When designing a car audio subwoofer system, the Product Specialist and Installer you’re working with have two options for mounting subwoofers in your enclosure. There is, of course, the typical method with the motor assembly and basket inside the enclosure. With that said, many installations have the subwoofers mounted upside down, or as many call Read More…
Who’s the Typical Client for Your Local Car Stereo Shop?
In the ’80s and ’90s, the target demographic at a car stereo shop was men ages 18 to 24. Guys would work to upgrade their cars with subwoofers, pull-out CD players and lots of speakers in hopes of having the loudest audio systems in their group of friends. Not coincidentally, during that time magazines ran Read More…
Product Spotlight: Firstech FT-DAS II Security Sensor
A laptop bag in the back seat, a smartphone in the center console or shopping bags in the rear of an SUV – each is the perfect temptation for a thief. In seconds, items you’ve spent your hard-earned money to acquire are gone forever. Protecting your vehicle with a premium car alarm that includes the Read More…
Subwoofers and Amplifiers – Let’s Talk About Ohms and Loads
A few weeks ago, we were browsing a few car audio related Facebook groups and Reddit subreddits. We saw the same question come up time after time: “I have two dual 2-ohm voice coil subs; how do I show the amp a 1-ohm load to make max power?” It wasn’t just once or twice that Read More…
A Detailed Look at the Speaker and Subwoofer Xmax Specification
For car audio enthusiasts who’ve invested time studying the Thiele/Small parameters of speakers and subwoofers, you’ll know there is a specification called Xmax. This variable, typically expressed in millimeters or inches, is intended to describe the one-way excursion capability of the driver. Put another way, it’s the distance the cone can move forward or rearward Read More…
Product Spotlight: Momento IC6 Infrared Camera
Having a dashcam system like the Momento M6 (MD-6200) or M7 (MD-7200) installed in your vehicle is the best way to protect yourself from fraudulent accident claims. If you drive for Uber, Lyft or a taxi company, or operate a school bus or an airport shuttle, you’ll want video of what happens in the vehicle. Read More…
A Close Look at Class-D Car Audio Amplifier Efficiency
For car audio enthusiasts, especially those interested in competing in SPL competitions, amplifier efficiency should be one of their primary concerns. In this first of three articles on efficiency, we take a close look at the Rockford Fosgate M5-1000X1 Class-D subwoofer amp and analyze how well it makes use of power at different output levels. Read More…
Do All Car Audio Amplifiers Double Their Power When Loaded Down?
If you’ve been around the car audio scene for a few decades, then you’ll recall a time when almost all amplifiers doubled their output power when the load impedance was halved. For example, an amplifier might have been rated to produce 75 watts per channel into a 4-ohm load and 150 watts into a 2-ohm Read More…
Product Spotlight: ARC Audio A-Series Shallow Car Audio Subwoofers
The team at ARC Audio in Modesto, California, has a solution for those who want big bass from compact enclosures. The ARC Audio A-Series shallow-mount subwoofers are available in both 10- and 12-inch sizes with your choice of dual 2- or 4-ohm voice coils. Most importantly, they can dish out impressively articulate and detailed bass Read More…
Car Audio Myths – You Can’t Ground a Car Audio Amplifier to the Battery
It’s time to dispel another unsubstantiated car audio myth! This time, we’re talking about claiming that you can’t ground an amplifier directly to the battery in a vehicle. Perhaps it would add to the clarity of the statement to say that many inexperienced installers think the ground wire for the amp has to go to Read More…
Even the Simplest Car Audio Systems Need DSP Calibration
Every professional audio system installation, be it for a church, dance club, home theater or your car, requires DSP calibration. Your smartphone, laptop and smart speaker use digital signal processors to optimize the sound you hear from the tiny speakers. Digital signal processors aren’t magic, and they aren’t complicated. They offer a reliable and straightforward Read More…
How Cooling Features Improve Car Audio Subwoofer Performance
Not long ago, we looked at how an increase in subwoofer voice coil temperature reduced the power delivered from your amplifier. With component temperatures easily exceeding the boiling point of water, the impedance of the voice coil can increase by more than 50%. Manufacturers that understand this go to great lengths to include technologies to Read More…
Product Spotlight: Momento M7 Dash Camera
Protecting yourself against fraud and false accusations while driving is easier when you have a dashcam system installed in your car or truck. Momento, the collision avoidance and safety technology brand from Firstech, has just introduced a new and revolutionary video recording solution – the M7, also known as the MD-7200. This new dash camera Read More…
A Quick Look at Bluetooth A2DP Sound Quality in a Car Audio System
We can’t count the number of times we’ve heard people say that listening to music over Bluetooth A2DP doesn’t sound as good as if you played a WAV file directly from a USB memory stick. So we fired up the Sony XAV-AX7000 multimedia receiver that we reviewed in late 2020 and made a series of Read More…
Let’s Talk About Bridging Multi-Channel Car Audio Amplifiers on Subs
A comment came up the other day that it was unwise to use all channels of a four-channel amplifier to power a pair of subwoofers. Not only is this incorrect, but this practice opens up several unique system designs and installation possibilities, especially where high-power requirements are necessary. Let’s dive in! Four-Channel Amplifiers Are Amazing! Read More…
Car Audio Myths: Car Audio Amplifiers Can’t be Power Hungry
In a recent online discussion, someone stated that a car audio amplifier couldn’t be power-hungry. After the eye-twitching passed and our heart rates settled, we knew this was a perfect topic for our series on car audio myths. Let’s look at how amplifiers, specifically subwoofer amplifiers, make use of the power from your vehicle’s electrical Read More…
Can I Swap the Factory Subwoofer in My Car for Better Performance?
Every so often, someone asks if it’s a good idea to upgrade their factory-installed stereo system by swapping out the original subwoofer with a new one. We aren’t talking about building a new enclosure and adding a dedicated amplifier. They want to put a different 6-, 8- or 10-inch in the factory location and connect Read More…
What Are Speaker Power Compression and Subwoofer Box Rise?
In the car audio world, terms like subwoofer box rise and power compression are relatively familiar to those who push their sound systems to the limit. So, after extensive research (three minutes) and a detailed planning session (another two minutes), we decided that it would be worth doing an experiment to explain and quantify these Read More…
Do You Need to Break Car Audio Speakers In Slowly?
We were cruising the internet a few weeks ago and noticed a comment from a self-proclaimed car audio expert that new speakers and subwoofers need to be broken in at low power levels. He made it particularly clear that the voice coil needed to be broken in gently. If you’ve ever considered how a speaker Read More…
Car Audio Myths: Tweeters Need To Be Installed Near Midrange Speakers
Decades ago, car audio professionals were adamant about the statement that tweeters needed to be installed right beside the midrange speakers in your car audio system. Is this accurate? The answer is that it depends on a few variables. Keeping them close can’t hurt, but it might come at the expense of improving the soundstage Read More…
A Look at How Car Audio Amplifier Designs Have Changed
Car audio amplifier designs have changed a great deal over the last few decades. Modern amplifiers have more features along with improved efficiency, and they offer consumers better value than their predecessors. This article will examine the key components in the construction of mobile audio amplifiers, their evolution and their benefits. Amplifier Design Balances Power Read More…
Car Audio Myths: You Can’t Mix and Match Different Brands
There’s a strange car audio myth that claims you can’t mix different brands of source units, speakers, amplifiers, subwoofers and signal processors in the same audio system. While it might be fun for a distributor, sales representative or employee at a car audio retailer to do a one-brand build, chances are you’ll want to pick Read More…
Do Car Audio Subwoofers Require Equalization for Smooth Response?
Not long ago, we saw a post where someone asked whether they needed to dedicate a channel of their digital signal processor to equalize the subwoofer in their car audio system. As usual, several amateurs chimed in with their opinions, but nobody presented any facts supporting a yes or no answer. As professionals, when we’re Read More…
Let’s Talk About Car Audio Speaker Wire Size Requirements
Not too long ago, we stumbled across a discussion about the need for large-gauge car audio speaker wire to be connected to a high-power amplifier. The comments on the post were prime examples of how little some audio enthusiasts understand about the signals going to the speakers in their car audio system. So, to help Read More…
The BestCarAudio.com Sound Deadening Buyers Guide
Car audio sound deadening has been a popular upgrade to improve the comfort of your vehicle and enhance audio system performance since the early ’90s. The original concept of sound deadening was to make cars and trucks quieter and more comfortable by limiting the ability for noise outside the vehicle to get into the cabin. Read More…
Let’s Look at Car Audio Subwoofer Passive Radiator Designs
When it comes to producing deep bass from a small enclosure, adding a passive radiator offers some significant performance benefits. If you aren’t familiar with this type of subwoofer enclosure, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll look at how this design works, the benefits it offers and analyze potential drawbacks. Ready? Let’s dive Read More…
Setting Car Amplifier Gains Correctly Is Harder Than You’d Think
When it comes to car audio systems, more is better, right? Enthusiasts want more bass, more output and more impact. When your favorite song comes on, turning the volume knob all the way up seems like the right thing to do. For car audio professionals, we need to balance keeping our clients happy with great-sounding Read More…
Does the Power Your Car Audio Amplifier Produces Really Matter?
Did you know that a difference of 20 watts of power between one car audio amplifier and another might be completely inaudible? That same 20-watt difference might mean having to keep your windows rolled up on the highway to hear your music. Let’s look at the physics of reproducing sound with moving-coil loudspeakers and why Read More…
Your Installer Can’t Tune Out Distortion with a DSP
No matter how hard he or she tries, the installer who’s calibrating your car audio system can’t use a digital signal processor to tune distortion out of your system. We aren’t talking about the harmonic distortion that happens when a signal overloads the processor or an amplifier’s input stage. Preventing clipping is a simple process Read More…
Car Audio Amplifier Remote Level and Bass Boost Controls
Look at any of the top car audio subwoofer amplifier models available from specialty retailers. You’ll find that most include an option for a remote level control or bass boost function. Being able to fine-tune the output of your subwoofer system is great for those times when you want to rock out to an amazing Read More…