Many new cars and trucks come with a feature called stop-start technology. This system senses when the car is stopped at a red light or stop sign and shuts down the engine to save fuel. As soon as you release the brake pedal, the engine starts up again, and you’re on your way. The question […]
Don’t Put All Your Songs in One Folder on Your USB Drive
With the rise in popularity of digital media files over the last decade, car audio enthusiasts find themselves being more likely to carry a USB memory stick than a stack of compact disks. When it comes to organizing all those MP3, WMA, AAC and FLAC files, most manufacturers suggest that you don’t put all the […]
Product Spotlight: ARC Audio SW Subwoofers
Producing great bass in a pickup truck requires a subwoofer with shallow mounting requirements and impressive excursion capabilities. The new SW-Series of subwoofers from ARC Audio includes 10- and 12-inch solutions that deliver class-leading performance from their front-magnet, shallow-basket design. ARC Audio SW12 Subwoofer Launched at KnowledgeFest in August 2019, the first SW-Series solution to […]
How Does a Police Radar Gun Work?
Police officers in North America have been using radar guns to catch speeders since 1949. This relatively simple technology evolved from military applications before World War II, where long-range installations were the size of a medium-size apartment building. Modern radar guns aren’t quite pocket-sized, but they are easily transportable and can be hand-held or installed […]
Can You Upgrade The Stereo in a Hybrid or Electric Vehicle?
Hybrid and all-electric vehicles are a great platform for stereo system upgrade. While your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer can’t tap into the main battery pack, the electrical system on these cars or trucks is more than adequate to power an amplifier to drive new speakers or a subwoofer. There are several options for upgrades […]
Is it Possible to Underpower a Speaker?
One common misconception about speakers is that underpowering them can cause damage. This fallacy is supported by minimum power ratings from several manufacturers, which adds to the confusion. Never fear, we’re here to explain why you simply can’t damage a speaker by providing it with only a little bit of power, and we’ll clarify how […]
Smartphone Versus Built-in Navigation – Which Is Best?
There’s no denying the convenience of having a navigation system in your vehicle, whether it’s smartphone-based or built into your radio. With the nearly instant popularity of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, smartphone-connected radios are quickly replacing built-in navigation solutions as the upgrade of choice. The question is, which is the better navigation solution? Let’s […]
Tools of the Trade – The Digital Multimeter
Our continuing look at the tools a mobile enhancement technician should have at his or her disposal brings us to the ever-important digital multimeter. In the same way that an RTA or oscilloscope is needed to measure and quantify alternating-current signals, a high-quality multimeter is the only way to accurately quantify a DC or fixed-frequency […]
How Does a Car Audio Amplifier Work – The Class AB Output Stage
As we continue our look at how car audio amplifiers work, let’s discuss how the classic Class AB amplifier output stage works and explain why it’s still the benchmark for high-end audio systems. How Does a Class AB Output Stage Work? We recently looked at the power supply, the input stage and how Class D […]
Tools of the Trade – The RTA
Our series on the tools that are important to test and configure car audio system upgrades moves to the topic of the real-time audio analyzer, also known as an RTA or spectrum analyzer. This important tool helps installers measure the acoustic response of your mobile audio system, and it can be a fundamental component in […]
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