The Ultimate Edge

A: It depends upon your expectations.  There are some outstanding replacement speakers out there that can come very close to a true component set. But they are not going to give the same level of performance as a true component set when properly installed.  Bottom line; If you want the BEST quality of sound possible, you want components. If you aren't sure; You guessed it!  Listen and decide!

A: This is one of my favorites.  First rule: NEVER, NEVER go by the power ratings printed on an amp, or on the box. They are peak, or max power ratings. Translation: No way in hell! On name brand amps, check the spec sheet in the box, and look for the RMS, or continuous rating. This is what your amp is capable of on a regular basis.  As for the bargain basement stuff, consider this; If it was possible to build a 1000 watt amp that sells for $200, don't you think everyone would do it?  I could sell 'em by the boat load at $200! It won't happen. In car audio, as in everything else, you will get what you pay for.

A: Every enclosure has certain advantages and disadvantages.  Basic sealed enclosures are our favorite. A properly built sealed enclosure will give the best overall frequency response, and the most bass (true!)  A ported enclosure will give you a boost at its tuned frequency (usually in the 45 to 55hz area). This may make it seem louder than a sealed box, but in a ported enclosure, you lose all frequencies below the tuned port frequency. There is a lot of bass below 40hz! A ported box may be a good choice if you are short of power. Bandpass boxes used to be very popular. We don't like 'em. Can't be any plainer. Several reasons why; They are, by design, bigger than sealed or ported. They are EXTREMELY critical of size, and port requirements. The wrong port or enclosure size can destroy a sub. The last reason we hate 'em; Because of the design, you can't tell when your speaker is distorting until it is too late. A lot of people have lost good subs to bandpass boxes.


A: Sorry, guys. In this case, size really does matter. Picture current flowing through wire like water through a funnel. If you try to pour too much water too fast, it backs up and overflows. With electricity, a high power amp that wants lots of current, but can't get it because the wire is too small, will not perform as well as it should. It will also tend to run much hotter, and even shut down from overheating. By the way; The ground wire is part of the circuit. It should be as large, or larger than the ground. Bottom line; If you spent good money on car audio equipment, don't shortchange yourself by skimping on the connections. That's just crazy!

A:  In audio, distortion is anything that alters the sound from the original recording. Technically, that means that when you adjust the tone control, that is "distortion". That's not really what we mean, though. For our uses, distortion is anything that makes the music sound harsh, muddy, or otherwise "wrong". Distortion is also the #1 killer of equipment, bar none!! Trying to make an amp produce more power than it's capable of kills amps and speakers. Over equalizing with bass boost, loudness control, and EQ's destroys speakers also. Mismatches of equipment leads to killer distortion. Bottom line; If it sounds distorted, TURN IT DOWN! If you want it louder, check into better equipment. If you keep distorting what you have, you'll be shopping for new equipment anyway!!