Installing Car Audio

Installing Car Audio

When a person gets into a car, one of the first things they do is turn on the radio. Some people like the volume turned down real low and others like myself want loud blaring music. There are several steps to turn a factory sound system into a surround sound theatre.

I have installed all kinds of car audio equipment into automobiles and it doesn’t come cheap. First thing anyone wants to do is to set a price range and compare prices at different retailers. The price range will vary between $200 and $5000 depending on what factory items are replaced or added. Although some stores may be significantly cheaper, quality of products is a factor too. Definitely stick to Car Audio dealerships and shops for guaranteed merchandise. The basics hardware that people will usually buy will be a head unit (either a CD, tape, or DVD player), front and rear speakers, subwoofers, and an amplifier. Measurements of the car’s speaker ports and head unit opening will need to be taken if not already known. After that the products can be bought at a reasonable price.

Someone with some kind of car audio experience should attempt these next steps. Start off by disconnecting the negative cable from the battery. First items to install will be the speakers in the car. Usually there will be two in the front doors and two in the rear. First you need to remove any screws that might be holding the door panel on. Usually you will find them around the door handle and armrest. Next position the door panel removal tool under the door panel and align it with one of the round retaining clips. Now just pry the clip upward. Continue until all of them have been removed and the door panel comes off. Now you will be able to see ...

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...l on the back of the amp. Go back and connect the positive cable to the positive terminal on the battery. Turn the gain control on the amp to its minimum setting and turn the car on. Turn the volume up to where a person would listen to it most of the time. Go back to the amp and slowly raise the gain, and listen for distortion. If you reach a point where the volume is louder than you will listen to, before you hear distortion, then stop there. Otherwise, keep going till you hear distortion, and cut it back slightly till it disappears. Remember that volume setting. That is the maximum volume you want to play it at.

Grab some good CDs and go for a ride. Listen to all types of music, and stop the car, and make adjustments as necessary. If you have multiple amps, and an equalizer, it will take much longer to get it set the way you want it. But this is the fun part!