Basics of Car audio

by KEVIN VIDA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: What is car audio? Car audio is how we

describe the sound system fitted in an car.

A regular car audio system refers to a manufacturer installed system. A

custom car installation can involve anything from the upgrade of the radio to

a total custom fit-out. Events are held where people compete for the loudest

or most innovative systems.

The most common pieces of equipment are the radio/tape player/CD player/DVD

Player called a Head unit, or a head deck. These components are likely to be

upgraded with an after market product. Head unit technology has developed to

include CD players with MP3, Ogg, WMA, AAC, and USB, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

support. Car audio systems can have line-in jacks and other equipment

features like tape adaptors, and video touch screen that controlling;

navigation, dvd movies, mp3 players, back up cameras, and other accessories.

Most modern cars have a CD player/ CD recorder, and and optional CD changer,

which holds several CD's. Now the manufactures are offering DVD players and

LCD screens. LCD screens are located and integrated into things that slide

out and folds up, or the instrument panel and the DVD head unit. The screen

might show video output for a navigation system, 3G cell phone or parking

cameras.

Speakers are located in doors and rear shelves of a cars. High-end stereo

systems often have speakers mounted in kick panels, to accommodate larger

drivers and better controller placement. Before stereo radio was introduced,

the most common speaker location was in the middle of the dashboard. High-end

systems will have Component Speakers that have balanced tweeter, mid-range,

and woofer settings. They are available in two speaker and three speaker

combinations, and include an audio crossover to limit frequency ranges that

the speakers must handle. This allows each cone to produce optimal frequency

for maximum sound quality and volume. In addition subwoofers are provided for

bass and sub bass, the lower the frequency the less the ear picks it up, but

the vibration is more pronounced. Sub bass is omni-directional, meaning that

the ear can't figure out where the sound is coming from.

Amplifiers

Amplifiers make power to drive the speakers. The amplifier is a very

important component of a speaker system. It makes sure that the total power

handling capacity of the speakers is adhered to. Amplifiers commonly come in

two,four or six channels. Subwoofer amplifiers are mostly Mono Amplifiers. It

is common that multiple channels are marked for the exclusive use in allowing

for more than one channel to be used.

Capacitors

Capacitors are used to store energy for the amplifier. Capacitors are useful

because they can reduce voltage loss to other components in a car. Large

capacitors sometimes offset headlight and/or interior light dimming because

of too little amp draw from the alternator. A capacitor is only good for an

audio system trying to get too many amps from the electrical system. A

capacitor doesn't provide more power, it just stores it. The alternator must

have more than 20% amp power than the entire vehicle and sound system

combined for a capacitor to be of benefit. About 0.5 farad of capacitance is

needed for every 500 watts of power. A capacitor does not affect sound in any

way. It is strictly for power conditioning.