On occasion we will be talking to a client about doing an audio upgrade in their vehicle and they will say to us: “How hard can it be to install my new stereo system? Car audio is easy, right?” That is a valid question, and it deserves a great answer.
More and more of our clients find us from searching the internet for ideas and come across a build article we may have posted. They will then go look at our Google reviews, and if they like what they are reading, they contact us. That is where the differences between us and our competition come to light almost instantly.
Car Audio Has Become MUCH More Complicated
You see, installing a basic radio in an early 2000’s Silverado is relatively easy, and with the proper tools, lots of people could do this work in ninety minutes or less. Let’s fast forward 15 years. Now that vehicle has a radio that is connected to a “bus” network that allows all the major electronics in the vehicle talk to each other. The radio looks completely integrated into the dash, and if it is a higher level trim line, there is no reason to remove that radio if you want to improve the sound quality. If you decide to install a new radio yourself and happen to make a mistake, major damage to the vehicle can occur. Your instrument cluster could light up like Christmas in Rockefeller Center. Not good by any means.
Chrysler 300C An Example Of How Vehicles Have Changed
You see, years ago you had a car stereo system in the dash that sent out a normal, unmodified musical signal via speaker wires to four speakers in the vehicle. Sounds pretty simple, huh? Well…..times have changed. We just had a client come to us with their second vehicle in just a few months wanting an audio upgrade. We had worked on their first vehicle and they were so happy with it, they decided to see what we could do with their other car. It was a 2013 Chrysler 300c with the nineteen (yep you read that right, nineteen) speaker system. It had the beautiful 8.4″ touchscreen display with all the bells and whistles. But when you turned it up it sounded lifeless, and it began distorting at very low volume levels. The client wanted more, but also wanted to keep the integrity of the vehicle. OK. All this sounds great, but why the story?
Audio Diagnosis Points Us In The Right Direction
Well, we had not worked on that exact audio system yet. And neither had our network of over 200 other retailers around the country that we trust. So we ordered a schematic of the audio system and scheduled her for an audio diagnostic appointment. That is where we take our specialized test equipment and see exactly what Chrysler has going on. We found that the musical signal was divided up into two separate signals, and that they added significant equalization in order to improve the sound of the cheap, factory speakers. We also realized that the nineteen speakers was purely a marketing ploy. They could have eliminated two thirds of the speakers and the system would actually have sounded better.
Car Audio Is Easy: But Only With the Right Tools and The Skills To Use Them
Above you will see some pictures of the real time analyzer that we used to measure the musical signal going into the speakers in the car. If you look at the picture of the signal coming out of the front door woofers you will notice no lights on the display on the right side. This is showing us that the stereo system is killing all of the upper midrange and treble going to that speaker. If you look at the other picture, you will see that the lights on the left side are missing, and that the graph looks like a roller coaster. This shows us that the tweeter is getting all kinds of equalization done to the music, and that the low end bass is getting killed off. What this means is that we need to sum those two signals together to get a full range sound, and we need a device that can clean up the music, essentially eliminating the equalization curve that Chrysler is adding. Once we have done that, we now have a good musical signal that we can amplify so we can give our client that concert level output with studio sound quality.
Stop By The Experts At WSS Westminster Speed and Sound
Did you ever think doing an audio upgrade would involve all of that? Fortunately, here at WSS Westminster Speed & Sound we know how to work with this stuff. Our employees are on the cutting edge of technology, and they will work with you in designing and installing a solution that will get you the car audio system you have always wanted. We invite you to call us, contact us, or better yet, stop by our store. Let us show you why we have been awarded one of the Top Retailers in the whole nation 6 times by Mobile Electronics Magazine. We look forward to meeting you.
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