Music is of great importance in the life of every person. Scientists have proven more than once that different music can change the emotional state of a person. Here and there in the press and on the Internet appear Interesting Facts about her. Many people love music, and therefore the audio system in the car is quite an important thing, maybe even the second after the comfort in the cabin. Today there are many different systems on offer, from luxury and audiophile to budget and regular, but sound quality also depends on tuning and proper installation.
About stock audio
Unfortunately, the in-house audio is far from ideal, if not to talk about Lexus or BMW. Take the speakers in the doors. It is difficult to get even a little decent sound from them, and the reviews about them are often negative. Users report that the door and plastic sheathing will vibrate violently when the speaker is running. At home, the case is quite tough, so there are no vibrations. To avoid such problems, manufacturers remove frequencies that cause vibrations. This is done to keep the production of the car as cheap as possible. In this case, you do not have to make the door harder. But this happens even with self-respecting manufacturers.
For many others, things are different. For example, the speaker is not installed on the metal in the door, but on the flimsy upholstery. In addition, these speakers are not even from the budget segment, but frankly cheap and low-quality. Needless to say that such an audio system in the car is immediately replaced by some listening and tasteful car enthusiast?
Types of existing systems
Today, two types of equipment can be distinguished that are responsible for the sound in the car. So, there are component systems and coaxial ones. Audiophile drivers prefer component systems as they are considered to be more advanced. Coaxial equipment is a thing of the past because it cannot provide good, or at least normal, sound.
What is component
These acoustics are speakers placed separately. If you install them correctly, you can achieve a unique effect of presence. The driver will hear every instrument. Even an inexpensive car audio system can provide high quality sound. Common kits include two woofers, two tweeters, and two tweeters. More expensive systems have additional subwoofers.
Coaxial equipment
In contrast to here, all the speakers are collected in one case. The simplest speaker can consist of just one speaker. The advantage of this acoustics is that it is easier to install, in addition, the consumer likes the cost. This sound is still used today, but it is popular with those who do not care about sound quality. You can see this equipment in minibuses, trucks, cheap cars.
Speaker types and sizes
If you need a good audio system in the car, then purchasing one high-quality one will not work here. Sound is a set of equipment. When choosing, it is advised to pay attention not to the shape, but to the dimensions of the speakers in it. Often in most cars there are already standard places for loudspeakers, the dimensions of which are 10, 13 and 16 cm. This is if the speaker has a round shape. There are also 15 x 23 cm spaces if the shape is oval.
Good sound is right editing
Yes exactly. For example, vibrations are very harmful to midrange speakers. They should be fastened as tightly as possible. Then you can count on good sound. If installation is carried out in doors, the vehicle must be prepared in advance. This will help you achieve normal sound quality. If the speakers will be installed in the rear, it is important to leave some free space between the speakers and the subwoofer. Ideally, the mid-range speakers will be placed on the rear doors, and the subwoofer will sit in the trunk.
The tweeters are best positioned in front. To ensure sound quality, just two frontal acoustic systems and two high-frequency ones, mounted on the A-pillars.
Professionals recommend mounting the tweeters as close to the midrange as possible. However, for this you need to cut the skin. Then these speakers are connected near the mirrors. In general, the guarantee of high sound quality is the correct and competent installation of the audio system in the car.
The best of the best
But the best doesn't mean the loudest. Loud sound will never be of high quality and clear, and even loud sound can easily damage your hearing. Some systems may come standard on some brands, while others will need to be purchased separately.
Bose audio system in the car
This company is a pioneer in the production of stereos. The products are still popular today. This technique at one time turned the idea of sound quality and design.
A full-fledged audio system from this manufacturer can be heard in the Maybach. There it is a standard system. The sound quality can be easily compared to a live concert. For many audiophiles, it is still a mystery how the company made sound of this quality, despite the many problems of the cabin. Bose Media System can be heard in Ferrari models. The system gives you perfect sound quality. The price is sky-high, but for true music lovers, nothing is impossible. Audio systems from this manufacturer use the most modern technologies that are changing the idea of \ u200b \ u200bmusic.
Boston acoustics
This acoustics can be found in the Crysler 300C. Thus, a system with a power of 360 W is able to provide maximum sound quality. The set includes 7 speakers equipped with special filters and a subwoofer.
Rockford fostage
This system can be heard in Mitsubishi lancer Evolution. This car audio system has a power of 650 watts. Package contents - 9 speakers and a subwoofer. Sound quality lies in good processing. The system is able to react to changes speed mode and can equalize the sound volume.
How to assemble an audio system in a car: a budget solution
Inexpensive but sounding equipment is a reality. Let there be only 10 thousand rubles for all the components. Wherein standard systems that are more expensive will sound worse. Installation and configuration are paid separately.
So, 10 thousand must be distributed as follows: 3.5 thousand - for the purchase of a radio tape recorder, 2.5 thousand - for the front acoustics and another 3.5 - for the rear. And 500 rubles. will remain for the purchase and other little things.
Budget head unit
There is a lot of competition among head units due to Chinese products. Reviews advise you to choose budget solutions from market leaders. Let them also be collected in the Celestial Empire, but the sound quality is much higher here.
As for the functionality, this is sound reproduction from any media, power up to 50 W per channel, equalizer settings and other little things.
Front and rear speakers
This is where the most difficult choice lies ahead. As a budget, but at the same time a high-quality option, you can purchase models from Pioneer. Even three-band models can be found inexpensively on sale.
Not every car has space for the rear speakers, but you can embed them yourself. For 3000 rubles. can be purchased good options with three frequency bands. As an example, we recommend looking at Kenwoood products.
That's how easy and almost inexpensive it turned out to be a budget audio system in a car. Now it remains to learn about the installation and configuration.
Installing audio in a car
Even if the car is not equipped with a standard audio system, all the wiring is already installed by default. To mount the head unit, you need to remove the plug and insert the radio tape recorder into its original place. And of course, all connectors and cables should be connected.
To install the speakers, you need to prepare plywood podiums in advance. Reviews recommend pre-treating plywood with anti-rotting compounds. Acoustic preparation should be done before installation. Then the podiums are screwed to the doors, holes are drilled in them beforehand. It remains only to stretch the wires and connect them first to the crossovers, and then to the amplifier or radio. Nothing is difficult, but if difficulties arise, it is better to entrust the work to professionals. They know exactly how to install an audio system in a car so that the car enthusiast is surprised with the result.
The quality and level of sound in the car - frequent problem, which spoils all the driving pleasure for the car owner. How many discussions have been held on this topic, many automobiles have been tried, dozens of modifications have been created from various systems - and all in order to get the perfect car sound that will not cause complaints even from notorious music lovers.
Rules and ways to create the perfect sound
The equipment is installed in strict accordance with the recommendations given by the manufacturer. Although the study of instructions is not typical for Russians, let the car audio be an exception to the rule. This rule applies to any technique, even a car antenna.
If car audio is not installed from scratch, but the possibilities are expanding, then you must be guided by a sense of proportion. It's very easy to overdo it, but is it worth making a concert hall out of a car? Probably, this will already be superfluous.
The correct choice of the type of acoustics is not the least important for creating an audio system that will fully meet the requirements of the user. To listen to pop music, it will be enough to install an audio system, which will include a high-quality radio tape recorder and a set of three speakers. If you want to include bass in the general car audio, you cannot do without installing a subwoofer and an amplifier, which will complement the above elements.
When choosing equipment, you should pay attention only to well-known companies, whose products are highly respected among specialists. Even if you overpay a little for the brand, you will get a quality product that will last a long time and will not upset you with the occurrence of malfunctions.
Ways to create a speaker system
There are two main ways that you can be guided if you want to create a good car sound:
- Selection of individual components that will be mounted and configured in the future. Difficult, expensive, requires a professional approach.
- The use of ready-made systems that have been tested by time and the experience of other users.
Features of great sound in the car
Before creating car audio, you need to study theoretical material and clearly understand the characteristics and requirements that apply to high-quality sound in the car.
Compliance principle
There is no single speaker system that is perfect for every vehicle. The explanation for this fact is hidden in the need to select a system in accordance with the volume of the cabin. To do this, it is necessary to select speakers not only by size, but also by type. In total, two types of speakers are distinguished: coaxial and broadband. The first type of speaker is more popular due to the division of the playback range into a number of parts. This feature allows you to achieve surround sound. Accordingly, their price is higher than that of their broadband counterparts. It is not for nothing that such speakers are installed. The secret to perfect sound in a car is hidden in such expensive speakers.
Choosing the right place
Having made your choice regarding the equipment on the basis of which the car audio installation will be carried out, you can start choosing a place. This point is extremely important because it has a significant impact on sound quality. To facilitate this task, you can create a schematic diagram. In many cars, at the stage of their creation, space is allocated for installing speakers. They are optimal for organizing an ideal audio system. If each speaker has its own place, then you should not go against the manufacturer's recommendations and "reinvent the wheel". To allocate additional seats, it is worth contacting specialists who will build special podiums for installing speakers.
Soundproofing issue
Having finally decided on the location, it is required to deal with the issue of sound insulation and vibration isolation. This work will be long, painstaking and exhausting, but without it the car audio will not be good enough and all your expenses for the purchase of expensive equipment will be reduced to zero. The meaning of sound insulation is to remove the interior cover and replace it with a material with sound insulation properties. The thoroughness and completeness of the work performed determine the sound quality.
When this work is done, you can set the auto sound. Particular attention should be paid to carefully attaching the speaker to the body in order to eliminate the likelihood of additional resonance.
Nobody says that it will be easy and not costly. Still, making a good car audio is a lot of work, with which even an experienced specialist will tinker for a long time. But that person who wants something badly and does everything possible and in his power for this, will definitely succeed in achieving what he wants. Your hard work will be rewarded in full, and your car will have the best car audio imaginable.
I have never written posts, it just so happened, I am a technician, not a writer :) But many people ask in PM how to set up, what to choose, how to deliver. So I decided to try it, maybe someone will be interested. Well, what happens we will see now, according to your estimates, together :)
So let's get started:
Each of us, being in our car, wants to feel comfortable. Comfort is made up of many parameters, aesthetics, driving performance, dynamics, tactile sensations, and of course music. It is she who for the most part is the driver's companion. It brightens up loneliness on the road, reflects the emotional state of the driver, and sometimes even cheers up. This is why many people place great emphasis on improving the sound quality and functionality of their audio equipment. iron horse.
I will try to reveal the main points that will help beginners build their systems.
So, it is customary to call any sound design of a car using certain devices and different schemes connecting speaker systems.
There are not many schemes: a simple one - a radio tape recorder and four coaxial speakers, more complex, using 2-component speakers, external amplifiers and a subwoofer, and of course a high-class one, using 3-component speakers, several amplifiers, subwoofers, sound processors. Let's omit the competitive one, I think for beginners it will be of little interest.
All but the simplest systems are very demanding in terms of vehicle preparation. The very first and most important preparation process is vibration and noise isolation. To prevent metal bounce and sound distortion.
Manufacturing and precise fitting of spacer rings and speaker podiums will also be important preparation points.
What are these or those components for? A radio tape recorder, it is also a GU (head unit) is used as a signal source, it can be connected to external devices, phones, players and so on. You can laugh a little, it seems like this needs to be explained for children, but it is she who should be given a lot of attention, since she is the primary source of sound, so to speak, the head of everything. If the sound from it is initially not of high quality, then it will not be possible to correct it with amplifiers and processors. Well, then an external amplifier, which is used for a better and more powerful signal transmitted to the speakers, acoustics for sound emission, and a subwoofer for bass support.
All system components are selected by experienced installers not only based on the budget and musical preferences of the car owner.
In general, the car is the most terrible place you can imagine for setting up a sound space. Worse, except for motorcycles, it will really be very difficult to find ..
Let's talk about the main points now.
The sound in the car should be emitted from the front, from the rear there can be only a sub-sound, this is due to the perception of sound by a person. At the concert, the orchestra is in front of you. And not divided into those who play in front and behind. Speaker placement plays a huge role. In simple systems, it is best to use the standard midbass locations in the lower front of the doors. In component acoustics, the midbass is also placed at the bottom, the mid-range speaker (if a 3-component system is used) is placed at chest level, or in the lower part of the windshield pillar, it can also be embedded into the panel with reflection from the windshield and the angle of sound attack in the region of the region throat, but when installed in a panel, it will be necessary to create a closed volume dynamics. HF, they are also tweeters or tweeters, I advise you to install at the level of the listener's ears.
Place the subwoofer in the trunk, as it is almost impossible to determine the location of the low frequency radiation. For higher sound pressure, use a bass reflex subwoofer. For greater musicality, it is best to choose it in a closed box. This way you will achieve more correct sound shaping. These are of course only the basics, in reality there are much more subtleties, but for many, they will be quite enough.
Several important rules when installing sound in a car:
During vibration and noise isolation, at least 70 percent of the flat metal surfaces where the speaker is installed should be covered, but I recommend covering as much area as possible.
- When final gluing the door, do it efficiently so that the interior space becomes as closed as possible.
- For better pasting, use an industrial hair dryer, heating the adhesive layer of the material before installation.
- At the location of the speaker, inside the door, I advise you to place a sound lens, it will noticeably improve the quality and detail of the sound.
- When installing the spacer rings to the metal of the door, it is better to seal it with wet rubber or sealant, the gaps are unacceptable and distort the sound.
- With the podium and speaker installed, make a ring of foam rubber or other sound-absorbing material that will close the screws and will be a seal to the door trim. So that the speaker plays into the interior, and not into the trim.
- Always connect the GU (radio) to the power supply after connecting all the line wires (tulips). Especially often the subwoofer channel burns out if it is pulled out or inserted into a working device.
- Always place a dedicated fuse on the power cable, as close to the battery as possible.
- Always lay the power cable on one side of the car, it is more convenient with the one where the battery is located, and the line wires on the opposite side. This will eliminate possible power pickups (buzzing) when the engine is running.
- Try to keep the negative wire as short as possible and attach it to the body as securely as possible.
- When using a capacitor, if it is without an auto charge, do not forget to charge it through the lamp, otherwise there will be no sense from it.
- For a subwoofer, I advise you to use a monoblock, not bridging multichannel amplifiers. This is primarily due to a clearer control of the speaker itself.
- When connecting a subwoofer to a multichannel amplifier in bridged mode, carefully follow the position of the frequency filter switch - HPF - FULL - LPF, it must be set to the LPF position, that is, select only the low-frequency signal. In HPF, your subwoofer will burn out almost instantly and you will see farewell smoke from it.
BUT everything, as usual, begins with a choice and a purchase, and then I read a lot of posts with advice on what to buy and how to install.
What to buy depends on your budget, head units pricing policy up to 6-7 thousand will be approximately the same, and differ in the basic design. But there are points worth paying attention to. At least, to have a three-band equalizer, four line outputs and a sub output. This will make your life much easier.
More expensive models will already clearly differ in circuitry, functions and sound quality, and this is a topic for more detailed consideration. Amplifiers are generally a separate caste, you can write a lot about them, but the main thing is to select them with a power reserve of at least 25 percent. However, you need to understand one thing that most companies write clearly overestimated parameters, and only an experienced person will help you here, since there is a huge amount of choice now. I can only say one thing - a good amplifier is never cheap. The main parameter when choosing an amplifier for you will be the number of channels and their nominal value, the amplifier should be higher than that of the acoustics. Monoblocks (single-channel bass amplifiers) are the same. Of course, the sub will play with a weaker amplifier, but you will not achieve accuracy and correctness of the sound. When choosing an acoustics, you need to look at many parameters, and each of them will play in its own way. There is budget class, which, as a rule, plays everything averaged but better than standard acoustics, there is middle class where you have to choose musicality or assertiveness based on genre preferences, and there are expensive three-way systems where manufacturers have tried to balance the sound as much as possible.
In conclusion, I will describe only the process of simple system configuration:
We start it with the fact that we reset everything on the radio. All sound settings should be factory default and zero.
Further on the amplifier there are controls and switches:
Three-contact switch HPF - FULL - LPF, the four-channel amplifier has two of them. For acoustics, it must be set to the HPF position in order to separate very low frequencies that the speakers cannot reproduce in order to avoid distortion, and for a bridged subwoofer, it must be set to LPF so that it plays only the bass part, which the acoustics in the doors cannot pull. And also so as not to burn him.
HPF regulator, we set the lower threshold of the cutoff frequency of the speaker systems, that is, we cut off the very low bass that distorts the speakers. For example, if the high pass filter is set to 100 Hz, then frequencies below this mark (deep bass) will not get to the acoustics. If there is no tuning experience, then I advise you to set it from 80 to 100 Nz
The LPF regulator is a subwoofer cut. That is, you set the frequency above which the sub will not play. Usually it is set in the 50 to 70 Hz position. If you set more bass, it will already be less accurate and more rolling.
LEVEL is the power of the amplifier. Having turned it down to a minimum, we add the sound on the radio tape recorder until distortions appear, turn it down a little and begin to turn this regulator, add power with the amplifier until distortions appear. Then we turn the regulator back a little. And turn down the volume on the radio. Level matching and setting up the amplifiers is now complete.
It remains to set up the head unit and enjoy the music.
We put on our favorite music. We make it louder And we begin to tune the top so that the sound from the tweeters is not too pronounced, but clearly audible. Then the bass is on the principle of “the more, the better” to the level where the distortion of the speakers does not begin and we slightly reduce it. At the same time, the subwoofer is minimized in the radio tape recorder. Now we start adjusting the level of the front and rear speakers (fader and balance). The overall soundstage in the vehicle should be oriented towards the driver. At zero positions, the soundstage is blurry, we need to direct it in the desired direction. Rear acoustics it is always played only on sub-sound, all the music must come from the front acoustics, otherwise we will not be able to get the right soundstage. shift the fader to the front of about + 20%. All audible sound should come from the front speakers. Next, we set the balance on the opposite side of the driver by about + 10 -15%. When adjusting the balance, we ensure that the sound emanates, as it were, from the windshield of the car. And in the end, we add the level of the subwoofer in the radio tape recorder to the level we need.
Do not forget that we need to make all the settings using a high-quality disc!
I hope this basic knowledge will help you improve the sound in your car and make your journeys more comfortable.
Choosing the "right" acoustics for your car is not an easy task: the final sound will depend on even the smallest details; a speaker that sounds great in one car will become flat and indistinct in another. Therefore, in today's top, we proceeded primarily from the characteristics of the speakers - a competent installer will be able to make them open to their full, although the price of a competent installation, of course, will be considerable. We have not forgotten about the car speakers from the “to play” series, which can be simply put in their regular places.
What are the best speakers for the car? Let's start with the very layout... Recall that the human ear feels the directionality of sound at high frequencies best of all, and the location of the soundstage most comfortable for a person is in front of the face. Therefore, the location and quality of the front high-frequency acoustics play "the first violin" in the perception of music, and it is very difficult to make the coaxial speakers sound good in the front doors.
This happens for two reasons. First, the ears inevitably feel that the sound is coming from below, which is not very comfortable. Secondly, the directional diagram of the speaker is not ideal - when the ear is located along the axis of the diffuser, the sound is much louder than when listening "at an angle". When you are sitting in a car, not only does the distance to the speakers in the doors differ, but the angle between the line from the ear to the center of the speaker on the right is less than on the left. As a result, the driver hears the “top” from the left speaker much worse than from the right one - the scene goes not only to the right, but also to the side.
Component acoustics, on the other hand, allows you to perfectly tune high-frequency sources so that listening to music brings real pleasure. The flip side of the coin is that installation becomes much more difficult.
What up diffuser material(which in itself is the subject of holy forum wars), then in the segment of inexpensive car speakers you inevitably have to choose between plastic and plastic. The difference will be only in the stiffness of the diffuser and its tendency to "tanning" in the cold, but you will not feel a fundamental difference in sound.
But in more expensive speakers there is plenty to choose from: fiberglass impregnated with resin, and carbon, and cellulose with and without reinforcement (here the priorities of the author, the well-known "paper-filler," are obvious), and all kinds of composites. All of these materials provide good sound, but each with its own character: tough but heavy fiberglass is good for a powerful low end, and these speakers are not bad if you don't have a subwoofer. The cellulose diffuser will better define the middle, but will begin to deform unnecessarily at the bottom. However, whatever one may say, this reasoning is general - each specific speaker needs to be listened to.
What up tweeters, then the generally accepted standard is silk. If titanium still competes with it in the field of home audio, then in a car where the "tweeters" are much closer to the ears, the sound of silk diffusers is much more pleasant, does not have excessive rigidity and obvious resonant frequencies.
We wish you happy shopping!
You will need
- -noise isolation
- -vibration isolation
- -supporting tool
- -musical car components
- -Large capacity batteries
Instructions
There are a lot of changes that need to be made to get really high quality music in your car.
The first thing to do is to rid the car of extraneous noise and crickets. To do this, it is necessary to completely glue the vehicle with sound insulation, especially at the joints of parts such as joints of doors with a torpedo. Much attention should be paid to the soundproofing of the arches, because 60% of extraneous noise comes from there. Double layer gluing soundproofing in arches, thresholds, luggage compartment, doors and engine compartment of the car.
After pasting with noise isolation, vibration isolation follows vehicle for. It is worth noting that plastic films must be used between the layers of noise insulation and vibration isolation, especially in the doors, so that condensation does not accumulate and car parts do not rust. Vibration insulation is thicker than the first material, so it is necessary to calculate the place for its installation, especially if the machine is of domestic production.
Next, you need to correctly position. Here you should pay attention to the reflection of sound directly in the user's car. If it is a hatchback or a station wagon, then the sound and bass from the trunk are much better reflected in such a body than in a sedan, which in turn will entail changes in the rear shelf. For tweeters, it is also better to use sound reflection from glass, for this installation in a car torpedo in the upper part under windshield... Mid-range speakers are best used in the front and rear doors. Pay attention to the installation of mid-range speakers so that the sound is not distorted or muffled, the installation should be at the end of the door just above the seat. Bass speakers are best installed in the front doors and, if the car is in the sedan body.
Once you've decided on the speaker setup, you need to use a suitable podium. For the best sound, wooden structures are used to avoid unnecessary vibrations and noise. After the purchase or manufacture of podiums, they are covered with additional material, according to the style of the car. Basically these materials are carpet and leather, all those materials that additionally eliminate vibration.
Next, you need to install power plants car audio. Amplifiers, processors, and are often placed in the luggage compartment to save space, better cool the system and, at the expense of the weight of the system, better weight the vehicle. Batteries are installed with increased capacity, sometimes even two batteries to power the entire audio system. It is also better to use a generator with a larger capacity for constant power supply.
For the best sounding of the system, it is worth using licensed car components and not overusing sound pressure. For proper layout, it is worth using 60% of the power of the mid-range speakers, 30% and 10% of the woofers, this is the most acceptable layout for high-quality sound. Do not forget about a high-quality radio tape recorder, which must be processor-based or use a processor through adapters. For high-quality sound transmission, you should use a CD-ROM with the quality of music on it in a 1: 1 ratio or use the AUX wire to transfer music from the phone to the radio tape recorder, but for this the phone must support music in quality (flac) in order to keep the highest sound quality ...
It is worth paying attention to the stylistics of the cabin, not only for aesthetic purposes, but also for additional getting rid of the noise of the cabin due to the use of leather material. All this will allow you to achieve the maximum sound quality in the car.
