Car audio craze over but there is always room for improvement

In the past, audio systems that come with new cars are usually of low quality, prompting the birth of the aftermarket car audio industry. In Thailand, the phenomenon came in strong during the 1980s-90s, and the country was filled with car audio shops.

At one point, there were so many that I think there was one for every neighbourhood. Fortunately for car buyers, the quality of in-car entertainment has improved dramatically over the years, and in many luxury cars, you even get high-end names like Mark Levinson (Lexus), Burmester (Mercedes-Benz), B&W (Volvo) or Meridien (Land Rover/Jaguar).

For other automakers in the lower price range, car audio gear that is offered has also been improved. For example, Mazda uses Bose equipment in some of its models (like the CX-5) while Isuzu often offered Kenwood front ends in special pickup models. But even with these improvements, car audio is still alive, although on a smaller scale.

There isn't that craze when everyone used to drive a new car directly to a car audio shop for upgrading, but it still happens. That’s because there is always room for improvement.

Even with the decent front ends offered in today's vehicles, the rest of the system may not be up to standard. While the quality of the loudspeakers is by far the most important factor in an audio system, those offered in a new car are usually from the cheap end.

Cost matters when building a car and loudspeakers aren't one of the things that should increase the price of the vehicle. And while good speakers need to have a solid foundation, with heavy cast iron components (especially for the mid to lower frequency drivers), carmakers need to lower the weight of the vehicle in order to improve fuel economy and emissions.

 Lightweight alloys are possible for speaker construction, but again they would drive up the cost. So many times you'll find speakers with flimsy plastic parts that are lightweight, which is good for the overall performance of the vehicle, but not so for sound quality.

Here is where you can easily improve the in-car sound quality. Dump the stock speakers and replace them with better ones. Chinese-made (everything is made in China now) speakers from a respectable Japanese car audio brand like Clarion, Alpine, Pioneer or JVC will set you back just a few thousand baht, but the improvement will be spectacular, particularly in the bass department.

 Sub boxes are also quite popular these days due to the affordable price and convenience - you can just place them under the seats.

But bear in mind that the bass improvement isn't as dramatic as adding in a real subwoofer in the trunk, which would cost you over Bt10,000 as you would need an additional amplifier to drive it.

Want even better sound? Go for high-end loudspeaker brands from Europe or the US. But there's also a limit how much you can improve the sound just by upgrading the speakers. The next step would be upgrading the source equipment – the front end.

With modern car interior designs incorporating the audio controls into console areas with varying shapes and sizes, it may be impossible to remove them. But for many models, that area has been designed so that the original front end could be removed and with the help of a custom-made frame, a 2-DIN front end could be retrofitted and still blend in.

Now there's a wider possibility for sound upgrades and car audio shops usually prepare special equipment for each popular car model, both European and Japanese.

 There are also different price levels to choose from when purchasing system upgrades from car audio shops. They include speaker and amplifier upgrades as well as the front end, and it is up to the customer to choose.

For some models like BMW with unique speaker enclosures that don't accept normal sized speakers, there are also special speaker models that are made to fit right in.

Do some research before visiting a car audio dealer. The internet is a good place to start as you can get information on products as well as shops and special promotions. Car audio forums are also helpful, this is where you can learn from others' experiences.