Audiobahn

Car audio, also known as ICE (In Car Entertainment) is a term used to describe the sound system fitted in an automobile. A stock car audio system refers to one that was specified by the manufacturer when the car was built. more...

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A custom car audio installation can involve anything from the upgrade of the radio to a full-blown customization of a car based around its audio equipment. Events are held where entrants compete for the loudest or most innovative systems.

Equipment

The most common and familiar piece of audio equipment is the radio/tape player/CD player/DVD Player which is generically described as a Head unit, which also can be called a deck, after older tape decks. It is also the most likely component to be upgraded with an after market item. A recent development in head unit technology has been the addition of CD players with MP3, WMA, AAC, and USB, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support.

Many cars include at least a CD player some have the option for a CD changer which holds multiple disks either in the head unit itself or in a separate unit usually located in a trunk or console.

Our horizons have been broadened even further-even newer technology is the addition of DVD players and LCD screens. The position of the LCD screen differs for different DVD players - certain DVD players require the screen to be mounted on the roof of the car (just above the front windscreen), while others require the screen to be attached to the back of the headrests of the front seats and some DVD players have the screens come out of the head unit.

Some equipments includes automotive navigation system (see center console).

Speakers

Speakers are generally located in doors and rear parcel shelves of a sedan in modern cars. High-end or competition stereo systems often have speakers mounted in "kick panel" enclosures, allowing for larger drivers and better driver placement. Before stereo radio was introduced, the most common speaker location was in the middle of the dashboard pointing through perforations towards the front windshield.

High-end audio systems include Component Speakers that consist of a matched tweeter (small, high frequency), midrange (medium, medium frequency) and woofer (large, low frequency) set. These component pairs are available in two speaker and three speaker combinations, and include an audio crossover which limits the frequency range that each component speaker must handle. This allows each cone to produce its optimal frequency for maximum sound quality and volume. In addition subwoofer(s) are provided for bass and sub bass(ultra low frequency), which is felt, rather than heard. Crossover systems can be active or passive crossover networks. Active electronic crossovers divide the signals before they are sent to the amplifiers giving a dedicated amplifier channel to each individual driver in the component system. Passive crossover networks divide the signal after amplification, making it possible to run multiple speaker component sets using just one channel.

Read more at Wikipedia.org