Monthly Archives: May 2010

Shoe Sale For The Big Boys: The Car Stereo Sale.

Announce a shoe sale, and the women come a’running. Announce a car stereo sale and the men, or more appropriately, the Big Boys come thundering with their checkbooks and wallets waving in the air.

The car stereo sale. This is every car audio, or even the regular audio enthusiasts’ Mecca. Only intense prayer is replaced by intense spending.

Car stereo sales happen at audio stores regularly. When a car audio manufacturer launches a new product, the prices of prior models drop drastically which may prompt the store or the brand name to initiate a car stereo sale. Most especially when a new technology comes out, a good example would be like the introduction of the Compact Disc technology, suddenly all cassette player car stereos became dirt cheap, no matter how cool that LED display might be.

Another avenue of car stereo sales are at expos and conventions. Most of the time, the good stuff come out at expos’, whether it be a car expo, audio system expo, but usually the largest car stereo sale happens at a gathering of car audio manufacturers. Well, at these kinds of expos’ and conventions, it’s not usually a sale because the manufacturers usually try to get buyers for their newest product. If you have the money and you’re out there to buy some serious hardware, then by all means, SPLURGE AWAY!

But first you have to know what it is you want to buy. Don’t go running off to a car stereo sale without knowing what it is your system needs. There are a lot of items in a car stereo sale, shiny, glittery and LOUD items that might get your attention but don’t let it tempt you to whip out your wallet just yet. Although most car audio enthusiasts need not be reminded of this (because they know their stuff well, it’s probably all they think about all day) any car stereo sale newbie might get the itch to impulse buy, especially when the item displays high wattage. Or even if it just looks spacy and high-tech.

When planning to go to a car stereo sale, you have to prepare, prepare, PREPARE. Take a good look at your audio system. What does it need? Do you need a complete overhaul of your stereo system? If it doesn’t really need anything but you just want to take it up a notch and upgrade it, make sure what you’re planning to buy is compatible with your existing system. Don’t but a high watt bazooka speaker if your amplifier can’t handle it. Although audio parts like these have very high resale value, save yourself some trouble and buy the right parts. You don’t want to end up buying a very expensive paperweight.

Also, do what other enthusiasts’ are doing. READ MAGAZINES! These car audio magazines contain reviews and price listings of the items you may be looking for. You’ll also get acquainted with products you might have never heard before, it will surely open up your choices and options.

Going to a car stereo sales is also a good way to meet other car audio enthusiasts’ like yourself. Who knows, you might meet someone who might be willing to just trade items. It will save you the money and gain you some new friends.

Car Stereo Speaker: Let Your Car Stereo Speak For Itself

Even if you’re not a car audio connoisseur, it’s easy to be impressed with a car stereo speaker while looking around in an expo or convention. They’re the first thing you’ll probably notice, they come in different colors, shapes and sizes. Those big throbbing concaves blaring incredibly low bass lines or cool little tweeters whistling out seething treble sounds.

Car stereo speakers are interesting and very tempting to buy, especially the big loud ones. But big is not always the best. Each speaker has its own unique quality, intended use and price range. Some may also be better than others at certain things so it pays to investigate your type of car stereo amplifier or head unit before you finally decide on a car stereo speaker for your system. Here are some features to consider:

Car stereo speakers are not all the same size and wattage, and this can cause a problem once you try to hook it up in your car. Know the specs of your system. Sort this out ahead of time, it will save you a lot of hassle. You will be happier with your new acquisition if you can get to see it in action as soon as possible.

There are also a lot of car stereo amplifiers on the market, it pays to be aware of how the car stereo speaker you are considering compares to the others, and how compatible it is to your amplifier or the amplifier you’re planning to buy. Car stereo speakers and amplifiers go hand in hand. You’ll want the car stereo speakers you buy to be suitable for your automotive entertainment needs and not strain the system.

Style can be an important factor when choosing your special car stereo speakers. You’ll want the one you choose to fit in perfectly with your other all sorts of stereo speakers. If you’re planning to install something different, you have to take into consideration the modifications your going to have to make in order to accommodate your new car stereo speakers.

One of the biggest issues in buying a new type of car stereo speaker is suitability. How suitable your car stereo speakers are is probably the biggest issue. Don’t forget the reason you’re buying the type of car stereo amplifier in the first place, and ensure that the all sorts of stereo speakers you are looking at will do the job you need no matter what other fancy features they may offer.

Brand is an important consideration when you are shopping for a car stereo speaker. The fact is, one brand of type of car stereo amplifier may have a much better reputation than another, and for good reason. You be the judge. Do your research. Ask car audio enthusiasts. Read magazines and reviews. Do you want to take a chance on just any car stereo speakers, or go for the proven name brand?

Lastly, price is important even if you think it’s not. After all, would you want to pay more for your car stereo speakers only to find it cheaper the next day at a different store? Nobody likes that. When shopping for better car stereo speakers, it pays to check at least a couple of different stores, just to make sure you’re getting your car stereo speakers at the best price.

Pimp Up Yo’ Ride! Why You Need A Good Car Stereo System.

You’ve got a nice pearled paint job. You’ve got your 18′ sized chrome mags. You’ve got an interior job that looks like a dream. But all of that would be superficial if you don’t have a good car stereo system in your ride.

A good car stereo system is a marvel to experience, just like a poorly constructed car stereo system is such a pity to look at. The price is a big factor, but not all expensive hardware perform well if installed haphazardly, or if hooked up with incompatible hardware. It is also subjective, just as some of us find black cars more appealing than other color cars. If you like your car stereo system more than any other in the same vehicle, then you have the best.

If you like some other car stereo system more than yours in the same vehicle, then that one is better. Only you can decide which is best for you. For a car stereo system to be a good or great, it must first meet or exceed the user’s expectations.

The type of vehicle also plays a major part in what kind car stereo system you should build. For some people, after only being in a few vehicles their ears recognize the inherent characteristics of this unique environment. Most of what we hear in a vehicle is a recording of the original artist in a given environment, usually in two channel stereo which can be playing in a totally different environment with the listeners placed in awkward listening positions relative to the placement of speakers. A great car stereo system is created with the understanding of acoustics, basic electronics, and the different products that are to be used.

A good idea is to gain references to compare to your auto audio system or any other and experience it live in as many different environments as possible. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to go to expos’ and conventions. As you hop from exhibit to exhibit you’ll immediately notice the difference in sound characteristics of each setup. You will find some car stereo systems that you prefer over others, if not a favorite and that is the way to choose a cheap car stereo system that you like. Also ask for specs, they’ll gladly give it to you.

The benefits of aftermarket speakers are: they have a larger frequency response (more music coming through the car stereo speakers), more power handling capabilities, they will brighten your highs and increase your auto audio system bass. There are two types of CAR speakers available: the dual cone and the two way. A dual cone has a small paper cone built into a larger paper cone.

Amplifiers are the backbone of your car stereo system. Weak amplifiers damage good car stereo speakers, not the other way around. Amplifiers provides musical power and contributes greatly to the elimination of distortion and the upgrade of sound clarity. The size of the amplifiers will be proportionate to the level of power you want. You can tell a good power amp by turning the auto stereo system above half volume and still hearing clear amplification. Bear in mind that the more power you have the better control you have over your system.

A good car stereo system is something to show for. It can bring satisfaction to you, the owner, and to those who will witness it. It will also raise the quality and value of your car in case you wish to resell it.

Mobile Multimedia: A New Peak For The Alpine Car Stereo

We all know that brand names matter when purchasing car audio hardware. There are brands that are surely more reputable than others. When you are at the store and they offer choice after choice after choice, suddenly you feel overwhelmed on what really to buy. But you can be assured of one thing, if they offer you an Alpine car stereo you can’t go wrong with it.

Alpine car stereo and electronics, founded in 1978, is a world leader in the industry of high performance mobile electronics. They specialize in mobile multimedia, an integrated system approach incorporating digital entertainment, security and navigation products for the mobile entertainment.

Alpine car stereos are a new breed of units which feature the convergence of high performance audio, video, navigation and telematics in the form of Mobile Multimedia. Navigation systems act as the resource center of the Alpine car stereo Mobile Multimedia lineup. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), DVD players, Dolby Digital systems, satellite digital audio radio, mobile data linking and communication through telematics devices will be fused with navigation systems to create a platform of products. Mobile Multimedia integrates Alpine’s innovative audio, video, security and navigation products, as well as its new GUI for Drivers, human interface and information communications technology.

To grasp what the Alpine car stereo Mobile Multimedia is, take a look at the IVA-D901 Alpine car stereo Mobile Multimedia Station/CD/DVD Receiver/Ai-NET Controller.

The IVA-D901 has 400% more pixels than a conventional in-vehicle display, meaning that it has 1.15 million pixel elements. It has 50W x 4 built-in power and 3 PreOuts (4 volt), SAT Radio ready, a Hard Disc Drive (HDD), and Alpine car stereo Navigation. Key features include:

- 7″ Fully Motorized Wide Screen Monitor
- 18W x 4 MOSFET Amplifier
- Built-in Dolby Digital/DTS Decoder
- Bass Engine® Plus
- Subwoofer Level Control
- Bass Center Frequency Control
- Bass Band Width Adjustment
- Treble Center Frequency Control
- Subwoofer Phase Selector
- Bass Type Control
- 4-Ch Digital Time Correction
- 3 Position 12 dB/Oct Crossover
- MediaXpander™
- SAT Radio Ready
- MP3 Text Information Display
- Quick Search Function
- CD/CD-R Playback
- CD Text, Text Display, Text Scroll
- M DAC
- MaxTune SQ Tuner
- 3 Auxilliary A/V Inputs with Remote Control Input
- Dedicated Navigation Input
- Dedicated Camera Input
- 2 Auxilliary Monitor A/V Outputs
- Navigation Audio Mix
- 3 PreOuts (4 volt)
- MM Driver (Hard Disc Drive) Ready
- MobileHub Ready
- Ai-NET Control Center DVD/CD/MP3 Changer Controller
- “Digital Art” Spectrum Analyzer Display
- RUE-4190 Universal Wireless Remote Control Included

If these all seems too much for you, Alpine car stereos also have more conventional head units to offer. The CDA-9835 Alpine car stereo In-Dash CD Player/Ai-Changer Controller lets you fully customize both illumination and sound, with a range of 512 colors and super-versatile Bass Engine functions like digital time correction and parametric EQ. You can download audio parameter settings and connect and control as many as eight amps. The BioLite display, Menu key and rotary knob make operation extremely easy.

Like most Alpine car stereo units, it is also SAT Radio Ready, giving you a much greater choice of listening options than ordinary local AM/FM radio. You can select from among a wide range of music genres, news, sports, and talk programs with digital quality anywhere.

A Pioneer In Their Own Right: The Pioneer Car Stereo

Look at any good car stereo system and you’ll probably see a Pioneer car stereo unit plugged into the console. Alongside with quality speakers and a strong lineup of accessories like LCD panels and navigational devices, Pioneer products/Pioneer car stereos have earned a huge following the world over.

The Pioneer Company is a Tokyo-based corporation, and is one of the world leaders in digital entertainment products. The Pioneer Company was first founded in 1938 in Tokyo as a small radio and speaker repair shop business but today, they are recognized as a leader in technology advancements in the consumer electronics industry.

The company is truly deserving of their name. They are respected for many innovations such as interactive cable TV, the Laser Disc player, developing the first Compact Disc player for the car and the first detachable face car stereo, DVD and DVD recording, plasma display, and organic electroluminescent display. Their strength in optical disc and display technology is complemented by its state-of-the-art software products and manufacturing capabilities.

Nowadays, Pioneer car stereo units are not just simple head units. A car stereo can easily be comprised of several items built into the console of the car. Hardware like navigational devices, DVD players with LCD panels, coupled with the standard array of compact disc, mp3 and cassette players now usually go together. One would be hard-pressed not to acquire all of these, as it is such a delight to see these units work harmoniously. But traditionally, a Pioneer car stereo unit is a head unit with a radio, cassette and cd player. No matter how bare-bones this might sound, anyone will surely be impressed with the sound quality and features a Pioneer car stereo can boot.

Something like the DEH-P90HDD Pioneer car stereo single CD player head unit. The DEH-P90HDD allows you to record CD Audio (from the unit itself or from a changer) onto a 10GB hard disc drive, which holds about 200 audio CD’s (using ATRAC3 digital compression). Your CD’s are recognized by the pre-installed Gracenote CDDB database, which includes auto-playlists that make finding a specific CD easy. This Pioneer car stereo unit can also play your MP3 CD’s plus CD Audio, CD-RW, and CD-R discs. Also, the MagicGate Memory Stick player lets you play recorded Memory Stick tracks. The Organic EL display is easy to read and accepts image downloads, so you can customize its look. Built-in DSP offers a 13-band graphic EQ and a huge variety of tools. The DEH-P90HDD is XM Ready and provides a steering wheel remote.
If cassettes are your thing, the KEH-P4020 Pioneer car stereo cassette player head unit is a good product to choose. It is a full logic cassette system with multi-color display, 45Wx4 High Power, EEQ™ equalizer system, Tuner, IP-Bus System Control, flap face and has a detachable face security.

If you’re planning to buy a Pioneer car stereo unit, why not match it with a set of Pioneer speakers too? Pioneer car stereo has made another innovation in their REV Series speakers, which incorporates technological breakthroughs in their IASCA award-winning Premier Reference Series (PRS) speakers. Rev Series speakers boast Pioneer’s Kevlar Fiber Composite Cones, Soft-dome tweeters and Wave guides. Each speaker features a bright yellow cone and distinctive wave guides, plus a six-spoke grill with a titanium finish that simulates chrome wheels.

With all these impressive products, is it still a wonder why they call Pioneer car stereos “Pioneer”?