SoundRating - Car Audio Reviews, Guides & How Tos

All car audio systems are made up of three main components. The first is the head unit that controls the system and generates the audio signal. Another key component is an amplifier, which increases the strength of the audio signal. Amplifiers are built into head units, but getting an external amplifier is when you really begin to see a big difference. The third component are the speakers that reproduce the sound.

You can get a good-quality, budget-friendly car audio system for about $500. That includes a good head unit, amplifier, subwoofer and some car speakers. If you can afford between $1000 and $1500, you can get the very best of each component and create the ultimate soundscape in your car.

You can, but it’s not just a straight replacement. Car speakers run on lower impedance than home theater speakers, so you’ll need a home stereo that can drive those lower impedance.

For a car amplifier to run at home you’ll need a +12V AC-DC power supply with enough current to run the amp. Although you can’t use a standard wall adaptor because they’re not powerful enough, so you will need to make sure the adaptor you get is powerful enough to run your car amp.

For a car subwoofer to work on a home theater system, you will need to wire your car sub to run at 8 ohms. This can either be a 4-ohm dual voice coil (DVC) sub that can be wired to run at 8 ohms, or if you have two 4-ohm subs, you can wire them to run at 8 ohms.

Installing your own car stereo system can be done by anyone, and it will save you a small fortune if you do fit it yourself. Some components are more complicated than others and it depends whether it’s a straight in/out swap.

However, as long as you follow our How To Guides and/or watch some YouTube videos on the car audio component you want to install, then you really can’t go wrong.

It depends what car audio part you’re after. Some specialize in head units, whereas others specialize in speakers and amplifiers. That said, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for so make sure you don’t get something really cheap just because you’ve heard of the brand before. But also don’t go for the most expensive unit thinking it will be the best. It will be of good quality, but it might not suit your likings, so something slightly cheaper might be better for you.

Some of the best car audio brands that usually put out quality speakers and amplifiers include: Pioneer, JBL, Kicker, JL Audio, Boss Audio Systems, Polk Audio, Alpine, Kenwood, Morel, Rockford Fosgate, Sony, Blaupunkt, Clarion, and JVC. There are many more quality car audio brands, but these are some of the best that have built up a reputation over time.