Car Audio Help & How-To Articles
We now have several different groups of help and how-to articles and will be
adding new articles monthly.
Basic Car Audio Articles
These articles, listed below, written by Rayfes Mondal, are done on a more basic level than
the ones linked above and would be a good starting point for those that
are newer to mobile electronics installations.
Head
Units: This is where it all begins.
Whatever the rest of your system includes, the sound starts here. Choosing the
proper head unit is important. If you use a poor one no matter how good your
equipment down the line is you will be stuck with low quality sound. Also, read
my explanation of power
amplifier specs if you think your head unit is producing over 100 watts of
power.
Amplifiers:
These make the head unit's signal more powerful in order to drive the speakers.
Skimp here and you will not take take advantage of your speaker's power handling
capability nor get adequate volume and clarity. As mentioned above I have
written an explanation of
power amplifier specs.
Speakers:
These are the final link and arguably the most important component in the
quality of sound you actually hear. Skimp here and even the best head units and
amplifiers will sound bad.
Equalizers/Crossovers:
Equalizers can help balance your sound when used properly and crossovers help
divide up the full range of sound frequencies so that you can use special speakers
for each range. This is an improvement because no single speaker can
accurately produce the full range of sound humans can hear.
Accessories:
These range from important details to just making installations "look
good."
Planning:
Now that you have some background on the world of car audio it is time to plan
your system. I'll give you some pointers and an example system.
Advanced Mobile Electronics Articles
This group of well-written and in-depth articles should be very helpful for even the more advanced installers out there.
loudspeaker system design and construction:
contains a tutorial on loudspeaker system design and
construction. You will also find the JavaScript enclosure designers and
crossover calculators here. Click Here
Components:
System planning and description of each component's function in an
car audio system, installation options, and features to look for when making purchase
decisions.
Installation:
Step by step tutorials, tips, diagrams and general installation and
troubleshooting information. Component installation, box, crossover calculators,
alternator noise, panel removal, noise & rattles, custom panels and pods, tweaking.
Security
& Accessories: All you need to know about car security and accessories.
Diagrams and installation tips. Alarms, remote starters, relays,
door locks.
Reference:
Tutorials, troubleshooting, wire codes, test equipment, tools, recommended CDs, web search, links. Electrical, audio,
diodes, relays theory.
Car Audio Glossary of Terms:
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