Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
There’s no getting around the fact that things change over time. When it comes to car audio retailers, many have maintained their focus on stereo systems, remote starters, radar detectors and convenience upgrades for decades. Every now and then, a set of unique skills or an opportunity leads a shop in a slightly different direction for a project or, occasionally, an evolution Read more
One of the best upgrades you can make to your truck’s stereo system is adding something like an under seat subwoofer. While most of us think of the traditional long, thin enclosure that fits under the rear seat of an F-150, Sierra, Silverado or Tundra, there are some other options that we should talk about. Let’s dive into how adding bass to your audio system can make a world Read more
Five-channel car audio amplifiers like the Sony XM-5ES are a great way to upgrade your car stereo system to deliver great sound. Sony has created an amp that produces up to 165 watts of power per channel to the front and rear speakers and 750 watts to the system’s subwoofers. They’ve also crammed this beauty with premium processing technology and integration features to ensure Read more
Since its first model was produced in 2008, no automaker has come close to Tesla’s capabilities when it comes to performance. Legacy automakers get the panel gaps right, but their electric offerings usually don’t measure up. We’ve been waiting for the day when a company would release an electric vehicle with the quality of a luxury brand while still offering outstanding Read more
Those seeking the ultimate performance from a car audio system know that the result will only be as good as what you start with. Decades ago, many companies offered high-end CD players. These days, your options are limited when it comes to genuinely high-performance car audio source units. If support for hi-res, an impressive 10.1-inch display, wireless Android Auto and Apple Read more
When it comes to car audio bass upgrades, two options are popular: sealed and ported subwoofer enclosures. The proper names for these enclosures are acoustic suspension and bass reflex, respectively. Each has its benefits and drawbacks in reproducing low-frequency audio information in your vehicle. In this article, we’ll explain how a bass reflex enclosure works and share a few Read more
When it comes to speakers for the front of your car or truck, the flagship Sony XS-163ES three-way component set from the Mobile ES Series is an excellent choice. The set includes a pair of 6.5-inch woofers, a pair of 3.5-inch midrange drivers, two soft-dome 1-inch tweeters and matching passive crossovers. Sony has combined premium designs and technologies to deliver a speaker Read more
If you grew up with car audio systems in the ’80s and early ’90s, you know how rare it was to see an amplifier with more than four channels. In the last decade, amplifiers with more than four channels have become popular solutions to simplify the installation of elaborate active audio systems. The car audio fanatics at Rockford Fosgate created the five-channel Punch-Series Read more
Since the 1980s, car audio enthusiasts have been using large-value capacitors to improve the performance of their car audio systems. Aside from people believing that distortion damages speakers, few topics are as misunderstood as the benefit of adding a high-quality capacitor to your car stereo. So, let’s take a look at what a capacitor is, how it works and how it can be of Read more
When it comes to car audio subwoofers, Rockford Fosgate has solutions for everyone. Whether you need something affordable for the daily driver or want ground-shaking bass that registers incredible SPL measurements on the meter, they have you covered. At the top end of the scale is the Power Series T2S1-16 and its brother, the T2S2-16. These massive 16-inch subwoofers are rated Read more
Two factors limit how loudly a car stereo system can play: how much power you have to drive the speakers in the system, and the maximum output capabilities of those speakers. We see a lot of amateur and poorly executed audio system installations that play good and loud when the volume on the radio is barely over a quarter of its maximum output capability. What does this mean in Read more
Though best known for their amplifiers and signal processors, the transducer design team at ARC Audio in Modesto, California, doesn’t slouch. A few weeks back, they sent me one of their new X2 10D4v2 10-inch subwoofers to put through its paces in the BestCarAudio.com lab. So let’s see what this affordable 200-watt subwoofer can deliver! ARC Audio X2 10D4v2 Features The X2 Read more
