Listen to the Man
When you walk into your local, friendly car audio sales emporium, the smiling pleased-ta-meetcha sales professional is going to lob a bunch of questions your way.
You're first thought is: "Why should I share all this personal information with this stranger?" and that's a good reaction. But it's just a car stereo, man. The salesperson is there to help you pick the best system for your needs. They can take your end of the equation and add to it their own experience and knowledge of the products they sell, and help you come up with the perfect system for your budget and your car.
So relax. Answer the questions. Now.
Question #1
How much do you want to spend? The smiling sales professional is not asking this question so he can decide how big a sucker you are, he's asking it so that he can help you budget your money in the most economical way. Your answer to this question helps determine where your money should be spent to build a system that's right for you. He'll probably suggest budgeting your money in the order of component importance: speakers, amplifier, and then head unit.
Question #2
What changes are you willing to make to your car? He's grinning when he asks this. Maybe he's salivating, too. You've got visions of a bunch of installers completely gutting your car just for the fun of it. You couldn't be more wrong. Answer this question, and establish boundaries for the extent of your installation. It will affect the type of system you buy, and the type of installation the expert suggests.
Question #3
How long are you going to keep your car? You agree to the most extensive and complicated installation of the most expensive system in the hemisphere. And when you get home you remember that you planned to sell your lemon at the end of the month. The answer to this question can help you avoid that.
Question #4
What is the primary function of your car? Do you use your car to drive to and from work everyday? Is it a 10-minute jaunt, or an hour commute? Do you travel to distant destinations in your car? Does your car just sit in your driveway until you're forced to go to the grocery store? Answering this question helps an expert decide how much of a system you really need. If you simply drive from home to work, you probably don't need the same kind of extreme GPS navigation and DVD surround sound that you would want if you were travelling long distances on a regular basis. But then again...
Listening to Buy
You could fall in love with a system in the sound room, only to want a divorce once that same system is installed in your car. This is because there are big differences between sound rooms and your car. Listening area, listening position, and something called "transfer function" can all make the sound in the sound room much different from the sound that ultimately ends up in your car.
Room vs. Car
A sound room is different to your car. A sound room is just that (a room), while a car is... You get the idea. It's apples and oranges. A room has flat, hard walls set far apart. A car has any combination of soft curves and plush padding, hard vinyl and metal, all in an irregular space about the size of a refrigerator box. It's rare that you get to test a car audio system in an actual car, so you need to know the secret to turning these two completely dissimilar listening environments into more hospitable conditions.
Beware of Transfer Function
Transfer function is a measure of how the volume of an enclosure, such as a room or a car, affects the way a speaker sounds. A loudspeaker in your living room sounds different than a loudspeaker in your closet because the living room is a larger space, and thus puts less pressure, or "backward load," on the speaker. A loudspeaker in your closet sounds a lot like a speaker in your Miata, though, because they are both small, enclosed spaces. (With the Miata's roof up, anyway!)
You can get a good working demonstration of transfer function by listening to your current car audio system with the windows rolled up tight, and then with the windows rolled down. You'll hear that the bass is louder with the windows closed. That's transfer function at work for you. Remember that when you hear a speaker in a showroom, it will have less bass than it will have in your car.
Dead Rooms and Live Cars
A "live" environment is one that is filled with noise. Your car audio system has to compete with your car's engine, other car's engines, sirens, road noise, and the sounds of the angry drivers you've cut off. None of that exists in the sound room, which is "dead" to extraneous sound (especially if it is an insulated, padded space). Professional car audio installers will often deaden a car's sound the same way room builders do when they build sound rooms. They apply padding, fill gaps in doors and behind dashes, tint windows, and even coat the inside of exposed metal with dense, sound-dampening adhesive materials.
Listen Different
So the best way to listen in a sound room is to try to duplicate the listening experience of your car. Keep in mind what kind of car you drive. Is it a big boxy metal car, or a snug soft two-seater? As a rule, different types of cars treat sound differently. Basic models, with lots of plastic and metal, tend to make highs louder, while more luxurious cars, outfitted with soft fabrics and more padding, will dampen the highs and make bass fuller. Keep the characteristics of your car in mind when you're standing in the sound room.
And maybe standing in the sound room is the wrong position in which to listen to car audio demos. Do you listen to your car speakers while standing in your car? Sit down in the sound room, with the speakers you're testing at dashboard level. Notice where the speakers will be placed in your car. Are you sitting off-axis, or directly in line with them? Pick an optimal pathlength by estimating how far from the speakers you will be sitting when you're in your car. Are you testing rear speakers? Don't stand in front of them, since that's not how you hear them in your car. Turn around and sit facing away from them.
By keeping the differences between the room and your car - there will always be more bass response in the enclosed area of your car - in mind when you're testing out car audio, you'll be more prepared to make the right decision when it comes time to buy the best sounding system for your car.
To Install or Not to Install?
Once you've picked out your electronics, you have to decide whether you are going to install them yourself, or let a professional installer do it. Maybe you're handy with small repairs, or maybe the thought of installing speakers yourself seems daunting but you don't know what qualities to look for in a professional installer. Here's some help.
The Pros of Pros
If you have any doubts, save yourself lots of grief and use a pro. Cars are more complicated today than ever before. Even basic models are packed with computer controls. Today's state of the art upgrades - audio systems, navigation systems, even DVD systems - and their operating systems are interlaced in delicate and intricate ways. Meddling with these critical systems can shorten the life of your vehicle and even endanger your life. Electrical problems, unseen shorts, wire deterioration, structural changes and loose connections could become safety issues.
Before you decide to let anyone work on your car, check his or her credentials. In the US the Mobile Electronics Certification Program (MECP) administers a written test on the science and installation of car sound. Make sure your installer is MECP certified. Are they an ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified mechanic? Ask. Check references as well. Ask to see examples of previous installs and speak with previous customers. Deciding on a professional installer is a lot like finding a reliable contractor or plumber.
Power Tools Don't Frighten You?
If you're good with minor repairs, like changing your spark plugs, you probably won't be intimidated by installing a sound system and you might consider doing it yourself.
There are lots of good reasons to self-install. If you've got the time, and enjoy the challenge, doing the install yourself might be pretty exciting. Customizing your own car is a great way to express your creativity. Poking around in the interior of your car makes you, well, "intimate" with your automobile.
Manufacturers and retailers are usually very helpful when it comes to DIY installs. Rely on them for parts, wiring harnesses, tips, templates and general good advice.
Avoid some of the pitfalls of doing-it-yourself simply by keeping some common-sense guidelines in mind:
- RTFM: Read the instructions completely before you begin.
- Don't take your car apart until you're certain you have all the tools you'll need to put it back together again.
- Avoid unnecessary discharge: disconnect the negative battery cable before you begin.
- Protect your upholstery with a drop cloth, and don't carry tools in your back pockets!
- Give yourself plenty of time, don't rush-don't force anything.
- When in doubt, stop and ask directions. RTFMA: reread the instructions.
http://www.polkaudio.com/car/
Next week: Tech talk - what do all those weird phrases actually mean?
