In the 1980s, most car stereo shops had charts in the install bays that showed what size power wire should be used with different amplifiers. Some charts were based on current and cable length, while others suggested amplifier power ratings and lengths. In all cases, an essential piece of information was missing. Today, we’ll sort […]
Product Spotlight: Rockford Fosgate PMX-1
As much fun as it is to check out top-of-the-line products, sometimes the right solution is surprisingly affordable. The marine and powersport audio experts at Rockford Fosgate offer a full line of digital media receivers. In fact, there are five stand-alone units, plus an add-on multi-zone unit with several controller options. There is, indeed, a […]
Motorcycle Speakers and Big Bass – A Match Not Made in Heaven
We were recently talking with the owner of a motorcycle audio manufacturer. He mentioned that consumers seem to struggle with the concept that relatively small motorcycle speakers cannot produce large amounts of bass. In this context, a small speaker is something you’d find in the fairing or saddlebag on a motorcycle. By comparison, a large […]
A Look at the Importance of Tweeter Installation Hardware
High-quality speakers and proper installation are crucial when upgrading your car’s audio system. The ease with which your installer can reliably integrate tweeters into your vehicle will determine a portion of the labor cost. Will the technician need to fabricate a mounting bracket? Will they need to create a little pod? Is there even enough […]
Analyzing Sedan Subwoofer Location Performance
A while back, we looked at how different subwoofer locations affected system performance in a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV. A client of ours asked if that information was relevant to a sedan. So, let’s take a cool little enclosure and see what happens when we try several different sedan subwoofer locations. The Test Subject Our […]
Revisiting The Rockford Fosgate T500-1bdCP Review
In January of 2024, we had the privilege of reviewing the Rockford Fosgate T500-1bdCP amplifier. Based on our experiences with amplifiers from the company, it was no surprise that the amp sounded amazing, was impressively efficient, and exceeded all of its power ratings. The latter is the focus of the re-test. We’ve recently upgraded the […]
A Car Audio Speaker Power Handling Demonstration
We’ve talked about how speaker power handling is tested and the importance of delivering accurate test data. In the context of car audio speakers, we’ve explained that the physical size of the voice coil is a crucial element in determining how much power a speaker can handle. In this article, we’ve put together a simple, […]
An Affordable Subwoofer Upgrade Should Use a Ported Enclosure
As we’ve mentioned many times, adding a subwoofer is one of the best upgrades you can make to a car audio system. We know that having a shop construct a custom enclosure isn’t always in the budget. Likewise, while impressive, high-end subwoofers aren’t in everyone’s price range. With all this said, there is one item […]
Dashcam Battery Upgrades: Extend Parking Mode and Protect Your Vehicle
Undoubtedly, having a dashcam in your car or truck is one of the best ways to protect yourself from false accusations. Whether you experience a hit and run or are involved in a staged accident, video evidence can save you a lot of hassle, time and money. One feature that most high-quality dashcams offer is […]
Features That Improve Subwoofer Performance
We spend significant time pondering helpful content that will educate consumers about the options available to upgrade their car audio system. We’ve written dozens of articles explaining how various features and designs can improve a subwoofer’s performance, and we realized that this would be a perfect time to summarize all that education in a single […]
