Upgrading your in-dash car audio system doesn’t have to cost a fortune. You can find budget-friendly head units that are streamlined yet feature modern must-haves like Bluetooth connectivity.
The other major component of a sound system is the amplifier. An amp turns watts into music, overcoming road noise and improving clarity and intelligibility.
Speakers
Whether you’re a music lover, or just want to make the long drive home less annoying with the help of some tunes, the quality of your speaker system is what makes all the difference. The defining components of a car audio system are the head unit, amplifier and speakers. While a great head unit may be useless when paired with low-quality speakers, a good amplifier can provide a powerful signal to even the worst factory speakers.
Speakers are the voice of your car’s stereo system, so it’s important to understand how they work. A speaker driver, which is the part that makes sound, is usually mounted in a box that contains port holes, which is designed to direct sound waves toward specific locations. This is known as time alignment, and it helps ensure that each speaker can reproduce all frequencies evenly, with no peaks or dips.
The amplifier increases the strength of an audio signal, and some head units have built-in amplifiers while others use a separate stand-alone amplifier. Every amp has a rated power level, which is sometimes noted on the head unit or on the label of the stand-alone amp.
The head unit (also called a stereo, or radio) is the heart of any car audio system, and it may be the most important component in your vehicle. It is what controls your radio, allows you to adjust equalizer settings and interface with the data on CDs or cassettes, smart phones and MP3 players. The best way to test the function and quality of your current stereo is to find a quiet place to park, set your radio to “highway level” and listen.
Amplifiers
Car amplifiers are a crucial part of your audio system. They take a small electrical audio signal and boost it to a higher voltage, which is then used to drive loudspeakers connected to speaker wire. Amplifiers are available in a wide range of power outputs (in watts) from about twenty watts per channel up to over a thousand watts per channel depending on the model and price. Most people use amplifiers to solve issues with their factory installed systems where the sound is weak and limited in its range of frequencies, or to simply add more volume and better quality to their system.
Amplifiers are made up of two main sections: the input and amplification stages. The preamp input section receives the audio signals from a head unit and processes them using noise filtering and crossover circuits before they reach the amplification stage, where the signal is boosted to a much larger waveform that is connected to the speakers. The amplifiers are rated for the maximum amount of current they can deliver, and their performance is often described in terms of peak and RMS power.
There are different types of amplifiers, called classes that vary in their characteristics and efficiency. Class A amplifiers provide better signal reproduction but have less efficiency than other types, while class B amps provide greater efficiency but are prone to distortion. Class AB amplifiers balance the best of both worlds, providing the sound quality of class A with the efficiency of class B.
Car amplifiers handle a lot of electric current, and they need to be properly installed to avoid damage to your equipment. The correct fuse, proper connection to the power/ground wire and using quality electrical cables are all vitally important.
Capacitors
Car audio capacitors regulate the voltage that goes to power equipment like speakers and amplifiers. They are similar to regular electronic capacitors, but they are much larger in size and are able to store and discharge large amounts of electricity much faster than the typical battery or alternator in your vehicle. Capacitors are useful for helping to prevent issues like a sudden drop in the current that goes to an amplifier during high-pitched notes and bassy music. They also help to eliminate distortion caused by components that can interfere with high frequencies waves.
In addition to reducing distortion, car audio capacitors can also provide quick jolts of power to your amplifier during peaks in musical performance. This helps to ensure that the amplifier does not draw more current than what is available from your battery and electrical system, which can cause the dashboard lights or headlights to dim during a power surge.
When choosing a car audio capacitor, make sure that it is designed to be used with your specific amplifier and is rated for the amount of current you need. It should have one or two terminals and be insulated so that heat does not build up too quickly. It should also be mounted near the amplifier, and it is recommended that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation to ensure proper usage and safety.
Despite the common misconception, car audio capacitors cannot actually make your amplifier louder. If your car is having problems with the amplifier not being able to reach its full power capacity, this could be an indication that you need to upgrade the battery and/or alternator in your vehicle.
Equalizers
An equalizer (EQ) is a car audio accessory that allows you to tweak your speakers’ sound quality. Unlike the basic treble, bass and midrange controls found on your radio, an EQ can adjust multiple ranges of frequencies simultaneously. This gives you a much more precise control over your sound quality, which is important if your speakers aren’t performing as they should.
There are many types of EQs available for your car, including graphic and parametric. Graphic EQs are more user-friendly, with slide controls that look like a graph with the EQ’s response plotted on the X and Y axes. They’re popular in car audio, home theaters and recording studios. Parametric EQs are more detailed, with individual sliders for each frequency spectrum band.
When choosing an EQ for your vehicle, it’s best to start at the low end. This will help to remove any muddy or boomy sounds from your system and give it a more defined and clean sound. Once you’ve done this, you can work your way up to the higher frequencies. The highs are responsible for the ambiance and background of your music, so it’s important to keep them at a comfortable level that doesn’t overpower your speakers.
Most EQs have separate sliders for the front and rear speakers so that you can tune each speaker individually. They also have filters (or crossovers) that separate the lower, middle and upper sound frequencies and send them to the appropriate speaker drivers in your system. For example, the lower frequencies will be sent to your woofer, the middle frequencies to your midrange driver and the high frequencies to your tweeter. If you want to fine-tune your sound even more, a digital signal processor can be added between the head unit and the amplifier. This will help fix the preprocessing issues that most factory-installed head units have and will make your sound quality much more enjoyable.
Subwoofers
Subwoofers are the component of your sound system that make the “under sounds” – aka, the bass. If you’ve ever felt your car rumble or rattle along with the music you’re listening to, that was the work of a subwoofer.
They are large speakers specifically designed to reproduce the low frequencies that regular speakers can’t produce. They’re also much more powerful than standard speaker cones and can move a larger volume of air, which allows them to produce deeper, richer bass tones.
The best subwoofers are paired with high-quality speakers and an external amplifier for the ultimate audio experience. They are also available in a variety of sizes and enclosures, which makes it possible to choose the perfect fit for your vehicle. For a more compact option, you might choose to purchase an active subwoofer that has its own built-in amplifier and can be easily placed in the trunk of your car or under a seat.
When it comes to hooking up your subwoofer, follow the instructions that came with it for a quick and easy installation. If you’re not sure how to wire it up, ask an expert at a shop that specializes in car audio equipment. It’s important to connect the negative and positive speaker outputs from your amp to the subwoofer, as well as a ground wire. Then, you’ll want to connect the power wires from your battery to the subwoofer’s terminals. To do this, find the ring terminals on your battery. The red one with the later bare metal connector is the positive terminal, and the blue wire with the striped insulator is the negative terminal. Once you’ve connected these, you’re ready to rock and roll!