Car Audio

Selecting car audio can be more complicated than choosing the right car. The vast array of car audio components that are on the market can fill an entire encyclopedia, and if you aren't familiar with brands like Kenwood, Alpine, or JL Audio, you may need a primer. Car and audio magazines are a great place to find reviews and specs for components, as are online forums.

Discount car audio systems are available for as little as $500, but can run into the thousands if you have a passion for bells and whistles (or woofers and tweeters). Your choice of car electronics also depends on the type of music you enjoy listening to. Maximum power is important for rockers and rappers. Classical music lovers will want moderate power with crisp mid-range sound quality.

It's a good idea to buy all of the components at one time. Each will have its own unique sound quality. While they all might be high quality components, you will want to hear how well they work together as an integrated system. You'll also want to make sure that the different components are compatible with each other. For example, head units must not only have sufficient power, they must have enough preouts to install additional components. You also need to check whether the components you want to install are compatible with the preouts.

Additionally, you need to make sure the head unit is compatible with satellite radio and MP3 CDs. (Many car CD players will not be able to play these CDs.) In addition to budgeting for all these components, make sure that you also budget for professional installation. Unless you are a skilled mechanic, it is inadvisable to perform the installation yourself.