The most popular car radio upgrades these days include a touchscreen. Multimedia receivers with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are a great way to make communicating safer while driving. When it comes time to clean your car or truck’s interior, here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that the display on […]
Car Audio
Car Audio Equipment Distortion Harmonics Add Unwanted Information
We’ve talked about audio component and speaker distortion a great deal. The reason for this is that distortion is one of the critical factors in quantifying the quality of an audio system. Components that add a lot of distortion take away from the realism of the listening experience, making the music blurred, muddy and unnatural. […]
Why Do All Car Audio Speakers Need To Be Auditioned Before Buying?
Picking new speakers for your home, a new set of headphones or upgrades for your car audio system should all involve the same auditioning process. Take two or three of your favorite songs on a memory stick to a local mobile enhancement retailer and audition the speakers under controlled conditions. We can’t count the number […]
Understanding Speaker Quality: OEM Speakers
Up to this point, we’ve explained the difference in performance between entry level, poorly designed and premium car audio amplifiers. We hope you’ve found this informative, and now it’s time we took a close look at car audio speakers. No car audio component is more crucial than speakers for reproducing music with accuracy and clarity. […]
What Do Car Audio Subwoofer Frequency Response Specs Tell Us?
Subwoofers. Yay for subwoofers! No upgrade to a car audio system will deliver a more noticeable improvement in performance and realism. Adding a properly designed subwoofer system to your car stereo is often one of the first upgrades we recommend. The challenge is finding a solution that will look and sound great while you make […]
Speaker Distortion Increases with Cone Excursion
Few people in the car audio industry seem to grasp that speakers are typically the weakest link in audio systems, in terms of adding distortion to what we hear. Whether it’s a poor design with improper voice coil centering in the magnetic gap or poor magnetic or compliance linearity, speakers add significant amounts of unwanted […]
Get Deep Bass from the Least Space in Your Pickup Truck
There’s no denying that pickup trucks are some of the most popular options for subwoofer system upgrades. Despite the creature comforts and luxury afforded by Lariat, Platinum, Longhorn and Denali trim levels, a high-performance subwoofer system can transform any of these vehicles from nice to all-out amazing. The issue is, there isn’t much space for […]
Sealed or Vented Car Audio Subwoofer Enclosures: What’s the Difference?
When it comes to car audio subwoofer enclosures, the two most popular options are sealed or vented. As far as which design is best for your vehicle, let’s see if we can clear up some misconceptions and stereotypes. As often happens, some trade-offs accompany each decision. Consider this article the master reference for choosing the […]
Gain Overlap, and Why It Matters in Configuring Car Audio Amplifiers
Ah, the oh-so-complex world of amplifier sensitivity control configuration. One would think that there would be a scientific process that would ensure that an amplifier could be set perfectly every time. But in reality, many criteria affect where a sensitivity control is adjusted. The topic of gain overlap pertains equally to source units as amplifiers. […]
Is Dash Camera Resolution the Defining Purchasing Decision Factor?
A while ago, we talked about why dashcam resolution is crucial to capturing details in the event of an accident or near-miss. The topic of dashcam image sensor resolution appears to have become a defining factor in the sales pitch from many brands. But is resolution the ultimate decision-maker when it comes to quality? Let’s […]