If you’ve browsed amateur car audio groups on Facebook, you’ve likely seen someone post that they have “set the gains halfway” on their amplifier. Their misguided theory is that this setting will limit the maximum amount of power the amplifier will produce. Saying this in the presence of a professional installer is the best way […]

When designing and integrating high-performance speakers into your car or truck, your local specialty car audio retailer might suggest choosing an amplifier or signal processor that includes a bandpass crossover. If you aren’t used to designing speaker systems, a task that most consumers don’t concern themselves with, then the term bandpass might be confusing. Please […]

Dash pods, kick-panel enclosures and sealed enclosures in doors might look cool, but they aren’t always an ideal solution for a speaker that will attempt to produce bass. In this context, when we talk about bass, we are discussing audio frequencies below about 300 Hz. In this range, most drivers with a cone diameter of […]

Since 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette has been an icon in the North American automotive industry. These two-seaters represent value and performance with styling that always lets them stand out from the crowd. Try as General Motors might, there’s still room for improvement, even on a flagship vehicle like this. Let’s look at some of the […]

Speaker pods and build-outs on A-pillars are becoming increasingly common in custom car audio installations. While some of these solutions look cool, the laws of physics can work against these cosmetic efforts to degrade the performance of your car stereo system. The subject of speaker installation could (and should) fill a book. In this article, […]

If you’ve looked carefully at the specifications of car audio amplifiers for any amount of time, then you’ll know that some designs make more power when they are connected to a higher-voltage electrical system. This type of amplifier is called an unregulated design. In the simplest of terms, it multiplies the provided battery voltage by […]

Over the years, car audio speakers have been installed in seemingly endless combinations of panels, pods and baffles. Some look great, some sound great and some offer both. Sadly, not everyone understands the physics involved in choosing the ideal installation locations for speakers. This article will cover a few of the vital installation criteria that […]

If you’ve asked your local specialty mobile enhancement retailer about upgrading your car stereo in recent years, they may have told you that they will need to add load resistors. While seemingly new in concept, the purpose of these resistors is simple. They’re often needed to ensure that the factory-installed amplifier in your car, truck […]