Car Stereo » Audio Reviews » Systems | Equipment

Q2 2010 Most Popular Posts

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:51:04 +0000

Top 5 post for the second quarter in the 2010. I am a little surprised not to see any speakers at all on the list.

Mtx Jackhammer 22

Alpine PDX-5 Amplifier

Kenwood KFC-1693PS

New JL Audio XD Amplifiers

Alpine MRP-M1000 Amplifier Review

Q2 2010 Most Popular Posts originally came from Mike who writes about car audio reviews.

Kenwood KFC-P709PS Speaker Review

admin — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:30:36 +0000

The Kenwood KFC-P709PS is a component speaker system from Kenwood’s performance series and I can see why. I am starting to become and bigger and bigger fan of this series. If you know how to install or you are paying someone I do recommend component speakers over 2 and 3 way speakers. They produce a better sound in my opinion. This 6.5 car stereo speaker comes with a injected polypropylene cone and has a really nice diamond patter as well. The KFC-P709PS has what Kenwood calls a advanced crossover network, which is important for the separately mounted dome tweeter. You do not want mid range sound coming out of the tweeter, you will blow them. The tweeter is a 1 inch tweeter that does swivel for best angle for sound after placement. The KFC-P709PS has a 80 watt RMS rating and a 280 watt peak rating. MSRP $129.99. I really like this car speaker and I would recommend it. Let me know what you think of it.

Kenwood KFC-P709PS 6.5inch Component Speaker Features and Specs

Injected Polypropylene Cone with Diamond Array Pattern
Advanced Crossover Network
1″ Swivel Dome Tweeter
280W Peak Input Power
80W Rated Input Power
4 Ohm Impedance
63Hz – 24kHz Frequency Response

Kenwood KFC-P709PS Speaker Review originally came from Mike who writes about car audio reviews.

Jeff’s Install In A 2003 Eclipse GS

admin — Sat, 08 May 2010 05:55:53 +0000

Tomorrow we are going to do a complete car stereo install. The Eclipse right now has a complete factory system so we will be upgrading all the major car audio components. The first thing that we are doing is replacing he factory CD-player. When ever you are going to install any type of amplifier its a lot easier with pre amp out puts. Jeff has selected the Pioneer DEH-P980BT. This is a older cd-player and he found one at a great discount so we thought it would be a good way to save some money on this install. Now after we have ran the power cable and installed the reciever its time to take a look at car speakers for the front doors.

The Eclipse has 6-3/4 factory speakers in the front doors. Jeff really like the 6-1/2 Kenwood KFC-1693PS so we are going to fabricate a adapter for they will fit with out any problems. Thanks to Dad for the adapter, saving Jeff some a little money and time here. With the adapter in place the speakers fit with out any problems.

Next we had to select a really nice pair of 6×9′s for the back. I have always been a fan of Kenwood 6×9′s so I suggested the Eclipse SE6900. We went down to the local car stereo shop so Jeff could here them, and of course he like them. These speakers were installed next.

When choosing a subwoofer, you should consider the type of music you listen to and how much bass you are looking to get out of them. Jeff like a lot of hard rock music, so we wanted something with some nice tight hard hitting base. We looked at a couple of different 10 inch subwoofers. He selected the JBL GT5-10.

Everyone right now is trying to save money, times are hard. If you can find a single amp to power the whole car stereo system it is almost always cheaper then buying two amps. Was no shock to Jeff when I told him he needed to get the Alpine PDX-5. Perfect for most car audio systems where you have 4 car speakers and one subwoofer. I really think Jeff is going to be very happy with the setup, we will know more in a few days after he has had the time to listen to the new system he got.

Jeff’s Install In A 2003 Eclipse GS originally came from Mike who writes about car audio reviews.

How Do I Tune My Car Stereo Amplifier

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:41:43 +0000

How Do I Tune My Car Stereo Amplifier? This is a great video that gives beginners to the car stereo industry some tips on how to tune a car’s amplifier. I have seen way to many people turn gains all the way up and not be able to turn the car’s stereo to half way. This video explains the correct way to set the amp up.

How Do I Tune My Car Stereo Amplifier originally came from Mike who writes about car audio reviews.

Kenwood KFC-1693PS Speaker Review

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 01:11:39 +0000

Now we are starting to look at some Kenwood speakers that will require a amplifier to get the most out of them. The KFC-1693PS are a really nice upgrade, if you are looking to add to your car stereo system and you are adding a amplifier as well. While the KFC-1693PS don’t require a amp I do recommend one because of the 70 watts RMS power, and 240 watts peak power. This is a 6.5 inch 3 way car speaker and does deliver load and clean sound when kept with in the recommend wattage. The 3 way speaker system includes a 1-9/16 inch speaker and a 1/2 ceramic tweeter. Kenwood never ceases to amaze me with the quality of car audio products that they do put out. MSRP $119.00. I do recommend these car stereo speakers.

Injected Polypropylene Cone with Diamond Array Pattern
Image Enhancer IV Technology
240W Peak Input Power
70W Rated Input Power
4 Ohm Impedance
80Hz – 22kHz Frequency Response

Kenwood KFC-1693PS Speaker Review originally came from Mike who writes about car audio reviews.

April 2010 Most Popular Posts

admin — Sat, 01 May 2010 05:49:15 +0000

Below is a list of the top 5 most popular post in the month of April 2010. I really like to do this review each month and will do it from now on. This gives some great insight on what my readers are looking and what they like to read about.

22 Inch MTX Jackhammer

Kicker L515 Solo Baric

Alpine PDX-5 Amp

RMS vs Peak Power

Alpine MRP-F300 Amp

April 2010 Most Popular Posts originally came from Mike who writes about car audio reviews.

What Is The Difference Between RMS and Peak Power?

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 23:51:14 +0000

The RMS rating is determined but what the amplifiers, or CD players can produces and speakers and subwoofers can handle continuously under normal everyday use. I believe that the RMS rating is the most important when looking at any car stereo equipment, because it tell you what you can expect consistently from your equipment. The higher the RMS rating the cleaner and louder the sounds will be.

The Peak power rating is what the amplifier and CD player can produce and the speaker and subwoofers can handle during short burst of music. You can not and expect your car audio equipment to handle this kind of stress and power at all times.

Be careful when look at ratings on equipment, all most of the time, it is listed in peak power and keep that in mind when pairing amps to speakers and subwoofers.

What Is The Difference Between RMS and Peak Power? originally came from Mike who writes about car audio reviews.

How Can I Tell If My Car Stereo Subwoofer Is Blown?

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:51:02 +0000

A lot of people are always asking “How can I tell if my car’s subwoofer is blown?”. Well this is a great how to video that shows exactly that. Now this is really a video for people that are new to the car stereo scene, most experienced people will all ready know these tricks.

How Can I Tell If My Car Stereo Subwoofer Is Blown? originally came from Mike who writes about car audio reviews.

Kenwood KFC-1682ie Speaker Review

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:38:05 +0000

The Kenwood KFC-1682ie, unlike the Kenwood KFC-1652S, is designed to be a more of a upgrade to your factory system, but is still not part of the Kenwood high end line. The KFC-1682ie has a very nice sound and in my opinion is very clear at reasonal volumes. This car stereo speaker really does not require a amplifier and has a RMS rating of 35 watts, but does have a peak rating of 240 watts. If you have the mounting option to show of the grill I would recommend it, this speaker has a nice look to it. The Kenwood KFC-1682ie comes with a 6.5 woofer that has a polypropylene fiber textured cone and a .5 inch ceramic tweeter. This is a nice upgrade to a factory car stereo system, but I would not recommend this for people trying to build a high end system. MSRP $70.00. Let me know what you think of the car audio speaker.

Kenwood KFC-1682ie Features and Specs

240 Watts Peak Power Handling
6-1/2″ Woofer with polypropylene fiber texture cone
1/2″ Ceramic tweeter
35hz to 22Khz Frequency Response
92dB Sensitivity

Kenwood KFC-1682ie Speaker Review originally came from Mike who writes about car audio reviews.

Kenwood KFC-1652S Speaker Review

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 01:51:50 +0000

The Kenwood KFC-1652S was designed as part of the Kenwood sports series. This is a 6.5 inch car audio speaker with a dual cone with a cloth surround and has a steel basket. This Kenwood speaker only has a RMS rating of 35 watts. The KFC-1652S does not require or really need a amplifier. The idea behind the KFC-1652S is to be low priced and high performance. This car stereo speaker is a really nice replacement speaker for your factory system, but not not meant to be a high end speaker. The KFC-1652S still possesses the the great sound and quality you would expect to get from a Kenwood car stereo speaker. So my thoughts on this speaker: if you are looking for a nice speaker to complement your factory set-up, go for it. If you are looking to build or start a high end system you are going to want to pass on this. MSRP $49.99

Kenwood KFC-1652S Features and Specs

MAX POWER:160W
6-1/2″ Dual Cone
Whizzer Cone Design
Injection Polypropylene Woofer
Cloth Surround
Steel Basket
Ferrite Magnet
Mounting Depth: 1-11/16″
Nominal Impedance: 4 Ohms
Power Handling: 35W RMS
Frequency Response: 35hz-20Khz
Sensitivity: 92dB

Kenwood KFC-1652S Speaker Review originally came from Mike who writes about car audio reviews.