Thiele/Small and Speaker Enclosures We complete our tour through a typical car speaker specification list by looking at Thiele/Small Parameters. These are important when looking to put speakers in a sealed or ported enclosure. They dictate the optimum size an enclosure should be in order to get the most out of a given speaker and […]

  Here we put impedance in the spotlight. More accurately, we should refer to it as Electrical Impedance as other kinds do exist. In fact, the word itself is derived from the verb “impede” which means to restrict or obstruct. Electrical impedance is often mistaken for electrical resistance but differs insofar as it relates to […]

Frequency Response in Car Audio Every piece of audio equipment specifies a frequency response. Here we investigate what it means, what makes a good one and how it should be stated. First off, it is useful to understand how frequency response relates to a human’s ability to hear. As a general rule, fresh new ears […]

“COMPARISON OF SPEAKERS IF YOU HAVEN’T already got the factory-fitted Dynaudio system in your Mk 7 Golf, there are other options. Not to be outdone by the new hi-fi system in his son James’s up! (as featured in the last issue) Simon Harper started looking at the options to upgrade the sound system in his […]

Over Sensitive About Car Audio? – Speaker Sensitivity Explored Continuing our journey into specification-land, we chance upon speaker sensitivity. We can see it is measured in Decibels (dB), but what is it? what kind of figure is good – is it simply that the higher the number is, the better a speaker is? What do […]

Car Audio Electronics And Total Harmonic Distortion Distortion kills! It kills speakers and it kills ears. However distortion also comes in many different forms. THD is one form but in fact any difference between and input signal and output signal of a device is distortion. Even equalisation is a form of distortion albeit intentional. So, […]

Active vs Passive Crossovers in Car Audio Systems When running component speakers, it is desirable to split frequencies appropriately to ensure best performance. In very simplistic terms, a large speaker is best at reproducing low frequency sounds while a small speaker is better suited to higher frequencies. Bringing the sound together coherently is a tricky […]

Wide open Spaces – Auditioning Car Audio Upgrades There is no doubt that the past 5-6 years has seen a return to good quality sound. Many commercial opportunities have been exploited as a result and in particular car companies cashing in on the beautiful car stereo’s they can provide in return for the tick of […]

Hertz Mille Pro Car Speakers – What makes speakers sound good in a car? Hertz Mille Pro speakers are gaining popularity and a reputation for providing unbelievable sound for the price but what makes them such great performers? Below we point toward some of the key design features that put these diamond performers at the […]

Audio Upgrade for Audi TT rescued from VW Golf. We always love to hear from those who have upgraded their car audio. Your stories really help when trying to convince other music lovers that there is musical enjoyment to be had from a properly installed audio upgrade. These always go well beyond what is served […]