Car Electronics Articles

The most common and familiar piece of Car audio equipment is the radio/tape player/CD player/DVD Player which is generically called as a Head unit, which also can be called a head deck, after older tape decks. It is also the most likely component to be upgraded with an aftermarket item. A recent development in head unit technology has been the addition of CD players with MP3, Ogg, WMA, AAC, and USB, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support. Even with the rampant ubiquity of solid state MP3 players, car audio systems with line-in jacks and other standards are only in their infancy, and that since tape adaptors are often used with tape players, people are now viewing car radios with built-in CD players as "misfeatures" of the audio system since people now often "rip" their CDs onto their computers.Most modern cars include at least a CD player/ CD recorder, and some have the option for a CD changer, which holds multiple disks either in the head unit itself or in a separate unit usually located in a trunk or console.More recent is the addition of DVD players and LCD screens. Depending on the head unit, the LCD screen is either integrated such that it slides out and folds up, or integrated into the instrument console. Otherwise, the DVD head unit feeds video output into separately mounted displays, either folding down from the roof, or mounted into the headrest for viewing by rear seat passengers.

The video screen may also show video output of an integrated component such as a navigation system 3G cell phone or parking cameras that could be automatically activated when the car is put into reverse.

Advances in electronics allowed additions to the basic radio and Motorola offered 45 rpm disc players fitted to some Chryslers from as early as 1956. Tape players using reel to reel equipment followed but their bulk ensured popularity was limited but this changed in 1964 when Philips launched the Compact Cassette. Other early manufacturers and car enthusiasts started building extra car audio amplifiers to run on 12 volts (the standard voltage in automotive electrical systems). Jim Fosgate, later to become the founder of Rockford Fosgate subwoofers, was one such pioneer. The company a/d/s also brought an amplifier to market in 1978.At first, speakers from the home audio and professional markets were simply installed into vehicles. However, they were not well suited to the extremes of temperature and vibration which are a normal part of the environment of an automobile. Modified drivers were developed to cope with these factors.Today, advances in acoustic technology mean that even two 10-inch car speakers in a well-designed efficient enclosure can produce more than 100 decibels SPL (sound pressure level) within the cabin.

Car audio competitions started in the early 1980s in a quest to find the loudest and/or most outrageous installations. For example, in 1985, Wayne Harris famously modified a 1960 Cadillac Hearse to feature three 24-inch subwoofers as well as eight 12 inch car subwoofers. Little consideration was given to sound quality early on, but in the early 1990s, several organizations, including IASCA, began car audio competitions focusing on sound quality. The two styles -- SPL vs. sound quality -- have become almost mutually exclusive. The loudness competitions have become known as dB drag racing.

Below are important car audio companies:

Car Audio Blog

Pioneer Car Audio
Kicker Car Audio
JVC Car Audio
Kenwood Car Audio
Alpine Car Audio