If you visit a new car dealership these days, you’ll notice more and more cars, trucks and SUVs with small touchscreen displays that are mounted in front of or above the dash. While these infotainment systems provide you with AM/FM terrestrial radio, SiriusXM Satellite radio and playback of all your favorite digital media files, these systems aren’t traditional car radios in the classic sense of the word. Confused? There’s no need to be; we’ll explain.

What is a Classic Car Radio?

For decades, the standard for car radios was a chassis that measured roughly 2 inches in height and 7 inches in width. This standard, known as ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 7736, was based on DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) 75490 or 180 mm by 50 mm. Although never popular in North American vehicles, ISO 10487 defined a set of standards for radio connectors and wire harness colors. The colors are used by all aftermarket radio manufacturers, but few adopted the connectors due to their large size.

Contained within these tight confines is a power supply, an AM/FM receiver and, depending on your age, possible a cassette player, a CD mechanism, along with support for digital media playback by USB or a combination of these technologies.

Where is the Radio in My New Car?

If you were to look for the “radio” in a new car, you might find a metal box with two or three multi-pin connectors on it. There isn’t likely to be a display affixed to the box, nor any controls. Referred to by Japanese head unit manufacturers as a “silver box” design, these radio modules interface with the controls and displays already built into the dash, center console and steering wheel of your vehicle. Depending on the design of your vehicle, these silver boxes may be mounted in the dash, under a seat or in the cargo area of the vehicle.

How Can I Upgrade My Car Stereo?

If you happen to have purchased a vehicle that is designed around a silver box radio, you can still upgrade your car stereo system. You won’t be starting with a new radio. Your upgrade will come in the form of better speakers, more-powerful amplifiers, a subwoofer or a digital signal processor. In the hands of a properly trained mobile enhancement retailer, every aspect of the listening experience in your car can be improved: clarity, detail, tonal balance, low-frequency extension and — of course — overall volume level. You just have to explain your goals and let their expertise guide you to the end goal.

What If I Want to Upgrade the Technology in My Vehicle?

Say, for example, that your vehicle didn’t come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Companies like NAV-TV offer upgrades for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Lexus and Range Rover vehicles to add these smartphone interface technologies. More applications are always in the works.

Likewise, companies like VAIS Technology offer Satellite Radio interfaces that work with Toyota, Scion, Honda, Hyundai, Ford, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Fiat, Nissan, Mazda, Porsche, Chevrolet, GMC, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Land Rover, Alfa Romeo and Subaru factory radios. They also have Bluetooth add-on modules for many Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Finally, if your new vehicle didn’t come with a CD player, companies like Automotive Integration Solutions (AIS) have add-on solutions that work with your USB port.

Upgrade Your Car Stereo Today!

If the entertainment system that came with your vehicle doesn’t offer the features or performance you want, drop by your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer today to find out how it can be improved. They’d be happy to make your commute to work or school a little more enjoyable through new infotainment options.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

As we continue our deep-dive into the functions of car audio digital signal processors, we’ve reached the topic of crossovers. Many people overlook the importance of configuring crossovers properly to achieve a smooth frequency response. Let’s take a look at what a crossover does and why your technician must set them correctly to protect your speakers.

What Is a Crossover?

All speakers, no matter their size, have limits in terms of their ability to reproduce low-frequency audio information at high levels. For small speakers like a tweeter or midrange driver, attempting to produce bass is a recipe for disaster. Crossovers are used to limit the audio information being sent to a speaker above or below a set frequency.

High-pass crossovers allow information higher than the set frequency to go to the speaker. Low-pass filters do the opposite – they pass audio information below the crossover frequency.

High-pass filters are used to prevent bass and midrange information from being sent to tweeters. Low-pass filters are used to prevent midrange and high-frequency information from being sent to a subwoofer. For midbass and midrange speakers, we combine a high- and low-pass filter to create what’s known as a bandpass filter. A bandpass filter has limited low- and high-frequency information.

Crossovers have three defining characteristics: the crossover frequency, the attenuation rate and the type of crossover response curve.

Crossover Frequency

Depending on the response curve chosen, the crossover frequency defines the -3 dB or -6 dB point for the filter. When setting crossovers between midbass woofers, midrange speakers and tweeters, we want the output to sum flat – as though there were no crossover, and we had a single speaker that would play through the entire audio range. To achieve this, we need the crossover frequencies for both speakers to be the same.

Crossover Slope

The slope describes how fast audio signals in the stop-band are attenuated. A crossover isn’t a brick wall or a switch. Say you set a high-pass crossover at 3 kHz for a tweeter. You still get output at 2.5 kHz and 2.0 kHz. The rate at which that output attenuates is the slope. The slope is described by how much the output is reduced per octave away from the crossover point. The most commonly used slopes are -12 and -24 dB/octave.

Crossover Response Options

Some companies describe the shape of the filter response using different terms – alignment, damping or simply crossover type. These options describe the behavior of the filter around the crossover point and how the output sums with an adjacent filter. This is a topic that could fill a textbook, but suffice it to say that some types work better in car audio applications than others. Your technician should know what to use to achieve the flattest response and best speaker radiation pattern around the crossover frequency.

Choosing the Right DSP

Most of the high-quality digital signal processors on the market have very flexible crossover frequency, slope and response options. Where you need to pay attention is in choosing a DSP that has enough channels for your system, and in ensuring that any channel can be configured with any type of crossover. In some cases, manufacturers link channels together. While usually acceptable for conventional systems, linking presents limits when you want to drive a center channel speaker.

Lastly, and most importantly, you want to choose a technician who has the tools (a calibrated RTA) and the training to ensure that the crossovers that he or she configures for your audio system protect speakers adequately. Of course, the system also needs to be designed using speakers that complement each other and deliver smooth sound distribution throughout the vehicle. Start with your local specialty mobile enhancement retailer. Ask to hear some of their demo vehicles. Ask what RTA they use, how long they take to configure a system, and how they ensure it’s adjusted to suit your listening preferences.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

If you are a fan of upgraded car audio systems, then you might have noticed that technology has made things a lot more complicated. Years ago, it was easy to upgrade your stereo. A new radio, some new speakers and maybe a subwoofer like a Bazooka Tube were all you needed to improve on the factory sound system. Since 2010 (depending on the vehicle), even mid-level OEM audio systems have been able to rival or exceed what would have been deemed an upgrade years ago. While still a long way from what creates a true audiophile-grade listening experience, the technology used to achieve impressive performance levels has made upgrading things challenging.

Why are OEM Audio Systems So Complicated?

Vehicle manufacturers are in a constant battle with the laws of physics to provide their clients with the most performance, comfort, features and fuel economy for their dollar. Smaller turbocharged engines with fuel injection have more than doubled fuel economy as compared to the big carbureted V8s from the ’60s. Blind-spot monitoring and anti-lock braking systems help us prevent accidents. When it comes to audio systems, compact Class-D amplifiers with integrated digital signal processing allow OEM audio suppliers like Harman, Bose and Panasonic to deliver impressive audio performance from a compact, lightweight package.

The technology in these audio systems not only sounds OK at low and moderate volume levels, depending on the vehicle, but can also provide realistic imaging and staging from both front seats. Until a few years ago, the car audio aftermarket couldn’t deliver the same two-seat performance without a complex and potentially costly installation.

Upgrade Your Factory Stereo with a Subwoofer

If you have a complex sound system that includes a center channel or any sort of 3D processing features, your local car stereo shop can still upgrade the system for better sound. The first step would be to add a subwoofer. Very few (if any) systems can’t benefit from better bass performance with extended low-frequency performance that a subwoofer can provide. If you are imagining a large enclosure in the trunk of your car, don’t fret. Today, most upgrades can be concealed in the spare tirewell, behind or under the rear seat in a truck, or in a trim panel in the cargo area of an SUV.

Crank the Volume with a High-Power Amplifier

If you want the system to play louder, then adding a multi-channel amplifier with an integrated digital signal processor is a good starting point. A new six-channel with DSP amp can deliver as much as 150 watts of power to the front speakers to ensure you never run out of juice when you crank up the volume. Most of these amplifiers have provisions for a subwoofer amplifier with a processed signal so your installer can tune the subwoofer once it’s added to the system.

If you’d added an amplifier and some tuning capability, then upgrading the system with new speakers is the icing on the cake in terms of getting great sound. Truly high-quality speakers include features like copper or aluminum shorting rings, copper T-yoke caps, and flat-wound voice coils to reduce distortion and improve clarity. When paired with a quality amplifier and tuned to compensate for the acoustics of your vehicle, new speakers will transform the listening experience into something truly amazing.

Factory Amplifier Replacement Interfaces

Companies like NAV-TV, Metra, PAC and mObridge offer interfaces that allow your installer to replace a factory amplifier and open up complete flexibility in terms of designing a new audio system. If you want to eliminate the signal processing that came with the factory stereo and pick your amplifiers and processors, then one of these interfaces is a perfect starting point. The interfaces work with many factory-installed audio systems that use MOST, A2B and CAN communication protocols and will typically eliminate Active Noise Control (ANC) and systems that inject engine sounds into the audio system.

Embrace Modern Car Audio Technology

Even though modern automotive infotainment systems have become exceedingly complex, your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer can take the best of what the vehicle manufacturer provided and spice it up with a subwoofer, new amplifier and better speakers. If the stereo in your car or truck doesn’t put a smile on your face, drop by a local shop and see what they can do to help!

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.