Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
We are at our second-to-last article in our car audio amplifier specification series and this time, we are going to talk about Class AB amplifier crossover distortion. This distortion has nothing to do with the high- or low-pass filters built into your amplifier; it’s a problem with the very concept of the Class B amplifier topology. Don’t fret — we’ll explain what causes it Read more
Upgrading the headlight bulbs in your car or truck can dramatically improve your safety and the safety of other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Your local mobile enhancement retailer may offer high-quality HID or LED bulb upgrade kits in a variety of color temperature options. These colors typically vary from 3,000 to 12,000 K. The question is, what do these color ratings Read more
It’s time to look at the input stage of how a modern car audio amplifier works. The input stage is responsible for interfacing with your radio and provides features like the gain control, crossovers, bass boost, remote level control and signal summing that your installer will use to make your stereo system sound great and function reliably. While we don’t need to get into the Read more
If you compare car audio products from the last decade or so to those of the early years, you’ll quickly notice that amplifiers, speakers and subwoofers often aren’t as big as they used to be. Take the new Jeep Wrangler JL chassis as an example. While it used to use 6.5-inch woofers in the dash and the overheard soundbar, it now uses 4-inch speakers in these locations. We can’t Read more
The car audio industry, just like any other technical field, is full of words and phrases that are specific to the equipment we use and the work we do. Because we are often communicating with our peers, suppliers and occasionally technical support staff, we get very used to using these terms. For a consumer walking in the front door, it’s unreasonable to expect them to know or Read more
With the increasing performance and features of factory-installed infotainment and audio systems, many of my friends have asked whether we still need aftermarket audio systems. I was recently in California on business and rented a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS for my drive from Long Beach to Modesto and back to San Francisco. Having spent about 12 hours in the car over the week, I Read more
Whether the sound system in your car or truck is bone stock or upgraded with premium amplifiers, speakers and subwoofers, the system’s maximum volume may not directly coincide with turning the knob up all the way. The short and sweet of why this happens is something called gain overlap. This conscious and deliberate design decision ensures that any signal source can be played Read more
We recently talked about how window tint darkness specifications work and how some films are great at blocking heat. This article discusses the relationship between darkness and heat rejection. In the southern states, many people choose to have their windows tinted to help keep their vehicles cooler on hot summer days. Heat-rejecting window tint is big business, and this Read more
We’ve talked about car audio amplifier features and specifications at great length, but up to this point, we haven’t discussed how a car audio amplifier works. In this article, we’ll provide a simple overview of how the power supply in your mobile amplifier can take the 12 volts supplied by your electrical system and convert it into a much higher voltage to drive your Read more
