Review Car

Choosing Car Audio System

Car audio has come a long way from the antiquated standard AM / FM / Cassette Combo Deck. Today, car multimedia systems may be consisted of DVD video, television, navigation systems and Internet connection. Sound quality in a car audio system depends on a number of factors – the quality and type of the system's media player, the type of speakers installed, the acoustics characteristics of the car’s interior, interference from other devices and distortions.

Before discussing the different types of car media players, it is a good idea to have a basic understanding of audio quality. When deciding what type of audio system to install, and also when comparing one model to another, there are two key factors to consider:

• SNR [SNR] – It is signal strength relative to background noise in a signal or equipment. It is measured in dB (decibels). High dB figure equals to better quality. Most car CD player have a SNR between 90 and 100 dB.

• Frequency response [FR] – A measure of audio spectrum range, from bass to treble. It is measured in Hertz. Players with wide FR range has better quality. Find a CD player with frequency response range of at least 10-20k Hz

Cassette player has a SNR of 50-70 dB, which is lower than most CD players, furthermore, sound quality deteriorates near the end of the spectrums. The FR range is between 3-18KHz. As a whole, a car CD player offers better sound quality than a cassette player.

Media players in cars today are usually consisted of radio tuner and DVD player/changer. There are a few options to consider when you want to install audio CDs in a car:

• A primary dashboard CD player – often have WMA/MP3 player, radio tuner and movie playback

• Additional CD drives- multiple CD drives located elsewhere inside the car.

• Bluetooth wireless connection.

When choosing a CD player there are two things you should consider:

• Can it physically fit inside the vehicle?

• Will it integrate aesthetically with the dashboard and other car equipments?

Most CD players have standardized form factors, to make it suitable for most cars, but there are some exceptions, which may necessitate changes in car interior design. So, it is recommended to use a CD player sold by the same car manufacturer. Cosmetic integration is always slightly more complex, but in most cases it can be easily solved through personalization features.

Digital Car Audio Systems

With many portable players and home audio systems giving crisp and clear quality sound using digital technology, we are no longer contend with “typical” stereo sound systems for cars.

If you tend to store your digital music files to CDs, a CD changer is a good addition for your car audio system. Up to 8 hours of music (200 songs) can be stored on one CD and allows the use of repeat options and random shuffling. The advantage is ease of use, automatic CD load/eject, and diverse file formats that your CD player can play. Many latest CD players also have USB port, which allow you play MP3 songs directly from USB Flash drive. A $20 USB flash drive (8GB) can store up to 1600 high quality MP3 songs.

Car Speaker System

Most speaker systems can be separated into two parts: the physical speaker units and the channel amplifier. Car amplifiers allow speaker units to offer crisp sound quality even at high volume. Each speaker uses one channel of amplification, which means 4-channel amplifier, can support up to four speakers. There are plenty of speaker types that you can choose. Starting with basic stereo speaker units (2 channels), you can produce high quality sounds using a tweeter and a bass subwoofer. This gives you a good 4-channel audio system that may even rival your home stereo. There is also an option for adding subwoofers and special amplifiers. This does not mean that you will have a loud audio system that will disturb the entire neighborhood. A good subwoofer adds purity and quality and to your music.

Three main factors when choosing speakers are:

• Speaker type and design

• Technical specifications

• Fitting and assembly

A good speaker design can combine midrange, subwoofer and tweeter perfectly. Depending on the combination, you can choose 2-way, 3-way or 4-way speakers. Technical specifications for car speakers are similar to home audio speakers, although there are some differences to compensate for lower power output of car stereos. Technical specifications include signal to noise ratio, sensitivity, frequency response, power output and impedance. Accessories and fittings are selected based on the speaker position. Car speakers are usually placed either as bottom-mounted or top-mounted.