<![CDATA[]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/ Fri, 18 May 2012 03:33:40 +0000 Zend_Feed http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <![CDATA[Crossovers]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/crossovers/
They do this by implementing high-pass and low-pass filters that only allow frequencies that are above for a high-pass filter or below for a low-pass filter a certain frequencies. This allows it to send your highs to the tweeters, mids to your speakers and lows to your subwoofers. There are also band-pass filters that only let frequencies in a certain range through.

When looking for a crossover there are few attributes that separate the hi-end models from the ones built into your amplifier. You want to look for a crossover that has a low signal to noise ratio (this affects how clean the sound is after it goes through the crossover) and a high dB/octave cutoff. Having a high cutoff means that it is better at separating the frequencies from each other and will be more accurate.

You also need to know about the three types of crossovers that are available, in-line, passive and active. Passive Crossovers and In-Line Crossovers are very similar except that in-lines are attached before your amplifier and passive units are attached in between the amp and the speaker you are limiting the frequencies to. They both are more inexpensive and easier to install than active units but they generally just separate at a set frequency and do not allow you to adjust the cutoff frequency on the fly to fine tune your sound for optimum performance. The advantage of using a in-line versus a passive unit is that by separating pre-amp your amp doesn’t waste power on frequencies that you are just going to cut out later which makes these ideal if you just need to cut out the mids and highs going to your subwoofer.

Active Crossovers are more expensive than the other types of crossovers but this is because they offer a much greater range of features. The only down side to these types of units is that they are more difficult to install because they require their own power source and are linked to all of your speakers not just the tweeters or the subwoofers. Like in-line crossovers, active units also filter pre-amp for maximum efficiency. Many units also have the ability to control each channel separately so you can keep all of the voices or have them set to a certain volume and have the music playing at a different volume to give you more command over your music. Another really cool feature is that they come in digital and analog form so you can either use knobs with analog or a menu system with digital models. Digital models also let you store presets and have several default options which make it even easier tune your music on the fly and you won’t lose your favorites when you change it for any reason. You can also get active crossovers that have additional sound processing features such as equalizers for even more control. ]]> Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:56:12 +0000 <![CDATA[How to Match a Subwoofer and Amplifier]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/subwoofers-and-amplifiers/
The first thing you need to know is that there are two main types of amps, Multi-Channel and Mono. Multi-channel amps have multiple outputs while mono amps only have one. Multi-channels amps area good if you are going to be combing a lot of subs or if you are going to also be powering the rest of your speakers, but if you are just powering one or two amps then you they can over complicate the system. The better option for simpler systems is to go with a mono amp because they offer a much more straightforward set-up.
(Click here for a more in depth discussion on amplifiers)

The first really technical thing that you need to do is calculate the resistance of your system. So you can figure out how many watts of power you need in your amp.

The first step to calculate the resistance is figure out what kind of voice coil your Sub[s] has and your only options here are Single Voice Coil (SVC) and Dual Voice Coil (DVC). SVC subs have one set of connectors a positive (+) and a negative (-) and a DVC has 2 sets because it has 2 coils. There is not a much of a difference in the sound that comes from these 2 types of speakers but the DVCs give you more wiring options by allowing you to use 2 different ohm levels so they allow you to optimize your system.

The last step is if you are going to wire your speakers in Parallel or in Series and this has a big impact on the total resistance of your system because it affects how you calculate the resistance. When your speakers are in series this means that they are connected end to end, positive (+) to negative (-) to positive (+) to negative (-). When they are in parallel all of the positives (+) are connected together and all of the negatives (-) are connected together.



The way that you calculate how much power you will need to get the most out of your system (assuming that you are using subs that all have the same resistance and RMS power) is to calculate the resistance of the system then multiply that by the RMS power rating of the subs. This is because actual power that your subs will receive is the power of the amp divided by the resistance of the system and if you have a lot of resistance you are going to need more power to get your system moving.

To calculate the resistance in ohms of a System In Series, all you have to do is add up all of the resistances of the speakers so if you wire your speakers this way the resistance can add up very quickly but it can be easier to wire and works well if you have power to spare. So if you have two 500watt 2ohm subs and you wire them in series they will have a resistance of 4 ohms and you will need a 2000watt amp to get the most out of this system.

For a System in Parallel, finding the resistance is a little more complicated. You take the resistance of one speaker (again assuming that all of your subs have the resistance) and divide it by the number of (+)(-)connector pairs that you have in your system (so DVCs count as 2). For example if you have two 500watt 2ohm subs wired in parallel then you will have a resistance of 1ohm and need an amp with 500watts of power which is much less then when they were wired in parallel.

Where DVC vs. SVC comes into play in this scenario is you can combine wiring setups and connect the two DVC connectors in parallel and the rest of the system in series. So, a DVC sub with two 2ohm voice coils can act as a 4ohm speaker if its connectors are in series or as a 1ohm speaker if its connectors are wired in parallel.

You are probably thinking well why wouldn’t I just wire everything in parallel every time so I will have the least resistance possible? And the answer to this question is that systems with less resistance are cheaper to optimize because you can get a smaller amp but a system with a higher resistance have a higher dampening factor and produce a cleaner crisper sound.

If you are planning on making a more complicated system I highly recommend have a professional installation.
Feel free to call our help line (302) 526 – 0999 or leave a comment for any questions or clarifications. ]]> Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:11:03 +0000 <![CDATA[Home Theater Speaker Options]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/home-speaker-options/
One option is a component surround sound system this type of system generally offers the best sound and give you the most flexibility as far as placement and other options go but is typically more expensive type. There are several options with these systems which can consist anywhere from 5-7 speakers that make it so versatile for speaker placement. Some of these options are stand alone speakers, in-wall speakers, or in-ceiling speaker. These are also the best option for larger room because they do the best job of filling the room with sound. It is also a little harder to set up this type of speakers to get optimal sound because you have so many options, no to say they will sound bad, they just won’t sound as good as they can.

Another good option is stereo speakers. A stereo set up works really well in smaller rooms and allows you to get left and right audio that sounds significantly better than your TV’s built in speakers. They also offer a much easier set up then a surround sound system. To set these speakers up all you need to do is connect the speakers to the left and right ports of your home receiver and connect your receiver to the television. You just set the speakers to the left and right of the TV so setting up is a piece of cake and you won’t have speaker wire running all across the room. This option is also really good because it allows for later expansion by adding a powered subwoofer or more speakers if money is running little tight.

One of the newer options is flat panel speakers or sound bars. This type of unit takes up almost no space and when pair with a single subwoofer can deliver fantastic sound and they can be wall mounted to work really well with flat screen TVs. The really cool feature available on these speakers is that they can give you the surround sound experience but you only need to set them up in one location by creating a three-dimensional sound field. Another feature that is really convenient is that for most units you do not need to purchase any extra cables because they generally come with all of the cables you will need. You can also get away with not getting a home theater receiver.

The final option that you have is to purchase a home theater package. These systems come pre-packaged together to give you optimal sound and are generally smaller than bulky component surround sound systems. They also offer a wide range of really neat features and capabilities ranging from built in blu-ray or DVD players to iPod docks to the ability to stream movies via Netflix. It is also the easiest and cheapest way to get true surround sound in your home. They won’t fill a room the same way that component speakers will but they do a great job in small to mid-sized room. ]]> Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:52:10 +0000 <![CDATA[Plasma, LCD and LED]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/plasma-lcd-led/
Plasma televisions are often a great choice because they have a very wide viewing angle and show the least motion blur which makes them optimal for watching sports and playing video games with friends where you will be looking at the TV from different angles. They also offer the best contrast ratios with the darkest blacks as well as warmer colors in general. The issues with plasma are that it consumes more power than LCD or LED and they cannot be made as thin as them either. The biggest drawback with plasma is that it can be difficult to view in well lit areas or sunlight. People often shy away from plasma because they are afraid of a picture getting burned on to the screen if it is left on for an extended period of time and this was a legitimate problem in the past but with today’s plasma the picture will return to normal in a few days. Plasma is also only available in sizes larger than 42” so it usually isn’t a good choice for areas where space is limited such as kitchens.

LCD TVs are really good for bright rooms because they have a florescent back light. They are also thinner, lighter and more energy efficient than plasma TVs. There issues are that they do not offer as wide of viewing angle and they have worse contrast ratios. When playing quick moving videos they can also become slightly blurry. They also aren’t capable of producing as many colors as plasma televisions mainly because they lack in the contrast department and can’t differentiate between a lot of the darker colors.

LED TVs are really just LCD TVs that are backlit with LEDs and they offer a lot of the same features but in many ways they surpass standard LCD TVs. LED televisions are the thinnest, lightest and most energy efficient out of all the types of TVs in today’s market. Another way in which they are an improvement on standard LCDs is that they offer more contrast which allows them to portray nearly as many colors as plasmas but plasma still has the edge.

In the end plasmas offer the best picture for a theater like experience but if you have a very bright room or need a TV under 42” then you should go with LCD or LED. If price is a major factor in your choice plasma is generally more expensive. ]]> Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:07:40 +0000 <![CDATA[Creating a Great Sound System]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/great-sound-system/
After you’ve picked out a receiver it’s time think about upgrading your car speakers which is the best way to improve the way to the sound in your car. With an upgraded speaker system you will enjoy more longevity as well as better sound all around with crisper brighter highs and cleaner bolder lows. What you need to look for in new car speakers is higher sensitivity which will give you more volume and clarity and tweeters. Tweeters are one of the most over looked components of a new sound system and they can really have a big impact on the overall quality of in the sound of your car. If your car doesn’t have a place for tweeters then you should look for new speakers that have them built in. The good thing about those with built in tweeters is that they generally have built in crossovers that send different frequencies to different speakers which will make them considerably clearer.

The next component to better crisper sound is an amplifier. Most people just add an amp when they add a subwoofer but even when you are not adding a subwoofer an amp can greatly improve the how good your speakers sound. An amplifier with a high dampening factor will make your speakers extra crisp and clear by having greater control over how and when your speakers vibrate to keep them from vibrating when they aren’t supposed to. Amps with high dampening factors have a higher output impedance.

To figure out how much power you are going to need you need to look at the RMS power levels of all of the speakers you are going to be powering and compare that to the RMS power rating of the amp. You need to get an amp that is rated within 25% of the total power needed because you do not want to over or under power your speakers. You also need to get an amp that has as many channels as you have speakers this allows you to divide up the amps power and if you are getting a subwoofer then you need to make sure that it has a dedicated sub channel.

The final step in any good sound system whether you’re listing to Busta Rhyme, Bono or Bach, is a good subwoofer. Adding a subwoofer contributes tons of depth and can make any sound system much fuller and richer. What you need to look for in a good subwoofer is high sensitivity, a large frequency range, lots of available power and low impedance. You also need to look at the type of enclosure that you want to get and here you have three main options, sealed, ported and bandpass. Sealed enclosures produce the deepest most precise sound and require more power but ported and bandpass enclosures are louder with bandpass being the loudest. ]]> Tue, 12 Jul 2011 18:27:45 +0000 <![CDATA[Picking the Right Home Receiver]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/home-receiver/
Another cool feature is an Ethernet jack which can allow you to stream music and videos right to your television or even just surf the web.

When looking for a receiver there are a few important specifications that can have a big impact on sound quality. The first thing that you need to do is consider what kind of speakers you are going to use. If you are going to use surround sound make sure your receiver can handle your system for instance a 5.1 surround sound system receiver contains five speaker channels and has one dedicated subwoofer channel so make sure your choice has enough channels for your system. Most subwoofer are self powered and have a built in amp so you don’t need to worry too much about having enough power for it.

Besides speaker outputs you also need to make sure that the receiver has enough video connections to take in all for your different components as well as having room for any products that you might want to purchase in the future. you also need to make sure that they are the right types of ports (HDMI, RGB, Component, Coaxial, XLR, or fiber optic) and it is always better to have more ports then you need then not enough.

You also need to think about how much power you are going to need and there are two major factors that affect your power needs. A big factor is the size of the room, the larger the room the more ample power you will need and the other factor is the sensitivity of your speakers. Speakers with low sensitivity need more power to get to higher volumes even using high watt speakers. You also need to look at the level of distortion in the power of the receiver that you are looking at and you can do this by checking its total harmonic distortion (THD). Since most receivers have a THD below 1% it is easy to over look this spec but really clear systems have a THD below .1% and it makes a big difference in sound quality especially at higher volumes.

A clue into the quality of your receiver is how its power is rated. Receivers that are good quality always display a “full bandwidth power rating” which means it is rated for how it performs over the entire spectrum of human hearing. Poor quality systems will only rate their receiver over a small range of frequencies or even a single frequency. When a company uses a full bandwidth power rating shows that they have a high standard for the quality of their products. ]]> Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:27:54 +0000 <![CDATA[Additions to Your Car Security System]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/security-accessories/
The most popular remote access feature on the market right now is a remote start and besides keeping you from ever having to get in a car that is too hot or too cold ever again using a remote start to warm up your car’s engine can reduce the wear and tear it gets from day to day use especially in extreme temperatures. Driving your car right after starting it in very hot or very cold weather can make your car run outside of operational temperatures and especially in cold weather your oil starts off thicker and wont lubricate your engine as well until it gets up to a certain temperature.

Other luxury features include trunk pop which allows you to open your trunk using only your cars remote and Remote Power Windows which lets you adjust your windows from your remote and can automatically rolls up your windows when you set your alarm. ]]> Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:22:28 +0000 <![CDATA[Security Systems]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/security-systems/
Another type of sensor is an audio sensor; these sensors detect the sound of your windows breaking and set of your alarm. Without one of these types of sensor it is possible for someone to break a window without setting off your alarm.

If you drive a convertible or pick-up truck then you should look into getting a radar or field disturbance sensor. This type of sensor detects when someone or something comes within a certain distance of your car or truck bed when the alarm is on. I would highly recommend this for anyone that carries equipment in the back of their truck.

You can also equip your car with a motion sensor. Motion sensors can detect if your car is being jacked or towed.

If you use your tow hitch a lot then I would recommend a closed loop sensor. These sensor can be set up to detect anything from car covers, to a trailer hitch being disconnected to a light being removed and can be connected to anything that you want to keep from being disconnected from your car or trailer vehicle. ]]> Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:14:51 +0000 <![CDATA[Radar Detector Features]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/radar-detector-features/
Laser detectors sense Lidar which is the type of speed detection used by laser speed guns which are quicker and more accurate than radar guns. They come in two forms, single and double sensor. Single sensor provides front protection while double sensor is more expensive but it is more reliable and offers 360° detection.

An extra feature that you can look for is “instant on” Protection this type of protection means that the detector that you are looking at has high K-band sensitivity. With a high K-band sensitivity you can detect when the cars around you are being hit with instant-on radar because if the detector can only sense the radar after you’ve been hit with it then they already know how fast you were going.

Another nice feature is City Mode which turns down the range of your detector. At first this seem counterproductive but if you are driving through suburbs or heavily populated areas city mode can help limit the number of false alerts that are caused by garage door openers and other radar detectors.

Some detectors can give you Digital Voice Alerts which, unlike those that just beep and show you what type of radar is being detected, allows you to keep your eyes on the road the entire time.

Cops now have radar detector detectors (RDD) which comes in two forms VG-2 and Spectre. The later one is more advanced but is only in use in a few states (and Canada). Now we can fight back with radar detector detector detectors in the form of VG-2 and Spectre protection. This protection is available in two forms stealth protection and invisible protection. Stealth Protection warns you when it senses RDD and then powers down and Invisible Protection is shielded from one or both types of RDD and can continue operating without being detected by RDD.

The final type of protection is through Radar Jamming which scrambles the incoming radar and doesn’t just let you know when radar is present but rather it doesn’t allow you to be detected. ]]> Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:06:07 +0000 <![CDATA[About Satellite Radios]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/about-sat-radios/ (click here for a complete list of Sirius and XM stations)

There are a few ways to get satellite radio in your car. The most popular method is to get a plug-and play satellite radio. These units are completely portable and can connect to home theaters, docking stations as well as your car stereo. They also offer several different connection methods. You can transmit the satellite signal over an empty FM station and then just tune to that station or you can purchase a wired adapter that connects to your car or home receiver. The most reliable option available is to plug the unit into your stereo’s auxiliary jack but if your receiver doesn’t have one you will need an adapter.

Another really cool feature of satellite radio is the record and play back feature. This feature allows you to record songs onto your tuner and then play them back whenever you want much like you can do for television programs and movies with a DVR or TiVo. ]]> Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:57:02 +0000 <![CDATA[The Ins and Outs of HD Radio]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/hd-radios/ no subscription fees (like satellite radio) and all you need is to do is get your car HD ready. All that is takes to do this is get an HD tuner and you have several options available to do this. One option is to buy a new in dash receiver that is HD ready and replace your factory radio. Another option is to purchase an HD ready head unit with an add-on HD tuner. The final option is to keep your factory or non-HD aftermarket receiver and get its corresponding HD radio kit.

Besides just higher quality radio signals, HD radios have a few other really cool features. One of these features is called iTunes tagging. ITunes tagging allows you to “tag” songs that you are listening to with the push of a button and then the HD tuner will same the name of the song, the artist and the name of the album that version of the song was on. It then goes a step further and allows you store that information on your iPod/iPhone/iTouch and then the next time that you sink it with your computer it will find those songs on iTunes. Another really useful feature is that it besides just scrolling across all of the information about the song it can also scroll useful information such as traffic and weather updates or sports scores and local news updates.

HD Radio also provides multicasting which give you access you hidden radio stations that are behind the stations you listen to everyday. These hidden stations offer different varieties of music or genre specific programming. For an example of this lets say that you usually listen to country music on 100.7 FM but with an HD tuner you can switch over to 100.7 HD2 and listen to rock or possibly 100.7 HD3 and listen to rap. It can also allow you to get more AM radio options for instance, on a sports broadcasting station you might be able to switch between different teams by switching over to the stations HD2 or HD3 channels. ]]> Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:26:54 +0000 <![CDATA[Benefits of New Car Speakers]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/new-car-speakers/
Brand name speakers are better than your factory speakers for two main reasons: better materials and better design. Most of the time car manufactures don’t put a lot of thought into a cars sound system and it is one of the first places that they look when they are trying to cut costs; this makes a lot of factory car stereos inadequate and lacking in quality. By using higher quality materials aftermarket speakers are more articulate and durable to give a higher quality sound for a much longer period of time. By spending more time and doing more research into the design behind their speakers name brand speakers are more efficient at converting power into sound and this will make your speakers louder and keep them from sounding muffled at high volumes. These design elements include built in tweeters and crossovers that send different frequencies to different speakers and significantly improve the quality of the sound in your vehicle. ]]> Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:20:08 +0000 <![CDATA[What to Look for in a GPS Navigation System for Your Car]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/gps-nav/
The first area that many systems begin to differ is screen. Typical screen sizes for GPS units can range anywhere from 3½ inches to 7 inches. The large model generally offer more in travel options without having to go all of the way back to the main screen or options menu and they are much easier to read from a distance. The only issues with these larger screen is that they can block more of your view if you are planning on mounting it on your windshield and they are not as convenient to take with you out of the car if you want to do some walking around.

Besides offering these standard features there are many systems that go above and beyond making your trips even more enjoyable. Instead just the standard maps they will offer additional downloads, DVDs or memory cards with more maps for almost any destination. These addition maps aren’t just for new area but they can also be extremely detailed views of high population areas giving you speed limits and telling you which lane you need to be in or marine and fishing maps.

Another really fun feature is the ability to change the voice and language of the voice guidance system allowing you to get your direction in Spanish or French or even have your direction given to you by Yoda, David Hassel Hoff or Flavor Flav! These models also offer that are not just simply “in .1 miles turn left” but will read you the name of the street as well so it would say “in .1 miles turn left on Main St.” or if you downloaded the Yoda feature “turn left, in .1 miles on Main St. you must.” This can make it much easier to find the correct street.

An additional feature available is the ability to add Points of Intrest (POI) to your trip without changing your final destination. These additional POI can be anything from movie theaters to gas stations to ATMs to hotels to restaurants. The more advanced navigation system even have internet connectivity that provides up to date information about all of these POI such as hours of operation, a phone number as well as consumer ratings and reviews.

Another great feature to look for is the ability to save your location such as your drive way, work or favorite area to park at the mall. These locations are saved as GPS coordinates and can give you a much more accurate destination allowing for better directions, more accurate estimated time of arrivals and allow you to set destinations for so searchable locations.

There are some features that can make your navigation system more than just a GPS. Some models offer Bluetooth connectivity and allow you to make phone calls over its speaker system and even call the destinations and POI to make reservations and check the availability of products and services. They can also have an internet connection and give you weather forecasts, movie show times and even gas prices. Another really popular and handy feature is the ability to give you real time traffic update and automatically divert you around accidents, construction zones or even plain old congestion to give you the quickest route and the most accurate estimated time of arrival. ]]> Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:09:16 +0000 <![CDATA[How to Choose a Marine Audio System]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/marine-audio/
The first thing is that they must be able to handle all of the water that they will undoubtedly encounter and there are two levels of liquid protection available, waterproof and water resistant. Water resistant equipment can only handle light rain or splashes and are not made to be fully submerged for any period of time. This level of protection also varies from manufacture to manufacture unlike waterproof which can, at minimum, take on a huge wave, get fully submerged and are guaranteed to come out in working order.

The other things you need to look at is, if the equipment is UV resistant and anti-corrosive. If it is UV resistant it means that it will stand up to the constant beating of the sun without breaking down or seriously fading. You equipment needs to have anti-corrosion protection if you are going to be spending anytime in salt water because this protection keeps all of the circuitry in your equipment safe from the damaging effects of the salt water which can cause your components to short circuit. ]]> Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:26:52 +0000 <![CDATA[Bring Sound to the Outdoors]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/outdoor-speakers/ weather proof vs. weather resistant. Weather proof speakers can be placed almost anywhere and don’t need any protective covering while speakers that are weather resistant need to be placed under an awning or the eaves of your house.

A further thing that you need to take into consideration is that it is hard for outdoor speakers to maintain good bass so when looking at possible choices you need to make sure that the speakers you choose have plenty of low end power and can get down to at least 60Hz or lower. You can also add an outdoor subwoofer to your system to make sure that you get a good full range of sound.

When placing your outdoor speakers you need to spread them out and for the best results try placing them around 8-10ft apart and around 12ft from your main listening area. It is also a good idea to put them beside walls or in corners because having walls around it will make them seem much louder especially in the lower frequencies. If you have a larger area that you want to cover then it is a lot more effective you add more speakers then just pump up the volume because pumping up the volume can make the areas near the speakers uncomfortably loud. For example if you wanted to cover your patio and your pool it would be best to place speakers in the 4 corners of the whole area rather than just blaring the speakers on the patio so you can hear them by pool. Another way to make your speakers seem louder without cranking it up to 11 is by raising the height of your speakers; a height of 6-10ft is optimal for your listening pleasure. ]]> Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:13:08 +0000 <![CDATA[What to Consider When Buying a Car Stereo/Receiver]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/buying-a-stereo/

A good way to work out what features you are looking for is to figure out what you will be doing the most with your receiver.

AM/FM Radio – if you are going to be listening to a lot of AM/FM radio you need to make sure that your radio has a low FM Sensitivity (around 8-12 dBf) or uses digital processing to clean up the radio signal. HD Radio ™– This is the new stage of AM/FM radio that uses digital signals instead of analog which allows for much clearer radio but you have to have a radio that has an HD tuner.

Satellite Radio – If you want to add satellite radio to you listening experience then you need to make sure that the receiver you choose is “satellite radio-ready” or has a built in satellite radio tuner. If you are planning on listening to a certain satellite company (Sirius or XM) be sure to check if the stereo is compatible with that company; most are compatible with both but a few only work one or the other.

CDs – Almost all of the stereos made today play all types of CDs including copied CDs, CD-Rs and CD-RWs. If you are going to be listening to a lot of CDs then you need to make sure that your radio has a high Signal to Noise Ratio which will make your CDs play bake cleaner.

iPod ®– Some of today’s stereos allow you to do more than just play the songs on your iPod; they charge it and allow you to control you iPod from your car stereo and use whatever hands free buttons are in your car. Models that allow for this sort of control are equipped with an iPod control adapter but if you would rather just control it with your iPod then all you need is an auxiliary jack.

Other MP3 Players – To play other types of MP3 players (or anything that plays sound and has a headphone jack) through your car stereo you need to make sure that the receiver that you choose comes with an auxiliary jack that allows you to hook up your MP3 player via its headphone jack.

Bluetooth – Some car radios allow come with built in Bluetooth or are Bluetooth ready and need an adapter to become Bluetooth enabled. With Bluetooth in your car you can go hands free with any Bluetooth capable phone or device with some receivers even being able to stream music via Bluetooth.

Flash Drives – Many car stereos now come with a USB port that allows you to hook up a flash memory storage device that has all of your music on it and the stereo will pull all of the music off of that drive. Some stereos also have SD™ card slots that allow you to put your music on a SD™ card.

DVD Playback – If you want to be able to play DVDs over your car’s stereo then you will need to have this feature. This feature is on a lot of Double DIN receivers but a few Single DIN receivers feature slide out screens and DVD players. Receivers with DVD playback are a critical part of any mobile video system.

Displays – There are hundreds of different display options available today from being able to change the color of the backlight to touch screen to telling you the name, artist and album of the song you are listening to.

If you like to have a lot of control over your music then you want to look for a receiver that has an equalizer or at least the ability to adjust the mid-range frequencies and not just the bass and treble.

If you are planning on upgrading the speakers in your car then you need to look for a model that has Preamp outputs that allow you to connect an amplifier to your stereo. You should also look for a receiver with a high output voltage and power rating which will give you a cleaner signal.

If you are going to be adding a Subwoofer to your system then you should look for a model with a dedicated subwoofer output which will allow you to control the volume of your sub independently from the rest of your system. ]]> Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:08:00 +0000 <![CDATA[How to Choose an Amplifier]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/choosing-an-amp/
Before choosing an amplifier you need to know what kinds of speakers and subwoofer you will be running because your amp need to be able to provide your speakers with all of the power that they require. When figuring out how much power you will need from your amp look at the RMS power and not the Peak power of the speakers and amp. Choose an amp that is rated to supply power from 75%-125% of the total power need for your system.

If you are just going to be powering a subwoofer(s) a mono amplifier would make a great choice. Mono Amplifiers have built in bass boost, low pass filters and were designed with subwoofers in mind. An even better choice would be a Class D mono amplifier because they are much more efficient and run a lot cooler. You can also use a 2 channel amp to power 2 subs or use both channels to power a single sub.

If you are going to be powering a full range of speakers and subwoofers then you will need to use a 4-6 channel amplifier. This allows you to divide up the power your amp is supplying and give your speakers a channel and then give your sub multiple channels so that it will get the power it needs and you will not over power your speakers.

It is also important to look at the quality of the heat sink on the amplifier. The heat sink disperses the heat given off by the amplifier so that it can run efficiently. Some amplifiers even come with cooling fans that keep them even cooler.

To ensure the highest quality of sound is coming from your speakers you need to choose an amplifier that creates a high damping factor in your system. Having a high damping factor keeps your speakers from vibrating when they are not supposed to and keep your music extra clean and crisp. You can calculate the damping factor by dividing the impedance of the speakers by the output impedance of the amplifiers. ]]> Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:57:20 +0000 <![CDATA[How to Get the Loudest Subwoofer]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/get-loud/
Sensitivity or efficiency is the woofers ability to convert power into sound. The higher the sensitivity the more effectively it converts power into volume; so a sub with less power but a higher sensitivity could be louder than its more powerful counterpart with a lower sensitivity.

The type of enclosure can drastically change the type of sound that your sub puts out. Sealed enclosures produce the deepest most precise sound and require more power but ported and bandpass enclosures are louder with bandpass being the loudest.

When you choose a sub you will also need to choose an amplifier that can provide the sub with all of the power that it needs and generally that high power the sub the more sound it will produce unless one has a much higher sensitivity than the other. You need to match these numbers based on the subs RMS power not its Peak power.

]]> Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:29:41 +0000 <![CDATA[What to Consider When Buying a Subwoofer]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/buying-a-sub/
One of the first things that you need to look at is what kind of space do you have available. There are subwoofers that can fit in almost any space but location and size can affect the quality and volume of the sound. If space is limited we recommend a powered sub that have built in amplifiers or a sub that is specifically fitted to your vehicle. It is a good idea to measure the space you are going to go put your sub in before looking at subs so you don’t get set on a sub that will not fit into your car.

Enclosure type – there are several factors that go into choosing which type of enclosure is right for you such as what kind of sound are you looking for, available space and power . The different types of enclosures are sealed, ported and bandpass. Sealed enclosures produce the deepest most precise sound and require more power but ported and bandpass enclosures are louder with bandpass being the loudest.

Sensitivity – also known as efficiency is the woofers ability to convert power into sound. The higher the sensitivity the more effectively it converts power into volume; so a sub with less power but a higher sensitivity could be louder than its more powerful counterpart with a lower sensitivity.

Available power – when looking at the available power of a subwoofer it is important to look at the RMS value rather than the Peak power value. Power is an important factor in how loud your subs are, the higher the power the louder the sub will be (if the subs are the same efficiency.

Size – larger subs can generally reach lower frequencies then smaller subs because the larger the cone area the more air the sub can send sound waves through. A larger sub will be able to produce lower sounds then several smaller ones but the smaller subs will be able to produce more high quality sound because of their combined cone area.

Frequency Range – this is the range of sound that a sub is capable of producing. The range that is listed does not factor in the effect of enclosures and other factors.

Number of Voice Coils – there only three options when it comes to voice coils, single (SVC), double (DVC) and quad (QVC). Having a sub with multiple voice coils gives you more wiring options when installing your subs but isn’t necessary and single voice coils often offer a simpler set up then the DVC or QVC subs.

Impedance – also known as resistance, this is measured in ohms. The majority of subs are rated at 4 ohms but they can range anywhere from 1 ohm to 8 ohms. It is very important to match the impedance of your subwoofer(s) to the impedance of your amplifier. Subs with lower impedance will have a higher output then subs with higher impedance.]]> Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:15:18 +0000 <![CDATA[How to Install Bluetooth in your Car]]> http://www.audiojamonline.com/knowledge/install/
There are several ways for you to get Bluetooth into your car. The simplest is to install a universal Bluetooth kit that can either be mounted on your dash or clipped on to your visor. These models typically online allow the hands free calling features and have their own speakers so the sound isn’t coming from your car stereo.



Another way to add Bluetooth to your ride is to get a Bluetooth integration kit. These kits fit your specific Bluetooth-ready stereo. To install them you generally have to remove your stereo and clip in a wiring harness and then clip a microphone either on your dash or visor. These systems allow you to hear your calls through the speakers in your car as well as see incoming call information right on your stereo’s display and automatically mute any music playing during a phone call.

The last way to incorporate Bluetooth into your car is to purchase a new stereo that already has Bluetooth built in. Installing these systems is no different than installing a normal car stereo but the can give you everything that Bluetooth has to offer usually including streaming music from your portable device and full integration of your phone into the car stereo allowing you to control the volume of your call using the volume controls for your stereo. Because of Bluetooth’s growing popularity and increasing capability more and more stereos are being made with it built in.

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