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Car audio
Installation
Forum, car stereo , auto
radio, mobile audio, 12-volt and other
terms are used to describe the sound
or video system fitted in an automobile.
While 12-volt car audio and video systems
are also used, marketed, or manufactured
for marine, aviation, and buses, this
article focuses on cars as the most
common application. From the earliest
days of radio, enthusiasts had adapted
domestic equipment to use in their cars.
In the 1960s, tape players using reel-to-reel
equipment, Compact Cassettes, and then
8-track cartridges were introduced for
in-car use.
A stock car audio system refers to
the Original equipment manufacturer
(OEM) application that the vehicle's
manufacturer specified to be installed
when the car was built. A large after
market industry exists where the consumer
can at their desire replace many or
all components of the stock system.
In modern cars, the primary control
device for an audio system is commonly
referred to as a head unit, and is installed
in the center of the dash panel between
the driver and the passenger. In older
vehicles that had audio components as
an option, such devices were mounted
externally to the top of or underneath
the dash. Car speakers often use space-saving
designs such as mounting a tweeter directly
over a woofer or using non-circular
cone shapes. Subwoofers are a specific
type of loudspeaker for low frequency
reproduction. Extremely loud sound systems
in automobiles, which have been nicknamed
"boom cars", may violate the noise ordinance
of some municipalities.
Motorcycles have been utilized with
similar equipment since they also have
the so-called "car audio" experience.
Even pedal bicycles, as well as homemade
boom boxes have utilized sealed lead-acid
batteries (or 12V power supplies) for
applications outside of motor vehicle
use, likewise the store displays which
mount in demo models prior to aftermarket
purchases for installation
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