Car Audio FAQ

Below are some of our customer’s most frequently asked car audio questions.  Auto audio knowledge is based on physics and audio
engineering, but a fair amount pertains to common sense. Once you retain the answers to these questions, you are well on your way to becoming an
auto audio expert. CAR STEREO FAQ How do I know what head unit will fit my vehicle?
Your vehicle has either a single din (2-1/8” height by 7-1/8” width), 1.5 din or double din (4.25” height by 7-1/8” width)
opening. Check our guide for more information. What will I need to install my car stereo?
Among other tools, most vehicles require an installation kit and wire harness. Depending on availability, Sonic Electronix offers a free installation kit
and wire harness with your order of a car stereo. Some vehicles require specialty harnesses that require an additional charge. Other vehicles require
antenna adapters, which are not included with the free kit and harness offer. What does CD signal-to-noise ratio mean?
The signal to noise ratio measures how well the CD player silences background noise. Higher ratings, in decibels (DBs), indicate less noise and
crisper sound. What are preamp RCA outputs?
Preamp RCA outputs allow you to connect 1 or more external amplifiers. The subwoofer output is an important feature as it provides you with much
cleaner lower frequencies for your subs compared to a standard front or rear set of outputs. What is a subwoofer preamp RCA output?
A subwoofer preamp RCA output is an output that has a built-in low-pass crossover for specific connection to a subwoofer amplifier that powers a low
frequencies driver (a subwoofer). CAR SPEAKERS AND SUBWOOFERS FAQ How do I know what speakers will fit my vehicle?
Look up your vehicle using our speaker fit guide. You can also check your vehicle's manual or take out a trusty ruler and measure the speakers.
What is the difference between peak power and RMS power?
Peak power handling refers to the amount of power a speaker can handle during a brief musical burst. The RMS power range figure is a much more
reliable rating for determining the speaker’s power requirements.  Speaker power is measured in watts, a unit of electrical power. One
watt equals one volt times one amp, or one joule of energy per second. What does the sensitivity rating tell you about the speaker?
An efficiency or sensitivity rating tells you how effectively a speaker converts power into sound. The higher the number, the more efficient the speaker
and the louder it will play given the same input power. The more efficient sub gets more power out of the amplifier. An efficient speaker helps you
maximize your available power. Most sensitivity ratings measure the speaker’s output with 1 watt of input, 1 meter from the speaker. Some
speakers’ sensitivity is measure with 2.83 volts of input, instead of 1 watt. Efficiency (1w/1m) is not an accurate indicator of a
subwoofer’s output capability and should not be used as a comparison to other subwoofers to determine which one is “louder.”
However, physics tells us that a 3 decibel drop (3 dB) in sensitivity doubles the amount of wattage required by a speaker to produce sound at the
same volume. In other words, a 90 dB speaker will need double the amount of wattage as a 93 dB speaker if you want both speakers to produce the
same volume. What is sound pressure level (SPL)?
The SPL is measured relative to 0 dB, which is considered a constant number. 0 dB represents the smallest amount of sound pressure that is
recognizable to human hearing. The speaker’s listed sound pressure level is usually a prediction the manufacturer made based on the
speaker’s weight, voice coil, magnet strength etc. The manufacturer SPL is only a prediction, and should mostly be ignored. What is linear
excursion?
Given two subs with equivalent surface area, the sub with larger excursion capacity will produce louder sound volume if adequately powered. What
does the speaker’s frequency response rating tell me?
The range of frequencies the speaker will reproduce, from lowest to highest. The wider the range, the better. The optimal range is 20- 20,000 Hz,
which is the range of human hearing. What does Xmax tell you about a speaker or subwoofer?
Typically measured in millimeters, the Xmax value is the measure of a speaker cone’s maximum excursion in one direction while still
maintaining a linear behavior. What is impedance?
The load value in ohms that the speakers present to the amplifier, stated per voice coil. It is the amount of resistance to the current flow. This is a key
specification as subs wired in parallel or low impedances can create problems with your amplifier and potentially void all warranties. What is an ohm?
An ohm is a unit of measurement to quantify the amount of impedance, or how much a speaker will resist the flow of current. What are voice coils?
Voice coils receive an amplifier’s power signal and moves the subwoofer cone in and out, producing sound. Dual voice coil subs have more
wiring flexibility than single voice coil subs. However, single voice coil subwoofers provide easier hookup options for wiring multiple subwoofers in
parallel or series. You may also run a dual voice coil (DVC) sub in parallel, series, or combination. A quad voice coil has four voice coils and is equal to
two dual voice coil subwoofers as far as wiring goes. What is the difference between wiring speakers "in series" and "in
parallel?" In series, each speaker you add will increase the resistance, or Ohm load, in the channel. Add up each speaker’s impedance
to get the total impedance. So the sum of two 4 ohm speakers in series equals 8 ohms of total impedance. The higher the impedance an amplifier runs
at, the smaller the amount of power flow. Many amplifiers can run at either 2 ohm or 4 ohm loads, but some are stable at 1 ohm loads for optimal RMS
performance. To connect speakers in series, connect the positive lead from speaker 1 to the amplifier’s positive terminal, and connect the
negative lead from speaker 1 to the positive lead of speaker 2. Connect the negative lead from speaker 2 to the amplifier’s negative terminal.

In parallel, each speaker you add will decrease the resistance in the channel. The sum of the inverse of each speaker’s impedance equals the
total impedance. So two four ohm speakers in parallel is equal to ¼ + ¼ = ½ ohm To decide on the wiring configuration, you will
need to know your amplifier’s capability (can it be wired in parallel?) and ohm rating. You will also need to know your speakers ohm rating
(usually 4 ohms) and the number of voice coils. Keep in mind that you should generally limit your amplifier usage to two speakers per channel. To
connect speakers in parallel, connect each speaker’s positive lead to the amplifier’s positive terminal, and connect each
speaker’s negative lead to the amplifier’s negative terminal. CAR AMPLIFIER FAQ What will I need to install and hook up my
amplifier? If you are connecting an amplifier to an aftermarket car stereo, you need to connect RCA cable to the stereo’s RCA preamp
outputs. If you are connecting an amplifier to a factory (OEM) car stereo, you will need a line-out converter to reduce the output or just use an amplifier
with speaker level (high level) inputs. To wire the amplifier, you will use power and ground wire of the same gauge. The gauge depends on the amount
of wattage your amplifier produces. For safety reasons, it is advisable to use a fuse or circuit breaker. To connect speakers and subwoofers, use
speaker wire. Another requirement is remote turn on wire, which runs from your stereo’s turn-on lead to the amplifier’s remote terminal.
This tells the amplifier to power on when your stereo turns on. A great way to make sure you have all of the fuses, power, ground, speaker, and
remote wire is to purchase an amplifier kit. Amp kits include all of the wire and pieces that you will need to install your specific amplifier type. What
does bridging an amplifier mean? Bridging refers to combining two channels of amplifier into one channel with twice the voltage. Bridging the
channels increase the power output. Only bridge an amplifier that can handle the increase power load. Do not bridge an amp that is not stable at the
bridged load, or if the speakers cannot handle the increased power.

About the Author

Written by Gary Brikowski

Source: http://knowledge.sonicelectronix.com