplifier. Most decent car audio systems will have at least two amplifiers. The volume on the head unit and the amplifier should be able to be turned all the way up with out there being distortion. If there is distortion the settings can be tweaked usually by lowering the volume on both.
Speakers – a good speaker system would include multiple set of speakers installed at the idea locations within the car to give an even quality sound. A speaker system will also include subwoofers, tweeters, and midrange drivers. A bad car audio system will not have all these parts and usually only has speakers. Subwoofers deal with the lower range of sound like a dog barking. Tweeters deal with high frequency sounds like a bird singing, and of course mid range devices deal with every sound in between. Without this items the sound quality of a car audio system is going to be pretty poor.
Especially in today's modern society it is important to think about the future. While you may not have any need for output devices like the ability to have satellite radio, who knows what you will like to have in the future. A characteristic of a bad car audio system is that it has 2 or less plugs of in put devices. Do not pay for car audio components which can not be easily up graded as the audio technology increases with each passing year.
Building a Custom Subwoofer Enclosure - What to Know
Custom subwoofer enclosures are for when you want to put some subwoofers into your car but don't want to run stock boxes. By a stock box, I mean one that either comes with your subwoofer or simply one where you can only fit one 12" sub.
If you buy two 12" subs, or perhaps two 10" subs for instance, you'll likely either have to build your own box or get someone to build you one. It's important to remember every subwoofer has an "optimal" subwoofer box size in order to maximize clarity and sound performance. You can check the manufacturer's website of your subwoofer to see what this optimal size is.
You can also skip building the whole optimal performance box in exchange for simply something that will fit into your trunk, but it won't sound as good as if you built one to the specs on the manufacturer's website. e holes for where the subwoofers go and drill a terminal plate int Another thing to keep in mind when building your box is to keep all edges perfectly straight. Try to use vice grips to hold the pieces in place before and after gluing, and be sure to place scrues evenly across the construction.
Use a router to machine tho the back to run the subwoofers out the back.
Even if you haven't done the greatest job on your subwoofer box, the MDF wood required to build isn't that expensive. You can always try another one, or use the one you just created. The first few boxes we created here at EuroEnclosures weren't that great either, but you can always tune your deck for less bass output if your box rattles a bit on higher DB output levels.
However, should you want to build the "optimal" box for your subwoofers, be sure to check the manufacturer website of your subwoofers before building.
Car Audio Connectivity
According to the US Census, the average American worker spends approximately 25 minutes per day commuting to work. While the number sounds reasonable in that context, multiply it out and in the course of a year, you see that you'll have spent over 100 hours inside of your vehicle. That’s a whole lot of time. When this much time is spent crammed inside a relatively small space, people are naturally antsy for some entertainment. Thus we have seen the evolution of car stereos, cell phones, and personal entertainment systems that allow us pass the time spent in traffic a little more quickly.
The car stereo system is by far the most widespread and universal of these creature comforts designed to make the trip bearable. Here's how the history breaks down: In 1929, the first car radios appeared on the American market, although they didn’t become popular until the 60’s. By 1970, people wanted to be able to dictate what music they listened to without having to rely on a DJ to hold their hand through the musical landscape. Thus, the 8-track was born. 1980 saw the advent of the cassette tape deck, which provided superior sound quality to the 8-track, and the cassette soon bowed to the CD in the 90’s.
In today’s digital world, however, the CD, while still in use, is taking a back seat to digitized audio content. With the popularity of downloadable and easily moved and formatted MP3 and WMA files, listeners now have nearly unlimited control over what they listen to. In addition, personal music devices such as the iPod play only digital content, meaning that music collections are increasingly stored on hard drives, rather than tapes or discs.
This creates a problem for the commuter with an older stereo system: how does one access this digital content on the road? Here are several options.
The first and probably easiest is to simply burn a CD with digital tracks formatted to play in a standard CD player. While this solution is fairly simple, many older CD players can’t read burned CDs.
Another option is to buy an FM transmitter. This is a great solution if you have a personal MP3 player, like an iPod or Rio. All you have to do is plug your player into the transmitter (which plugs into your vehicle's cigarette lighter), and select an FM channel to transmit on (generally restricted to lower channels between 88.1 and 88.9). The transmitter puts out a low powered FM signal which is picked up by your car stereo’s radio. Some FM transmitters also allow you to attach a USB flash drive (also called a thumbdrive or pen drive) to the transmitter. The transmitter decodes the music files on the drive and allows you to play, skip, and pause your music, all while transmitting to your car radio. This is usually an inexpensive solution, although audio quality sometimes suffers due to interference. One of the big benefits to the USB flash drive models is that you can be constantly keeping your musical selection fresh without always having to burn new media CDs. If you listen to a lot of podcasts, this is especially nice.
Yet another option is to install a Bluetooth car kit, which allows you to connect your iPod to your car stereo wirelessly. While some installation is required for this solution, the sound quality is fantastic and the hassle of plugging your iPod into the stereo every time you get into your car is gone, to say nothing of the coolness factor. Scosche makes one of these kits at a relatively affordable price.
Finally, you can spring for a new head unit, which is the part of the car stereo that you generally see in the dash of the car. Many newer car stereo head units can read burned CDs. What’s more, they can also read MP3 and WMA files, which, though you’re still required to burn a data CD with your desired music files, allows you to put a much higher quantity of music on the CD. In deference to the burgeoning popularity of the personal media player, some car stereo head units also have an auxiliary jack so you can connect your iPod or other similar device to your car stereo via a cable. And a select few car stereos, like the VR3 Car Stereo CD Player, come even more options. The VR3, for which I have found no alternative, can still read MP3 and WMA files and still allows you to connect your personal media player through an auxiliary line-in jack, but it also has a USB port built into the face which leta it access audio files from a USB flash drive without sacrificing audio quality. Again, if you listen to podcasts or are constantly updating your music collection, this is the solution for you.
In the end, however, it’s nice to look back and realize that car stereo entertainment is really the everyman’s entertainment medium. You can spend as much or as little as you want to get the kind of entertainment you want. You can get free radio, inexpensive FM transmitters to let you listen to your digital content without costly technology, pricer head units, which give the discerning audio enthusiast some respite in their travels, or, for the audiophile who accepts nothing less than the best, a world class entertainment system that’s worthy of any classy whip. Happy travels!
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
