Newsletters – Car Audio Advice

Car Audio Advice Newsletter Vol. 4

Taylor — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 01:44:00 +0000

Free Car Magazines… Remember magazines?
I used to get Super Street, Import Tuner, and DSport mags all the time. Car magazines these days aren’t as easy to find. But I found some free car magazines you might be interested in. The first isn’t exactly car audio related, but it’s a free car magazine. Free digital archives of PASMAG (yup they’re still a thing apparently): >> Click here for free PASMAG digital archives They say for a limited time, so no clue how long these will actually be available. The other I found is car audio specific but geared more towards people that work in the industry. If that’s you, check it out below: >> Click here for free Mobile Electronics magazine issues If that’s not you but you want it to be, here’s my free guide on starting your own car audio business on the side without needing any startup money: >> Click here to learn how to start a legit car audio business in your spare time with little to no startup costs That’s right… Start a LEGIT car audio business in your SPARE time with little to no startup costs. I’ve been using this exact business model to make extra side cash for the last 9 years. The only reason I haven’t done it full time is because I have a good paying full time job and I’m scared to quit haha. I included everything in this guide. From how to get your first customer, to how to become the go-to installer in your area. Anyway, enjoy the free magazines. If you want physical copies, they seem to still have some decent ones at Barnes an Noble. Not the same old cheesy ricer cars with hot girls on the cover though..

Free Car Magazines… Remember magazines?

I used to get Super Street, Import Tuner, and DSport mags all the time.

Car magazines these days aren’t as easy to find.

But I found some free car magazines you might be interested in.

The first isn’t exactly car audio related, but it’s a free car magazine.

Free digital archives of PASMAG (yup they’re still a thing apparently):

>> Click here for free PASMAG digital archives

They say for a limited time, so no clue how long these will actually be available.

The other I found is car audio specific but geared more towards people that work in the industry.

If that’s you, check it out below:

>> Click here for free Mobile Electronics magazine issues

If that’s not you but you want it to be, here’s my free guide on starting your own car audio business on the side without needing any startup money:

>> Click here to learn how to start a legit car audio business in your spare time with little to no startup costs

That’s right… Start a LEGIT car audio business in your SPARE time with little to no startup costs.

I’ve been using this exact business model to make extra side cash for the last 9 years.

The only reason I haven’t done it full time is because I have a good paying full time job and I’m scared to quit haha.

I included everything in this guide. From how to get your first customer, to how to become the go-to installer in your area.

Anyway, enjoy the free magazines. If you want physical copies, they seem to still have some decent ones at Barnes an Noble. Not the same old cheesy ricer cars with hot girls on the cover though..

How I can help you:

Free Tuning Kit

Click here to get a free tuning kit including test tones for setting amp gains, an amp gain voltage spreadsheet, pink noise tracks, and a pdf file outlining a super simple way to set up a DSP.

Car Audio Advice Website

– Check out the most popular posts at caraudioadvice.com. Or browse the site to find what you need.

– Check out the store page or the Car Audio Advice Amazon Shop for recommended products like install accessories, tools, swag, and equipment.

Car Audio Advice Email List

– Subscribe here.

Car Audio Advice Facebook Group

– Let’s start the most useful car audio group on Facebook!

– No spam. No promotions. Just car audio talk.

Click here to join

Car Audio Advice Facebook Page

– Like Car Audio Advice on Facebook

Car Audio Advice Instagram

– I’m not very active, but may start posting more in the future. So if IG is your thing, check it out here

Car Audio Advice Twitter

– I’m not very active, but may start posting more in the future. So if Twitter is your thing, check it out here

Car Audio Advice Newsletter Vol. 2

Taylor — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 01:57:36 +0000

Let’s talk subwoofers…
Subwoofers (and all speakers) make sound by moving air. Subwoofers just have to move more air than other speakers due to only playing lower frequencies. A low frequency sound is created by moving a lot of air slowly, while a high frequency sound is created by moving way less air very fast. So how do you move a lot of air? 2 main ways: 1. More excursion 2. More cone area I always recommend going with the biggest sub(s) you can fit (more cone area). Why? In simple terms, you can get the same output for less effort and less money. And it’s safer. (This is just a generalization. There’s always an exception.) Let’s break this down using a couple examples: Ex 1: Let’s compare 2 almost identical subs, just different sizes. Say you have an 8″ W3 and your buddy has a 12″ W3. Same amp. Let’s assume they’re both pushing 200 watts. And same everything else. Both boxes are built to optimize each sub. Obviously the 12 will move more air. Which means it’ll play lower and get louder. This is due to having more cone area. This example assumes both subs have the same xmax (they don’t, the 12″ has more but only when you feed it more power) but even assuming they have the same xmax, the 12 will be louder and play lower due to being able to move more air. And in a real world situation, the 8 may have more excursion than the 12 when both are getting 200 watts. That’s due to the extra mass of the 12″ cone and internal components. Even still, the cone area will let the 12 move more air. Generally, when comparing 2 subs from the same line, the extra mass of the larger sub is pretty negligible. This is not always the case when comparing different brands or product lines though. Ex. 2: Say for some reason you want an 8″ sub that’ll get as loud and play as low as a 12″ W3. You can’t do it with an 8W3. Not even with 2 8W3s, even though you’d have similar cone area to one 12W3. (But if you’re getting 2 subs anyway, why not 2 lowered power 12s?) If you’re running 2 8W3s and the same 200 watts, each 8 will have less excursion than a single 12 due to only receiving 100 watts each. So even though you’ll have similar cone area with 2 8s and a single 12, the 12 is still the way to go if you’re using the same power. You also get into extra price due to adding another sub and getting a bigger box. So how could you get the same output of a single 12 with 8s? You could run a SUPER beefy 8 and super custom box. This seems to be the trend recently. It’s cool to get a ton of output out of a small sub I guess, but you run into additional costs, additional power, and additional risk of ruining your sub. Additional costs because an 8 that can provide the same output as a 12 will cost more than that 12. You could try 2 or 3 or 4 8s, but that’s going to cost even more. Additional power, because remember there’s 2 main ways to move air: cone area and excursion (xmax). Cone area isn’t dependent on power, but excursion is. So to get that super beefy 8 to move as much air as a lower powered 12, you’ll need a decent bit more power. Which means bigger, more expensive amp and in some cases bigger power wire. More power eventually leads to upgraded components like bigger alternator and/or additional batteries. Additionally, the main reason subs blow is heat. Heat due to over excursion from too much power. So if you are trying to run a high powered 8 in replacement of a lower powered 12, you risk damaging that sub by running more power to it. Like I said, these are generalizations, and there are plenty of 8s that can take some power. But why not just buy a similar 12 and run it at a lower power? Sure if you get the 12s, you’ll want to max them out too. But there has to be a stopping point or you would have just bought four high powered 24″ subs and called it a day. TLDR: Get a lower powered 12 over a high powered (or multiple) 8s. This obviously doesn’t just apply to 8s and 12s. Those are just some common sizes I chose randomly. If you can fit the box (or design an infinite baffle) required for an 18, go that route. At the end of the day, all that matters is your goals. But generally your goals can be easily accomplished with a slightly bigger sub than what you were thinking while running less power. I could probably make up some more scenarios, but I’ll stop here. I could also do the math and provide more details of exact power numbers, excursion needed, and take into account cone mass, etc. But I’m going to leave this as a more simple generalization so you understand a bigger sub is usually better. There’s a reason some SQ builds use 18″ or even 24″ subs. Also, back in the 90s (before my time in car audio admittedly), people would run 2 or even 4 12s on tiny little amps. Even with the small amount of power, the bigger, multiple subs would move a ton of air. Let me know your thoughts or experience with running different sized subs on different power levels. I’d love to hear some more real world experiences than my own.

Let’s talk subwoofers…

Subwoofers (and all speakers) make sound by moving air. Subwoofers just have to move more air than other speakers due to only playing lower frequencies.

A low frequency sound is created by moving a lot of air slowly, while a high frequency sound is created by moving way less air very fast.

So how do you move a lot of air?

2 main ways:

1. More excursion

2. More cone area

I always recommend going with the biggest sub(s) you can fit (more cone area).

Why?

In simple terms, you can get the same output for less effort and less money. And it’s safer. (This is just a generalization. There’s always an exception.)

Let’s break this down using a couple examples:

Ex 1: Let’s compare 2 almost identical subs, just different sizes.

Say you have an 8″ W3 and your buddy has a 12″ W3. Same amp. Let’s assume they’re both pushing 200 watts. And same everything else. Both boxes are built to optimize each sub.

Obviously the 12 will move more air. Which means it’ll play lower and get louder. This is due to having more cone area.

This example assumes both subs have the same xmax (they don’t, the 12″ has more but only when you feed it more power) but even assuming they have the same xmax, the 12 will be louder and play lower due to being able to move more air.

And in a real world situation, the 8 may have more excursion than the 12 when both are getting 200 watts. That’s due to the extra mass of the 12″ cone and internal components.

Even still, the cone area will let the 12 move more air.

Generally, when comparing 2 subs from the same line, the extra mass of the larger sub is pretty negligible. This is not always the case when comparing different brands or product lines though.

Ex. 2: Say for some reason you want an 8″ sub that’ll get as loud and play as low as a 12″ W3.

You can’t do it with an 8W3. Not even with 2 8W3s, even though you’d have similar cone area to one 12W3. (But if you’re getting 2 subs anyway, why not 2 lowered power 12s?)

If you’re running 2 8W3s and the same 200 watts, each 8 will have less excursion than a single 12 due to only receiving 100 watts each. So even though you’ll have similar cone area with 2 8s and a single 12, the 12 is still the way to go if you’re using the same power.

You also get into extra price due to adding another sub and getting a bigger box.

So how could you get the same output of a single 12 with 8s?

You could run a SUPER beefy 8 and super custom box. This seems to be the trend recently.

It’s cool to get a ton of output out of a small sub I guess, but you run into additional costs, additional power, and additional risk of ruining your sub.

Additional costs because an 8 that can provide the same output as a 12 will cost more than that 12. You could try 2 or 3 or 4 8s, but that’s going to cost even more.

Additional power, because remember there’s 2 main ways to move air: cone area and excursion (xmax). Cone area isn’t dependent on power, but excursion is.

So to get that super beefy 8 to move as much air as a lower powered 12, you’ll need a decent bit more power. Which means bigger, more expensive amp and in some cases bigger power wire.

More power eventually leads to upgraded components like bigger alternator and/or additional batteries.

Additionally, the main reason subs blow is heat. Heat due to over excursion from too much power. So if you are trying to run a high powered 8 in replacement of a lower powered 12, you risk damaging that sub by running more power to it.

Like I said, these are generalizations, and there are plenty of 8s that can take some power. But why not just buy a similar 12 and run it at a lower power?

Sure if you get the 12s, you’ll want to max them out too. But there has to be a stopping point or you would have just bought four high powered 24″ subs and called it a day.

TLDR: Get a lower powered 12 over a high powered (or multiple) 8s.

This obviously doesn’t just apply to 8s and 12s. Those are just some common sizes I chose randomly. If you can fit the box (or design an infinite baffle) required for an 18, go that route.

At the end of the day, all that matters is your goals. But generally your goals can be easily accomplished with a slightly bigger sub than what you were thinking while running less power.

I could probably make up some more scenarios, but I’ll stop here. I could also do the math and provide more details of exact power numbers, excursion needed, and take into account cone mass, etc. But I’m going to leave this as a more simple generalization so you understand a bigger sub is usually better.

There’s a reason some SQ builds use 18″ or even 24″ subs.

Also, back in the 90s (before my time in car audio admittedly), people would run 2 or even 4 12s on tiny little amps. Even with the small amount of power, the bigger, multiple subs would move a ton of air.

Let me know your thoughts or experience with running different sized subs on different power levels. I’d love to hear some more real world experiences than my own.

How I can help you:

Free Tuning Kit

Click here to get a free tuning kit including test tones for setting amp gains, an amp gain voltage spreadsheet, pink noise tracks, and a pdf file outlining a super simple way to set up a DSP.

Car Audio Advice Website

– Check out the most popular posts at caraudioadvice.com. Or browse the site to find what you need.

– Check out the store page or the Car Audio Advice Amazon Shop for recommended products like install accessories, tools, swag, and equipment.

Car Audio Advice Email List

– Subscribe here.

Car Audio Advice Facebook Group

– Let’s start the most useful car audio group on Facebook!

– No spam. No promotions. Just car audio talk.

Click here to join

Car Audio Advice Facebook Page

– Like Car Audio Advice on Facebook

Car Audio Advice Instagram

– I’m not very active, but may start posting more in the future. So if IG is your thing, check it out here

Car Audio Advice Twitter

– I’m not very active, but may start posting more in the future. So if Twitter is your thing, check it out here

Car Audio Advice Newsletter Vol. 1

Taylor — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 03:58:13 +0000

The content below is from first ever ‘actual’ Car Audio Advice Newsletter.

If you’re on my email list, you may have seen some emails from me in the past. But I wanted to start more of a newsletter style email with a better structure that’s more consistent.

My plan is to eventually send a weekly newsletter that touches on different car audio tips & tricks, news, and more. If you want more car audio advice straight to your inbox, you can subscribe here.

So here’s volume one:

What is car audio to you?
Coming Soon…
How I can help you

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts.

Car audio is…

Loud.

Frustrating.

Misunderstood.

Freeing.

A lot of different things to a lot of different people.

It has been all of these and more to me – starting with freeing.

One of the first things I did to my first car back in high school was an aftermarket radio.

Then a 12″ sub.

Then those crappy little tweeters everyone used to have.

Then all new speakers.

The radio was installed by Circuit City.

I think I just figured the tweeters out myself.

My friend helped me “install” the sub and amp. I mean it worked, but we ran the power wire through the door jam and grounded it on some random bolt in the trunk. (Actually I don’t think it worked at first due to grounding issues haha. More on that here.)

All of this was freeing to me because it related to the freedom of having my own car. I wasn’t stuck to my house or my parent’s schedule anymore.

I was free to drive. And free to make my car my own (no matter how bad it was thinking back on it).

As a young high schooler, my next goal was to make my car loud.

So I swapped out the single 12 with two 12s. (And put a loud exhaust on the car.)

As you can imagine, doing all of this myself as a teenager was pretty frustrating at times. But it was fun to learn how to do all of this myself.

As I got older and more experienced, I started to learn just how misunderstood car audio is.

There’s a ton of misinformation and myths floating around the internet about car audio. Some even comes from the manufacturers themselves.

My goal with Car Audio Advice and this newsletter is to help you on your car audio journey with each of these topics and more.

So that you can expand your knowledge and love for car audio like I have.

Whether you’re a complete noob, master tech running your own shop, or somewhere inbetween, I’ll have something for you.

What is car audio to you?

Comment below and let me know. I’m curious about your thoughts.

Coming Soon…

I’m working on something pretty exciting that I was planning on selling for $297 (even though I feel it’s worth way more than that).

But I recently decided to just give it away for free.

I don’t have it ready quite yet, but stay tuned because it’s coming very soon.

I’ll leave it at that for this first issue.

Not sure what the format of these newsletters will be quite yet. I’ll just go with the flow and see what happens.

If you want me to cover anything, let me know.

How I can help you:

Free Tuning Kit

Click here to get a free tuning kit including test tones for setting amp gains, an amp gain voltage spreadsheet, pink noise tracks, and a pdf file outlining a super simple way to set up a DSP.

Car Audio Advice Website

– Check out the most popular posts at caraudioadvice.com. Or browse the site to find what you need.

– Check out the store page or the Car Audio Advice Amazon Shop for recommended products like install accessories, tools, swag, and equipment.

Car Audio Advice Email List

– But I’m sure you already know that since you are reading this.

Car Audio Advice Facebook Group

– Let’s start the most useful car audio group on Facebook!

– No spam. No promotions. Just car audio talk.

Click here to join

Car Audio Advice Facebook Page

– Like Car Audio Advice on Facebook

Car Audio Advice Instagram

– I’m not very active, but may start posting more in the future. So if IG is your thing, check it out here

Car Audio Advice Twitter

– I’m not very active, but may start posting more in the future. So if Twitter is your thing, check it out here