Although there are some cheap car audio solutions available on the market these days, the ones with premium quality still remain expensive. And if you look at the packaged high grade audio systems, you’ll find them to be very expensive too.
But car audio doesn’t have to be so costly. If you can do some planning beforehand and read reviews online before purchasing, you might save a lot on your purchase. Here’s a brief guide on how to save money on your car audio system.
Parts
Head Unit Player
You can be fine with your default car head units. Moreover, these days they’re made very solid. If your car is fresh out of the factory, you can pretty much rely on the factory set system.
If you decide to get a better quality player, you’ll get a good one around $100 /150 going on sales. Having a solid sound input processing is important to get a good output, otherwise you may use expensive speakers but still get bad audio.
Stereo
The stereo does the major job of doing the heavy lifting of your sound system. To get a good audio experience, it’s necessary to have a good sound input processing system. These days’ car manufacturers usually give high-quality stereo systems even with the cheap, basic car models.
If you think your default stereo won’t cut it, you can find some cheap stereo available on sale. Look after them on your local market or discount shops, you can get one easily. With that in place, now you’re ready for some more upgrades.
Speaker
Now, depending on your budget and taste, choose a speaker from the market. There’s an array of brands and speaker types. But don’t take anyone’s word on it. You should use your ears to listen to the speakers and choose the one fitting your taste.
There are 2 major types of speakers – full range and component speakers. If you decide to spend more, you can look at the component speakers. They have individual tweeters and woofers on each of them and as a result, the sound is crystal clear and with an added depth to it.
Component speakers are a little more expensive than the more traditional full range ones. You can still get them at a cheaper rate if you look for sales and discount stores.
But if you decide to get more bang for your bucks and rather prefer louder and more filling sounds, you can surely go for full-range speakers. They’re known as coaxial speakers and combine the woofer and tweeter in a single package.
Take your time to choose a speaker and before making the final purchase, get them checked to see if they fit your sound taste. If everything goes fine, you’re ready to enjoy a good hearing experience.
Subwoofer
Subwoofers are optional. Their major task is to increase bass and create a similar bass level with the amplifiers. Subwoofers come in 8 or 10-inch sizes and there are a variety of brands to choose from. Follow the same steps you did while choosing your speakers.
Amplifier
Regular stereo systems will most likely fail at providing the speakers with the full power they can handle. In this case, you need a good amplifier. An amplifier will ensure the speakers get proper power and sound input to create high-frequency sounds.
If you like more bass to your speakers, an amp can be the best bang for your bucks. Whichever amp you choose, check it’s operating voltage. If it gives more power than your speaker’s capacity, the speaker coils will burn from the overvoltage.
Extro
Now that you have all the instruments ready for your car, you can set them up yourself if you know how to do so. Usually, you’ll want to hire a skilled technician who can set these up and test the whole system to ensure there are no issues.
Purchasing in this way can be a path to save hundreds of dollars in your sound system while still providing you with good quality solutions. A solid sound system is worth the expense and will go a long way if taken well care of.
