Best car audio setup for sound quality. (Here’s What to Expect)

To elevate your driving experience, music can play a huge role it. It's the only form of entertainment you can consume while driving. Now, if you don't have a good audio setup in your car, then the whole experience just gets ruined.

That's why I am here to help you out with the best car audio setup for sound quality. I will take you through several ideas that you can incorporate into your audio setup. Adding them to your setup will surely give you better sound quality in your car.

So, without wasting further time, let's get going with it.

How to improve car sound quality 

There are lots of things you can do to improve the sound quality you get in your car audio. Going for a new setup is also a viable option in that case. But if you want to improve the sound quality in your existing setup, you can do that too.

Let's go through the different ideas you can implement to improve the sound quality you get from your current car audio setup.

1. Vehicle soundproofing 

Picture this, when you have an active noise cancellation headphone, don't you get a better sound quality without changing anything else? Yes, eliminating outer noises can already be a factor in improving sound quality without doing anything else.

So, what you can do is try soundproofing your vehicle. You can use foams that can eliminate sound for this purpose. This way, no form of noise from the road will enter your car. As a result, you will get the same feeling you get with noise cancellation headphones.

This is a straightforward and effortless way to improve the sound quality. And you won't have to spend too much money to get this done either.

2. Using high-quality cables 

Something that many people ignore is cable quality. With better quality cables you will get better transmission of audio. While they are better for sound quality, they are also excellent in terms of safety. So, you get both quality and assurance of safety in wiring.

Another thing to look at cables is the length of the cables. Longer cables tend to have a higher resistance. I suggest taking professional help in setting up the perfect cable length for your car audio.

3. Building a subwoofer box 

If you want to make sure you are getting those bass notes right from the audio, a subwoofer box can be a good addition. It's not too much of a hassle and you can do it yourself. However, for the best quality, you may need to lean towards professionals.

Having a subwoofer box will enhance the sound quality your subwoofer produces in general. And adding to that comes the extra protection to your subwoofer from any kind of wear and tear.

Related: How to build a subwoofer box to specifications

4. Installing amplifier 

If you already don't have an amplifier then installing one can improve your sound quality by a lot. Without an amplifier setup on your car audio, you will get sounds that are flat and monotonous. Adding an amplifier to the mix gives you dynamics in the sounds that make it more interesting to listen to music.

Also, with an amplifier, you will have more control over the audio. However, try getting a good quality amplifier because there are lots of amplifiers that won't have any impact. So, you have to make sure you are getting a quality amplifier that gives you great audio results.

5. Get a good quality equalizer

Well, this may not be the essential thing to have for your car audio system. But if you want to improve the sound quality of your car audio then this can help a lot. The whole purpose of using an equalizer is to fine-tune the audio and get your desired audio quality.

For example, if you love bass in your music, you can bump up the bass using an equalizer. In short, adding an equalizer to your sound system will surely unlock a completely new realm of music for you. And if you want the best sound quality then this is a must-have for you.

Related: best equalizer setting

6. Install an audio capacitor 

Some cars have this pre-installed and some don't. Assuming your car doesn't have it, you should get this part for sure. Have you ever seen your car lights dimming or maybe turning off whenever you start a song with loud bass? If you have, then, getting this is a must for you.

This capacitor will prevent that thing from happening, no matter what song you fire up in the car. Now, you will come across several complications, so I suggest talking to a professional when you plan to install this in your car.

So, these are some things that you can do and add to your car to make it sound better. But there are two more things to be wary of here.

If the existing car speakers aren't that good in quality, you have to replace them with better speakers. I mean, it doesn't matter if you do all the things, but, on the base, you have speakers of poor quality. At the end of the day, the most impact comes from the speakers you use in your car.

Also, I considered that you already have a subwoofer installed in your car audio. So, if you don't have one, you must get one. You can never feel the music without a good bass and subwoofers give you that. It's important to get a good subwoofer for your car audio setup.

Related: Best 4×6 speakers

What is the best car audio setup for Sound Quality?

Well, when looking out there, you will come across a lot of different car audio setups. Choosing the best one depends on several factors. The easiest way to decide to find a quality car audio setup is to check the brand of the setup. Most branded setups will come with excellent quality and features that will never disappoint you.

Here are some popular brands that you can check out –

• Pioneer: This is a brand that is well known for making top-notch quality audio gears for cars. Whether it's the speakers, the head unit, or any other equipment, you can't go wrong with this brand. If the features of their product meet your needs, then you will surely be satisfied with whatever you get from them.
  
  Related: Alpine vs. Pioneer
  
  
• Alpine: Now, this one is also similar to Pioneer in quality and performance. They also specialize in making quality equipment for cars. Cars like BMW and Honda typically use Alpine audio equipment as their stock audio unit. So, you know you can rely on this brand for quality without any second thoughts.
• JBL: I mean, JBL is already renowned for making quality speakers and headphones already. Even though they don't specialize in making audio gears for a car but they still hold their name in general. When the audio setup comes from JBL you can rely on the quality for sure. So, it's always a brand to go for reassurance.
• JVC: JVC used to be a classic choice for audio equipment back in the day. With time newer brands may have taken that place, but JVC didn't lose its quality. At least if your need is a good car audio setup, they still provide quality satisfying results—nothing to worry about quality when you go for them.

Aside from these, there are lots of brands out there. But if you want the best setup, then try opting for these brands. They will never disappoint you for sure. I would highly recommend going for Pioneer or Alpine among these 4 and any other brand you can find.

Now, another question you may ask is, what should you have in a car audio setup? A typical car audio setup should include the following items at least –

• Receiver: The receiver is the head unit of your car's audio system. This will have all the physical buttons and all the settings. Some receivers come with a CD drive as well. Some even come with a display which is known as double din units. They tend to have a lot of advanced features like navigation, video player, and so forth.
• Speakers: Of course, you will need speakers for a complete setup. Usually, there are three types of speakers you will come across. They are tweeters, mid-range, and subwoofer. For the best sound quality, you will need all of them. But you make do with tweeters and subwoofer too.
• Equalizer: If you want full control over the sound quality of your car audio, then getting an equalizer is a must. So, for the complete quality audio setup, this is a must-have item.
• Amplifier: The quality of the audio goes night and day with the addition of an amplifier. It just takes the sound quality of any setup to a new level. So, to complete the best audio setup, you will need an amplifier without any question.
  Related: How to connect a subwoofer to an old amplifier

Wrap up 

To sum up, getting the best car audio setup for sound quality is accumulating things you need to do and buy. Before you jump in and start buying new stuff, make sure the existing ones are of good quality. You won't get any value out of an amplifier if your speakers aren't good enough. And if you are still struggling, then you can always take expert help.