Frequently Asked Questions:
Thinking of changing the sound system in your car but don’t have a good reason?
Why replace your factory radio?
Two good reasons – sound quality and cool features. A new car stereo offers power that’s superior to most factory radios, along with more sophisticated tone controls. And most car stereos offer built-in or optional features that add safety and fun to life in your car, including inputs for your iPod or MP3 player, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free cell phone calls, satellite radio or HD Radio reception, and connections for building an audio system in your car.
Why install component speakers?
A component speaker system gives you the best possible performance from your car audio system. A system consists of separate woofers, tweeters, and crossovers, each designed to cover one specific range of frequencies. As separate components, the woofer can move freely to deliver more powerful performance, while the tweeter can be custom-mounted in a better spot up closer to your ears, revealing a whole new world of detail. Separate crossovers are far superior to the simple filters wired into full-range speakers, so the components work together for smoother, more focused sound.
Why replace your car’s original speakers?
The speakers that originally came in your car were made from inexpensive materials, designed to create acceptable sound at the lowest possible cost to the manufacturer. If you love music, you deserve better. Name-brand aftermarket speakers deliver fuller, richer sound with considerably more detail and nuance, and they’re capable of playing louder and cleaner than factory speakers. Connect new speakers to your factory radio and you’ll get the best possible sound from your dealer-equipped system. Pair them up with a new car stereo for a level of enjoyment that can rival a high-fidelity home audio experience.
My system has plenty of power. Who needs an amp?
You might think you don’t need an amp because you have a 400-watt system in your car, or because your new stereo puts out 50 watts a channel. But those are peak wattage ratings, which may boil down to 15 or 20 watts per channel, using the more realistic RMS rating. An amp sends your speakers the power they need to deliver your music with clarity and impact, whether you’re using factory speakers or high-performance components. And low-frequency reproduction requires lots of power, so an amp is an absolute must if you’re adding a sub to your system.
What’s a component sub and why would I want one?
A component sub is simply a speaker that’s designed to reproduce bass once it’s installed in a compatible enclosure. Think about the impact of a movie soundtrack in a big theater or even in your own home HDTV setup. A component sub can add the same kind of power to the music in your car. And a car sub is not all about the boom that you hear on a street corner (although that’s cool too) – you can pair a component sub with your choice of enclosure to get bass just the way you like it, from tight and punchy to fat and loose. And once you experience music in your car with a well-tuned subwoofer, you’ll never go back.