Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
Soon after I entered the car audio industry in 1988, the shop I worked for purchased the Term-CAD enclosure design software for our DOS-based computer. I used to spend hours entering specs from the Rockford Fosgate, Kicker, MTX, Pioneer and Alpine subs we carried and would simulate hundreds of vented, bandpass and isobaric designs to learn how enclosure volume and tuning Read more
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. This article will follow an audio signal through Read more
Buying a new car radio has been challenging for most of 2021 and so far in 2022. The scarcity of computer chips has made picking up a name-brand radio from Sony, Kenwood, JVC, Alpine or Pioneer difficult or impossible. If you have to have a new radio in your vehicle, you’ve had two choices: wait patiently or buy a less popular option. I’ve heard good things about the short-term Read more
A Honda Civic Si, Acura RSX, Mini Speedster, BMW X5, the Sinister 6 and the Imprint RLS – if you recognize the pattern here, you know it’s a list of Alpine demo vehicles. Perhaps calling them demo vehicles is an understatement. These creations set the bar so high that few companies have followed in their tracks. Each vehicle was designed and crafted to showcase Alpine car audio Read more
A few weeks ago, I was at Motron Automotive Electronics in London, Ontario, to return some vintage remote car starters I’d borrowed for an article. I was talking with Lee Campbell about the work the shop does. Aside from remote car starter installations and audio system upgrades, Motron specializes in finding solutions for vehicles where the factory-installed infotainment 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
Although the Porsche tagline “There is no Substitute” certainly fits its fleet of vehicles, there is nothing like the new Mercedes S-Class for a full-sized luxury car experience. In the large luxury sedan game, there is no substitute for the S Class. There are other great competitors from BMW and Audi, but the new S-Class takes the cake when it comes to luxury and Read more
Those of us who were teenagers in the ’80s and ’90s have fond memories of the car audio brands that helped shape the industry. For Tim Cooper, his brand of choice was Rockford Fosgate. Tim had a vision for a custom audio installation in his 2008 Honda Civic and set out to find a shop to create what he had in mind. After visiting many stores, he finally walked into The Audio 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
If you’re upgrading the sound system in your car or truck, adding a subwoofer system is typically the first upgrade. From there, new speakers and an amplifier to power them are next. And most consumers should consider adding a digital signal processor to achieve the most realistic listening experience possible. Unfortunately, one item that is occasionally overlooked in creating Read more
High-end installers often get calls from clients who live outside of their county or their state or province. Now and then, a client is willing to ship his car or truck partway across the country to have work done. In the case of this 2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, the owner consulted with Matt Schaeffer of Musaic Audiophile Design in Lewes, Delaware, using WhatsApp. Why not Read more
Decades ago, car audio professionals were adamant about the statement that tweeters needed to be installed right beside the midrange speakers in your car audio system. Is this accurate? The answer is that it depends on a few variables. Keeping them close can’t hurt, but it might come at the expense of improving the soundstage location in your audio system. Why Did Tweeters Read more
