Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
Imagine a science experiment that calls for a chemical solution to be heated to precisely 130 degrees for five minutes. Would a scientist guess at the temperature or stick their finger in the beaker, or would they use a calibrated thermometer to measure exactly when to apply more heat? Likewise, would they use a clock or stopwatch or count to 300 Mississippi to know when the Read more
Day after day, I read posts on Facebook and Reddit about do-it-yourselfers trying to set their car audio subwoofer amplifiers so that they don’t make full power. The typical description goes something like: “I have a 700-watt amp and a 500-watt sub, so I set the gain so the amp so it will only produce 31.6 volts.” There’s usually something extra like “the radio was set to ¾" Read more
There’s no denying that pickup trucks are some of the most popular vehicles on the road. Not only are they typically more durable than a car, but they also can haul almost anything you want in the bed or on a trailer. The popularity of these vehicles makes them prime candidates for audio system upgrades. Specialty car stereo shops from across North America have shared their Read more
Every month or so, someone asks me for a recommendation for a car stereo shop. Sometimes the request is simple and involves replacing damaged or worn-out speakers. Other times, the project involves a remote car starter or an audio system upgrade. When these requests are simple, I have several resources at my disposal to make a solid recommendation. However, when things get more Read more
It seems do-it-yourself installers have taken a liking to our discussion about wiring multiple subwoofers to a single amplifier. The popularity makes sense, since many car audio enthusiasts aren’t familiar with series and parallel wiring. A question came up on Facebook a few weeks ago asking if it was better to wire a pair of dual voice coil subwoofers in series with their Read more
In late September, I got a call from a friend asking if I had any connections to purchase some new fuse holders for his car. The car is a fourth-generation Toyota Supra with a single-turbo kit and an AEM stand-alone engine management system. Unfortunately, it seems the fuse holders that fed the dual Walbro 255 lph fuel pumps had failed, leaving my friend stranded on the side of Read more
If you’re into high-end car audio or auto sound competition, you’re likely familiar with Fred Lynch and the company ARC Audio. Fred has worked for ARC Audio for over 18 years and has built several unique audio systems in his cars to show off their products. His latest vehicle purchase was the 2019 Ford Flex you see here. Fred had no significant plans to upgrade the Flex, even Read more
For years audiophiles claimed that signal processing was counterproductive and that they wanted the purest, most straightforward signal path from the source unit to their speakers. This philosophy applies as much to those interested in home audio as it does to those who enjoy music in their cars. However, the reality is, we don’t live, work or drive in an anechoic chamber. As Read more
We were recently at an event that was hosting a mobile audio system SPL competition. If you aren’t familiar with this sort of thing, it’s a contest to see who has the loudest stereo. We aren’t talking about cranking the dial on the factory radio. Instead, some of these folks build steel and concrete reinforced subwoofer enclosures and feed tens of thousands of watts to their Read more
Range is the critical factor in the quality and performance of a remote car starter or security system. That’s the distance between you and your vehicle when you’re sending a lock, unlock or remote start command, or are hoping to receive a security notification. If you aren’t close enough, or the convenience system doesn’t have enough power, signals may not reach the vehicle or Read more
When it comes to expressing the quality of an audio system component, the amount of distortion it adds to a signal is the defining factor. In this article, we’ll talk about how much distortion each part of an audio system adds – so that you can target your budget for the greatest benefit. We’ll rank four categories of audio equipment based on the amount of distortion they add Read more
For those who love the idea of a “hot hatch,” the VW Golf iterations, such as the GTI, Rabbit or Golf R, come to mind. If you aren’t exactly enamored with German engineering yet still want something fun, but perhaps a step above a Civic, check out the 2021 Mazda3 hatchback. It has a cool look, a luxurious interior and some fun performance to boot. Torquey! And a Smooth Read more
