Car Audio and Video Buying Tips

Car Audio system

Going for that long drive and listening to your favorite music; the whole idea seems so perfect but if your car audio system is not working or ruining your music, not because you opted for a cheaper option but because you could not make the right choice while buying the car audio system. So here go over some things that we should be careful about when purchasing the car audio but before doing so, we need to know exactly what we want from our Audio system. It differs from one individual to the other - some just want to upgrade what they have already been provided from the manufacturers, some want speaker blowing volume and some want volume that would be audible across the neighborhood. So once you decide that, the next decision would be of buying more power or number of amplifiers. If you want decent volume, you can completely rely on the speakers of your vehicle which need power of about 30watts and that is power enough for your speakers. Do not distort the sound by adding more number of speakers. Those of you, who want huge volume, can buy amplifiers.

The kind and quality of the player, the kind and quality of speakers and the acoustics of the car are things that have to be kept in mind apart from the power that has to provided to each device, though in case of insufficient power the device would not be able to reproduce expected results. As mentioned already, to get a bigger sound, amps can be added or the other thing is bass can be increased.It has to be understood that to get a clearer sound the power should be channelised so that all the frequency spectrums get their share and utilizing that power can generate the best sound which is not jarring.If you want to have a CD player in your car these are the options that you have:

• In-dash CD player that is present along with the radio tuner or MP3 player.
• Portable CD player are also a good option that you can connect to the in-dash audio player by a cable or a blue tooth or adapter.
• In-dash CD receiver with a cassette changer installed somewhere else in the vehicle.

If the upgraded audio system or a singular device is from the same manufacturer as the vehicle, then the installation should not be a problem but if it is not so then the device or the complete system has to be customized.

If you want Digital music for your car, a suitable stereo would be a good arrangement. More than 275 songs can be stored with the choice of shuffling and repeating, but then storage of the CDs poses a problem of availability of space. Now what exactly you want in your car completely depends on your taste.

Car Audio Installation Kit

Installing the audio system in the car is dependent on the type of vehicle that you have, it’s technicalities and the use of right tools. The installation kit consists of brackets and rings for the right kind of alignment. Wiring harness is also an important thing that depends on the audio system as well as on the vehicle. Then another requirement would be the antenna.

When installing the car audio, precautions should be taken since there are many sharp instruments that are being handled. Use of safety glasses is a must.
Brands that you can rely on are as follows

• Aiwa CDC-MA01. Price:$349.95
• Blaupunkt’s San Jose MP41 and the MP300.Price:$399 and $339 respectively.
• Kenwood’s Excelon KDC-X959.Price:$700
• Pioneer’s DEH-P8400MP

Car Video System

There are brands that provide with car videos according to your requirements but before starting to look for a car video, its important to know what exactly you should look in a car video. The basic requirements can be the number of monitors, the player (DVD or VCR) and the audio source.

There are two types of Car video systems which are as follows:

• Backseat Systems
• In dash car video system

In-dash car video system has many advantages like it shows you information about car audio source, vehicle information screen shots from the rear view camera apart from helping with the navigation system by displaying maps and routes.It consists of a flip up LCD and a chipped in media player which is called a deck. It is specially designed for drivers and it would not play video unless the vehicle is parked and the emergency brakes are applied though the video works as a navigation display when the vehicle is moving.Backseat Car Video systems are designed for backseat passengers and the monitors are either overhead or onto the back of front seats. When you go for overhead monitors, make sure that the lights are also included in the whole setting, that way you would save some space and it would also be convenient. Always get experts to do it since the wiring and fittings are quite complicated. You can also go for features like I-pod compatibility and touch screen controls, TV tuner etc.

Before buying, know what you are buying and what the features are so that you can understand the product better and decide if you want it at all. Try and get some feedback on the product from previous users. It’s important to know what kind of warranty plan your buyer is providing for such an expensive item and what the maintenance schemes are.

It is not always important to spend a bomb and buy the best good in the market but if an inexpensive product meets your requirement, go for it. Know your requirement and decide accordingly.