Buying a new car stereo? What You Need to Know?

Most people are happy with their in-car stereo systems. These people tend not to be discerning as to the quality of their music, or perhaps don’t spend a lot of time in their cars. However, for others, a new car stereo is essential: perhaps their existing stereo has given up the ghost, or perhaps they’re displeased with the quality. If you’re thinking of buying a new stereo, then you will need to understand a few things.

Below, we’re going to explain to you a number of considerations that you need to take when buying a new stereo. Whether you're buying top-of-the-range Sony car stereos, or a low budget stereo, you still need to think about the following information. By doing this, you will help to ensure that you buy a stereo that provides you with the qualities that you require.

Choices, Choices, Choices

The first thing to note is that you will have a lot of choice in car stereo systems. It’s an extremely competitive industry where manufacturers attempt to outdo each other in terms of functionality, quality, and production. Here are some of the choices that you will need to make:

1.Which type of audio format do you require? Some of you will have extensive CD collections, others will have large MP3 libraries – some of you may even have obscure audio formats, such as cassettes (OK, so while not obscure, they are relatively obsolete) and minidisk (remember those?). Because there is so much choice, you will be able to find stereos that cater to your specific requirements. For example, if you have both CD and MP3 collections, you can find head units that play both.

2.Control panels: there are three general types of control. First, there are the standard control panels that you control by touch or by buttons – they usually sit in the centre console. Secondly, there are steering wheel controlled head units; drivers control the entire unit from the sticks on their steering wheel. Thirdly, there are those that combine the two. In terms of safety, steering wheel controls are by far considered the safest. However, the dual controls allow your passengers to control the system too – depending on who you have in your car, this may or may not be something that you want.

3.Coaxial or component speakers: component speakers offer superior quality sound, but they are more fiddly to fit, and they’re also more expensive. Coaxial are the simplest speakers because they combine different components within a single unit. This gives you less control over sound quality. People that are discerning with their audio listening can tell the difference between the two, but for the majority of people, it’s hard to tell the difference.

4.Accessories: when choosing a new stereo, you should also think about the type of accessories that you have if choose that particular model. For example, you may have an iPhone and wish to be able to listen to via your stereos; if this were the case, you’d require the stereo to be compatible with an iPhone interface kit. So, think about the type of accessories you may want to use, and then make sure that the stereo can support these accessories. High-end stereos, such as Sony car stereos, have much more flexibility and adaptability than the lower-end models do, so if your budget stretches that far choose one of the high-end stereos.

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Understanding Car Audio: The Basics

If you're interested in car audio, but you don’t know anything about anything, then you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’re going to look at the various components that function together to create in-car audio systems. We are producing a ‘skeleton overview’ if you will, reading this article will give you a good understanding of the way in which car audio is structured. You can use this information to guide further research.

1.The head unit: the head unit is the control system. It tells every other part of the system – the stereos, the amplifiers, the accessories – how to behave and when. This is the part of the audio system with which you're probably familiar. The head unit often sits at the front of the car in the central console – it’s the thing with the buttons (touchscreen if you have a sophisticated model, such as Sony car audio), LCD and volume dial. If you want to produce high-quality sound, it is important that you buy a high-quality head unit. The head unit is responsible for powering the system, and a low- quality model will have low performance. For instance, it might crackle and crack at loud volumes, as it can’t generate the necessary power needed to run the speakers at a reasonable speed.

2.The speakers: the speakers are responsible for producing the sound. They need to be able to deal well with a range of frequencies. You will find two main types of car speaker:

a.Coaxial speakers
b.Component speakers

To understand the difference you need to know a little bit about the different types of speaker. There are three main types of speaker in any audio system. These are the tweeters, the woofers and the sub woofers. Each is responsible for processing different sound frequencies. Tweeters deal with high frequencies, sub woofers with low frequency, and the woofers dealing with the middle ground. With component speakers, each of these types of speaker comes as separate units, but with coaxial speakers the woofer and tweeters are located within a single unit.

This affects sound quality, with component speakers offering superior sound. However, they are also more expensive, and they take up more space, so it is a matter of balance: do you prefer fantastic sound quality, or are you happy to take a slightly lower quality (you might not notice the difference – many people don’t) for convenience sake?

3.Amplifiers: the amplifier can generate greater power through the system. If the head unit is relatively weak, from a power point of view, then the amplifier can help boost this, and thereby drive the speakers to a higher output. However, you need to buy a good quality amplifier, such as by Sony car audio, or you will lose out on sound quality, volume and clarity.

 4.Equalisers and crossovers: this is getting a bit more technical now, but these two features allow you to have certain control over the audio. The equaliser can be used to change the balance of high and low frequency sounds. For instance, you may have one song that sounds better with the treble up (played though the tweeters) and another that sounds better with the bass up (played through the woofers). Crossovers allow you to separate the various components of sound and allow you to use the different types of speaker in the first place.

As mentioned in the first paragraph, this is a simple guideline to the basics of car audio. You can now research each section in turn to develop a better understanding of car audio.

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What to Look for When Buying a New Car Stereo

New car stereos are something most people don’t think about often; the majority of people simply stick with the factory-installed stereo. For various reasons, this doesn’t always pan out as expected.

For example, they make break down and stop working; you may be an audiophile and the factory-installed stereo doesn’t offer the music quality required; you might want different features to those offered. For instance, if your car is more than 5 years old, you may not have MP3 compatibility. In short, there are a number of reasons why people may choose to buy a new stereo.

However, given the lack of knowledge about this technology, making a decision can be confusing. Here, we’re going to think about some of the features and qualities that you should consider when buying your new stereo.

The Head Unit

The head unit is the control panel of the entire system. You need to get this right because it is the piece of equipment that you will use most, and if you’re unhappy with it, you’ll likely be unhappy with your entire audio capacity.

You will find tens of different manufacturers, form Pioneer car stereos, to Sony car stereos. You should do your research into the various brands, because different people have different preferences. For instance, many people like Sony because they work with Android, but people with iPhones may prefer an alternative manufacturer.

When choosing your head unit, consider the following:

1.Audio formats: what audio formats does it allow? Does it let you play CDs, DVDs, MP3s, MP4s, radio? Which of these suits you most? For example, some of you will have extensive CD collections, so to purchase an MP3 head unit would mean buying a new music library. Alternatively, you could purchase a stereo, such as the Pioneer car stereos, that enable you to play multiple formats.

2.Sound quality control: if you’re an audiophile, then chances are that you want a high degree of control over sound production. Make sure that the equaliser offers you the degree of control required. A good equaliser will offer you superb control over treble, bass and medium frequencies, allowing you to control these levels depending on the song/audio file.

3.External control: it’s widely considered dangerous to play around with controls while driving. Many audio manufacturers have tackled this problem by providing hands free technologies, as well as steering wheel controls. This makes the system much safer and minimises distractions from the driver.

4.Display: today, you generally have a choice of two different types of display: the simple ones, which just appear as panels with a jack; and the futuristic looking ones, with the bright blue/red/green lights. Clearly, your choice is a matter of taste, but trends appear to be moving towards the simpler design.

5.Anti-theft technology: finally, you should probably pay some mind to the anti-theft technologies. Pioneer car stereos, and other manufacturers, have moved this technology on significantly. There are many different anti-theft features on modern stereos, so do your research to make sure that you choose one that suits your needs.

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Improving In Car Audio: Buying the Right Speakers

Most people are happy to use the speakers that come factory-installed with their car. Other people, though – the audiophiles – feel that the quality is somewhat lacking. If you feel like this, then it may be time to change your in-car stereo system. Before you go about buying a new head unit, make sure that the issue is in fact not your speakers. Here, we will discuss the process of testing and buying new speakers.

Your Budget

The first thing that you have to do is to decide upon a budget. You need to know what you can afford to buy, before you start looking for a product. This will help you to narrow your search, which to be frank, would mean trawling through 100s of different speakers without search parameters. It will also allow you to establish which sort of brands fall within your budget. For example, the better quality manufactures, such as Pioneer car audio, may be out of your budget. By setting your budget, you will know where to look for your speakers, but you’ll also help to avoid disappointment.

Choose Your Brand

Find several models of speaker within your budget, and then do some research. For instance, if you find a selection of Pioneer car audio speakers, then you will need to research each in turn. You should be looking at the following:

•Are they coaxial or component speakers? Component speakers offer superior sound quality, but they also may require some in-car modification. You will also need to position the tweeters yourself, so you need to understand a bit about crossover to make sure that you get this right.

•What level of control do you have over the speakers? Does your head unit have an equaliser? The equaliser will allow you to play with the bass, treble and medium frequency sounds.

•Will they fit in your car? Casings and mountings for car speakers have specific dimensions, which may not necessarily fit with the size of the speakers. If this happens, you will need to make modifications to your car (if you buy these speakers) and this can be expensive.

Visit Your Local Car Stereo Store

Next, visit your local car stereo store and ask them if you can listen to the speakers that you've chosen. They will usually be able to pair up the speakers with a similar head unit, so that you can get a realistic understanding of the sound quality offered.

Be careful when doing this, because the shop may link the speakers to an amplifier, and this can create a different sound than it would in your car. Ask to listen without the amplifier.

Buy Your Speakers

Although it may be rude to buy the speakers from somewhere else, once you’ve listened in store, for those of you on a tight budget, it may be better for you to buy the speakers online. The internet offers much better prices than real-world retailers do. However, before walking away from the store, tell them about your better offer, and ask them if they can match it.

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