We were recently contacted by a client with a 2005 Mercedes Benz S500. The display for the radio had stopped working and the client wanted to use the opportunity to upgrade to more current technology. After talking with the client we found out his specific needs and put together a package that would give him Read More…
Apple CarPlay: What You Need To Know
Almost one out of every five Americans uses an iPhone these days, which means there’s a huge built-in audience out there for Apple CarPlay — an add-on to car audio receivers that syncs with your iPhone to bring Siri, hands-free calling, Maps, Music, Messages, and other features to your dashboard. If you’re an iPhone owner, Read More…
5 Ways To Justify A Car Audio Upgrade
One of the biggest misconceptions people have about car audio is that upgrades are expensive. The reality is that anyone can increase their sound quality hugely with even a small investment in aftermarket speakers – and even the most affordable aftermarket speakers are still a massive improvement over your factory system! It scales from there Read More…
Apple CarPlay Now Available In The Richmond Market
Extreme Audio is pleased to announce the long awaited introduction of Apple’s CarPlay software for the automobile. This is revolutionary software that allows many of the most popular functions of an iPhone 5 or newer running iOS 7.1 or later to be voice controlled through Siri. The operation is incredibly easy. You plug your Lightning Read More…
Car Stereo Features You Need To Start Using
No two car stereos are exactly alike, but there are a number of common features that you may not be using to your full advantage. Here’s a look at some features you may be overlooking: The CD Player CD players may seem like a blast from the past, but most modern systems are capable of Read More…
Pontiac GTO Navigation Upgrade Fits Like A Glove
One of our regular clients was ready to step up the Alpine 7″ Double Din navigation he purchased from us some time back. After checking out the space available, we decided it was time to “go big or go home” and we massaged one of the massive Alpine 8″ Navigation screens in there! Our national Read More…
HD Radio – It’s Out There, And It’s Awesome!
You’ve probably at least heard of HD Radio by now. Maybe you’ve been shopping for a new AV receiver for your home or car that includes HD Radio compatibility, or they’ve mentioned it on your local radio station. Still, for something that increases your listening experience so significantly, and has been around for years now, Read More…
The Best Smartphone Apps For Drivers
Thanks to MirrorLink and other technologies by vehicle and car audio manufacturers, it’s never been easier to incorporate smart phone-style apps into your driving experience – internet radio apps, navigation apps, voice control apps, remote start apps, and more. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, with hundreds of incredible apps out there for Read More…
The Buzz Over Bluetooth In Your Vehicle
Most people already know that Bluetooth is a short-range, wireless communications standard and some might even have Bluetooth headphones, game controllers or mobile phone headsets. In the world of car audio and electronics, however, it’s been taken to a whole new level. Bluetooth is a secure, fast and high bandwith option, making it ideal for Read More…
Make The Perfect Summer Playlist
Docks. Boat rides. Road trips. Campfires. So many great things to do on a summer holiday, and so many great excuses to break out your own summer playlist. Music is all about personal taste so we’re not going to give you advice on what to listen to (G Love and the Special Sauce’s new album Read More…
Land Rover Audio Upgrade Is The Second For This Ashland Client
A regular client from Ashland, VA stopped by with his new 2006 Land Rover looking to upgrade the audio. We had done a virtually identical model for him before, and he wanted the same setup but this time, with a little bit more kick to it! We started with an Alpine navigation with a 7″ screen in Read More…
In-Car Video: A Moving Experience
While catching up on the latest season of The Walking Dead isn’t recommended on your commute to work, there are a lot of good reasons why you should consider video in your vehicle. In-car video systems are great for people who spend a lot of time sitting in their cars; overhead systems are great for large vehicles Read More…
What Is A Gain Control? (It’s NOT a Volume Control)
What’s your first move after getting a new amp installed? Find the gain knob, crank it to 11 and party! Otherwise you’re just wasting power, right? Here’s some news: setting your gains incorrectly doesn’t only hurt your sound quality, it will damage your gear as well. A great car audio system requires proper tuning and gain controls Read More…
How Much Amplifier Power Do I Need?
We are asked this question all the time: “How much amplifier power do I need?” Simply put, the amount of amplifier power that you need will depend on what you are trying to do. Higher frequencies require less cone movement to reproduce, thus less power is required. A good amplifier for midrange and highs needs Read More…
Internet Radio: Opening Pandora On Your Music Box, And Other Streaming Options
If you’ve been shopping for a head unit (also called a deck, AV receiver, stereo or car radio) recently, you may have noticed that a lot of systems are offering internet radio connectivity — often Pandora, although some have apps for Spotify, Grooveshark and other services. How exactly does that work, you might ask yourself? Read More…
Ford F350 Audio Installation Repurposes Equipment
A client came to us with some equipment he had pulled from a prior vehicle looking to have it installed in his new 2014 F350! We hooked our real-time analyzer and our oscilloscope to his existing Ford Sony system. After some testing, we determined that the AudioControl LC7i would be a good choice to interface with Read More…
The Next Word in Navigation
Technology has evolved hugely in recent years and navigation is no exception. The days refolding oversized maps and pulling into gas stations to ask for directions are over. Or should be. At the basic level, most smart phones will have some kind of GPS and many systems do offer turn-by-turn navigation, and a wide variety Read More…
High Definition Audio: What You Need to Know!
In recent years we’ve seen video go one way, and audio another. HD televisions are more or less standard now, offering clearer, sharper pictures with smoother refresh rates. Ultra HD TVs — also called 4K — are also on the way with about four times as many pixels to look at. On the flipside, the Read More…
Mechanicsville Mobile Video Client Outfits Expedition For Family Fun
A Mechanicsville client came to us recently with a 2013 Ford Expedition, looking for something to make those long family trips with young children a little more bearable. We showed them multiple options from headrest monitors, to 10″ and 13″ overhead DVD players. They decided the large screen that allows the kids to see it Read More…
Top 5 Ways to Make Your Car Audio System Sound Better
You’ve lived with the factory system for a while, and you’re ready for better sound. So where do you start? Here are five steps to get that live concert sound that you are looking for from your car audio system. 1. Upgrade Your Speakers The first step, and the most bang for the buck, is to upgrade Read More…
Camaro Gets 1100 Watts Of Alpine Bass
This client from Petersburg, VA recently emailed us about upgrading the audio in his Camaro. He had recently bought an enclosure for two 10″ subwoofers, and wanted to find the right match for subs and an amp to run them. Another shop had given him the cold shoulder since he had his own enclosure, so Read More…
“It’s a 2000 Watt Amplifier. It Says It Right There!”
Think again. As with almost every other shop in the country, we often have clients who come in with “big” amps and even bigger expectations. Stamped on the top of the amp is some outrageous claim of “2000 watts” and on the side are two 30 amp fuses. Of course the client wants to Read More…
Installation: Your Most Important Consideration When Buying Car Audio
Today you have a lot of choices when buying electronics for your car. Online, warehouses, flea markets, and of course, specialty retailers like us. There is a lot of discussion about which brand is best. Truth is, there are a lot of quality brands available. We choose ours through a rigorous process of testing and, Read More…
Audibles: How To Make Sense Of Car Audio Terms
Don’t you hate when your read about a product and don’t know what some of the words and phrases mean? At the store, we work hard to make things easy for our clients. That means using plain language whenever we talk about the high-tech mobile audio products we sell. However, if you’re still curious what Read More…
Audi RS5 Gets Custom Molded Subwoofer Upgrade for Mechanicsville Client
This project was completed for a previous client of ours from Mechanicsville. He came in with his new Audi RS5 looking to add more bottom end to the existing factory car audio system. He had seen reports of the new JL Audio TW3 shallow mount woofers and was interested in molding something like that into Read More…