Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
We really like the engineering behind Tesla vehicles. But sometimes the execution is not as good as the design. People have been complaining about the panel gaps in Tesla vehicles for years. But it also was the best choice in the EV market. Consumers were willing to put up with small niggles for engineering prowess. No doubt about it, Toyota knows how to make a reliable Read more
I'm sorry. I told myself it was a bad idea. I was craving that dopamine rush. I guess I have to admit that I have a social media addiction. The other day I found myself on Reddit, scrolling through one of the audiophile groups and came across a great post asking, “What things, besides frequency response, affect the detail and staging of a speaker set?” This is a great question! Read more
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
