Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
A few weeks ago, one of the major head unit manufacturers announced they would include a TOSLINK digital output on their new flagship source unit. Most of us know that digital signals are effectively impervious to noise and aren’t affected by cable losses. Pure digital signals sound better than analog counterparts when used with a high-quality digital signal Read more
This Question of the Month is: Is there such a thing as fake car audio equipment? As they say, you already know the answer if you have to ask. If you have an email account or spend more than a minute a day on social media, then you know fraud is rampant almost everywhere we look. We get emails from UPS and Google all the time about fake shipments or notices from banks about Read more
It’s early April, and the CMA Expo has taken place at the Toronto Congress Center for the second year. Like other industry events, this show aims to bring together car audio manufacturers, distributors and retailers from across Canada. They learn about new products, expand their knowledge and network with like-minded professionals. If a manufacturer, distributor or retailer is Read more
If you’re old enough, you might remember that car radios, specifically CD receivers through the late ’80s and ’90s, were full of what seemed like crazy features. Double-DIN multimedia receivers, like we’re accustomed to today, barely existed back then, and we didn’t even have Bluetooth. Radio manufacturers like Sony, Alpine, Clarion, Kenwood, Pioneer, Panasonic, Eclipse, Read more
We’re back with our third article in the BestCarAudio.com series about understanding subwoofer quality. This time, we have a 10-inch Clarion Signature Series SSW1001 subwoofer from around 2006 or 2007. There’s a bit of a back story about this driver, so get comfy.I worked at Clarion Canada Inc. from 2004 to 2017. During that time, I had roles in technical support, product Read more
Almost every car audio amplifier on the market has at least one thing in common: a remote turn-on connection. The purpose of this connection is to tell the amplifier to turn on when you turn the radio on. For decades, there have been statements that your installer needs to add a relay to the output of a radio to turn on multiple amplifiers. Let’s look at what the amp remote 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
I’ve listened to a LOT of car stereo equipment since I started in the car audio industry back in 1988. Since 2000, I’ve tested and formally reviewed hundreds of car audio products for publications across North America. I’ve even developed subwoofers, speakers and DSP-equipped amplifiers for one of the companies I worked for. I was a car audio sound quality competition judge for Read more
If you’re shopping for audio upgrades for your boat, motorcycle or side-by-side, you’ll often hear the term “marine-grade” thrown around. While the definition depends on the product category and the manufacturer, in most cases that product was designed with enhanced features that will allow it to last longer when used outdoors. In this article, we’ll take a look Read more
