Updating your car stereo speakers
For those of you who absolutely love music, your standard car stereo probably doesn’t cut the mustard, so there are a few options to consider to optimise your listening pleasure.
Not so long ago it was standard procedure to switch out your old tape deck and install a cd player, these days however, there are far more options when it comes to customer car audio systems to improve in car music. Obviously the best place to start is with a head unit (car stereo). Head units come in various sizes and can often directly fit into your car without the need of plastic spacers. They can allow many outputs for car amplifiers that will drive crazy air moving subs and additional speaker components that would rival that of small music venues. With a head unit selected, whether you have opted for a dvd player with flip out screen or a standard high quality cd player, with blue tooth connectivity, depending on your in car music needs.
The next step would be to consider adding additional speakers or upgrading your current in car speakers. In the early days of in car music systems the standard upgrade was a pair of 6 by 9’s- 6 by 9 meaning the dimension of the speakers as they were, and still are, made 6 inches by 9 inches. Many of which had an additional tweeter to allow for the top end of the audio spectrum to cut through the lower, mid and bass end of the music. This produced piercing clarity and were mounted into the parcel shelf with cables trailing in the boot.
These days there are a number of speaker manufacturers and speaker dimensions on the market. Some of the speakers are so powerful that an amp is required to produce the power to drive the speakers for optimal performance. Again, there are a large number of suppliers for in car music amplifiers that range in price and performance, so, it is important to consider just how much power you will need in order to enjoy your music to the fullest. Many people start off with a standard car stereo system and then add a subwoofer (normally placed in the boot of the vehicle) with an integrated amplifier. This reduces the need of technical knowledge to hook the ‘ground shaking bass’ up turning the entire project into an enjoyable Saturday afternoon task.
More elaborate in car music systems include an array of stereo speakers, multiple sub woofers and many labour intensive hours to create custom enclosures. You’ll also need enough wiring knowledge to ensure everything kicks into action when the beat drops with power capacitors and uprated car batteries at the ready.
The most important thing to consider when choosing an in car music system is do you want a little boost to what you already have, or do you want it to go to eleven?
