As simple as it would seem, most car radios aren’t capable of showing video from your smartphone on their color display. The smartphone integration solution experts at RDV Automotive Technology created their CP/AA Mirror interface to make watching a video in your vehicle a reality. Let’s look at how this elegantly simple solution makes smartphone Read More…
A Great Digital Signal Processor Configuration and Tuning Analogy
A digital signal processor, or at the very least some type of equalizer, is pretty much a requirement when it comes to creating a car audio system that will have realistic tonal balance. There are dozens of methods to configure and tune these processors, and each has benefits and drawbacks. What seems to be an Read More…
Why Coincident Coaxial Speakers Can Deliver Amazing Performance
A while back we published an article that looked at the issue of intermodulation distortion from coincident coaxial speakers. As the woofer cone moves forward and rearward from its rest position, it acts as moving waveguide for the tweeter. While the phenomenon is measurable, there are other considerations in a coincident speaker design that offer Read More…
Product Spotlight: ARC Audio CX69
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 6×9-inch speaker to fill this void. Whether you want great sound from the saddlebags of your Harley-Davidson, a door speaker that can keep Read More…
Buying an Entry-Level Car Audio Subwoofer System? Read This First!
Whether it’s Black Friday, Christmas, Back to School or just a regular sale, many car stereo shops around the country offer subwoofer system upgrade packages that let you add bass to your stereo at an affordable price. These packages typically include a 200-300 watt amplifier, a single subwoofer, an enclosure and an installation kit. We’ve Read More…
Car Audio Speaker Installation Location Matters
A while back we published an article that discussed why aiming speakers in a properly designed car audio system was futile. As usual, we received a good deal of feedback about the piece. The comments ranged from the typical “that’s not how it works” to more scientific discussions about how even minor changes in placement Read More…
Product Spotlight: Sony XS-W124ES and XS-W122ES Mobile ES Subwoofers
It’s been over a year since Sony launched their first Mobile ES subwoofer – the XS-W104ES. The big brothers to this amazing driver are now available in the form of the 12-inch XS-W124ES and XS-W122ES drivers. Rated to handle 500 watts of power and designed to sound great in either sealed or vented enclosures, these Read More…
Product Spotlight: RDV Automotive Technology Streamer
Have you ever been waiting to pick someone up from work or school and wished you could watch a video on the screen in the dash of your car or truck? If the radio in the vehicle has Apple CarPlay with a USB connection, the RDV Automotive Technology Streamer is the perfect solution. This simple Read More…
Product Spotlight: Sony XAV-AX6000 Automotive AV Receiver
Hundreds of audio-video receiver options are available to upgrade your car’s or truck’s entertainment system. Selecting one that’s easy to use, reliable and sounds great is no easy task. The car audio team at Sony has combined the most sought-after features with state-of-the-art technologies to create the XAV-AX6000 digital media receiver. This radio includes wireless Read More…
Understanding Light Color and Illumination
We took our first look at measuring light sources a while back as our first step toward understanding the differences in automotive headlight options. In this article, we’ll provide a practical demonstration of why it’s crucial for the lighting on your car, truck, motorcycle, ATV or side-by-side to emit light that covers the entire color Read More…
Single Amplifier Distortion Specs Make No Sense
Have you ever looked at something and thought you were only getting part of the story? Many previous articles have discussed amplifier distortion at length but haven’t delved into how power output levels and frequency affect distortion measurements. If you’re looking for the best amplifier for your car audio system, especially for midrange drivers and Read More…
A Close Look at the DroneMobile Car Starter Remote Control System
DroneMobile is undoubtedly one of the best solutions to control a remote car starter or security system in your car or truck. While the traditional key fob remote is a great backup, being able to send commands to your vehicle from almost anywhere using your smartphone is ultra-convenient. Better yet, your vehicle can use DroneMobile Read More…
Let’s Talk About Car Audio Midrange Speaker Aiming and Directivity
Not too long ago, we looked at the physics surrounding car audio tweeter directivity and why tweeters must be pointed toward the listening position. If you haven’t read that article, it established a foundation for understanding the need to aim midrange speakers. If you’ve seen people using towels, laser pointers or modelling clay to test Read More…
Do Shallow Subwoofers Work Better in Small Enclosures?
There seems to be some misunderstanding about the relationship between subwoofer mounting depth requirements and performance relative to enclosure volume. We constantly see enthusiasts talk about having a 10-inch shallow sub mounted under a car or truck seat. Their expectation is full-size subwoofer performance without the need for a large enclosure. Let’s do a few Read More…
Product Spotlight: iDatastart VWX Remote Starter for Volkswagen and Audi
Volkswagen, Audi and Bentley vehicle owners are in luck! The VWX remote car starter from iDatastart was specifically designed for your vehicle. Starting your car a few minutes before leaving for work or the drive home will let the engine warm up in the winter or allow the air conditioning to cool things off in Read More…
A First Look at Car Audio Speaker Distortion
If you’ve been a reader of BestCarAudio.com, you know we’ve published a lot of articles about distortion. We include detailed measurements of harmonic and intermodulation distortion in our Test Drive Reviews to help show you the quality and performance differences between products. In this article, we’ll make a series of speaker distortion measurements using our Read More…
Preparing Yourself and Your Vehicle for a Car Audio Installation
If you’ve scheduled an appointment with a local specialty mobile enhancement retailer to have your car or truck upgraded, there are a few things you’ll want to know to make the most of this opportunity. Whether the upgrade involves a new set of speakers, a multimedia receiver with a backup camera or a remote car Read More…
Car Audio Subwoofer Amplifier Strapping
Let’s say that you are building a car audio system intended to produce as much bass as possible. In that case, you are going to need subwoofers capable of handling vast amounts of power. You’ll also need amplifiers capable of pushing those subwoofers to their limits. It’s not uncommon to see cars and trucks with Read More…
Product Spotlight: RDV Automotive Technology CarPlay and Android Auto Upgrades
No technologies have made a more significant impact on drivers’ productivity and safety while behind the wheel than Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Unfortunately, not all cars, trucks or SUVs come with these smartphone integration solutions. RDV Automotive Technology offers solutions to add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to many Porsche, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus Read More…
Your Installer Should Aim Your Car Audio Tweeters
The staff here at BestCarAudio.com look at dozens of installation photos each day and continue to see tweeters that aren’t installed in a way that will maximize the listening experience. Our goal is to help consumers get the best performance possible from their car audio system upgrades, so we’re going to perform two tests to Read More…
Product Spotlight: Compustar Q9 with LTE Remote Starter
Two-way remote car starters and security systems help to ensure that you always know what’s happening with your car or truck. Remote controls that include an LCD screen make it quick and easy to know whether the doors are locked or the engine is running. Compustar’s Q9 remote kit consists of a two-way LCD remote Read More…
A Look at Series and Parallel Subwoofer Wiring
It seems do-it-yourself installers have taken a liking to our discussion about wiring multiple subwoofers to a single amplifier. The popularity makes sense, since many car audio enthusiasts aren’t familiar with series and parallel wiring. A question came up on Facebook a few weeks ago asking if it was better to wire a pair of Read More…
Product Spotlight: Sony XAV-AX4000 Digital Multimedia Receiver
Over the last few years, Sony’s multimedia receivers have become increasingly popular. As more units have sold, retailers have asked for iDatalink Maestro integration, USB-C support and powerful sound customization. With Sony’s new XAV-AX4000, those requests and more have been fulfilled. Let’s look at what this sleek and impressive car audio source unit offers. Clean Read More…
Understanding the Science Behind Automotive Headlight Bulb Colors
When it comes to lighting the road in front of your car or truck at night, most enthusiasts focus on light intensity instead of headlight bulb color. It’s straightforward to see the difference between yellowish light produced by incandescent halogen bulbs and the white/blue output of HID or LED bulbs. The science behind these light Read More…
DroneMobile Smartphone Vehicle Control Response Time vs OEM
Being able to lock, unlock or remote start your car or truck using an app on your smartphone is handy. In listening to what owners of these solutions have been saying over the last few years, we’ve noticed a disturbing pattern: Most factory-installed remote systems are agonizingly slow. Nobody wants to wait around for their Read More…
What Is the Big Three Electrical Upgrade?
We were recently at an event that was hosting a mobile audio system SPL competition. If you aren’t familiar with this sort of thing, it’s a contest to see who has the loudest stereo. We aren’t talking about cranking the dial on the factory radio. Instead, some of these folks build steel and concrete reinforced Read More…
Let’s Talk About Remote Starter and Security System Range
Range is the critical factor in the quality and performance of a remote car starter or security system. That’s the distance between you and your vehicle when you’re sending a lock, unlock or remote start command, or are hoping to receive a security notification. If you aren’t close enough, or the convenience system doesn’t have Read More…
The Car Audio Distortion Food Chain
When it comes to expressing the quality of an audio system component, the amount of distortion it adds to a signal is the defining factor. In this article, we’ll talk about how much distortion each part of an audio system adds – so that you can target your budget for the greatest benefit. We’ll rank Read More…
Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate HD14RGST-STAGE3 Harley-Davidson Stereo Upgrade
Rockford Fosgate has cemented itself as the undisputed leader in Harley-Davidson motorcycle audio system upgrades in the past few years. They offer dozens of direct bolt-in speaker and amplifier kits for all the popular touring bike models. In this spotlight, we will look at the HD14RGST-STAGE3 aftermarket audio system for 2014 and newer Street Glide Read More…
Car Audio Speakers Aren’t Resistors
A while back, we took a quick look at how alternating current (AC) signals in our car audio systems work. While the amount of work done by an AC voltage source can be the same as that of a direct current (DC) source, the changes in current flow direction add complications. In this article, we’ll Read More…