Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
Car audio enthusiasts will run across the term Q, Q factor or Quality factor when discussing car audio speakers, subwoofer enclosures or parametric equalizer configuration. The Q factor describes the damping characteristics of a resonant system. For speakers, proper cone control requires carefully calculated damping. When talking about equalizers, the Q of a filter describes Read more
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 sense of myriad specifications that might not be Read more
If you were into car audio in the ’90s, you’ve likely heard of amplifiers having mixed-mode or tri-mode capability. The implication was that these amps could power a pair of coaxial speakers and a subwoofer at the same time from a cost-effective and straightforward two-channel design. If you dig down into the nitty-gritty of how this works, you’ll see it’s pretty simple. With Read more
Many years ago, I read an article that said the difference between a tube amp and a solid-state one was primarily in their distortion characteristics. Even though I thought about the statement repeatedly, I was mistakenly correlating the presence of distortion with what happens when we try to over-drive the output of a source unit or amplifier. As with any complex topic, it Read more
Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, having an amplifier or a radio with a built-in high- or low-pass crossover was rare. To filter the audio signals going to our speakers, installers and technicians would use inductors and capacitors on the speaker wires. We recently took a look at how capacitors work, so let’s dive into inductors to understand their function and application Read more
A while back, we looked at how some car audio speakers and subwoofers change in performance after they’ve been broken in. We analyzed how the Thiele/Small parameters of a sample subwoofer changed after being played for many hours. What we didn’t clarify adequately in that article was whether or not speakers had to be broken in before use. Parts of a Speaker or Subwoofer Let’s Read more
For decades, car audio installers have used capacitors to reduce the bass that small speakers would reproduce. I vividly remember installing 47-microfarad capacitors inline with a set of 3.5-inch speakers in the dashes of Fox-body Mustangs back in the ’80s and ’90s. Passive crossover components like these are still an essential part of the car audio industry, even with the Read more
If you’re considering having the windows of your car, truck, SUV or van tinted, there’s definitely a variety of films available. We aren’t talking about different brands like 3M, Llumar, Suntek and Tint World. We’re also not referring to the different shades or light transmission properties of film. There are four types of film available for your car or truck: dyed, metallic, Read more
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have one of the most amazing jobs in the car audio industry. One aspect of being the editor in chief of BestCarAudio.com that I am particularly fond of is researching and performing experiments to create the content we publish. Unlike most of the hard-working folks who develop products, drive all over the countryside visiting retailers Read more
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 information to what we hear. This article will Read more
Having the windows of your car or truck tinted is a great way to enhance the look of your vehicle, add protection and keep the interior cool on a hot summer day. However, picking a shop to install tint on your car windows is more involved than most people think. The automotive enhancement experts here at BestCarAudio.com have put together this guide to help you choose Read more
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 subwoofers in these Read more
