Replacing Your Car's Stereo? Consider These Four Things
.If you have decided to ditch the stereo that came with your car and put in a custom stereo, there are many possibilities for what you can do with your car's audio system. Here are some things you should consider when making the upgrade.
Satellite Radio
Every car stereo does not come with satellite radio built into it, but adding it later on will not be easy. That is why you should consider if you want to add this feature during the upgrade. There will be a major convenience of having it all built into the unit since if you add it down the road, you'll need a separate audio receiver that requires its own antenna. This will definitely look out of place on your car's dashboard. At the very least, having the satellite radio option can help with the resale value of your car.
Phone Connectivity
Connecting your phone to your car may be a key reason why you want to upgrade your car's stereo. Start by figuring out how the stereo actually connects to your phone. Does it simply pass through the audio that is coming out of the device, or does it allow controls to pass through to your dashboard control or steering wheel? In addition, look at how the phone connects to the stereo. Does it require a wired connection or will Bluetooth work?
Hard Drive Storage
Streaming music from your phone may not be practical based on where you live with your cellular service. If so, consider a car stereo that has a hard drive built into it for storage. You can load MP3s onto the stereo and play them back directly from the hard drive, meaning you do not need to depend on your phone for a vast library of music. This is definitely an improvement from the old days where you need to have a multi-disc CD changer in the trunk to expand your music library.
New Speakers and Amplifiers
Chances are, you will want some quality speakers to go with your new car stereo. However, you won't get the performance you desire unless those speakers have the power that they need. You may want to have an amplifier installed as well. If you're having a subwoofer installed, it may require enough power that you'll need a second amplifier. Make sure you have enough power for all speakers that are going into your car to get the sound you want.
For more information contact a company like Audio Shack.