Time was when enjoying music was something you did at home with a turntable and a set of speakers, or maybe a tape player or a radio.
But music today is on the move–literally–with Walkmans, portable CD players and increasingly popular car stereo systems.
Fact is, more people are listening to their latest CD or cassette in the car than just about anywhere else.
“The majority of people really don’t have the time to listen to music at home,” says Don Miller, manager of the United Audio store at 2828 N. Clark St. in Chicago. “Look at the people with an hour’s commute each way to work, and for a lot of teenagers, their home is their car.”
Recent history on car stereo shows that automobile manufacturers have upped the ante on the quality of the audio products that come factory-installed, but after-market retailers say their products provide the necessary upgrades for maximum musical reproduction and convenience, often at less cost.
“Some years back, car manufacturers began to see there was a huge market they were losing in car stereo so they began to work with Infinity, Bose and others to design systems for their cars to recapture that market,” Miller said. “But many people find the power and speaker quality still lacking.”
Ken Pohlmann, writing in the national audio/visual magazine Stereo Review, says in regard to upgrades that “most people starting with a basic FM radio, cassette receiver and two to four speakers will replace the head unit with a CD receiver, an external amplifier and upgraded speakers.”
Building the perfect system used to start with ordering a car without the radio, which, Miller says, usually meant only a measly $25 credit.
According to Mike Adams, manager of Mobile F/X Inc. in Lombard, factory-installed radios today are quite good, and customers are choosing to add components to pre-existing equipment.
“We’ve found manufacturers usually underrate their radios and overrate their speakers,” Adams said. “There would be too many warranty problems for car manufacturers if their radios were cheap, and they’d lose money. But factory systems, in general, are underpowered.”
Adams says the most common upgrade he sells is a power amplifier that delivers 35 watts per channel into a four-speaker system and a subwoofer that’s installed in the trunk. The package starts at around $500 to $600.
“Basically, you need to up the voltage of the factory-installed head unit,” Adams said. “The signal noise needs to be above the engine whine and road noise.”
Miller adds that increasing the power doesn’t mean owning the booming sound machine you’ll hear three blocks away.
“Power means more dynamic range so that you’ve upped the power behind every note, even at low volumes, and given the music greater contrast,” he said. “Some in-dash units have as little as four or five watts per channel; we recommend at least 25.”
“A lot of the newer cars have the sound system controls right on the steering wheel,” Adams said. “You have to add to the system instead of removing it, or you’ll void out the warranty.”
Keeping the car’s original radio also deters theft, Adams said, because would-be thieves don’t detect any major upgrades.
Mike Blanchard, assistant manager for Sound Experience in Northbrook offer another upgrade alternative.
“We like to add an amplified base tube that’s powered separately from the factory head unit,” Blanchard said. “We feel if we add a tube, we’re not amplifying distortion and we’re alleviating strain from the factory speakers, too.”
Blanchard says the powered base tube allows owners to turn down the base control on their head unit and turn up the volume. The tube is tuned to match the existing system and the music most commonly heard. Costs start at about $325 installed.
“We’ve found this is the easiest and cheapest way to upgrade a system,” Blanchard says.
Retailers suggest popular equipment frequently added today also includes various “player” options, such as single and multiple CD players. The latter are particularly popular because of their non-invasive installation.
“We sell a lot of CD in-dash units and CD changers that can be put in a trunk,” Miller said. “The changers are nice for trips and they’re easy to take with you into the next car.”
Blanchard says RF (radio frequency) CD changers are your best option. “We sell 6-, 10- and 12-disc changers that allow owners to access the music through their own car radio,” he said. “You’d have to have awfully incredible hearing to tell the difference between an RF changer and an in-dash unit.”
Prices for an RF system range from $299 to $450 installed.
Miller says that CD changers are a good choice for those wishing to add custom sound equipment to a leased vehicle, since the changers don’t involve modifying a lot of the car’s original equipment.
Speakers are the component that delivers the music to your ears, and experts say at least four loudspeakers and possibly a subwoofer are necessary for optimum sound reproduction.
Miller says adding these necessary items costs less money than ever and you’ll get more for it.
“Years ago, you could get two speakers and a new head unit installed for $400 to $500,” he said. “Today, it’s possible to get a system with more power and four speakers for close to the same money.”
Miller adds that for $150, consumers can buy four speakers that would easily outclass those found in most vehicles.
Products change from year to year, but Adams recommends Xtant Technology and Pioneer Premium amplifiers. The former starts at $299 for 100 watts into two channels; the latter at $220 for 90 watts into two channels.
Miller likes Sony, Pioneer, and Alpine products, and Rockford Fosgate amplifiers. Blanchard recommends Sony, Alpine and Clarion products as well.
Stereo Review reported last year that Kenwood now offers MASK anti-theft technology, featuring in-dash CD and cassette players that come with motorized arms that will flip the faceplate 180 degrees after turning off the car’s ignition and hide the entire unit behind a blank panel.
This feature is available on four cassette players and four CD players, priced from $330 to $450 for the cassettes, and $380 to $550 for the CD players.
