Showcasing the Best in the Mobile Enhancement Industry
The Consumer Technology Association, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Association, has updated the CTA-2006 Standard for Testing and Measurement Methods for In-Vehicle Audio Amplifiers to revision D. The original standard, known as CEA-2006, was introduced to help eliminate bogus amplifier power claims and make it easy to compare car audio amplifier power production Read more
Table of Contents Motorcycle Radios and Audio Sources Motorcycle Speaker Upgrades Motorcycle Subwoofer Upgrades Motorcycle Amplifier Upgrades Motorcycle DSP Upgrades Motorcycle Audio System Installation Let’s face it: Listening to your favorite music while out for a bit of wind therapy is fantastic. Whether you want to upgrade an existing motorcycle audio system or Read more
Every now and then, I get into hot water for recommending, or more commonly, for not suggesting, a particular brand of car audio equipment. The same has happened over the years with retailers near me. However, I can say with confidence that in every case, there’s a solid reason why I stand behind and recommend specific solutions and why others aren’t even remotely on my radar Read more
Car audio questions on social media blow my mind. Do these speakers sound good? Does this amp make enough power? What radio is the best? Where should I install my tweeters? I see these questions asked in Facebook groups and on Reddit dozens of times a day. In 99% of the cases, my instinct is to suggest that the person asking the question go to a car stereo shop to get an expert Read more
When it comes to ensuring that your car audio amplifier is making the most power possible, nothing is more important than properly sized, high-quality power wire. Can an amplifier produce 2,000 watts of power if fed with 4 AWG wire? What factors affect the size and quality of wire needed for an audio system? There’s a lot of confusion around wiring, so let’s look at some Read more
One phrase that is repeated time and time again during the installation troubleshooting process is that an amplifier ground is “good” because there’s only 1 ohm of resistance. If you’re a fan of the laws of physics, hearing this phrase should be met with an instant wince or cringe. Everything related to designing, installing and calibrating car audio systems has a foundation in Read more
While few of us want a wall of subwoofers in our daily driver, there’s no denying that a stereo system with solid bass reproduction is a lot of fun. We’ve looked at the importance of proper equalization when it comes to subwoofer systems in the past. So, what about the bass boost control that’s found on almost all car audio subwoofer amplifiers? Does it improve system Read more
Against my better judgment, I recently found myself scanning through posts on several audio subreddits for article ideas. On the same day, in two different groups, I partook of discussions about how speaker technologies have improved over the last few decades. The original posters were claiming that there hadn’t been any significant improvements in years, so paying for premium Read more
Last week I offered three people advice on how the physics and science behind car audio concepts work. In all three cases, these people refused to accept my scientific explanations as fact and chose to argue with me. Baffling. Science Is Simple Seemingly unbeknownst to many car audio enthusiasts and amateur installers, the laws of physics are pretty set in stone when it comes Read more
Since I first reviewed an ARC Audio amplifier back in 2004, I knew there was something different about this company. It only took a few reviews to recognize the pattern, and frankly, I’ve been spoiled by every opportunity to audition one of their amps ever since. Call it clarity, transparency or neutrality; all of ARC Audio’s amps have offered as invisible a sonic signature as Read more
No other company in the mobile enhancement industry has invested as much effort into developing high-performance audio system upgrades for powersports vehicles as Rockford Fosgate. They have vehicle-specific solutions for popular Can-Am, Yamaha and Polaris vehicles. Each system is designed to be installed without significant modifications to deliver outstanding sound quality Read more
When it’s time to discuss complicated car audio concepts, it’s common for people to glaze over the important small factors and considerations. In the context of car audio amplifier preamp signals, everyone seems to get hung up on how much voltage a radio can produce or an amplifier can accept. What matters in terms of optimizing the performance of a car audio system’s Read more
