Everybody knows that the only way to experience genuine, chest-thumping bass is to put a dedicated subwoofer in your car. But it’s not just about the low-end speaker, it’s also about the power. Lower frequencies pull more relative energy out of your car stereo’s amplifier, and when your stock system diverts too much energy to bass response, it subsequently thins out your mids and highs, which may result in underperforming car audio, from top to bottom. The best way to avoid this is to have a dedicated amplifier for your subwoofer. To that end, several of our favorite car audio brands offer sub ..read more

What should you pay for marine speakers? Obviously, a marine radio must be loud enough to hear over wind, waves, and engine noise. Less obvious is how much you have to pay to accomplish this.  Turns out, giving your boat radio a reliable set of durable marine speakers doesn’t have to break the bank. Some very well-made boat speakers may be found for surprisingly low prices — sometimes 30- to 40-percent lower than models offering comparable performance!  That’s true whether your stock marine stereo systems require in-boat 2-way speakers, or tower speakers, and covering several differe ..read more

Every year, more and more drivers choose vinyl car wrap as an alternative to investing in a new paint job: usually because it’s less expensive, and because it opens the door to a wide variety of different color options. But not so fast — often the cars in most dire need of a paint job, have problems that can’t be solved by a vinyl car wrap. A vinyl wrap won’t hide dents, for example, and cannot stick to rust. However, not all bad paint jobs are created equal. While some paint problems run too deep to hide beneath a thin vinyl wrap, there may be hope for a car with a peeling outer coat. Paint P ..read more

For decades, Kenwood and Pioneer have been two of the most popular and successful car audio brands on the planet, and with good reason. For starters, both electronics brands offer high-quality car audio systems and components across a range of price points. And both Kenwood and Pioneer have embraced technological advances in car stereo and entertainment systems, at times being at the forefront of innovation. When it comes to consumer awareness, Pioneer may have the edge. But when it comes to quality, is Kenwood better than Pioneer?  Kenwood VS Pioneer - Comparable histories Both Pioneer a ..read more

If you’re shopping for car stereo upgrades, you may have come across the name of a newer player in the car audio market: Skar Audio. Why are people talking about Skar Audio? The reasons are numerous, ranging from reports of durability to quality to great bang for your buck price. In fact, here are 5 reasons why Skar Audio is good, emerging audio brand. 1. It Still Has Under The Radar Value In the competitive car audio market, Skar is still relatively new and unknown, compared to widely known brands like Pioneer, Kenwood, and JL. So even though the Florida company, founded in 2012, already manu ..read more

Are you looking for a good single DIN stereo? You might be, and not even realize it. Typically, only two types of people even know what single DIN means: car audio geeks, or those who have actively shopped for a single DIN stereo. It certainly doesn’t help that the acronym DIN stands for a German term: Deutsches Institut für Normung. That mouthful translates to German Institute for Standardization, the organization that originally created the standard size for in-dash car stereo receivers, now used by all car manufacturers. In other words, single DIN refers to the size and shape the hole in th ..read more

If great sound quality ends with your car speakers, it starts with the head unit where your audio files originate. And we say audio files recognizing that most drivers these days prefer streaming audio or audio files on a USB stick to CDs. That’s why many of the best head units for sound quality place a strong focus on wringing the most detail and control out of your preferred digital audio source. Here are a few popular models that the web considers the best head units for sound quality. Pioneer DEH-80PRS When looking for the best single DIN head unit — meaning a 2-inch by 7-inch slot in the ..read more

Cars are more valuable than ever, meaning a reliable car alarm system also more valuable than ever. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to use the most expensive car alarm systems on the market, if you shop wisely. At Car Audio City, we often recommend the relatively affordable Avital 3100LX system. With a simple key fob affording remote arming, keyless entry, and auxiliary functions that may be customized by the installer, this system makes excellent use of the car alarm basics. But to find out why the Avital 3100lx car alarm is so good, you’ll want to read on! Dual-Zone Impact sensor ..read more

The name Pioneer is all but synonymous with car audio, and for many good reasons. The venerated brand has proven a literal pioneer in the development of car audio systems going back decades. In fact, Pioneer has shown a high-level commitment to advancing audio technology since 1938, and has done so again and again for nearly 85 years since! Pioneer has always been a good brand for car audio, and shows no sign of stopping any time soon… and here’s why: Pioneer’s early history in Japan Starting a tech company out of your home garage has practically become a cliché since the 1980s. But that was l ..read more

Serving a beach and bay audio city like San Diego, Car Audio City knows performance audio is just as important out on the water as it is in the car. So of course we have plenty of experience the best waterproof marine audio products on the market. From waterproof boat speakers to a new generation of smartphone compatible marine receivers, we strive to work with only the best, including the waterproof marine audio products below. Kicker 45KM654 Marine Speakers Rubber surrounds and fully sealed enclosures ensure that the motors driving these 6.5-inch, 2-way speakers won’t be damaged by the inevi ..read more