In our Bang for your Buck series, we talk about product features and component designs that offer increased value and performance. We’ve discussed source units and speakers, and now it’s time to take a deep look into amplifiers and what separates one amplifier from another. Years ago, a prominent mobile audio enthusiast claimed that all […]

Shopping for a new car audio amplifier is tricky. There are thousands of amplifiers available from at least a hundred car audio companies. Picking the right amp for your system requires balancing an expectation of performance with the cost and features of the amp in question. In this issue of Bang for Your Buck, we […]

We recently talked about the difference between good and great speakers. In a nutshell, when you choose great speakers, you get more power handling, the potential for more output and dramatically improved clarity, thanks to a reduction in distortion. In this issue of Bang for Your Buck, we are going to look at two car […]

It should be no surprise that your choice of speakers has the biggest impact on the sound quality of your car audio system. With that said, many consumers simply don’t understand what separates one speaker from another in terms of performance and value. In this installment of Bang for Your Buck, we are going to […]

In a recent article, we discussed the features to look for when choosing a new source unit for your vehicle. In this article, we delve deeper into the source unit specifications manufacturers provide and explain what they mean, in hopes of helping you weed out a solution that performs the way you want. Charge up […]

A long time ago, a friend of mine told me always to ask a salesperson what I would get if I spent 10 percent to 15 percent more on an item I wanted to purchase. At the time, the discussion was related to a large tube-style television. Let’s say the TV I was looking at […]

If you ask someone in the mobile electronics industry what “source unit integration” means, they’ll probably tell you about making an aftermarket radio fit into the dash of a vehicle and allowing it to send audio to the speakers. For decades, this has been the extent of the task. Physical Source Unit Integration Mounting a […]

When you go shopping for a computer, it’s important that all the pieces work together to provide maximum performance and reliability. When you head out to upgrade your car audio system, your salesperson should ask you a series of questions that will help them identify the perfect solution for your needs and application. When it […]

If you talk to someone who is truly passionate about the accuracy of their sound system, then terms like tonal balance, soundstage and stereo imaging are bound to be part of the discussion. Each of these terms describes a different aspect of how your audio system reproduces music. For the listening experience to be truly […]

It’s early 2018, and North America is still contending with a deep freeze and some nasty winter weather. Erie, Pennsylvania, got more than 50 inches of snow over the holidays, and several northeastern US cities set records for cold weather. Montreal, Canada, spent six consecutive days with the temperature below 1 degree F. Amid all […]