Incar Audio Systems

By: Professor Apex

The car speakers you use will have the absolute say in how your system will sound. There are many different types of speakers available. A single speaker can be used to reproduce the full range of sounds but it is not ideal. If the speaker is too great it will have problems reproducing high frequencies which require rapid movement of the speaker. If it is too diminutive it will have problems reproducing low frequencies which require large amounts of air to be moved. Because a single speaker cannot reproduce all sounds accurately multiple speakers are used each of which imitates sound in the frequency range it was designed for. A speaker called a tweeter reproduces high frequencies generally above 2 kHz.

Tweeters are small and lightweight so they can respond fast. Very little power is required for powering tweeters because they are very efficient. Woofers are the exact opposite because they usually require considerable amounts of power to really move air. Woofers are meant to produce sound at frequencies below 250 Hz and often just below 100 Hz (in the case of subwoofers). Because a woofer must move considerable amounts of air they are usually large with typical sizes of 10", 12", 15" and even 18"! On the other hand tweeters are usually very small ranging in size from 1/2" to 2" in size. Typically, tweeters larger than 1" in size cannot respond fast enough to sound good and are too directional. In between are midrange speakers which handle the frequencies between the woofers and tweeters. Further separation can be done but is usually unrequired and just complicates the crossover which must separate the full audio signal into multiple parts for each speaker.

Things to look for:
Power Handling: Just as with amplifiers, RMS or continuous power is pivotal here. Some manufacturers will assert very high power handling figures but they are usually for very short peaks only. Granted music is not continuous but the continuous power handling gives you a much better impression of how much power a speaker can really handle. For tweeters and midranges, power handling is not as critical since it does not take much power for them to play loudly. For woofers though a rough match should be made between the woofer and the amp driving it.

Sensitivity: This is a very important specification for a speaker. It gives you an idea of how loud a speaker will play given a certain input power. If a speaker is insensitive then it will require greater power to play at the same volume level than a speaker that is more sensitive. Figures between 85 dB and 95 dB at 1 watt RMS at 1 meter are regular. If you use anything outside of this range you may have trouble matching the output levels of the speakers relative to each other. .

Physical Size: You must pay attention to the size of the speakers you choose. Tweeters are very small but need to mounted where they fire nearly directly at you or they may not be heard correctly. Some tweeters have better off axis response than others. If you will not be on axis with the tweeter when you audition tweeters in a store listen to how their sound variates as you move around them to see if they will work in your car. Midranges should fit in the door or dash spaces provided or you will have to do some cutting or fabrication. In general the greater the woofer the larger the enclosure required to hold it. Some woofers are better optimized for modest enclosures than others (Kicker Solobaric, JL Audio W6 for example). Make sure you have enough room in your trunk or hatchback for the woofer. Kickpanels for midranges and tweeters or coaxials typically offer better imaging than locations in the door however the soundstage is sometimes lower than when you have the tweeters mounted high in the doors or on the A pillars.

How Do Speakers Work?
Moving Speaker Speakers are air pistons that move back (on the negative cycle of the signal) and forth (on the positive cycle), creating varied degrees of air pressure at different frequencies. The amplifier (either separate or built-in your radio), produces electrical impulses that change from positive and negative voltages (AC). This current reaches the voice coil inside the speaker, forming an electro-magnet that will either be repelled, or attracted by the fixed magnet at the bottom of the speaker. The voice coil is attached to the cone, moving it back and forth, creating sound. The surround (rubbery circle that joins top of the cone and metal basket) and the spider (usually yellow corrugated circle joining bottom of cone to magnet) make the cone return to its original position.

Speaker Sensitivity, measured in dB, is how loud a speaker plays (usually 1 Watt, 1 meter). A higher Sensitivity rating means that the speaker will play louder using the same power as a speaker with a lower rating.

The back and front parts of the speaker should be separated from each other. When the front of the cone is pushing air, the bottom is pulling air, creating a cancelling effect. Ideally each speaker should be in an enclosure. If you are mounting a speaker in a big hole, make certain you build a panel to isolate the front and back of the speaker (baffle).

Imaging, Staging and Directivity
Imaging - is being able to pick certain sounds from different places. The singer would usually be located towards the middle of the car, guitars, trumpets, and other instruments towards the sides of the car. If you scatter speakers all around the car your imaging would be very bad, since you would be producing the same sound at different places. If you have a system with flawless imaging, the sound should seem to come from different instruments and voices, not speakers.

Staging - is the ability of a system to "fool you" into feeling that everything (including bass) is in front of you. The sound should be identical to a stage in a concert, where the singer would be in the front center, and the rest of the instruments and background vocalists would be located to the left and right (but always on the front).

Good staging and imaging are not so easy to implement. It takes a lot experimenting with speaker location and direction.

Directivity - of sound is related to frequency. At higher frequencies it is simpler to pinpoint where the sound is coming from than lower frequencies. This can be used to our advantage in car stereo. Tweeters are the most important part of getting good staging. They should be aimed towards the middle of the car. A way to "bring" the bass to the front of the car is to fool our ears by overlapping frequencies played by midbases and subs, so that your midbases actually "pull" the bass to the front, since lower bass in not too directional. You should crossover your midbases as low as you can (without getting distortion). Then cut your subs at a bit higher frequency (preferably 60 HZ or less). This will mix the bass coming from the front and rear, making the bass seem to come from the front. Adding a center channel also improves staging, if it is set up correctly.

Types of Speakers
Coaxials - Coaxial speakers (or three-ways) are two (or more) speakers built-in the same frame. They are cheaper than separate woofer and tweeters and also easier to install. There is no need to worry about crossovers, since they are already built-in (you might still need to add a crossover to block bass if you are using high-power amplifiers). A disadvantage of coaxials is the lack of flexibility. For example, if the coaxial is all the way in the kick panel, or door panel aiming at your feet, you will not have good staging or imaging. You should usually consider coaxial speakers for the back and the front of the car, unless you only have one speaker hole and don't plan to cut any more holes in the car.

Separates - Separates consist of a tweeter and woofer, and [most of the time] come with an external crossover. The woofer is usually mounted in the factory hole in the door or kick panel. The tweeters can be mounted in different places. Typically they are installed towards the top front corner of the door panel, in the dash or the in the blank plastic piece on the top front side of the doors (where the mirror is on the outside). You would have to experiment with angle and location to achieve the best possible imaging and staging.

Horns - Horns are very good at directing sound and have high efficiencies. Horns are typically mounted under the dash. By doing this, difference in distance from left and right speakers are greatly reduced over conventional mounting locations. Since horns play mids and highs, tweeters are not needed. Horns cost more than conventional speakers and require customization. Horns are not for everyone though. It is not easy to properly setup a set of horns.

Midbases - Midbases are usually 5, 6 or 8 inch speakers that are designed to go lower in frequency and are part of a three way system with a mid and tweeter. Midbases are usually mounted in the doors.

Subwoofers - Subwoofers add lower frequencies to the system. They have to be enclosed in a box, with the exception of free air subwoofers, which use the trunk as an enclosure. There are many different types of boxes and implementations discussed in the "subwoofers" section.

Car Speaker Mounting Locations
Front Speakers - The best place to mount speakers in the front, in custom kick panels. If this is impossible, try to point the speakers towards the center of the car, and try to minimize the distance between the right and left speakers to your ears. Custom kick panels are usually built from fiberglass or molded plastic, and are available from some manufacturers .

Rear Speakers - Rear speakers should give a sense of space to the music, but not overpower the front speakers. You should be able to barely hear the rear speakers. Most high end systems don’t have rear speakers. Tweeters are not essential for the rear, a set of coaxials will work well for rear fill.

Center Channels - Center channels consist of a midrange speaker (3 or 4 inch) mounted in the middle of the dash (usually) on the top. Center channels play a mono (Left + Right) signal between 350 - 500 and 3500 Hertz (voice range). The need of the center channel is to raise the sound stage, by causing the sensation of the singers "being" in the front of the car, and not in the door panels. Center channels are hard to implement.

Sizes and Shapes
There are many speaker sizes ranging from 1-inch tweeters to 18-inch (or bigger) subwoofers. A smaller speaker will reproduce higher frequencies better than a bigger one.

Do round speakers sound superior than oval-shaped speakers (i.e. 6x9's)? The answer is yes for most practical purposes. A round cone is more rigid than an oval-shaped one, so at higher levels, an oval-shaped speaker will distort more. The reason why there are oval-shaped speakers is because of rear deck space considerations by manufacturers. An advantage of a 6x9 speaker over a 6-inch speaker is that it has a bigger area, so it will move higher air volume, producing more bass.

Power Considerations
Most people think that if they use a 50 watt per channel amplifier on their factory speakers, the speakers will be damaged. This may be true if the speakers do not have crossovers blocking off frequencies speakers were not designed to play. What destroys speakers is distortion. A high power amplifier allows the volume in the system to be higher, while the volume control on the radio is down in the range where no distortion is present. It is better to have more power than what you need to get cleaner sound.

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By: Muna Wanjiru

A custom car audio showroom is a forum where great ideas are showcased. These may be ideas from the customer or the manufacturer and they describe their installations and speak on how they did it. The show rooms can be online or off line. Online showrooms are characterized by flashy pictures and texts full of descriptions. A physical showroom, will provide more interaction between the people who are displaying their custom audio models. There are thousands of custom audio to view and people continue to invent new enhancements and styles. If you are looking to be inspired by amazing stuff. you need to visit a showroom today and learn so much on what the market has to offer. All makes of vehicles are displayed and you are sure to have a variety.

Some of the sample showroom custom car audio include products from customer showrooms who have upgrade their systems. They are asked various questions and they give the answers. Questions asked may be on why they choose to use certain brands to upgrade or how they conducted the process of upgrading. The systems upgraded may be the head unit including speakers and amplifiers. People also give details of upgrades they are planning for the future. A showroom can inspire you to do your own upgrades. You will learn from people who have already gone through the process and judge whether you want the same models. If you are going to a manufactures showroom, you will get to see what is right for you as well as compare prices.

When attending a custom car audio showroom, do not take any product at face value. If you have a notebook where you can write some features, that will be helpful. Observing how each product functions will also help you in deciding which model you want. Firstly, you need to decide whether to attend a physical showroom or an online one. An online showroom is flexible and can be accessed from the convenience of your home but, the one on one interaction is not there. A physical one will take your time and money to attend but with the pleasure of observing products up close. There are companies that are not reputable and you need to establish which showrooms are worth visiting.

You will know the kinds of brands they are offering and why. Major brands are known for their quality and good reputation. They include Kicker, Stinger, Eclipse, Kenwood, Jl Audio, Alpine and many more. Know the right hours to visit so that you do not find a closed showroom. If you have an exploring and creative mind, you can have the opportunity to show your creative mind on sites that welcome people to create their very own showroom profiles. You can have people admire and even vote for some of your creations. It is worth a try because you never know where this might lead you. Custom car audio showrooms provide the great opportunity to just view some of the best creations in car audio that is sure to inspire anyone.

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There are many Kenwood car audio systems and they include car stereos, car speakers, car receivers, Cd changers, car subwoofers and so many other car accessories. You can go online to view the amplifiers as well as see other products. There are very many authorized stores that sell Kenwood car audio. However, knowing these stores can prove to be very hard and some people are out to take money from unsuspecting customers. You should therefore take a step to make sure that the store you decide to buy from is firstly a legal entity and that it is authorized to sell Kenwood products. Kenwood car audio systems are made in very high quality and you can therefore trust their products to deliver the kind of quality you need.

Before purchasing any system, have the kind of products you want on your fingertips. You can admire the many models in the market but, do not go out of budget. Your focus will be knowing the features and functions of that particular system. Chances are that you will find something that will catch your eye. This might be a new addition to a system or a new product altogether. For the amplifiers you need to be keen on the compatibility, do not get amplifiers that do not go with your system. If possible, you should get systems from one brand to make sure that everything functions well together. This means that you should get Kenwood subwoofers for Kenwood stereo systems.

The subwoofers need to be just right for your car and you will get information on how to make the perfect enclosure boxes for your car. If you feel you need to get the manuals for making the boxes, they are very much available. You can get them from online stores or you can get them from your local dealer or from where you bought your Kenwood car audio product. You will also find help if you do not know the right fit for a system in your car. Online stores usually have product advisors where you can ask all your questions and receive the answers. The staff in your local store will also play a major role in determining the kind of Kenwood car audio system you buy. If you find that some staff do not have the slightest idea of what they are talking about, you are better off buying from a store with qualified staff.

Installation of Kenwood car audio is always a huge topic. This is because so much information is needed to achieve the success one wants. A good place to begin is finding manuals that you can refer to. If you prefer to watch, there are so many DVDs that you can watch on particular installations. It is always advisable not to start the process if you know that you do not have enough knowledge on this. You can pay somebody to install the systems for you. Alternatively, you can spare some time and teach yourself how to install. Unlike rocket science, car audio installations are simple to grasp. Without any doubt, you will find Kenwood systems that are affordable. You will find them by finding cheap and legal dealers and going for discounts and offers. You will have a non stop blend of good sound and music in your car to enjoy as you ride.

By: Muna Wanjiru

Pioneer car audio system is made up of several components and they include amplifiers, head units, changers, equalizers, speakers, satellites radios and others. For the speakers, they come in several sub categories which are car speakers, subwoofers, tweeters, component speakers and subwoofer enclosures. There are CD changers and add on changers. The head units include Cd players, cassettes players, in dash video, DVD players and Mp3 CD players. Amplifiers can be single channel or multi channels. Pioneer car audio systems are known for their good quality and when you get them, you can be sure that you are getting value for your money. There are very many online and off line stores that stock Pioneer car audio systems.

Mostly, car audio are characterized into the source, the sound, the bass and the power. The source is the origin of the sound while the bass is the subwoofer that are responsible for the low frequencies in a system. When you are seeking to purchase, you will most probably be seeking for only one of these systems or two. It is therefore advisable to make sure that the systems are compatible so that you can achieve the best results. Get both systems from Pioneer and notice the difference compared to Pioneer and another brand. Keep in mind the features you want in your Pioneer car audio system. There may be features that do not please you and there are features that you will find very pleasing. Since there is so much variety to choose from, do not settle for less.

Make sure the store attendants give you correct and precise information about the systems. They should do this in a courteous and friendly way. If you find that some staff do not have product details, you are better of shopping somewhere else. This is because you are dealing with very sensitive products that will define your car entertainment. Every time you enter your car, you want to listen to something that makes you happy and if the system is compromised, you are certainly not happy. Know the kind store you are buying from well. It should be registered and authorized to sell Pioneer car audio. If many customers are being attracted to a store, then probably they are satisfied with the service.

Prices are always a huge factor to consider while buying Pioneer car audio systems. Do not go for very low prices without being sure of the quality. Many stores specialize in selling cheap products and they are perfectly of good quality. You need to learn how to tell the difference between this stores. Pioneer car audio is generally very affordable and you should be able to get the systems at a good price. Discounts and offer are certain to save your money but to a certain extent. By comparing the discount margins from various stores, you will be able to know which deal fits you budget. Finally get the necessary information on installation. If you sacrifice some time, it will be worth it because you will save money on installation and get to enjoy your sound courtesy of Pioneer.

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By: Muna Wanjiru

Sony car audio speakers are known for their high performance and quality sounds. They come in many ranges and you can view them as well as read about them on the internet. On sites, you will learn product details as well as features. The Sony XS F1725 speaker is known all over the world for its uniqueness and advanced technology. Speakers are very crucial in ensuring great sounds in your car and therefore, if you have the wrong speaker, you are bound to ruin your entertainment system. There should be compatibility with other systems and the speakers should also fit well in your car. When you are searching for good Sony car audio speakers, ask for help and online shopping will guarantee great advice and when you are making your choice you will be more empowered.

You can get a lot of information from Sony car audio speaker reviews. Consumers talk about the products in a real way and describe their durability for you to know that it is not just talk. I came across on review whose writer was expressing how long lasting the Sony speakers had been. A good speaker should have the ability to handle power in a suitable way and the features should be simple to grasp. There had been so many complicated speakers in the past but as technology advances, this is changing and sony is in the front line to ensure the consumer get value and simplicity. Another advantage of these speakers is that they are made of superior materials which not only enhance durability but makes the sounds more perfect.

These days, more and more people are appreciating the cosmetics of car audio and, speakers have not been left behind. They come in very attractive shapes and colors to ensure that if you want a cool look, you get it. You can appreciate speakers that deliver balanced sounds and you can get this from sony speakers. While buying Sony car audio speakers, you should consider going for the original product. To ensure this, you need to shop in registered stores that are also authorized by sony to sell their goods. When you find a good store, ask the staff for advise putting in mind other systems of your car audio. If the staff are knowledgeable on the product, you will leave the store satisfied and confident knowing that you have all you need in speakers.

Speakers will cost less in certain stores while in others, they will be more expensive. You therefore need to find a cheap store that offers discounts and other offers. While searching for this, do not forget the quality aspect. If you go for the very cheap speakers, you are likely to compromise on the quality and therefore, after your research, you should judge which is the nicest deal. Do not forget that when a deal is too good something is not right. When you take home the speakers, have the relevant installation information with you. Speakers need a lot of care and if you read the manuals well, you should be able to install confidently. If you are not confident, get somebody else to do the job and when it is all over, you will be singing to a successful beat with your new speakers.

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