The quality of sound in a car audio system depends upon a number of factors – the type and quality of the media player system, the type of speakers used, the acoustics of the vehicle and interference from other devices.

Type and Quality of Media Player System

Before we look at the different types of in-vehicle media players it pays to have a basic understanding of audio quality. When deciding what type of audio system to install, and also when comparing one make and model to another, there are two key specifications to consider:

Signal-to-noise ratio [SNR] - a measure of signal strength compared to background noise in the signal or equipment. Measured in decibels. The higher the dB, the better. A car CD player has an SNR of 90 or 100 dB.

Frequency response [FR] - a measure of how much of the audio spectrum, from bass to treble, gets reproduced. It’s measured as a range in Hertz, and the wider the range, the better. Look for a CD player with a range of at least 10-20k Hz.

An FM radio, cassette player, and CD player all have different measurements for these specs. To help understand these two specifications, let’s compare a car tape cassette player and a car CD player.

Cassette player has an SNR of 50-70 dB. This is much lower than a CD player, so the sound quality degrades at each end of the spectrum. The FR is around 30-18k Hz for a cassette player, so does not contribute as much to sound quality as the SNR.

That’s why overall, a car CD player gives a much better sound than a cassette tape player.

Media players in vehicles today are either radio tuner, CD player/changer, or Digital Audio player.

CD Players & Changers

There are a number of options when it comes to playing CD’s in a vehicle:

• An in-dash CD Player – often combined with radio tuner, WMA/MP3 player
• An in-dash CD Receiver - with a multiple CD cassette / changer located elsewhere in the vehicle
• Connect a portable CD player to an existing in-dash audio unit using either a cable and adapter or a bluetooth wireless connection.

When choosing a car CD player the first two things to consider are:

1. Will it physically fit into the vehicle?
2. Will it integrate cosmetically with the dash and other electronics?

Most decks have standardized form factors; so fit most cars, but there are exceptions, so make sure that the deck is suited for your car. You are usually pretty safe is the car stereo is made for the same market as the source of your car:

Cosmetic integration is a little more complex, but in many cases easily resolved through customisation features. For instance, many decks allow you to change the faceplates and color of the display.

Digital Audio Car Systems

With most home audio systems and portable players giving crisp quality sound using digital audio, we are no longer satisfied with the flat, bland analog sound from older car audio systems.

If you normally store your digital music files on CD, a compatible stereo or changer is a good option. Up to 10 hours of music [250 songs] can be stored on a single disc and allows use of random shuffling and repeat options. This disadvantage is ease of use, having to load and unload from cassettes located in the boot or under seats, and the limited file formats that your stereo can play back.

So now you have the media player selected, what about the speaker system.

Car Speaker System

The speaker system can be thought of in two parts: the channel amplifier and the physical speaker units.

Car amplifiers power the speakers in your car stereo system to provide crisp sound quality at high volumes. Each speaker requires one channel of amplification. This means a 4-channel amplifier, will support four speakers.

And choice of speakers is not limited either. With a range of options for your basic stereo speakers [2-channel], you can supplement the high note quality using a tweeter and the low bass notes with a sub-woofer. This gives you a standard 4-channel sound system that will rival your home audio system.

Adding to a basic car stereo option typically involves adding subwoofers, amplifiers and crossovers to tailor the output sound to personal tastes.

This does not mean the result is the boorish, obnoxious bass boom boxing that invades the entire neighbourhood. A subwoofer adds quality and purity to music.

For details of specifications on each part of your system, see Go-Reviews.com – Car Electronics Section

The main factors in selecting car speakers are:

• Design or Speaker Type
• Technical Specifications
• Fitting & Mounting

Speaker design is about the combination of sound drivers for midrange, subwoofer and tweeter. Depending upon the combination, the set is known as a two-way, three-way or four-way speaker system.

Car speaker specifications are similar to home audio speakers; the main difference in technical specification to compensate for the lower power outputs of car stereo receivers.

The speaker technical specifications include sensitivity, frequency response, signal to noise ratio, power handling and impedance. We will look at these specification in more detail in subsequent articles.

The fittings and mountings are selected depending upon where you choose to position the speakers. Car audio speakers are either: top mounted or bottom mounted. Clearance depth is most important when installing new speakers in a non-factory speaker location. So check all of your components carefully before purchase.

With such a range of combinations available the Internet provides a valuable resource in car electronics reviews. Sites like Go-Reviews.com seek out reviews and consolidate the recommendations to give you a quick reference buying guide.

Nicola is the product reviewer for Go-Reviews.com. For reviews on consumer and business technology, the latest technology news, product releases and recalls and useful hints on getting the best from your technology. With such a range of combinations available the Internet provides a valuable resource in car electronics reviews

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicola_Carr

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2 12″ sony xplod 1300, 2 infinity 6×9, 2 boss 4×6, sony deck, 2400 watt predator legacy amp, 1/2 farad capacitor. Really freakin loud

The Basics Of A Car Engine

In order to understand how your vehicle’s ignition system works we need to review the basics of internal combustion.

Basically, a car engine is like a large pump. Air and gas are being pumped in and exhaust is being pumped out. There is a by-product of excess energy that is being sent to the wheels and exhaust (which exits through the tailpipe). Your car’s engine combines the air and the fuel, and adds a spark. The spark ignites the air and fuel mixture to cause an explosion. This is what we refer to as ignition.

The ignition system is a group of components that work in tandem to create the ignition. The ignition system contains an ignition coil, a distributor, a distributor cap, a rotor, plug wires and spark plugs. Older ignition systems use what is called a “points-and-condenser system” in the distributor. Current ignition systems like the one your car most likely contains uses an ECU. An ECU or an engine control unit controls the spark and ignition timing.

Well take this apart piece by piece so it all makes sense.

1. Ignition Coil

The ignition coil takes the weak battery power and turns it into a spark that is powerful enough to ignite your fuel’s vapor. There are two coils of while in the ignition coil and they are right on top of each other called windings. The windings are differentiated as primary and secondary. The primary winding gathers the power to create a spark. The secondary winding sends it to the distributor.

There are three contacts on an ignition coil. If the ignition coil has an external plug, then the contacts are on the inside of the case. The large and obvious contact in the middle of the ignition coil is where the coil wire goes. The coil wire is the wire that links the ignition coil to the distributor cap. The second contact is a 12V wire that connects into a positive power source. The third contact sends information to the rest of the vehicle such as the tachometer.

2. The Distributor, Distributor Cap, and Rotor

As we mentioned above, your ignition coil links to the distributor via a coil wire. The distributor receives that powerful spark and sends it out to the spark plugs.

The distributor is a very precise spinner. It spins distributing the sparks to each of the spark plugs at the right time. The rotor, which is actually connected directly to the shaft of the distributor, is the mechanism that distributes the sparks. Since it’s connected to the distributor, the rotor also spins and makes contact with a number of points that correspond to the number of cylinders your engine has. Then, it sends the spark through the point to the plug wire located on the other end. Modern distributors use electronic assistance that is able to alter the ignition’s timing.

3. Spark Plugs & Wires

As we mentioned above, once the ignition coil creates the high-powered spark, the distributor and rotor takes that spark and spins it to the right outlet. However, we still need a way to transport that spark to the spark plug. This is done using spark plug wires.

The contact points on the distributor cap connect to a plug wire that takes the spark to the spark plugs. The spark plugs are screwed to the head of the cylinder.

The end of the spark plug is located at the top of the cylinder and that’s where the action happens. Once the intake valve lets out just the right amount of fuel vapor and air in the cylinder, the spark plug creates a blue hot spark that ignites the mixture. This is what causes combustion. The ignition system does this thousands of times per minute.

4. The Ignition Module

Through an old system called “a points-and-condenser system”, a distributor relied on many of its own mechanics to time the spark at just the right time. The ignition points were set to a specific gap, which created the proper amount of spark while the condenser did the regulating.

Nowadays, all of this is handled by computers. This computer is called an ignition module. If it malfunctions, all you can do is replace it since it cannot be repaired.

This should demystify this part of your car system a bit and that concludes Ignition System 101.

Bond Mejeh produces automotive related articles for Quick Cash Auto, a cash for cars service. Quick Cash Auto not only buys pre-owned vehicles of any year, make or model, but they also provide numerous articles about vehicle repair and automotive news. Please visit QuickCashAuto.com for more information and be sure to check out our automotive blog.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/cars-articles/how-ignitions-systems-work-1151887.html

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Join the helpful but zany cast of Dr. Carnkenstein’s Car Audio Installation Staff as they guide you through a complete car speaker installation job. Kim, William, Hal and Lisa, the lovely “tool girl”, will give you helpful hints and pro’s tricks to show you how to install your own killer speaker system. Whether you’re looking to have a system that pounds the pavement, or just enjoy accurate sound reproduction, this video will make your job tremendously easier! Graphics and text make the action easy to follow, and great to refer back to time and time again. Ease back, learn some interesting pro techniques, and take in the pretty sights.

“Dr. Crankenstein” designs and manufactures high performance competition car audio systems. Its specialty is high “SPL” (sound pressure level) vehicles, which have won numerous awards and world championship titles for their outrageously loud decibel levels. Look for the other videos in the Dr. Carnkenstein “How To” series.

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