With the arrival of the DSX-S100 Digital Media receiver, Sony have released their new wave of car stereos and look set to take the market by storm. They have decided to take the huge leap and get rid of CD decks in favour of a purely digital unit, allowing you to dock either an iPod or MP3 device directly into the stereo. They have developed the Tune Tray system which hides the connected device within the unit themselves, getting rid of messy cables and keeping your prized possessions safely out of view.

Sony’s new Zappin technology allows the user to quickly search for their favourite tracks by playing the chorus from the selected song as a sound clip. This allows you to search without taking your eyes off the road. The new DM+ features cleans up your digital media and restores the frequencies lost during file compression. This will be an excellent feature for the more enthusiastic audiophile. These new units fit in the Xplod range and will be the more premium units Sony have to offer.

Whether the public are ready for such a change is questionable but Sony are taking a massive leap towards the next stage of car technology. CD’s are fast becoming a thing of the past with sales of solid media dropping rapidly whilst digital media and downloads are flourishing. We have only had MP3 players for around 10years but they are already a fundamental part and our gadget essentials and popularity is growing stronger each year. Sony have sensed the ever growing need for connectivity and like Fusion before them have developed these cracking units. The DSX-S100 is available now from most car audio specialist priced at around £120. The DSX-S200X and DSX-S300BTX are set to follow in the autumn of this year, expect to pay around £150 for the 200 and around £200 for the 300.

By: James W Bennett

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After buying your car audio system, you may think the decisions are over. In reality, it is far from that, as you need to decide where to fit your car audio speakers.

Placement of car speakers has quite an effect upon sound quality. Rather like a home sound system, the sound changes as you move speakers around. Thus, it’s important to get the speakers in the correct place so as to produce the optimum sound quality.

You can place speakers in your car through one or two ways, by custom fit or manufactured fit. You may have already noticed in your car, usually in one of three places (the dash, the door and the rear deck), that there is a space for speakers. These are created when the car is manufactured; however, they are created as an afterthought, rather than incorporated as part of the design. Because of this, speakers are not usually placed in the best places in cars, thus this inadvertently affects the quality of the listening experience in your car.

Custom speaker placement is often the way to go, if you want quality sound. Even though, this can be an expensive option if totally custom built, it does provide an overall better quality sound. There are, however, cheaper ways you can fit speakers into your car and still get high quality sound.

Always bear in mind that your home audio system has speakers placed an equally distance apart from each other. This is because an equal distance produces a much better sound quality. So to produce a similar effect, place your car audio speakers the same distance apart from one another. Moreover, make sure that your speakers are above floor level as lowly placed speakers have a significant dampening effect on sound quality. For optimum sound quality, it is recommended that you place them just above the ear or on level footing with your body.

Speaker placement is vital to getting the most out of your music in your car, so really think about it before you make any decisions.

By: Marie Coles

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For car audio fans this is still a question on their lips, should I go for looks over performance? Or performance over looks? Of course, this question is mainly for stereo and the amps, as subwoofers generally have a limited look; however, you can give your car audio system that pimped out look by looking at a variety of interesting systems with different forms and colours.

All car audio specialists agree performance is the utmost important aspect of a in-car music system; yet, looks are without a doubt one of the reasons why people buy a certain car stereo and accessories. After all, no one wants a system that is ugly, with unpractical oversized buttons and small barely visible letters. Not only is it unsightly to the eye, it is also impractical.

Although overall stereos have to be the same shape, alterations can be made through choice of colour, the aesthetics of the display screen and the layout of the buttons. The main frame of a stereo can generally be found in black or silver, with colour additions on the display screen or buttons – these are usually are red, green and blue.

Unlike stereos, amplifiers are not as limited in their aesthetics. Although, traditionally a flat rectangle, there is no reason why they cannot be made into interesting and unusual shapes. Already, the market has seen tubular and triangle amps added to car audio systems. With amps, you can pretty much have free reign over design; yet, manufactures still stick to the traditional rectangle metal style mainly due to its popularity.

Even though you could say ‘amps’ have been typecast, there are still diverse looking models on the market. Mcintosh with its compelling but ostentatious look gives the impression that the amp is screaming for and demanding attention. Brax, a German creation often provides that cold steel and accurate persona, with its devastatingly precise structure. No angle is rounded or wrong with this beautifully precise piece of engineering.

On the other hand you’ve got models that simply grab you attention, without being slick, smooth or ostentatious. The Blast BL-500, a model that gained my notice immediately, shows offs its curves and angles in a zesty lime green colour. Colourful and with definite but smooth angles, this model certainly looks the part in a car audio system. Edge, a company that relies on its eye catching looks, as well as extreme power, continues to prove the point that amps can still be beautiful with its tangy orange amp.

Car audio systems do not have to be unnecessarily ugly or even boring looking, as there are quite a number of models out there that will give your car audio system a unique and individual look. However, don’t sacrifice quality for looks as having a high quality should be a top priority.

By: Marie Coles

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Although Christmas is near, the run up to it can be quite stressful. The traffic jams seem to increase, leaving you stuck in a horrendous queue for what seems hours. Road works, accidents and snowed in roads, also make the journey far longer, fostering in you road rage or a case of the winter blues.

Nobody likes the long journeys to work on a winter’s day. Getting up even earlier so that you can arrive on time can make you feel down, tired out or simply annoyed. So after your morning coffee or tea, you may need a boost on the journey to work. Listening to the radio or music in your car will certainly do this as it improves mood and distracts you from feelings of road rage.

Music often colours your mood and can turn to what seems to be a bad day to a good day. With this in mind, a car audio system might be a good addition to your car to induce calm, when in stressful road jams or simply if you are suffering a bout of the winter blues. Of course your choice of music will depend on what you call calming or distracting music (from road rage not the road). You may choose to go for chill out classics, club music or heavy rock, depending on what relaxes you. Never go for stressful music, as this can induce road rage or even distract you from the road.

You may not want to listen to music on your car audio system, instead why not listen to an audio book via a CD, iPod, Mp3 player or USB, if a story is more relaxing to you. You could also listen to the radio, FM or DAB. Car audio systems now have the option of digital audio broadcasting radios, enabling you to listen to hundreds of more stations without the crackling of FM radios. DAB radios also give you regular traffic updates, making it a perfect gadget for the person who wants to avoid heavy traffic as much as possible.

Another useful gadget for you in winter may be a Sat-Nav or GPS system which is intelligent enough to update you on traffic news, enabling you to travel to work using the fastest route in accordance with traffic. It will half the time in traffic, leaving you stress free before your working day or Christmas shopping.

Lift your mood before work or Christmas shopping by using car audio equipment to avoid the traffic and music to raise your mood.

By: Marie Coles

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Upgrading your car audio system is a necessity of your car. It will provide you a good time while going somewhere. It is always a good thing to hear your favorite song over the stereo with the highest quality of sound. This will help you pass the time and boredom when travelling over long distances. That is why, you have to upgrade you audio system every once in a while. It doesn’t mean you have to spend a huge amount of money for brand new items. There are so many ways in achieving the kind of sound you’ve always wanted.

The first thing you have to consider is the size of your entire system. This should be suitable to the space of your car. The speakers should not be too small or too big, so that they will fit perfectly. When adding speakers, you may ask for some professional help. They know what’s best for your car. You might also consider putting subwoofers, tweeters and mid-range speakers to your system. The subwoofers cover all low frequencies like the bass, while the tweeters interpret the higher frequencies. The mid-range speakers, on the other hand, recognize all the frequencies that the subwoofers and tweeters can’t cover. That is why putting all of these together is highly advisable to have a good quality of sound.

You should also consider your budget. If you prefer some cheaper items, you have to check its condition. Make sure that they function properly. Be careful in choosing and purchasing such items, because you might get some that are defective and inefficient. You should also try finding a brand which is known for its durability and good performance.

The last thing on the list is choosing the best store for you to purchase from. If you want to save more time and effort, try shopping online. But if you want to personally check the items first before placing an order, then there are so many department stores that offer these products with various prices. As a customer, you should be smart enough to know which products provide the best service. And always keep in mind to choose wisely!

By: Victoria Mistral

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