One of our clients from here in Midlothian contacted Extreme Audio about adding navigation and other upgrades to his 2003 Gulf Stream Friendship 8408 motorhome. We had installed an Alpine Restyle system in the client’s GMC Sierra. We also installed a Pioneer navigation system in his Smart. He wanted to add navigation to his RV, Read More…
Acoustic Suspension Subwoofer Enclosures Explained
Enclosure, box or cabinet: Whatever you want to call them, where you install your speaker or subwoofer is critically important to their resulting performance. In this article, we focus on the simplest and most forgiving of enclosures to design and construct – the acoustic suspension or sealed enclosure. The Laws of Physics There are a Read More…
The Importance of Proper Cables and Wiring
Installing mobile electronics systems is not as easy as it used to be. In the “good old days,” cars were made from thick metal and didn’t have many electrical components. Modern vehicle construction makes use of the thinnest, lightest materials possible. These body panels are held together with non-conductive adhesives, and it seems that every Read More…
Jeep Wrangler Audio Upgrades Available At Extreme Audio
Extreme Audio in Mechanicsville and Midlothian knows that the Jeep audio in the Wrangler leaves a lot to be desired. Whether you have the base audio or the premium sound system, when you are driving up the road, you can barely hear your music. Even worse, the music that you are hearing sounds muffled, weak Read More…
Car Audio Installation – The Good, Better, Best Approach
Installing mobile electronics in a vehicle is a balance of technical skill and creativity. From the seemingly simple task of connecting wires to the creation of a custom amp rack or subwoofer enclosure, each task requires the car audio installation technician to call upon many different skills. When it comes to installing audio gear in Read More…
Richmond Client Improves Daughter’s Jeep Wrangler Backup Safety
A repeat client from Richmond e-mailed recently about improving his daughter’s 2011 Jeep Wrangler backup safety. She was going away for college, and he wanted to add a backup camera and some sort of navigation capability to it. They had read a bit about Apple CarPlay, and thought that seemed like the perfect option for Read More…
Moseley Porsche Enthusiast Gets 911 Carrera 4S Navigation System
A client from Moseley, Virginia, contacted Extreme Audio about adding a navigation system to his 2003 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S. The client was not overly concerned about audio performance, but wanted accurate and easy-to-use navigation instructions while traveling. We met with him and looked over the vehicle before we gave him a quote on the Read More…
What You Get When You Spend More Money On Speakers
Among the most under-appreciated components in any audio system are the speakers. You could be using the best source unit on the planet, an amazing amplifier, and the most esoteric of interconnects and speaker cables – but if you don’t have great speakers, you still won’t have great sound. Your speakers are the only link Read More…
Apple CarPlay Explained
According to a AAA survey, the average American drives for about 45 minutes each day. If you compare this time to an eight hour work day, that’s 10% of your work day, on top of the hours you are at your desk. This time is not an insignificant number. If your job involves being on Read More…
Chesterfield Couple Comes To Extreme Audio For Toyota Avalon Backup Camera
A husband and wife from Chesterfield recently visited our Midlothian location, looking to add a backup camera to their 2010 Toyota Avalon. The Avalon was difficult to see out of, and wrenching around trying to get a better view was literally a pain in the neck. After looking over some options, they decided that they’d Read More…
Product Spotlight: AudioControl LC-6.1200 Amplifier
Located in Mountlake Terrace, WA, AudioControl has been building cool audio equipment for more than 40 years. At the 2017 Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, they launched a new member of their LC series of amplifiers, the LC-6.1200. The AudioControl LC-6.1200 is a high-power six-channel amplifier with some amazing and unique features that make Read More…
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Stereo And Safety Upgrades For Midlothian Client
A client from Midlothian, Virginia, came into Extreme Audio to inquire about some stereo upgrades to his wife’s 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. His wife liked the Jeep, but wished the audio system sounded better. Moreover, she wanted a backup camera. With that said, she also wanted to keep the Jeep looking stock- she was not Read More…
The Reference For Great Sound
Listening to music goes back to the dawn of man. From banging a few tree branches together to the latest computer-generated pop hit, music is a universal language that everyone can enjoy. People who put significant effort into the accurate reproduction of the music they enjoy are often called audiophiles. There is a running joke Read More…
Mechanicsville Client Adds Pioneer CarPlay Solution to Ford F-150
A client stopped by with a 2014 Ford F-150, looking to make some technology upgrades to it – something with navigation that could tie into the existing reverse camera and also maybe CarPlay. After going through the many options available, the client chose a Pioneer AVIC-7200NEX was the navigation system. The Pioneer is a feature-filled Read More…
Chevy Camaro Audio Upgrade For Midlothian Client
The Chevy Camaro is definitely a “cool” car if you’re a Chevy person (we know, we know, Ford fans). When a new client from Midlothian stopped by with his clean 2014 Camaro, the one thing lacking was great-sounding audio. He came to the right place! We started with a new Pioneer NEX head unit that Read More…
Modern Navigation Systems for Today’s Vehicles
Paper maps used to be the only way of planning route navigation. Before you, or perhaps your parents, set out on vacation, you would pick up maps for each state or province you planned to drive through, lay them out on the kitchen or dining room table, and highlight the route to take. The problem Read More…
Product Spotlight: Audiofrog GS Series Speakers
Here at Extreme Audio we are always looking for the latest and greatest gear to meet the needs of our clients. The Audiofrog line was started just a few years ago when some of the best minds in the audio industry got together. They decided they wanted to take a no-holds barred approach and design Read More…
What Is A Soundstage And Where Can I Buy One?
When it comes to listening to music, there seem to be two kinds of listeners in the context of “where the sound comes from.” Some people want to be enveloped by the music. They want to feel like they are in the very middle of the performance, with sound all around them. This style is Read More…
How Car Audio Has Changed Through The Years
If you have been around the mobile electronics industry for more than a decade, then you may have noticed some significant changes. New technologies make our time behind the wheel safer, more entertaining and more productive. Many products offer better performance and efficiency compared to their originals. Innovations and technological advancements let us do things Read More…
Mechanicsville Jeep Wrangler Gets Backup Camera and Navigation
A repeat client from Mechanicsville came in with his new 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. We’d tinted a few vehicles for him in the past, but this go around, he was looking to add navigation and a backup camera. Adding a backup camera to a Jeep Wrangler is a common job for us. In most cases, Read More…
Ford F-150 Navigation Upgrade For Mechanicsville Client
There’s no hiding the fact that the Ford F-150 is the most popular truck in the USA. At the same time, there’s no hiding the fact that some of the radio systems it comes with are lacking a ton. When a new client from Mechanicsville came in with his 2014 F-150, looking to upgrade to Read More…
Subwoofer Enclosure Locations – Finding Space For Bass
When it comes to bang-for-the-buck upgrades to any audio system, none can beat the dramatic difference of adding a subwoofer. Factory audio systems are getting pretty good at producing a soundstage in front of the listener, and they are EQed well enough not to be painful to enjoy – but one thing they all have Read More…
Moseley Client Chooses Extreme Audio For Tundra Audio Upgrade
A client from Moseley came to Extreme Audio looking for a serious audio upgrade for his 2014 Toyota Tundra Crewmax. Here at Extreme, we work on lots of Tundras, so we are very familiar with their audio systems and how to extract the best sound quality out of them. Our team looked over the vehicle Read More…
Integrated SiriusXM for 2014 Toyota Camry from Aylett, VA
A client from Aylett recently visited our Mechanicsville store, looking to add SiriusXM satellite radio to his 2014 Toyota Camry. We’ve been using interfaces from a company called Vais Technologies for years. They’ve always specialized in Toyota and Lexus interfaces like Satellite Radio, iPod, Bluetooth and more, and naturally they didn’t let us down on Read More…
Passive Vs Active Crossover Networks
To optimize the performance capabilities of a speaker, it should operate within the frequency range for which it was designed. A woofer or subwoofer won’t be able to reproduce high frequencies accurately. A tweeter will self-destruct if you ask it to try to play bass frequencies. For this reason, we use three- and four-way speaker Read More…
Are Single or Dual Voice Coil Subwoofers Better?
When it comes to buying subwoofers, a lot of people have questions or make assumptions about the benefits and drawbacks of single voice coil and dual voice coil versions. Understanding the differences between them requires a slightly enhanced understanding of how an amplifier works. We cover both topics in this article. How an Amplifier Works Read More…
What Is Signal-To-Noise Ratio, And Why Does It Matter?
Most people understand the importance of amplifier power specifications. In most cases, more power is a good thing, that is, until you reach the thermal or suspension limits of the speakers you are using. One specification that is also very important in a mobile electronics amplifier, processor or source unit is Signal-to-Noise Ratio. In this Read More…
Choosing Speakers for Your Car: Components or Coaxials?
Developing a speaker requires that the designer and engineer balance many different aspects, such as the application, cost and desired performance level of the end product. For the consumer, navigating the thousands of different speaker offerings on the market can be difficult. Two speakers can measure similarly regarding efficiency, power handling and frequency response, but Read More…
The Importance of Proper Car Audio Speaker Installation
The speakers in your mobile entertainment system are one of the most critical components in determining how your system sounds. If you choose poorly designed speakers that have distortion issues from poor cone, suspension or motor design, no amount of signal processing can make your system sound great. The methods used to install your speakers Read More…
Norfolk Client Gets Jeep Wrangler Audio and More!
A client from Norfolk sent us an e-mail about doing some 2016 Jeep Wrangler audio upgrades and a few other things. He wanted a cool audio system, upgraded lighting and a few other accessories installed. We exchanged several e-mails to develop a plan for the system before we met to make a decision about items Read More…