If you’ve been around the car audio scene for a few decades, then you’ll recall a time when almost all amplifiers doubled their output power when the load impedance was halved. For example, an amplifier might have been rated to produce 75 watts per channel into a 4-ohm load and 150 watts into a 2-ohm […]
A client from Palmerton recently contacted the team at Mobile Edge about upgrading the stereo system in his new-to-him Chevrolet Silverado. The owner loved the truck and its features but was disappointed in how the factory-installed audio system sounded. He wanted something that would play louder, deliver better bass and sound clearer. After inspecting the […]
In the first week of May 2021, Sony Electronics introduced its new Mobile ES series of speakers and subwoofers. If you’ve been into the car audio industry for a while, then you’ll recognize the Mobile ES (Elevated Standard) name from classic products like the CDX-X90 CD player. The new Mobile ES speakers include 6.5-inch coaxial […]
It’s time to dispel another unsubstantiated car audio myth! This time, we’re talking about claiming that you can’t ground an amplifier directly to the battery in a vehicle. Perhaps it would add to the clarity of the statement to say that many inexperienced installers think the ground wire for the amp has to go to […]
Every professional audio system installation, be it for a church, dance club, home theater or your car, requires DSP calibration. Your smartphone, laptop and smart speaker use digital signal processors to optimize the sound you hear from the tiny speakers. Digital signal processors aren’t magic, and they aren’t complicated. They offer a reliable and straightforward […]
Not long ago, we looked at how an increase in subwoofer voice coil temperature reduced the power delivered from your amplifier. With component temperatures easily exceeding the boiling point of water, the impedance of the voice coil can increase by more than 50%. Manufacturers that understand this go to great lengths to include technologies to […]
We can’t count the number of times we’ve heard people say that listening to music over Bluetooth A2DP doesn’t sound as good as if you played a WAV file directly from a USB memory stick. So we fired up the Sony XAV-AX7000 multimedia receiver that we reviewed in late 2020 and made a series of […]
A comment came up the other day that it was unwise to use all channels of a four-channel amplifier to power a pair of subwoofers. Not only is this incorrect, but this practice opens up several unique system designs and installation possibilities, especially where high-power requirements are necessary. Let’s dive in! Four-Channel Amplifiers Are Amazing! […]
In a recent online discussion, someone stated that a car audio amplifier couldn’t be power-hungry. After the eye-twitching passed and our heart rates settled, we knew this was a perfect topic for our series on car audio myths. Let’s look at how amplifiers, specifically subwoofer amplifiers, make use of the power from your vehicle’s electrical […]
