Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
I often see people on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Craigslist or Kijiji (in Canada) selling the passive crossover networks that came with their car audio component speaker sets. In most cases, these people have likely opted for an active system installation that uses a DSP and four dedicated amplifier channels to power their speaker system. An issue that many do-it-yourself car Read more
I spend a massively disproportionate amount of time reading posts on Facebook and Reddit about car audio topics. One thing I see again and again are comments from novice consumers talking about “buying 300-watt speakers” or something similar. Unfortunately, quantifying a speaker’s quality or performance capability based on how much power it can handle is like choosing a car Read more
There are two schools of thought when designing a custom car audio installation: The solutions can be designed to stand out and highlight the upgrades, or they can be designed to blend with the rest of the vehicle. While I appreciate both styles, installations that blend with the cosmetic cues already in the vehicle are my preference. It’s challenging to make something Read more
When you think about vehicles that are popular worldwide, few besides the Honda Civic can compete with the Toyota Corolla. To capitalize on the Corolla nameplate, Toyota has engineered a crossover version of the wildly popular and reliable sedan. Although the Corolla has never been known for pure motoring excitement, some customers are enthusiastic about the prospects of the Read more
When Toyota first came out with the Toyota Prius, the powertrain was so far from the mainstream it was destined to be in its own vehicle. But Toyota has perfected the hybrid powertrain and has made it commonplace. In addition to the Prius, I’ve tried it in the Sienna minivan and the RAV4 SUV. The 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid brings the fuel-sipping savings of the Prius to a Read more
Not too long ago, we took a look at how speaker-level line output converters worked. We discussed the difference between passive and active devices and explained what features to look for. If you have a vehicle with a premium factory-installed sound system, those interfaces might not be adequate to provide your amplifier with a signal that will sound good with new speakers. So Read more
It seems like everything to do with car audio installations has something to do with managing voltages. For starters, your electrical system needs to produce enough voltage to keep your radio and amplifier going. And amplifiers need to increase the voltage to drive speakers. When adding an amplifier to a factory-installed audio system, your installer will need to measure the Read more
The owner of this 2020 Toyota Tundra contacted the team at Speed of Sound Technologies in Milford, Connecticut, to inquire about upgrading the stereo system in the vehicle. While it had the JBL sound system, the client wanted something that played louder and delivered better bass. Store owner Melinton Benavides discussed how to integrate the products the client had chosen into Read more
It keeps going up. We knew gasoline couldn’t stay at a low price point forever, and now my family friends with three-row SUVs are asking, “Is there anything that has a third row that is also good on gas? I am sick of $60 fill-ups.” Well, if your Acadia, Explorer or Durango has you down, Toyota might just have your answer in the new Highlander Hybrid. I first had experience 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
No doubt about it, the SUV craze is here to stay. When you have companies like Ford ditching all car-based vehicles except the Mustang, you know Americans like sitting up higher compared to a car. The Toyota Camry is still the best-selling car-based vehicle in the United States. But Toyota’s wildly popular RAV4 now even eclipses the sale of the Camry. So, Toyota wanted to Read more
No matter how hard he or she tries, the installer who’s calibrating your car audio system can’t use a digital signal processor to tune distortion out of your system. We aren’t talking about the harmonic distortion that happens when a signal overloads the processor or an amplifier’s input stage. Preventing clipping is a simple process and one that’s fundamental to completing an Read more
