Tips On Choosing A Car Audio System

Car audio has moved a long way from the old standard AM/FM Radio/Tape Deck combo. Today, in-vehicle multimedia systems include DVD video, television and navigation systems with local hotspot news. Common to all systems is the sound quality.

The quality of sound in a car audio system depends upon a number of factors - the type and quality of the media player system, the type of speakers used, the acoustics of the vehicle and interference from other devices.

Type and Quality of Media Player System

Before we look at the different types of in-vehicle media players it pays to have a basic understanding of audio quality. When deciding what type of audio system to install, and also when comparing one make and model to another, there are two key specifications to consider:

Signal-to-noise ratio [SNR] - a measure of signal strength compared to background noise in the signal or equipment. Measured in decibels. The higher the dB, the better. A car CD player has an SNR of 90 or 100 dB.

Frequency response [FR] - a measure of how much of the audio spectrum, from bass to treble, gets reproduced. It's measured as a range in Hertz, and the wider the range, the better. Look for a CD player with a range of at least 10-20k Hz.

An FM radio, cassette player, and CD player all have different measurements for these specs. To help understand these two specifications, let's compare a car tape cassette player and a car CD player.

Cassette player has an SNR of 50-70 dB. This is much lower than a CD player, so the sound quality degrades at each end of the spectrum. The FR is around 30-18k Hz for a cassette player, so does not contribute as much to sound quality as the SNR.

That's why overall, a car CD player gives a much better sound than a cassette tape player.

Media players in vehicles today are either radio tuner, CD player/changer, or Digital Audio player.

CD Players & Changers

There are a number of options when it comes to playing CD's in a vehicle:

• An in-dash CD Player - often combined with radio tuner, WMA/MP3 player
• An in-dash CD Receiver - with a multiple CD cassette / changer located elsewhere in the vehicle
• Connect a portable CD player to an existing in-dash audio unit using either a cable and adapter or a bluetooth wireless connection.

1. Will it physically fit into the vehicle?
2. Will it integrate cosmetically with the dash and other electronics?

• Design or Speaker Type
• Technical Specifications
• Fitting & Mounting

Article Source: http://www.content.onlypunjab.com

Nicola is the product reviewer for Go-Reviews.com. For reviews on consumer and business technology, the latest technology news, product releases and recalls and useful hints on getting the best from your technology. With such a range of combinations available the Internet provides a valuable resource in car electronics reviews

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