How to Get a High-Performance Car Audio System

Buying a car audio system can be more complex than buying the car. Audio components come with their own set of technical specifications, which may be unintelligible unless you're an electrical engineer. Find a salesperson who will help you cut through the marketing talk and evaluate what's really important to you.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Conduct enough research so that you're conversant with the basic terminology of audio systems. Audio and car magazines, knowledgeable friends and the Internet are your best sources.
2. Set a budget. Complete systems range from $500 to many thousands of dollars, but you can find choices within any budget.
3. Determine what high performance means to you. If you like rock and rap, maximum power output is important. If you like classical music, you want moderate power and exceptional sound quality.
4. Avoid buying a system one piece at a time. Every component, regardless of quality, has its own sound characteristics. If you buy everything separately, you won't have a chance to preview the whole system before you own it.
5. Understand speaker options. Most speakers are two-way, with a low-range driver (woofer) and a high-range driver (tweeter). Three-way speakers include a midrange driver, which provides precise sound quality. Small car owners may opt to mount individual drivers, with the tweeters up front, and woofers and midrange drivers in back. Such systems require an external crossover device to synchronize the individual drivers. An audio shop will know the speaker limitations for your vehicle.
6. Research head units, also called receivers, which typically include a radio, an amplifier, and a CD or tape player. Head units list a power output figure in watts. Find a knowledgeable salesperson willing to explain the true power output. Higher-quality units usually have more power. Expect to pay $200 and up.
7. Check the preouts, plugs that allow for additional components on the head unit. If you plan on installing an equalizer (for improved sound tuning) and an additional amplifier (for more volume), be sure enough preouts exist. If you're connecting the head unit to existing components, be sure the preouts are compatible.
8. Make sure the head unit is compatible with satellite radio, MP3 and home-recorded CDs. Even if you don't use these now, you might in the future.
9. Select speakers and a head unit that are compatible in terms of power. Don't use speakers with a lower power rating than the head unit. In fact, it's a good idea to get speakers with a slightly greater rating, allowing for the addition of an amplifier later. Expect to pay $200 or more for top-quality speakers.

What to Look For:

• Quality of sound
• Room for speakers
• Adequate power
• Preouts for more components
• Head unit compatibility

Tips & Warnings

• Budget for installation costs. High-power systems require professional installation. The pros will also know how to protect the appearance of your car.
• Bring along some of your own CDs when you're shopping. You want to test a system using familiar music.
• Any system will sound different in your car than it does in the showroom. The best you can do is preview the entire system as a unit, prior to installation.
• If you're worried about your flashy new audio system prompting a break-in, a head unit with a detachable face is a very good idea. (See How to Buy a Theft-Prevention Device.)
• Wattage figures have become a marketing tool and are thus subject to misrepresentation.