Daily Car Audio » How to http://www.dailycaraudio.com Car audio systems - photos, prices, reviews Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:47:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 10 Steps For Installing Car Amplifier http://www.dailycaraudio.com/10-steps-for-installing-car-amplifier/ http://www.dailycaraudio.com/10-steps-for-installing-car-amplifier/#comments Sat, 20 Mar 2010 07:42:13 +0000 Car Audio Advisor http://www.dailycaraudio.com/?p=104 You can save a lot of money by installing car speakers and other equipment related to it yourself. The guides are available all over the internet and of course you can consult a professional for some tips and tricks anytime. Car speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers are not that hard to install in your car plus you get to experiment before installing them permanently finding out the best location for them to produce the best sound. The steps are easy to follow which will be discussed further in the article along with things that you will need to set it up.

Pioneer PRS-D2000SPL Amplifier

Amplifiers are basically a device that boosts up a signal, any signal and takes it to its destination. In the case of an audio amplifier, the power current passing through the amplifier is boosted and taken to the speakers or subwoofers for them to play. An amplifier is also connected to a fuse incase heavy current flows through damaging or burning the speakers. The amplifier is the main source of your speakers running therefore it requires full concentration to install.

The basic few tools needed to set up an amplifier in your car are pliers, cables and wires for car audio, knife, sandpaper, O-ring ends, tape, pen, spade connectors, screwdrivers, an amplifier and wire strippers.

  1. Now deciding with the location is easy and up to the person’s requirement but my advice is if you are installing an amplifier connected to your speakers then it is best to install them under the car seats to keep the wiring less inside your car while amplifiers for subwoofers can be installed at the trunk of your car because that is where usually the subwoofers are. This way you will need less wiring to do your job.
  2. The wiring needed for amplifiers is a bit different than the other ones. The cable needs to be a lot thicker than the ordinary wires you see for other things as they are responsible for transferring high voltage current from amplifiers to the speakers.
  3. Follow the instructions on taking off the head of the dash of your car to install the wires in them.
  4. For safety reasons disconnect the ground negative cable from your battery.
  5. Connect the fuse of the thick positive power cable to the positive terminal of the battery. The O-ring can be placed in the bolt that hooks up your car to the battery.
  6. Now make sure that the power cables are not near any speaker wires or signals as it is dangerous. If you have the amp installed in the trunk then run the wires along the bottom edge of your car and if the amp is installed somewhere in the front then there is always an opening given at the driver’s side.
  7. To connect the ground cables find a screw or metal bolt which is near to the amp. This should not be more than 3 feet. Take out the screws and clean it with sandpaper and then screw it back firmly.
  8. Incase of connecting your amp to the speakers strip off the wires as needed to keep the wiring safe. Tape around the wires that are showing to avoid any current going through a bare wire. Make certain you connect the positive terminal to the positive of the battery and the negative to the negative terminal of the battery.
  9. Make your amplifier screwed to the car body to avoid it from tumbling here and there. The amp can be screwed to the subwoofer’s or speaker’s enclosures as well.
  10. Test your amplifier and the entire sound system and then put everything back together.

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]]> http://www.dailycaraudio.com/10-steps-for-installing-car-amplifier/feed/ 0 How To Make Speakers Sound Their Best http://www.dailycaraudio.com/how-to-make-speakers-sound-their-best/ http://www.dailycaraudio.com/how-to-make-speakers-sound-their-best/#comments Sat, 27 Jun 2009 12:00:48 +0000 Car Audio Advisor http://www.dailycaraudio.com/?p=67 It can be easy to make your speakers sound the best if you know where to place them. Making sure you have the right speakers in the right spots is the key to having your car sound the best. You need to know where the bass speakers are, as well as the other speakers, to insure that you get them located in the perfect spot. By doing this you will insure that no matter what speakers you have, you will be able to have a good sound system. After all, it does not always matter the quality of the speakers; sometimes it matters where you have the speakers located.

Sony Xplod Speakers

Sony Xplod Speakers

There are guides on-line that can help you in placing your speakers. It can be very hard to understand where to place them. However, you are going to want your biggest speakers further away. Usually your car helps you with this. Most of the time the speakers in the front of the car by the driver and passenger seats are smaller than the speakers in the back. Most of the time you want to set up the speakers so that the bass, and sounds like that, are coming from the back of the car. If you can do this, then it’s going to sound better.

Pioneer Car Speakers

Pioneer Car Speakers

If you have too much bass coming in at the front of the car, then you are going to be able to understand what the people are saying, because the bass is going to be missing with the sound of their voice. This can be a problem when you are trying to make your car sound the best that it can. However, just placing your speakers in the right spot is not enough to make it sound good.

When you are placing your speakers, you also have to adjust your speakers on the stereo system. You will be able to adjust what speakers do what and which ones are louder. For example, you may just have most of the bass come out of the back ones and have them loud. Then your front ones are going to have less bass so all you hear is the voice of the person singing. That way you can clearly hear what they are saying, and at the same time, you are still able to have your bass way up. Of course, it all depends on what you want your car to sound like. If you do not listen to any music with a lot of bass, then it does not do you any good to worry about where the bass it coming from.

Sony Speakers

Sony Speakers

The best thing to remember is that you need to place your speakers where they sound best to you. This goes for the fact when you are setting up the speakers as well. You want to be sure that you put the right music to the right speakers to insure that they all sound their best. Just putting your speakers in is not going to give you the sound that you are looking for. After all, the whole point in putting in new speakers is to get a new fresh sound that sounds great in your car. Always look on-line for tips whenever you are looking for people to help you install your speakers and where to place them. Most of the time people on-line are going to be willing to give you answers for free.

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]]> http://www.dailycaraudio.com/how-to-make-speakers-sound-their-best/feed/ 1 How to Choose Car Speakers http://www.dailycaraudio.com/how-to-choose-car-speakers/ http://www.dailycaraudio.com/how-to-choose-car-speakers/#comments Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:02:28 +0000 Car Audio Advisor http://www.dailycaraudio.com/?p=19 When we are spending our money on something we make sure we buy the right thing in less amount of money. So before shopping, a little browsing and searching over the internet is a very good idea. You do not want the seller to think you are completely dense about the product you want to buy. Purchasing the right car speakers also fall in this category where you should do your homework. But before you jump to making a decision on what you want to buy make sure you remove the old speakers out of your car and measure the speaker’s size. Usually the front speakers measure from 4 inches to 6 inches while rear speakers start from 6 inches to 9 inches. Most likely these measurements would vary according to the car exterior.

Pyramid 480 watt Speakers

Pyramid 480 watt Speakers

When purchasing car speakers while good quality speakers may definitely cost more so its better you see your budget before you make a choice. Once you know how much you can spend on car speakers start off with browsing the sensitivity of the speakers. A sensitivity range of car speakers tells the efficiency of those speakers converting power watts into volume. Naturally, the more watts generated by an amplifier the louder your speakers are going to play. To check these certain things you can take along your favorite CD to test the voice quality and so on. The RMS ratings that comes in the category of power handling is to be considered next as it tells you how much power a speaker can handle for a long period of time.

Kicker 6x9 Speakers

Kicker 6x9 Speakers

Further the speakers are categorized into two more types which are Component Speakers and Full-range Speakers. Component speakers are recommended as they give a quality sound without compromising the bass, treble and other genres. These speakers come with separate woofer, crossovers and tweeters to bring the best quality sound to you. If a tweeter which is responsible to disperse sound to a wider range is fitted in a perfect place it results in accurate and smoother sound reproduction. Whereas Full-range speakers have all genres in one box which makes them immovable that is a drawback in car speakers. Although the advantage of using these speakers is that no extra fixing is needed you can just replace full-range speakers with the old ones and plug in to make them work.

Then move on to the durability of the car speakers you are about to purchase. Starting with woofers that produces the bass is preferable to be made by a material that is light weight but still hard at the same time. It can be either component system or full-range but polypropylene is usually used for woofers. Sometimes manufacturing companies use other materials like titanium and aluminum along with polypropylene which are known to survive hot, cold and moist temperatures. On the other hand the material for tweeters is suppose to be soft like silk which completely changes the result of the production of sound. Tweeters made of soft material gives more of a mellow and light sound while for a more hardcore result metals and graphite is used. Finally, the material for the surround is as important as any of the materials used for woofers and tweeters. The material used should allow the woofer to produce excellent bass and to freely move back and forth. Although foam used for surround system is cheap and works fine while rubber can be an excellent choice for utmost production.

Kenwood 450 Watt Speakers

Kenwood 450 Watt Speakers

So basically these choices can vary from person to person according to the requirements. Some people may have the craze of bass while others just want a stereo system that plays CDs. Final advice is make sure you check you have every essential thing for setting up a car speaker and products that will be installed in the car.

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]]> http://www.dailycaraudio.com/how-to-choose-car-speakers/feed/ 1 How to Choose Subwoofers http://www.dailycaraudio.com/how-to-choose-subwoofers/ http://www.dailycaraudio.com/how-to-choose-subwoofers/#comments Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:51:58 +0000 Car Audio Advisor http://www.dailycaraudio.com/?p=16 Mostly you will get speakers with subwoofers whether it is for your car or home theatre. Now these subwoofers are considered to be extra equipment in speakers as most of the speakers are better off without one but if you are one of those bass freaks then no speakers can satisfy you till you have that thumping sound in the background. People spend a lot for perfect and brilliant sound coming out of their speakers as it may be a passion for many people. The following article discusses how to choose subwoofers for cars and home theatre as both of these situations require different watts of subwoofers.

Pioneer Subwoofers Ad

Pioneer Subwoofers Ad

Considering a subwoofer for your car does not require much of power as the surrounding of a car is smaller than a room. Now the subwoofers for cars can cost up to $300 so you better check your budget before you go to the shop. You can either get one subwoofer or two depending on your music preference. Two subwoofers are ideal if you hear tracks with more bass and background music. An amplifier comes along a subwoofer to give enough power to your subwoofer to work. The more power, the more bass is produced and naturally the more expensive it is going to be and to get maximum bass out of them consider maximum wattage RMS. Choose RMS power that is the closest to the RMS ratings of your subwoofer besides that THD, an abbreviation for total harmonic distortion is also a significant rating of amps. Generally subwoofers go either at the trunk of the car, on the sides of the car i.e. on the doors or under the seats. No matter where you install your subwoofers there won’t be any major bass production as it is all about personal preference.

Like I mentioned earlier that the environment of a car is totally different from a room as it is smaller and compact so subwoofers starting from 6.5” amplified tubes to 8” amplified tubes can be considered. Many of the SUVs have built-in 8” amplified subwoofers that practically shakes and vibrates the entire car turning a lot of heads. The larger your subwoofers are going to be the lower the frequency they are expected to produce. The sizes of subwoofers come in 8 inches, 10 inches, 12 inches and 15 inches. Choosing from cones you can go with Kevlar, polypropylene, aluminum or a carbon fiber cone but do not choose a paper cone. Surrounds for subwoofer are important as they make them durable and extend their life although they have nothing to do with the bass production. Foam is an ok choice but rubber surrounds are the best.

Car Subwoofers

Car Subwoofers

Now when choosing subwoofers for your home theatre the locations for them are two. One of them is down-firing and the other one is front firing. Down-firing is when you have the subwoofers installed in the bottom cabinet while having them on the sides makes them front-firing. In a room environment the bass production of the subwoofers depends on which type of enclosure is being used. Acoustic suspension enclosures are to be preferred as they produce sound that is accurate with more amplified power. After picking and installing subwoofer test it while playing a DVD or tracks on different high or low volumes until you think they are just perfect and enjoy the bass that changes the listening experience.

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]]> http://www.dailycaraudio.com/how-to-choose-subwoofers/feed/ 0 Everyone Should Have A GPS http://www.dailycaraudio.com/everyone-should-have-a-gps/ http://www.dailycaraudio.com/everyone-should-have-a-gps/#comments Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:25:27 +0000 Car Audio Advisor http://www.dailycaraudio.com/gps-systems/everyone-should-have-a-gps/ Ever get lost and wonder how you are going to get back on track? Want to take a trip, look at the map and still not sure how to go? Ever here this statement, “Sir, can you tell me how to get to this location?” I know I have both heard it and was the one doing the asking. Taking a trip became more of an issue instead of being fun. That is when I realized that help is out there and that everyone should have a GPS. Not only can it get you from one place or another, they can explain how to take an alternate route when there are roads closed.

Mio GPS Navigation System

Mio GPS Navigation System

GPS is a navigation system that is satellite based. Believe it or not out in orbit there are 24 satellites that the U.S. Department of Defense has placed. The military was the main purpose that these satellites were put there and that is who was originally intended to use the GPS system. Now because everyone should have a GPS system, it was made available to the public. A person doesn’t have to pay for the use of these satellites all they need to do is purchase a GPS system.

Trying to figure out how the GPS system works is actual interesting. The satellites transmit their signals or shall we say their information down to Earth as they circle it twice a day in an exact orbit. By doing this it allows the GPS systems to determine exactly how far the satellite is from it. Plus, with the other satellites combining their information, it allows the GPS system to determine the exact location of the vehicle and/or person which has the system. A signal has to be locked into the system to create the longitude and latitude position of the devise which allows it to track the movement. It can also track the altitude of the devise. Once of the calculations are made of the location, the unit can also calculate anything from speed to track, trip distance, and much more. Further more satellite signals are in actuality 2 way radio waves and the information that they do contain are three different kinds; a code, ephemeris data and almanac data.

All though most of the information that goes into GPS system comes from the signals being transmitted from the satellites in the sky some of the information comes from map reports. These map reports generate and update maps of certain areas in which get downloaded into the GPS system. These reports also depend on the public at times to update the maps before their research is done of a certain area. One of the map providers is NavTeq. Information can be submitted to this company so that they can update the system.

Accuracy is something that everyone depends on and knowing that these GPS devises are accurate is a plus in the purchaser’s eyes. Everyone will be glad to know that the GPS systems that are out today are accurate. The reason for this is because of the design, the parallel multi-channel design, that is.

There could possibly be some errors with the system but it has nothing to do with the information itself. There are many reasons why errors might occur, to name a few, signal multi-path, delays, and many more. But this should not stop you from purchasing a GPS system. As I stated everyone should have a GPS system.

There are also many different companies in which produce this product, GPS that everyone should have. There are many that are popular but the one that sticks out the most are Garmin and Tom-Tom.

But each GPS producer gets their mapping information from other companies. These companies (the mapping companies) actually upload all the information into the devise which allows the devise to help locate certain things in the area in which you may be traveling; the update all roads, hotels, etc. in the system which help with the accuracy. With everything updated once or twice each year proves that everyone should have a GPS system.

As you can see it’s definitely true that everyone should have a GPS system. Since there many different styles making a choice are the hardest when it comes to actually buying it. Researching each product is always helpful and if price is an issue, then you have no worries in that area either. There are many price ranges in these.

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