Welcome to Import’s April blog.
When you first get into a new car, there’s the adjustment period where you learn what you can about the bells and whistles. Sooner or later, we want to get the most out of our sound system, for great tunes during our commutes. With the fun of experimentation, we sometimes experience the disappointment of a wrong turn that leaves us worse off than when we began.
There’s also the other factor to consider: the danger of changing your car stereo system from the factory defaults. It isn’t always an improvement, and can lead to heartache with your electrical system. At Import Auto, we have a few suggestions on what to do to get the most out of your car’s factory-embedded music system (without putting your sound system in grave danger).
- Leave things as they are. Try to leave the bass and treble settings alone where possible, because those presets were designed to reach the entire vehicle evenly. Adjusting them may shift the balance unfavorably. If you’ve had someone in who plays with settings and things are off, check your user manual about restoring factory defaults in your sound system.
- Upgrade your speakers. If your sound is flat but you don’t want to risk changing receivers in your car, consider investing in a new set of speakers. The installation is less worrisome then a complete overhaul and cheaper, too. (For best results, ask a speaker technician for advice on your make and model.)
- Don't Play the Music Through Your Phone. Using a secondary source like your phone puts a diffusing buffer between the phone and your ear, as your phone now has to broadcast the music and your vehicle has to receive it. Give your system a direct line to the data.
- Utilize WAVs over MP3s. Most sound systems since 2012 have a USB plug for you to upload music files into your car’s system. To get better sound quality, try using WAV files instead of MP3’s, if your playlist is small enough (WAVs are much bigger in size)
Sound systems are wonderful. We don’t work on them at Import Auto, but we do work on electrical systems occasionally that have been compromised during a sound system installation. If you're experiencing issues after an installation, contact us to set up an appointment today. We are located at 7171 Ronson Rd Ste B, San Diego, CA 92111, and we’re open Mondays through Fridays, from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM.