Head Units
The head unit is the brain of your ICE system. Normally, its a CD, cassette of MiniDisc player combined with an AM/FM radio tuner deck or it could be an in-dash monitor/tuner.Really its anything that is going to be the source of sound in your car.
Its a good idea to spend a decent amount on your head unit. Not only will it be better quality but it will have more features-vital if you are planning to upgrade your system in the future.
What Is:
RDS:RDS stands for Radio Data System and its pretty standard on most current head units, It automatically
tunes in radio stations displaying the station name.
PRE-OUTS:Also known as RCA outputs, these are the low voltage outputs that connect to your amp. A good head unit will have a couple of 4v or higher pre-outs.
ANTI-SHOCK MEMORY:Stops CDs skipping by storing a few seconds of music, which eliminates any gaps caused by the mechanism jumping.
SOUND CLARITY:This is indicated by a receivers signal-to-noise ratio-a measurement of how effective it is at eliminating background noise.
|
 |
|
Amplifiers
Amplifiers are the heart of any system. When buying an amp, you must decide what it will be used for-will it run the whole system or just a particular part?
Theres a massive choice on the market, all with different features. Its generally best when buying yiour first amp to go for one with lots of common features, such as: adjustable crossovers, multi channel operation, bass boost, high/low pass filtering-anything aiding further system expansion really.
Here are few key terms to help you understand more clearly.
CHANNELS-The number of channels an amp has correlates to the number of speakers it can power. So a four channel amp runs four speakers, and so on.
TRI-MODE-Tri-Mode allows you to bridge two channels into one for a mono sub, whilst the same two channels are being used in stereo, powering two speakers, Its effectively like having a subwoofer channel.
BRIDGING-To bridge, take two channels and use the positive connection from one and the negative from the other to end up with one mono channel. This is more powerful than a single stereo channel and is ideal for subs as they need plenty of power.
AMP CROSSOVERS-Crossovers allow you to filter out unwanted high or low frequencies. By filtering out sound correctly, you can send bass, mid-bass and treble to the right speakers.
Speakers
|
