Diverse Waves of Music in Your Car - Part II

By By: audio systems,automobile,digital sound,saneesh michael

Published: Monday, December 3, 2007, 18:50 [IST]

Music systems are of great value when it comes to the entertainment of passengers on board. Every car owner dreams of the best music system fitted into his dashboard. Today there are verities of car audio systems available in market. Before purchasing a music system for your car there are few essential things that you need to know and take care. First of all you should know if the particular music system you wish to purchase is best fitting to your car and your needs. There are different versions of systems manufactured for high end cars and common utility vehicles. The music system meant for an SUV may not give so much of musical effect in a small car. There for the necessary knowledge about various music systems may help you to have the best music system fitted in your car.

Tips on choosing a music system

Car audio has moved a long way from the old standard AM/FM Radio/Tape Deck combo. Today multimedia systems which include DVD video, television and navigation systems with local hot-spot news are available to choose from.

The primary thing is to be noticed is the sound quality of the device. 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. SNR and FR of the system should be inspected. SNR is signal-to-noise ratio, 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. FR is the frequency response, 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.

Audio cassettes have long back been replaced by CDs and DVDs. There are devices which can play all the CD formats along with the facility of FM radio tuner. When choosing a car CD player the first two things to consider are: Will it physically fit into the vehicle? Will it integrate cosmetically with the dash and other electronics?

How to tune up your music system?

One of the best things you can do for your car audio system is to properly tune it. An amplified system with one or two sub woofers may make an ideal system, which will give you the best sound and durability you want from it. You need to have a head unit with a good, strong output signal, between 4 and 5 volts on its pre-outs. When tuning the system start by tuning the stereo without the subs on. Add your bass and treble until you get the desired sound with minimal distortion at the loudest volume. This is generally about 2/3 max volume.

Once you get the clear sound with the low/mid/high sound from the multi-range speakers, you can add in the subs. If applicable, tune the sub outputs to about 2/3 maximum, and head to the amp. Start at the amp and adjust the frequency and the level to minimum, and turn the volume up to the the same loudest point. Pull the frequency to about half way, and slowly adjust the power level upwards. If you hit the zone you want, stay there. This is the simplest safe adjusting technique with a speaker system that matches the power output of the amplifier. If you want more from your system, incrementally adjust the frequency down slightly with the increases in power level.

Article Published On: Monday, December 3, 2007, 18:50 [IST]

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