Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
There’s no denying that pickup trucks are some of the most popular options for subwoofer system upgrades. Despite the creature comforts and luxury afforded by Lariat, Platinum, Longhorn and Denali trim levels, a high-performance subwoofer system can transform any of these vehicles from nice to all-out amazing. The issue is, there isn’t much space for subwoofers in these Read more
Maybe it isn’t fair to compare a Subaru Outback to the new Ford Bronco. No doubt about it, the new Bronco is red-hot right now, and for hardcore off-roading, it’s the perfect vehicle. Unfortunately, most Broncos will be relegated to hopping curbs at the mall parking lot. But let’s say you’re an off-roader who wants a vehicle to drive every day with reasonable fuel economy and Read more
Americans love their trucks. The Ford F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in America. Ford originally held back on its smaller Ranger, thinking that it might cannibalize sales from the leader. But America’s appetite for a vehicle with a bed is strong, leading Ford to recently introduce the Maverick, in addition to the mid-size Ranger, to get into the small-truck segment. We’ve 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
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
In the ’80s and ’90s, the target demographic at a car stereo shop was men ages 18 to 24. Guys would work to upgrade their cars with subwoofers, pull-out CD players and lots of speakers in hopes of having the loudest audio systems in their group of friends. Not coincidentally, during that time magazines ran advertisements for products with outrageous cosmetics, promoted by Read more
The new Ford Bronco is red hot. Ultra-hot. So much so, one customer sold his allocation for a new one on eBay for a reported $150,000. That’s quite the markup for a vehicle that costs around $58,000. Only a select few Broncos have hit the streets, so most people haven’t seen one in the flesh. But everyone who saw my tester said, “Wow, I like that new Bronco.” Except it’s the Read more
It’s the spring of 2021, and for those in the mobile enhancement industry, it’s a weird time. With COVID-19 having ransacked the entirety of the vacation industry, consumers have turned to investing in their homes and cars rather than a trip to the sunny south. Car stereo shops have been busier than ever and due to some unforeseen circumstances, are running out of their A-brand Read more
Looking at the specifications and features of an amplifier rarely tells the entire story. ARC Audio sent me one of their ARC 1000.4 amplifiers that’s equipped with an IPS8.8 Pro-Series eight-channel digital signal processor. Based on a 1,000-watt platform, this four-channel amp is rated to produce 250 watts per channel into 2- and 4-ohm loads. There’s a lot of ground to cover Read more
Though best known for its class-leading remote car starters, Compustar is rolling out a new line of vehicle security systems that includes the affordable CS697-A to protect your car or truck. While many vehicle owners believe the security system that comes with their vehicle is adequate, the reality is that those solutions are limited in their capabilities. An aftermarket alarm Read more
If you’ve been listening to the radio lately, you’ve likely heard advertisements suggesting that you need to buy a new Ford or Nissan with the latest blind-spot monitoring systems. While we agree that driving a vehicle that offers this collision-avoidance technology can prevent accidents, we don’t agree that you need to buy a new car or truck to obtain that technology. Your Read more
If you’ve browsed any of the online car audio forums or Facebook groups, you’ve inevitably run across someone asking if you have to upgrade the speaker wire in a vehicle to support a new car audio system. Unlike a sure-fire upgrade like new speakers or adding an amplifier, the answers to the benefits and drawbacks of speaker wire upgrades are far more complicated. Please don’t Read more
