Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
I am continuously baffled by the number of car audio enthusiasts and so-called professionals who think car audio amp power ratings have anything to do with quantifying their quality. I see people flocking to YouTube videos of amp dyno tests and rushing out to buy products that make lots of jam. If there’s a single factor that’s irrelevant in defining amplifier quality, power Read more
We get lots of great questions from our readers each month. Among the most popular is “How can I find a car audio installer near me?” As professionals in the mobile enhancement industry, we know this is one of the biggest challenges that consumers face. It’s easy to search for stores on the internet, but the results don’t tell you anything about the quality of the services Read more
If there’s a statement that makes experts in the car audio industry wince, it’s someone saying, “Every vehicle is different and needs a unique design.” Sure, you need to pick speakers that fit into the available locations, and some cars or trucks need more wire than others because of their size. Some clients may want a single 8-inch powered sub to add some warmth and impact, Read more
If it seems as though you’re seeing several Sony Mobile ES products crossing the BestCarAudio.com Test Drive Review bench, you aren’t mistaken. The Sony team is justifiably proud of what they have created, and we’re honored to get the chance to check out the fruits of their labor. We’ve reviewed their flagship source unit, subwoofers and monoblock amp, and now it’s time for a Read more
Picking an efficient speaker system that sounds good and can handle lots of power is no easy feat. The mobile audio experts at ARC Audio in Modesto, California, created the new CX69 6x9-inch speaker to fill this void. Whether you want great sound from the saddlebags of your Harley-Davidson, a door speaker that can keep up with a crazy subwoofer system or a solution for your Read more
One of the best upgrades you can make to your truck’s stereo system is adding something like an under seat subwoofer. While most of us think of the traditional long, thin enclosure that fits under the rear seat of an F-150, Sierra, Silverado or Tundra, there are some other options that we should talk about. Let’s dive into how adding bass to your audio system can make a world Read more
Five-channel car audio amplifiers like the Sony XM-5ES are a great way to upgrade your car stereo system to deliver great sound. Sony has created an amp that produces up to 165 watts of power per channel to the front and rear speakers and 750 watts to the system’s subwoofers. They’ve also crammed this beauty with premium processing technology and integration features to ensure Read more
When it comes to car audio bass upgrades, two options are popular: sealed and ported subwoofer enclosures. The proper names for these enclosures are acoustic suspension and bass reflex, respectively. Each has its benefits and drawbacks in reproducing low-frequency audio information in your vehicle. In this article, we’ll explain how a bass reflex enclosure works and share a few Read more
When it comes to speakers for the front of your car or truck, the flagship Sony XS-163ES three-way component set from the Mobile ES Series is an excellent choice. The set includes a pair of 6.5-inch woofers, a pair of 3.5-inch midrange drivers, two soft-dome 1-inch tweeters and matching passive crossovers. Sony has combined premium designs and technologies to deliver a speaker Read more
Looking for new speakers for your car or truck that will deliver detailed sound and impressive output? Look no further than the Sony XS-692ES 6x9-inch two-way component speaker set from the Mobile ES series. Let’s examine what Sony has done to make this speaker set unique. Modern Component 6x9-inch Speaker Solution The Sony XS-692ES speaker set was developed primarily for Read more
Two factors limit how loudly a car stereo system can play: how much power you have to drive the speakers in the system, and the maximum output capabilities of those speakers. We see a lot of amateur and poorly executed audio system installations that play good and loud when the volume on the radio is barely over a quarter of its maximum output capability. What does this mean in Read more
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
