| Higher Education - Mobile Electronics System
They say it all started with a big bang, but the truth is there really wasn't much low end, or bass, in early car audio systems. The first in-car stereos were actually mono AM radios that played through small, single-cone speakers. The sound was even worse than when Jonny sings along with Alicia Keyes in the shower. Believe it or not, there was a time when the 8-track player was a state-of-the-art upgrade for your car, an equalizer and amplifier were one and the same and called a "power booster," and the largest, best sounding speaker available for the car was the venerable 6x9.
Mobile electronics have come a long way since then. Over the years, this industry has progressed to bring you complete in-car mobile entertainment systems comprised of wide-screen, flat-panel monitors that display images from DVD players while sound systems with multiple tweeters, midrange drivers, and subwoofers reproduce the audio in 5.1 surround sound.
It seems that consumers have always wanted more from their car stereos, whether it's the latest in-dash cassette deck with Dolby Noise Reduction or upgrading their speakers to larger, coaxial units, true 12-volt enthusiasts still want more. This means more power and, most importantly, more bass, so companies began to accommodate them by producing amplifiers, equalizers, midrange, tweeters, and, of course, subwoofers.
Early automotive speakers were actually just home speakers that had been built with a 4-ohm impedance and packaged as car speakers. Not only were these speakers much larger than the car-specific speakers of today (tweeters typically had huge magnets and were the size of some small midrange woofers), but subwoofers required huge enclosures, which weren't a problem at home but posed an obvious problem in the car. Worst of all, these speakers were not designed to hold up in extreme temperatures or withstand moisture and vibration as do most of the inexpensive speakers found on the market today.
Mobile audio competition has also helped to generate newer and better products and accessories, including the demand for new and desirable 12-volt products, which have advanced as quickly as technology would allow. And the best part is that all the competition between manufacturers has driven prices down so that today anyone can afford a nice aftermarket sound system and/or video system.
At the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES), of which you can find coverage elsewhere in this issue, we noticed that just about every one of the high-end 12-volt manufacturers is now offering an entry-level line of amplifiers and subwoofers. This means more bass for your buck. All the technology and know-how of the companies that build the best amplifiers and speakers in the world at prices you can afford: it's like getting 90 percent of the quality for 10 percent of the price.
With this in mind, we set out to help you narrow down your audio options and find what you desire at a price even your girlfriend won't complain about. In this, the first part of a three-part series, we will look at the low end of the financial spectrum and help you locate the gear you need for around $750. Even with the entry-level products we mentioned earlier, this is a pretty tight budget, so we have two routes to go here. The first is "a deck and two." This is installer-speak for a source unit and a pair of speakers. We can easily find a nice, in-dash CD/MP3 player and a pair of component speakers within this budget and still afford to buy an install kit and wiring harness, have it all installed, and have enough leftover for a Starbucks Venti Caramel Frappuccino. The second setup we're proposing will be an entire system. This gets much more tricky for such a low price-point, even with all the bargains that are out there today.
The Ultimate "Deck And Two" For $750:If money is tight, this is the plan for you. Other than a few of the most high-end pieces, most source units have a built-in amplifier. Although these amps are small, most of them are rated as high power and are capable of running a pair of component speakers. And if you have four doors or a rear deck that can accommodate a second set of speakers, you could even fit a pair of coaxial speakers into the mix. With the right products, this could be a very nice system and turn out to be all you ever wanted, not to mention an added bonus to this system, which would be weight savings.
Audibly, there will be two minor setbacks: There won't be that much power when you're belting out Bohemian Rhapsody with your friends, and depending on your speaker location, it won't be the hardest hitting system you have ever heard. The "deck and two" setup is ideal for expansion, which means you can add an amplifier and subwoofer system at any time, but we'll look deeper into this option next issue. For those of you who say you can't wait, you have to have an entire system right now, and all you have is $750, read on.
The Ultimate System for $750:Now this is going to get a little tricky. Sure, $750 is a lot of money, but an entire system is a lot of electronics gear, so it will take some bargain shopping, and a little planning. For starters, we will probably be looking for a good pair of coaxial speakers rather than a component speaker system to save on the actual cost of the product as well as installation. Next, we would recommend a non-vehicle specific enclosure with one woofer. To power the system, a single four-channel amp is the only way to go. Once again, this single amp works like two but costs less to purchase and install. Finally, a budget CD player will head up the system. Check out the various charts titled "The Ultimate System For Under $750?" and "The Ultimate Deck and Two."
One way to maximize your budget is to install the system yourself. Since there is no custom fabrication involved, anyone with a few basic handtools and more patience than us can get the job done. As long as you have an installation kit and a wiring harness, a source unit is fairly easy to install. The box mounts in the trunk and, yes, it does need to be securely mounted. Of course, if you can come up with a quick release system, you could take the box out when you go to the track, once again making this system drag race and road course friendly. On that note, you could mount the amp to the enclosure. All you need to due is make sure it will get good ventilation, which will further simplify installation. If you are going the removable sub box route, you just need to use a Molex plug so that you can quickly unplug the amp wiring when pulling out the enclosure. The last thing to consider when doing it yourself are the speakers. As we said, coaxials, or maybe a set of component speakers, would be best for this budget, and as a bonus they are well-suited to replace factory speakers with little to no modification. This will make installing them a snap.
What Stereo Shop?:The hard part is determining where you should purchase your gear and have it installed. If you're a Southern California resident, some good options are Competition Soundworks (www.competitionsoundworks.com) and Speakerworks (www.usdaudio.com), and in Phoenix, Soundwerks (www.soundwerks.com). These shops carry only the best equipment and have a reputation for the best possible installations. That's great for someone who is really into mobile electronics, but that's not the case for everyone. For these people, we recommend taking the time to do some research. Find a shop that piques your interest and ask around about its reputation before you buy. Does it have knowledgeable and friendly sales people, and does it have reputable installers? How are warranty issues handled? Is pricing competitive? Start by asking your friends; they aren't going to send you to a shop that didn't treat them right. If you can't find anyone who has experience with a shop you are interested in, walk in and strike up a conversation. Ask to see some of its work; any shop that is proud of its work will have a book loaded with its work and/or a Web site with the same.
An important thing to remember when purchasing your stereo/video equipment or paying for installation is that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Everyone wants to find that killer deal, but if you get refurbished gear when you thought you were getting new (which is illegal, by the way) or saved 50 percent on an installation that you had to have re-done elsewhere, then you really didn't save any money.
Speaking of savings, we know the vast majority of you are probably big online shoppers, but be careful. It can be tough making sure you get what you paid for in a store, and buying something sight unseen only makes things more difficult. There are trusted online/mail order companies; however, you just have to take the time to do the research and check out the ones you are dealing with before you send them your hard-earned money. One place you can trust is Crutchfield (www.crutchfield.com). It's a great resource not only for purchasing your gear, but the company also offers free installation kits with a head unit purchase and even has online videos to show you how to install different mobile electronic components. Another option is to look up car audio message boards and post some questions in regard to the site. If a company is legit, you might not get much of a reply, but if it's shady (and we have no reason to believe that any place we have mentioned in this article are), people will speak up.
So what about those big electronics stores like Circuit City, Best Buy, and The Good Guys? They are yet another set of options. Typically, stores like this have a good selection of gear and can offer some pretty good pricing because of their buying power. They can also offer good installation, but all large electronic stores of this type are not created equal where installation is concerned. Although the product and pricing will be very consistent, you still need to check out installers on a store-to-store basis before you hand over your keys. Ask who will be installing your system, if that person is MECP certified, and how long they have been installing. If you can go back and meet the installer, do it. We know it sounds like a lot of trouble, and maybe even a little embarrassing, but trust us, the anger generated by an install gone bad is far worse.
Now, get out there and do some of that research because next issue we will be looking at some higher dollar system options and how to expand the Ultimate "Deck and Two" system from this article to include an amplifier and subwoofer system.
The Ultimate "Deck And Two":When determining which product would be best for the Ultimate "Deck and Two," we split the $750 roughly in half with just a little emphasis on the speakers. You'll notice that the source units range in price from $249 to $300. We chose these units not only because of their price, but because they have loads of features, including high power, the ability to run up to four speakers, at least one set of RCA or line-level outputs for next month's amplifier/subwoofer upgrade, and because they will play both traditional CDs as well as compressed audio such as MP3s. We also opted for component speakers that cost a little more because they are the most important part of any system. If you have extra money to spend, spend it on your speakers. Most people do not notice huge differences in sound from one source unit or amplifier to the next, but it's easy to tell the difference in sound between different speakers. How will you know which components to choose? You need to go to a shop that has them on display and listen to them. Bring your own CD, one that you are familiar with, and try to listen to whatever speakers you are thinking about buying on a source unit, and/or with an amplifier similar to what you have or are thinking about buying.
The Ultimate System For Less Than $750?:Believe it or not, we did it-and with a list of quality components from manufacturers you have actually heard of, with everything from a 10-inch woofer to a component speaker set, not a pair of coaxial speakers. We totally came in under budget! This price does not include installation, but it's really easy to install. To keep the installation simple, you should choose a similar speaker that best fits your car.
12-Voltcabulary
Amplifier:A device that takes in low-level signals from a source unit, boosts them, and converts them into wattage that can drive a speaker.
Cd/Dvd/Mp3/Wma: Compact Disc and Digital Video Disc look similar but are capable of storing different amounts of data. MP3 and WMA are compressed audio formats that can be burned onto the aforementioned media. Some in-dash source units and disc changers will accept them all, but most will only play certain formats.
Coaxial:A generic term describing a midrange and tweeter(s) mounted together with a simple passive crossover. When a tweeter is mounted to the center of a midrange speaker, they share the same axis or become coaxial. Today, any speakers that are mounted together are just called coaxials, even if they are not on the same axis.
Component Speaker:Matched speakers with external passive crossover networks and necessary hardware are all contained within one box. They are easier to install than raw drivers. Some allow the tweeter to be mounted in the center of the woofer, and some are permanently mounted that way, although these are not called coaxials because of their high quality.
Crossover:This can be either passive or active. The active version gets wired up like an amplifier or equalizer, and installed in-line before the amplifier(s), directing appropriate frequencies to their respective amplifiers. The passive version is comprised of capacitors, coils, and resisters and is wired between the speakers and amplifiers. Systems can have both active and passive crossovers.
Equalizer:This electronic device can boost or cut various predetermined frequencies so that a sound system's frequency response can be adjusted or tuned. They are available with various bands that can be independently adjusted as though each band had its own volume knob.
Din-Size:This is a standard source unit measurement in regards to the shape of the face plate. Expressed as single DIN, 1.5 DIN, and Double DIN.
Head Unit:The interface used to access the audio/video system, which can be a cassette player, CD player, or in-dash monitor that will play CDs and DVDs. (AKA: radio, source, source unit, deck, monitor, CD-player.)
Hertz (Hz):This stands for cycles per second. Woofer cones and tweeter diaphragms move back and forth in various cycles per second, ranging from 20Hz to 20,000Hz. Subwoofers cover from below 20Hz to up around 250Hz, midrange woofers cover around 250Hz to 3,500Hz, and tweeters cover everything else from 3,500Hz and up.
Installation Kit/Wiring Harness:This allows for conversion from oversized or non-standard factory radio in order to accommodate DIN-size source units. These are offered with prefabricated harness that fits directly into car's factory car stereo Molex plug and must then be wired to the source unit's wiring harness.
Midrange:Woofers generally ranging from 3 11/42 to 10 inches in diameter. Different ones will cover different frequencies. Smaller ones will not go as low as larger versions, but they will be able to produce higher frequencies.
Neodymium:These are small, lightweight, and expensive magnets with the same magnetic flux as standard, heavy magnets several times their size.
Power Handling: This is a method of closely matching speakers to amplifier wattage in terms of RMS power. The most important speaker specification for the casual consumer.
RCA:These are cables used to connect source units to other items, such as equalizers and amplifiers. They are sold in pairs for left and right channels, and available in coaxial and twisted pair types. Twisted pair cables are of a higher quality and are less likely to induce noise.
RMS (Root Mean Square): This is the most important type of amplifier power rating. An amplifier with a 100-watt RMS rating may have a 200-watt peak rating, which is only good for a few seconds with a high rate of distortion.
Tweeter:This is a speaker with a small, lightweight cone capable of producing frequencies as high as 20,000Hz (that's 20,000 strokes back and forth per second!). There are all different types available in various sizes, although for the a car, they are typically small in overall size.
Woofer:This is a speaker comprised of a cone attached to a voice coil that moves back and forth against a magnetic field when current is applied. Made in different sizes ranging from 18 down to 3 11/42 inches, they are designed to cover different frequency ranges, including sub-bass, midbass, and midrange.
Accessories Source Installation Kit Around $15.00 Source Wiring Harness Around $12.00 Source Unit Installation Around $45.00 Front Component Speaker Install Around $75.00"Are you kidding? You're giving me a fake system?"
"What the hell? You're giving me fake money!"
How do you like dem tweeters?
Head UnitAlpine CDA-9827, $260.00
Kenwood KDC-MPV5025, $250.00
Component SpeakersBoston Acoustics SL60, $329.95
Pioneer TS-C160R, $320.00
MB Quart RCE216, $339.99
Focal 165A, $349.00
Clarion DXZ545MP, $249.99
Pioneer DEH-P7500MP, $300.00
Source Unit Kenwood KDC-MP225, $170.00
Subwoofer System MTX T4500, $189.95
Amplifier Lightning Audio B.300.4, $199.00
Amplifier Wiring Kit StreetWires PS08RSI, $49.00
Component Speakers Phoenix Gold Octane R, $129.00
Singing along to a William Hung CD, Priceless Total: $736.95