Replacing the factory head unit is often not possible in modern cars, as they control not just audio but also functions like HVAC, accessories, options programming, and such. So the question then becomes: Can you interface with the factory head unit and get good audio that way?
The answer is maybe. It depends on your model car and what solutions the aftermarket has developed toward solving this problem. Note this is not just a matter of a wire harness that plugs into your head unit at one end and an amplifier at the other. Often, sophisticated electronics are required that interface with the vehicle CAN bus and translate those electronic digital messages into things like volume control requests, and so on.
Take a look at some of the solutions provided by this company:
https://pac-audio.com/
Once you find a viable vehicle/interface combination, if one exists for what you want to do, then you can move on to more pedestrian things like amplifiers and speakers, and back into the world of "normal" car audio.
As far as amplifier current being a limitation, there is good news on that front, to a point. Modern "Class D" amplifiers are vastly more efficient than older class A/B amps, and thus require much less current for a given power output. They have developed to the point that sound quality is indistinguishable from larger less efficient and older amp designs. They are also much smaller because massive heat sinks are not required.
As a bit of background, I used to be in the car audio business on the technical side of things, "back in the day," and just recently completed a multi-amp (12 amp channels total) system in my own car, using an available aftermarket interface, class D amps, just for fun. The viability doing this all depends upon what the aftermarket has come up as a solution for your chosen vehicle.
Another method can be to just ignore the factory head unit entirely and use a phone, iPad, or similar source for signal, but overall that tends to be a bit clunky as a solution.
The answer is maybe. It depends on your model car and what solutions the aftermarket has developed toward solving this problem. Note this is not just a matter of a wire harness that plugs into your head unit at one end and an amplifier at the other. Often, sophisticated electronics are required that interface with the vehicle CAN bus and translate those electronic digital messages into things like volume control requests, and so on.
Take a look at some of the solutions provided by this company:
https://pac-audio.com/
Once you find a viable vehicle/interface combination, if one exists for what you want to do, then you can move on to more pedestrian things like amplifiers and speakers, and back into the world of "normal" car audio.
As far as amplifier current being a limitation, there is good news on that front, to a point. Modern "Class D" amplifiers are vastly more efficient than older class A/B amps, and thus require much less current for a given power output. They have developed to the point that sound quality is indistinguishable from larger less efficient and older amp designs. They are also much smaller because massive heat sinks are not required.
As a bit of background, I used to be in the car audio business on the technical side of things, "back in the day," and just recently completed a multi-amp (12 amp channels total) system in my own car, using an available aftermarket interface, class D amps, just for fun. The viability doing this all depends upon what the aftermarket has come up as a solution for your chosen vehicle.
Another method can be to just ignore the factory head unit entirely and use a phone, iPad, or similar source for signal, but overall that tends to be a bit clunky as a solution.
Statistics: Posted by Teague — Sat Aug 03, 2024 10:50 am — Replies 4 — Views 615
