Archive for August, 2008

Car Stereo Speaker: Let Your Car Stereo Speak For Itself

Posted By admin

Date: August 7th, 2008

Category: Cars

Even if youre not a car audio connoisseur, its easy to be impressed with a car stereo speaker while looking around in an expo or convention. Theyre the first thing youll probably notice, they come in different colors, shapes and sizes. Those big throbbing concaves blaring incredibly low bass lines or cool little tweeters whistling out seething treble sounds.

Car stereo speakers are interesting and very tempting to buy, especially the big loud ones. But big is not always the best. Each speaker has its own unique quality, intended use and price range. Some may also be better than others at certain things so it pays to investigate your type of car stereo amplifier or head unit before you finally decide on a car stereo speaker for your system. Here are some features to consider:

Car stereo speakers are not all the same size and wattage, and this can cause a problem once you try to hook it up in your car. Know the specs of your system. Sort this out ahead of time, it will save you a lot of hassle. You will be happier with your new acquisition if you can get to see it in action as soon as possible.

There are also a lot of car stereo amplifiers on the market, it pays to be aware of how the car stereo speaker you are considering compares to the others, and how compatible it is to your amplifier or the amplifier youre planning to buy. Car stereo speakers and amplifiers go hand in hand. Youll want the car stereo speakers you buy to be suitable for your automotive entertainment needs and not strain the system.

Style can be an important factor when choosing your special car stereo speakers. Youll want the one you choose to fit in perfectly with your other all sorts of stereo speakers. If youre planning to install something different, you have to take into consideration the modifications your going to have to make in order to accommodate your new car stereo speakers.

One of the biggest issues in buying a new type of car stereo speaker is suitability. How suitable your car stereo speakers are is probably the biggest issue. Don’t forget the reason youre buying the type of car stereo amplifier in the first place, and ensure that the all sorts of stereo speakers you are looking at will do the job you need no matter what other fancy features they may offer.

Brand is an important consideration when you are shopping for a car stereo speaker. The fact is, one brand of type of car stereo amplifier may have a much better reputation than another, and for good reason. You be the judge. Do your research. Ask car audio enthusiasts. Read magazines and reviews. Do you want to take a chance on just any car stereo speakers, or go for the proven name brand?

Lastly, price is important even if you think it’s not. After all, would you want to pay more for your car stereo speakers only to find it cheaper the next day at a different store? Nobody likes that. When shopping for better car stereo speakers, it pays to check at least a couple of different stores, just to make sure you’re getting your car stereo speakers at the best price.

Shoe Sale For The Big Boys: The Car Stereo Sale.

Posted By admin

Date: August 4th, 2008

Category: Cars

Announce a shoe sale, and the women come arunning. Announce a car stereo sale and the men, or more appropriately, the Big Boys come thundering with their checkbooks and wallets waving in the air.

The car stereo sale. This is every car audio, or even the regular audio enthusiasts Mecca. Only intense prayer is replaced by intense spending.

Car stereo sales happen at audio stores regularly. When a car audio manufacturer launches a new product, the prices of prior models drop drastically which may prompt the store or the brand name to initiate a car stereo sale. Most especially when a new technology comes out, a good example would be like the introduction of the Compact Disc technology, suddenly all cassette player car stereos became dirt cheap, no matter how cool that LED display might be.

Another avenue of car stereo sales are at expos and conventions. Most of the time, the good stuff come out at expos, whether it be a car expo, audio system expo, but usually the largest car stereo sale happens at a gathering of car audio manufacturers. Well, at these kinds of expos and conventions, its not usually a sale because the manufacturers usually try to get buyers for their newest product. If you have the money and youre out there to buy some serious hardware, then by all means, SPLURGE AWAY!

But first you have to know what it is you want to buy. Dont go running off to a car stereo sale without knowing what it is your system needs. There are a lot of items in a car stereo sale, shiny, glittery and LOUD items that might get your attention but dont let it tempt you to whip out your wallet just yet. Although most car audio enthusiasts need not be reminded of this (because they know their stuff well, its probably all they think about all day) any car stereo sale newbie might get the itch to impulse buy, especially when the item displays high wattage. Or even if it just looks spacy and high-tech.

When planning to go to a car stereo sale, you have to prepare, prepare, PREPARE. Take a good look at your audio system. What does it need? Do you need a complete overhaul of your stereo system? If it doesnt really need anything but you just want to take it up a notch and upgrade it, make sure what youre planning to buy is compatible with your existing system. Dont but a high watt bazooka speaker if your amplifier cant handle it. Although audio parts like these have very high resale value, save yourself some trouble and buy the right parts. You dont want to end up buying a very expensive paperweight.

Also, do what other enthusiasts are doing. READ MAGAZINES! These car audio magazines contain reviews and price listings of the items you may be looking for. Youll also get acquainted with products you might have never heard before, it will surely open up your choices and options.

Going to a car stereo sales is also a good way to meet other car audio enthusiasts like yourself. Who knows, you might meet someone who might be willing to just trade items. It will save you the money and gain you some new friends.

How to: A Car Stereo Installation Guide

Posted By admin

Date: August 1st, 2008

Category: Cars

Want to save some money? Ever wonder if you could do a car stereo installation yourself? Yes, you can do it yourself! Go ahead, spend that money on your hardware! Dont spend it on labor. Besides, doing a car stereo installation yourself can be a very rewarding experience, not to mention you can learn a lot from it too. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing your creation in action, running smoothly and perfectly.

But be very careful, you really wont want to damage your expensive hardware. Well, most car audio hardware are no-brainers to install, youd find that most of the time the parts have specially shaped sockets and slots etc. and would only fit where its supposed to be installed. Still, its best to proceed methodically.

In a car stereo installation, you have to determine what kind of rig youre going to put into your vehicle. If youre a beginner, its best you do a car stereo installation if its just a simple system. You may want to leave the complicated stuff to the professionals, like installing delicate equipment like LCD panels, motorized parts etc. especially if it requires the creation of custom panels and such.

Head units are one of the easiest to do in a car stereo installation. Fortunately, most units follow the same size standards (DIN). In many cars, once the factory radio is removed the aftermarket radio will fit in the hole. In many other cars, a kit is needed if the factory hole is too big, or not deep enough. In some cases the dash has to be cut. Any car stereo store should have kits required for installation.

There are two types of mounting in a car stereo installation. ISO mounting is when the radio can be screwed to existing factory radio brackets, such as in most Japanese cars. Ring mounting is when an aftermarket radio comes with a metal ring that gets mounted to the factory radio hole or aftermarket kit via bendable tabs. In many cars, dash and trim rings have to be filed to enlarge the radio hole. Once the ring is installed, the radio slides in and is held by snaps. In most cases, special tools are required to remove the radio.

Speakers are very critical in a car stereo installation. No matter how expensive your speakers are, if they are not properly installed, the sound will not be up to par.

In a simple car stereo installation, youll probably be using speakers that fit into a factory location. Just make sure there are no gaps or holes. Sometimes building a wood or fiberglass baffle helps reduce holes and gives you much better sound. But always be careful when using power tools around speakers. Car stereo installation warranties usually don’t cover holes in speakers.

For unconventional speaker locations, sometimes metal has to be cut. You might want to leave this to the professionals, tools like plasma cutters and pneumatics drills are required. But if youre going to insist, a pair of metal snips (left and right cut) will do.

A car stereo installation has to put up with vibrations and other noise sources in its environment. Even though it is impossible to eliminate these completely, there are products that will greatly decrease the noise and rattling, particularly on non-luxury cars. Liners, sprays and adhesive strips and even carpeting applied onto the panels can make a world of difference.