Clear sound is considered to be one of the most important elements of a great home theater experience. Quality sound really brings film to life and that fact spurs many home theater aficionados to select their home speakers and sound equipment with great care.
Too often, though, the speakers that sounded great in the listening room don’t pack the same punch when installed at home. The issue is usually related to speaker positioning.
There are a few factors anyone should consider when installing home speakers. One should be aware of proper distancing, height and angling (also referred to as toe-in). Sometimes the perfect set-up is outlined in the owner’s manuals and documentation that come with the speakers. In other cases, it’s necessary to evaluate proper positioning with a “trial and error” technique.
If your speakers aren’t bringing the movies to life for your home theater system, don’t give up and go purchase a new sound system until you first double-check the positioning of your speakers. Even small adjustments can have a huge impact.
By finding the optimal positioning for your speakers, you can breathe new life in what you may have believed to be an inferior speaker. You can also begin to enjoy the movies the way you had hoped to when you first decided to invest in a home theater system.
See also: Outdoor Speakers
Subwoofers have been used widely in cars to enhance the sound quality and make the driving experience more enjoyable. There are 4 main sizes of car subwoofers:
8 inch subwoofers: They are considered to be the smallest subwoofers for pumping out bass without sacrificing trunk space.
10 inch subwoofers: They are commonly used subwoofers for installations where space is at a premium.
12 inch Subwoofers: They are the most common subwoofer size; 12" subs provide good response at low frequencies.
15 Subwoofers: They are larger car subwoofers that hit harder and even deeper than 12 inch subwoofers.
Before you buy your next subwoofer, it’s really important to check out which subwoofers fits your needs the most. This way, you will eliminate any future problems when it comes to installing you sub.
8 inch subwoofers: They are considered to be the smallest subwoofers for pumping out bass without sacrificing trunk space.
10 inch subwoofers: They are commonly used subwoofers for installations where space is at a premium.
12 inch Subwoofers: They are the most common subwoofer size; 12" subs provide good response at low frequencies.
15 Subwoofers: They are larger car subwoofers that hit harder and even deeper than 12 inch subwoofers.
Before you buy your next subwoofer, it’s really important to check out which subwoofers fits your needs the most. This way, you will eliminate any future problems when it comes to installing you sub.
Be sure to select the wiring kit that's appropriate for your amplifier. Kits come in a variety of sizes: 10-gauge, 8-gauge, 4-gauge:
- 2 Gauge amp wiring kits: Mainly used for high powered systems and you need to buy a capacitor as well.
- 4 Gauge amp wiring kits: Generally for systems 400 to 1000 watts.
- 8 Gauge amp wiring kits: Is used for systems 100-200 watts.
- 2 Gauge amp wiring kits: Mainly used for high powered systems and you need to buy a capacitor as well.
- 4 Gauge amp wiring kits: Generally for systems 400 to 1000 watts.
- 8 Gauge amp wiring kits: Is used for systems 100-200 watts.
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.
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 Blog
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
What is at the heart of cool cars everywhere? Is it the speed they can travel at? Is it the thought of the wind brushing your hair? If it's the latter, then you have a soft top (convertible), or someone's pinched your roof!
Details or Sample:
What is at the heart of cool cars everywhere? Is it the speed they can travel at? Is it the thought of the wind brushing your hair? If it's the latter, then you have a soft top (convertible), or someone's pinched your roof!
Well, it could be either of these things. Or perhaps cool cars mean something else to you entirely. But to me, it is the shape of the car. Not so much cool cars but cool curves ... Sexist? Perhaps, but true none the less. I think I classic car is defined by it's architecture.
Look at any sports models over the years. What has defined them, made them stand out? Ok, the price is one thing, but take a step back and really think about what makes a hot car so cool?
There is something else that makes a car cool, at least as far as I am concerned. And that is the interior. Or to be more precise, what the interior is made of. My first car lives in my memory to this day, and surely that is the mark of a cool car. I can remember the smell of the leather seats and look of the wooden dash surround. Plastic just doesn't cut it, especially not in more mass produced models.
And it had curves!
So what else puts the cool into a car for you?
For me personally, low is cool. The closer I am to the ground, the better I feel. Some people like to have a high vantage point, and perhaps that is cool to them. It certainly helps to have a better view of the road from a practical point of view.
For many, the colour of a car defines its 'cool'. Red is often the colour to fuel associated with the hottest cars around (not surprisingly really). But what about black? There is something mystical about jet black automobiles, don't you think? To some, an unusual colour is the height of chic as far as a car is concerned. You might not like bright yellow or lime green, but your will always notice them, won't you. And to some folk, that is all that is required from a cool car.
Details or Sample:
What is at the heart of cool cars everywhere? Is it the speed they can travel at? Is it the thought of the wind brushing your hair? If it's the latter, then you have a soft top (convertible), or someone's pinched your roof!
Well, it could be either of these things. Or perhaps cool cars mean something else to you entirely. But to me, it is the shape of the car. Not so much cool cars but cool curves ... Sexist? Perhaps, but true none the less. I think I classic car is defined by it's architecture.
Look at any sports models over the years. What has defined them, made them stand out? Ok, the price is one thing, but take a step back and really think about what makes a hot car so cool?
There is something else that makes a car cool, at least as far as I am concerned. And that is the interior. Or to be more precise, what the interior is made of. My first car lives in my memory to this day, and surely that is the mark of a cool car. I can remember the smell of the leather seats and look of the wooden dash surround. Plastic just doesn't cut it, especially not in more mass produced models.
And it had curves!
So what else puts the cool into a car for you?
For me personally, low is cool. The closer I am to the ground, the better I feel. Some people like to have a high vantage point, and perhaps that is cool to them. It certainly helps to have a better view of the road from a practical point of view.
For many, the colour of a car defines its 'cool'. Red is often the colour to fuel associated with the hottest cars around (not surprisingly really). But what about black? There is something mystical about jet black automobiles, don't you think? To some, an unusual colour is the height of chic as far as a car is concerned. You might not like bright yellow or lime green, but your will always notice them, won't you. And to some folk, that is all that is required from a cool car.
Wholesale Car audio and video components have been increasing in cars recently due to the vast technology in car electronics to provide a high level of comfort and luxury. Every car (especially new) is equipped with 6 speakers and a head unit with CD/DVD player and GPS navigation system. Some car fans even upgrade their sound system with after the market subwoofer and amplifier for better sound quality. I’ll explain the main components of any car audio system below:
- Car speakers:
Car speakers actually reproduce the sound from electrical energy. Basically, there are two types of speaker "systems" that exist.
1. "Coaxial", "three way", "full-range", etc.
These speaker systems are designed to fit into the factory speaker located in your vehicle. They are often called a "speaker", but have more than one speaker, and will also contain a crossover.
2. "Components", "Seperates"
These speaker systems basically take everything from the above speaker system, and break it up into parts.
- Car subwoofers:
Car Subwoofers are loudspeakers made to generate the lowest frequencies, or bass end of the audible sound range. Car Subwoofers range from 4 inches in diameter all the way up to 36" meant for highly specialized scientific purposes. Subwoofer cones must move in and out with the longest possible extension because sound waves get longer as they get lower in frequency.
- Car GPS navigation systems:
Car navigation systems is an inexpensive upgrade to any vehicle. Aftermarket navigation systems use the newest technology and mapping software to get you from point “A” to point “B” without error. GPS navigation systems come with different types including Portable GPS and In Dash Navigation systems which usually include a Touch-Screen Monitor.
- Car amplifiers:
Car amplifiers are devices that take a small audio signal from a pre-amp, some power from your battery, and pass it on as a big audio signal to drive speakers. Audio amplifier power is measured in watts. The higher the watts, the more power the amplifier has. How much power you need depends on what you want out of your system. Amplifiers comes with different types such as Class D Amplifiers and Multi-channel Amplifiers.
Other car audio and video resources: Pioneer Avic - Marine Audio.
Car Blog
- Car speakers:
Car speakers actually reproduce the sound from electrical energy. Basically, there are two types of speaker "systems" that exist.
1. "Coaxial", "three way", "full-range", etc.
These speaker systems are designed to fit into the factory speaker located in your vehicle. They are often called a "speaker", but have more than one speaker, and will also contain a crossover.
2. "Components", "Seperates"
These speaker systems basically take everything from the above speaker system, and break it up into parts.
- Car subwoofers:
Car Subwoofers are loudspeakers made to generate the lowest frequencies, or bass end of the audible sound range. Car Subwoofers range from 4 inches in diameter all the way up to 36" meant for highly specialized scientific purposes. Subwoofer cones must move in and out with the longest possible extension because sound waves get longer as they get lower in frequency.
- Car GPS navigation systems:
Car navigation systems is an inexpensive upgrade to any vehicle. Aftermarket navigation systems use the newest technology and mapping software to get you from point “A” to point “B” without error. GPS navigation systems come with different types including Portable GPS and In Dash Navigation systems which usually include a Touch-Screen Monitor.
- Car amplifiers:
Car amplifiers are devices that take a small audio signal from a pre-amp, some power from your battery, and pass it on as a big audio signal to drive speakers. Audio amplifier power is measured in watts. The higher the watts, the more power the amplifier has. How much power you need depends on what you want out of your system. Amplifiers comes with different types such as Class D Amplifiers and Multi-channel Amplifiers.
Other car audio and video resources: Pioneer Avic - Marine Audio.
Car Blog
Kicker 07S10X2 Info:
THE HYPE Last year, the news spread like wildfire about the mammoth 18-inch subwoofer, nearly 100 pounds and 10,000 peak watts of pure pounding fury that uses a field-replaceable cone/coil assembly. Now enters the next chapter in the SoloX saga – the supersized smackdown is now available in a 10 and 12 too! KICKER’s most advanced subwoofers ever, the SoloX has been engineered with serious autosound competitors in mind. The SPL levels can get brutal in the lanes (many interiors have buckled under SoloX pressure), but the SoloX has already earned its sound-quality stripes too, winning IASCA and USACi SQ world championships. That means they sound good… really good. In its first year, the S18X set the industry on its ears (probably for protection!) with its heavy introduction, and it remains the centerpiece in the KICKER lineup with unimaginable power handling (5,000 watts RMS; 10,000 watts peak) and freakish size. All three use a field-replaceable, stamped-steel cone/coil assembly called a SPAIR. When it gets that loud, subs sometimes blow up, and we know you guys will give it a shot. That’s what the SPAIR is for – leave the BAM™ (Basket And Motor assembly) in the install and bring in the cone/coil piece for replacement.
Kicker 07S10X2
10" Solo X Series Subwoofer
Titanium Deposit Impregnated Cone
Stitched Rubber Surround
Simple Pull Apart Insertable Replacement
Stamped steel basket
Strain relief boots on tinsel lead wires
UniPlate V.2™ extended pole/backplate assembly
S4 Quad Spider Array
3.5" Dual 2 ohm Voice Coil
Car Audio Blog
THE HYPE Last year, the news spread like wildfire about the mammoth 18-inch subwoofer, nearly 100 pounds and 10,000 peak watts of pure pounding fury that uses a field-replaceable cone/coil assembly. Now enters the next chapter in the SoloX saga – the supersized smackdown is now available in a 10 and 12 too! KICKER’s most advanced subwoofers ever, the SoloX has been engineered with serious autosound competitors in mind. The SPL levels can get brutal in the lanes (many interiors have buckled under SoloX pressure), but the SoloX has already earned its sound-quality stripes too, winning IASCA and USACi SQ world championships. That means they sound good… really good. In its first year, the S18X set the industry on its ears (probably for protection!) with its heavy introduction, and it remains the centerpiece in the KICKER lineup with unimaginable power handling (5,000 watts RMS; 10,000 watts peak) and freakish size. All three use a field-replaceable, stamped-steel cone/coil assembly called a SPAIR. When it gets that loud, subs sometimes blow up, and we know you guys will give it a shot. That’s what the SPAIR is for – leave the BAM™ (Basket And Motor assembly) in the install and bring in the cone/coil piece for replacement.
Kicker 07S10X2
Car Audio Blog
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