In Car Entertainment (ICE)
If your idea of in car entertainment is Radio 3
or “the girlfriend” then you probably
don’t need to read on – however if you
like your music loud and your car even louder then
here is a brief guide to ripping out that old stereo
and putting something in your car that will make
it a better place to be than your living room. A
quality In Car Entertainment (ICE hereafter) installation
involves a number of key components to function
properly and a little understanding of their function
and importance.
The Head Unit or Source
Thisprovides the music and radio content. The head
unit will usually comprise a Radio (normally MW
and FM
and
potentially even DAB) and either a CD or Cassette
player. In car DVD players are increasingly common,
as are units that support digital files such as
MP3 via a linking facility for an i-Pod or other
digital player.
- The head unit is self-contained and will
replace an existing stereo if all that you desire
is
an upgrade of the manufacturers unit. You may
require
some additional fittings as increasingly manufacturers
are fitting units that are unique in size and
shape. Generally speaking you get what you pay
for in terms
of sound quality.
- To maximise the benefits of a decent
head unit however you must regard it as merely
the starting
point in a longer and more involved process.
- If you are serious about maximising the
quality and sound of your ICE then regard the
head unit as you would a CD player in a component
Hi-fi
system and check for the availability of amplifier
outputs before you buy.
Amplification
This is what takes the signals from the head
unit and makes them powerful enough to drive
your loudspeakers
properly – i.e. make the noises you
require.
· You must choose carefully as an amplifier
that lacks power is worse than one with seemingly
too much. You will not achieve the sound you want
and may actually damage your loudspeakers
in the
process.
- Your head unit will connect with
your amplifier via the pre-amp outputs on
the rear.
- It is possible to use the existing
amplifier in the head unit to drive certain
frequencies and
use a external amplifier to power the
lower (and more power consuming) lower frequencies.
- For more ambitious ICE installations
you may opt to have a number of dedicated
amplifiers working on different areas and
frequencies to
maximise
quality and output.
Loudspeakers
All loudspeakers move air to create sound and much
research and technology has been thrown at perfecting
speaker technologies over the years. Speaker types
break down into the following:-
- Full Range Speakers – these are
at best a compromised design, they will be small
enough to create some high frequencies, but
they are not small enough to produce the sort
of crisp
high notes. Similarly, they will be big enough
to create some bass, but not big enough to produce
a decent kick.
- Tweeters – these deal with high frequency
sounds, and work by moving small quantities
of air at high frequencies, they need to be
small
and light to achieve their purpose and will
generally only be up to an inch in diameter.
- Mid Range Drivers – these deal with
frequencies below those of the tweeters. They
are larger in size and work by moving a slightly
larger
quantity of air. They are more commonly used
in a car than in the home as it is difficult to
fit
larger units into doors that could handle lower
frequencies
- 2 Way Speakers – the combination
of both the tweeter and mid-range cones in a
single enclosure for convenience.
- Woofers and Sub-Woofers– these
handle the lowest “bass frequencies” and
can be anything from 10” to 18” in
diameter. They can be used singly as the lowest
frequencies
tend to be “mono”. They work by
shifting large amounts of air and often need
to be enclosed
to work at their best.
Working in tandem the individual components of
an ICE speaker installation re-create the full spectrum
of sound. Care and attention is needed when choosing
and placing speakers as the sound may be compromised
by bad placement. Generally an ICE installation
will involve cutting holes in new places – so
the maxim “measure twice, cut once” applies
unless you want the inside of your car to look like
a piece of cartoon cheese!
Other components
- Graphic Equalisers – a unit that
breaks down the audio signal into a wide range
of frequencies and permits adjustment of each
to optimise
the sound quality inside the vehicle
- Interconnects – be sure to use quality
interconnects to keep the signal quality high
- Speaker Cable – again,
if you have a powerful high quality system
then you will require
cable
that will handle the power and maintain
the quality of the signal being supplied to the
speakers
- Dedicated
power supply – a woofer takes
some power and it has to come from somewhere – usually
your engine or battery.
Extreme ICE installations
require additional battery power, reserves
in the form of dedicated ICE batteries or capacitors
that store energy solely for the use of
your ICE
system. |
