Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
While participating in some brand-specific online discussion groups, we often encounter the question: "Is it better to use two good subs or one great one?" Are two 12-inch KICKER L7S subs better than a SoloX? Should you opt for two Hertz Cento CS 250 S4s instead of a Mille ML 2500.3 Legend? What about choosing a pair of Rockford Fosgate P3 twelves over a single T1? There are Read more
Every fall, car stereo and automotive accessory shops install thousands of lighting upgrades. These days, the most common upgrade is a set of LED headlight bulbs that fit into the stock light locations. Though it may seem simple, the resulting beam pattern can suffer if the selected bulbs aren't specifically designed for the lens or projector application. Let’s take a close Read more
When 99% of car audio enthusiasts think about a digital signal processor (DSP), they associate it with equalizers, crossovers, and signal delays. In more advanced solutions, a consumer-grade car audio DSP might add the ability to include all-pass filters, an upmixer for a center channel and signal summing. However, at an engineering level, much more is available. Let’s look at Read more
Unfortunately, concern over car and truck theft continues to increase. Thieves seem to work tirelessly to conjure up methods of bypassing factory-installed security systems. Our experience has shown that while a GPS-based tracking system might not prevent vehicle theft, it is your only hope of recovering your vehicle. Let’s look at geofence and location-based alerts to Read more
A short while ago, while testing an amplifier's maximum power output, we observed how significantly the power increased with higher supply voltage. This observation made us realize that we’ve never thoroughly examined the relationship between a vehicle's battery voltage and a car audio amplifier's maximum power output. It’s time to address that. Why Does Battery Voltage Matter Read more
Crossovers are an essential part of designing any audio system. From the passive designs used with a bookshelf or floor-standing speaker to three- and four-way electronic designs employed in car audio systems, ensuring signals combine correctly is crucial for delivering great sound. Crossovers can have different frequencies, slopes, and alignments. Understanding how audio Read more
For September's BestCarAudio.com Question of the Month, we will look at car radios with a single subwoofer preamp output jack. There seems to be some confusion regarding the perception of quality associated with this design. Further, there are questions about whether or not your installer will need a Y-cable to connect to your subwoofer amplifier. Let’s dive in! What is a Read more
A reader requested that we compare the sound quality performance of wired and wireless Apple CarPlay. This is a great idea, as very little information is provided about the communication standards used to send audio signals wirelessly to a source unit. So, let’s look at distortion characteristics and frequency response to see if there is a performance difference. The Test Read more
Our Car Audio Masterclass series offers a comprehensive introduction to the essential concepts of car audio systems, covering everything from basic terminology to advanced measurement techniques. To learn more, check out the other articles in the series:Car Audio Masterclass 101.1 – Audio Basics: Learn key audio terms and concepts. Car Audio Masterclass 101.2 – Read more
