Smart Music

Upgrading the audio system in your vehicle can be more than just a way to improve its sound quality.  For some, car audio is more of a past time, and I could go a bit further and call it an infatuation.  From a simple upgrade of the worn out factory 6x9 car speakers, in the rear deck, to adding a fully blown system with multiple amplifiers and subwoofers,  car audio has for several decades, been a flourishing field. 

It the past 10 to 20 years, we didn't need to wait until the vehicles factory sound system wore out and started to crackle before upgrading components.  Cars came with pretty lousy sounding, and featureless audio systems.  The aftermarket was very far ahead of what manufacturers were installing in their vehicles.

It wasn't uncommon to purchase a vehicle with only a cassette player stereo, even when CD audio was standard.  If they offered a dealer installed CD player add on, it would cost a ridiculous price of $500 or so.  The speakers were often just paper cones with cheap foam surrounds, and no tweeters to speak of.  Regardless, if we bought our vehicles used, we were stuck with what the previous owner had installed.  So upgrading was a cinch.

Modern vehicles have changed the playing field a little.  Premium sound systems are seen more and more as standard options in new vehicles, as manufacturers up the ante and produce better quality cars and trucks.  Gone are the plastic cheap rims covers and unpainted bumpers and stereo-less dealer offerings.

As vehicles become better, and the audio systems improve, I'm finding that the systems are more integrated into the car’s interior, and are properly component matched and tuned.  This makes swapping components out for aftermarket units not only more difficult, but typically unnecessary from an audio quality standpoint.  Yes, factory systems will wear out in time, but having your stereo controls integrated into your dash makes it rather difficult to upgrade with an aftermarket head unit.

There is still room however in most vehicles, to add some extra components to improve the bass response.  This is an area that is typically lacking in most sound systems, as big subwoofers and enclosures take up space and cost money.  Something simple, like an amplified bass tube placed in the trunk is a nice complement for any system.  ...all the way to having a big enclosure with multiple large subwoofers and an amplifier, for the diehards.

Car audio has come a long way in the past several decades.  It's hard to tell where it will be going in the future, but I think it's safe to say that for as long as we will be driving cars, we will have car audio.

Adding touches of beauty and elegance to your car doesn't always have to require a huge amount of money. There are many alternatives that you can choose that help you both in saving money and revamping your car. One of the most essential accessories that can easily add beauty to a car is rims. In general, rims are very indispensable to a car from the utility point of view. This means that by buying your car a nice set of rims does not only add more character but also gives it improved functionality. This would be so since rims are considered as the backbones of the tires of a car. Rims come in a wide variety of styles, colors, and designs. Black rims are one of the most popular choices for consumers nowadays.

One of the cheapest ways you can equip your car with cool rims is to go for cheap rims. One of the greatest advantages of less expensive or used rims would be the ease they provide you in the sense that you won't have to worry about them too much. The fact that they are used, they won't be of great interest to burglars who are on a lookout for expensive rims to snatch. In terms of quality, these rims don't differ much from brand new pieces in terms of the performance they can give to a car. These rims are easy to spot both online and at auto body parts shops near you. In buying these rims, make sure to look for something that is only slightly used so they won't appear like they've been through rough usage.

On the other hand, if you want your rims brand new but still cheap, you can look for car shops that offer rims at high discounts. There are well known retail stores of this kind where you can get good quality rims for reasonable prices.