Speakers

Speakers are one of the most essential parts of getting a great car audio system and is one of the first things you’ll want to upgrade if you’re going to make your stereo system something that your neighbors and friends will be jealous of. How do you know if you’re getting a good speaker? Great speakers for a car stereo have what’s known in the industry as a higher frequency response. This means that more music actually pipes through the speakers and that they have better power handling abilities. That makes your highs higher and shaper and your lows much deeper, transforming the music from flat to alive, or 3D, if you will.

Amplifiers

Another must a great car stereo is to have great amplifiers. If you have weak car amplifiers in your system than you may wind up damaging some perfectly good speakers. Great amps provide the power that your speakers and system needs to crank the music out. They also get rid of any distortion in the music and help with the quality of the sound coming out of your speakers. How do you know if you’ve got a decent amp? Put the sound up to half volume and listen to see if you can hear everything clearly. If the music’s still sounding clear, your amp is halfway decent.

Woofers

Lots of people make huge deals about woofers, and while subwoofers are a great addition to any car audio system, the system itself is more than just the woofer, and you need to have more than just a great subwoofer if you want to get a good system. Woofers accentuate the bass in the music to give you a booming sound that you just have to love. In the world of subwoofers the larger the woofer the lower the frequency it produces, so make sure you take note of the sensitivity of any woofer before you purchase it.

You can never truly make your car your own until you have the car audio fine tuned to the point that you’re happy with. With the right Pioneer car audio system and a bit of work, you can transform your car into a creation that you can be proud of.

1. Power. A must for any stereo system you set up but especially for your motorcycles stereo system. Like I mentioned earlier you’ll be fighting the wind and your exhaust so you have to have power to make sure the music is much louder than those two things
2. Speaker Selection. In my professional opinion this is what makes or breaks a good sounding motorcycle stereo system from a KILLER sounding motorcycle stereo system. You must select speakers that can play loud clean and handle power without going into distortion or at least not go into distortion quick. There are not many out there so choose wisely.
3. Amp Selection. As I mentioned earlier and to state the obvious there is not a lot of room available to put motorcycle stereo equipment on your bike so you must select D class amplifiers that are super small in size. Now a few years back D class amplifiers were reserved only for bass driven speakers because of the high distortion rate but with the leaps in bounds in technology lately some D class amplifiers have as low of a distortion rate of some really good sounding A/B class amps. But you have to know what to look for so look for an amp with low distortion rate >.05 or less.
4. Head Unit. Of course I was going to mention that because that’s where it starts. It make no sense to spend a ton of money on speakers and amps if you have a bad sounding head unit and no the factory Harley stereo is not a good sounding head unit and neither is that Sony so let’s start over with something that sounds better and has a more dynamic range. Ever heard of Alpine?

OK that’s a start but I have a few more tricks up my sleeve such as….

1. The best spot to place speakers in your bags
2. Which amp’s I recommend and why?
3. The only brand to look at when selecting speakers for your fairing.

So if you’re interested on how to complete that KILLER motorcycle stereo system come down to Breakers Stereo in Oxnard, we are located at 465 N Oxnard Blvd. Oxnard, CA 93030. Or give us a call at (805)486-8307 so we can custom design a motorcycle stereo system for you.  We specialize in Harley Davidson Motorcycles but we have done street bikes and others so look to Breakers Stereo for all of your motorcycle stereo system needs.

Power output. This is the most basic thing most people look at when selecting a car amplifier but you have to match it up to the speakers that you have or are looking to buy. Contrary to most beliefs it’s not over powering speakers that will blow a speaker it’s normally under powering speakers that will blow a speaker. Let me explain, the most common factor that blows a car speaker is distortion and when you under power a speaker you get to distortion much faster than if you over power a speaker. Now don’t get me wrong over powering will blow a speaker if you run it into distortion. The key is DISTORTION BLOWS speakers. Look at RMS power at the ohms rating you will be running at otherwise you won’t be getting the power you might expect. If you’re running 4 ohm door speakers and rear deck speakers look at the 4 ohm rating on the amplifier for the expected wattage. Most co-ax and component speakers are rated at 4 Ohms so that is the rating you want to look at.

Example:                     50×4 @ 4 ohms RMS

85×4 @ 2 ohms RMS

1. THD or Distortion rating. Very important factor especially when shopping for a great sounding car stereo amplifier. This is a rating that is in direct proportion on how clean the amplifier will play. Good sounding amps will be rated at >.05THD where dirty amps are much higher.
2. Variable Crossover settings. This is the ability to be able to select the crossover setting for each set of speakers in your car. This is important so that you can find tune your system to get the exact sound you’re looking for out of car stereo system. A good range for the crossover will be from 50Hz-500Hz. Try to stay away from car amplifiers with preset crossover points.
3. Stability. Not typically a factor to determine if a car amplifier is good or not but it is something you should be aware of when putting together a great sounding car audio system. Mainly important when selecting subwoofer because you want your car stereo amplifier to produce the most power possible and to achieve that you must first determine what impedance (ohms) the amplifier is stable at, then configure the subwoofers around that. Most good mono or 1 channel amplifiers are 1 ohm stable and most good 2 channel or 4 channel amps are stable at 2 ohms. When wiring subs you either wire in “series” or “parallel.” Here is how to figure out your end impedance when wiring subwoofers in series or parallel.

Parallel Formula   X = one voice coils ohms Y = the other coils ohms   Z = final ohms

X + Y =Z

One coil                       The other coil                                    Final Ohms

4                 +                   4                      =                        8

Series Formula    X=common ohms    Y=the number of voice coils        Z = final ohms

X ÷ Y = Z

Common ohms                 Number of voice Coils               Final Ohms

4 ÷ 4                       =                 1

Adding a car amplifier definitely enhances the sound of your car stereo system and it’s important that you choose the right one for you. If you have further questions on what will work best for you and your vehicle please give us a call for a free estimate.

1. Power Handling. Not only does this determine how many watts you can put towards the subwoofers also it’s normally an indicator on how good the subwoofer is. But be careful you want to look at car subwoofers that are made by good quality well know companies such as: Cerwin Vega, JL Audio, Alpine, Memphis Car Audio and Kenwood. Lesser quality lesser known companies will over rate the power handling on their car subwoofers, so look out for that. Look at RMS rating for actually power handling. RMS  stands for “Root Mean Squared”, and is a formula used to calculate an approximate average for the power an amplifier can continuously create.
2. Magnet weight. A direct indication on how much power a car subwoofer can handle. Typically the heavier the car subwoofer the better it is.
3. The designed used to cool the voice coil. When a car subwoofer blows it’s because the voice coil gets too hot and burns up. That’s why it’s important that whichever subwoofer you choose is well designed to alleviate heat from the voice coil.
4. Enclosure recommendations. This is important mainly for you. Ask yourself two questions. #1 what type of music am I going to listen to with my car stereo system?  #2 How much space am I willing to give up in my trunk for my cars subwoofer. If you listen to a lot of music that has a lot of low end bass, such as rap, hip-hop and country, then a ported enclosure might be your best bet. But if you listen to rock or house music that has a lot of punchy quick bass then you might be better off with a sealed enclosure. Ported enclosures do well with lower bass because they are normally tuned really low, like at 30 Hz or so. But sealed enclosures for car subwoofers are all around better sounding because they are more accurate. Another thing to know is that ported enclosures for car subwoofers are much more efficient then sealed enclosures so this means that they don’t need as much power to sound good. Another thing to consider is that some better quality car subwoofers are very enclosure specific such as the JL Audio W7 subwoofers which need a ported enclosure with specific vent size. The Cerwin Vega Stroker subwoofer is the same way.
5. Voice Coil Size. This will determine how much power the car subwoofer can take and also how much abuse it can handle. The bigger the voice coil the better.

If you still have questions on which subwoofer will work best for you then give us a call @ (805)486-8307

The first thing you should know about an RV stereo and video setup is that it’s much more like a home entertainment setup than a car stereo setup. This means that it’s also generally much trickier to set up. With an RV audio or video system you have to be very careful, not only with the wiring that is already in the RV, but also in regards to space. RV’s aren’t known for being roomy and spacious, and what little space you do have has to be carefully guarded. That’s why so many people get tiny televisions in their RV’s and don’t bother upgrading their sound system.

Getting an Upgrade

Most RV’s come with a basic sound system, and while this may be fine for most people, if you want to have quality entertainment you’ll definitely need an upgrade, starting with your RV audio system. This is actually fairly easy to upgrade simply because it is a bit like a vehicle’s audio system. Most of the controls can be changed in the front of the rig to give you an enhanced experience when you’re driving. The trick in changing out RV audio systems comes into play when you hook the audio up with the video, and when you give control to the passengers in the back. That’s when you’ll need an experienced technician doing the wiring to make sure that everything goes as it is supposed to.

When it comes to hooking up new RV audio options, technology has been a huge help. Now instead of having to deal with tiny televisions, you can hook everything from a 7” to a 55” television up in your RV. Hook your new flat panel television up correctly and you can even watch television while you’re outside. Imagine how nice a starry evening would be if you were able to watch your favorite drama while sitting around a fire. And watching a football game on a flat screen that’s dropped down out of your RV is like nothing else in the world.

So dream as big as you want to dream when it comes to your RV audio and video needs. With the right technician all of your dreams can be made into a reality giving you the ultimate RV that you’ve always wanted to have.

Nothing beats being on the lake in a boat with a killer stereo system and no one does it better than Breakers Stereo in Oxnard! There are many different options and deciding factors which determines an average stereo system in a boat to one that has that WOW factor and can keep up with your boat when you’re speeding across the lake at 90mph! It doesn’t matter if your cruising down the channel at slow pace or docked enjoying your music and appreciating the scenery, you need your boat to be loud and sound good at the same time and I’m going to let you in on how the pros do it here down at Breakers Stereo. So let’s start!

1. Power Power and more Power. The key to any good sounding stereo system is power especially in a boat. You have to remember this is not like a car where everything is in and enclosed environment, everything is out in the open and when you’re speeding down the lake you’re going to need that extra power to keep up with the wind noise and the engine.
2. Great sounding speakers. Ok here’s where I have my own option. If at all possible try to stay from marine speakers and here’s why: marine speakers are good because they are water resistant but are not normally the best speakers in world. Normally a manufactures will take their low end car speakers and make it weather proof. Not my idea of something I would like to put in a boat I’m trying to sound killer. If the speakers are in a position to get wet then by all means buy marine speakers but most times speakers are placed in the boat where they are not that exposed to getting wet. In that case go with better sounding speakers with polypropylene cones and rubber surround you’ll have a much larger selection and in most cases the speakers will be less. Stay away from paper cone speakers and foam surround because if the water doesn’t get them then the sun will.
3. Subwoofer placement. One of the most important factors when building a stereo system in a boat. It’s not a car so in the trunk isn’t the only place to put a subwoofer box. Look for spots that are more exposed to let sound travel better. Such as in the compartment below the steering wheel on the floor or under the rear seat. Another key factor is that you want to go with a ported subwoofer enclosure vs. a sealed subwoofer enclosure, the reason why is that a ported enclosure tends to fill larger areas much better than sealed enclosures. Think of your home audio subwoofer, more than likely that is a ported enclosure and is designed to fill a large room.
4. Second battery. You’ll want to make sure that when you’re docked you can play your stereo system and still be able to turn the engine over. This allows you to drain your secondary battery down and have the main battery start the engine. It also comes in handing when you’re cranking your tunes when the engine is on by providing a 2^nd source of current keeping your current more consistent.
5. Good sounding head unit. Most boats come with a marine stereo either made by Sony, Clarion or heaven forbid Audiovox. Although you may be familiar with these brands these head units are not the best sounding headunits out there. Boat manufactures are like most car manufactures they don’t spend a lot of money on the radio. So look to replace that radio with either an Alpine Marine radio or other car stereo head units with a marine cover. The head unit is the source so if the source isn’t producing good sound then you’re wasting money on all that good equipment. Most headunits are priced low enough that it’s worth the extra money invested. Plus you can get cool features like an iPod connection and Bluetooth audio.

So those are my some of my best tips for building a great sounding stereo system for your boat. Stick to them and you’ll have one of the best sounding boats on the lake. I do have other tips that will help you have that killer system you’re looking for such as:

1. Which manufactures work best in the boat application
2. New speakers placement
3. Tower speakers
4. Wire and wireless  RF (radio frequency)remotes
5. How to save money by not over spending where you don’t need to.

To learn about these 5 other tip give us a call or if you’re ready to start building that killer boat stereo system you always wanted please don’t hesitate to call us at (805)486-8307

Audio Systems

Installing an amazing audio system in a truck isn’t easy, mainly because you have so much less room than you do when you’re installing a great audio system in a car or an SUV. With a truck, however, there are other benefits, such as being able to hear your bass much more strongly within the cab of a truck. But then again you have to think about where the subwoofer is going to go and how you’re going to fit the best speakers into your system.

When you’re thinking about how you want your truck audio and truck stereo equipment to sound, make sure that you figure in the small size of your truck’s cab. Even if you have an extra cab you’ll still be dealing with a relatively small amount of room, especially if you love a lot of bass and clarity in your music.

Video

Most people assume that the only type of vehicles that can have video included in them are cars and SUV’s. Most people would be wrong. Some of the best video systems to ever be created have been put on trucks. Truck video systems can keep children entertained, like if you have a king cab or an extra cab, but they can also keep the driver entertained. Have you ever seen a 55” flat panel television flip up from the bed of a truck? It is one of the most amazing things you’ll ever see, and it’s completely possible to do. Imagine what it’s like to watch a game, outside, with all of your friends, from the back of your pickup? It brings a whole new meaning to the word “tailgating”

Truck stereo and audio systems can be easily installed by a professional, but it’s not a good idea to take on this type of an installation yourself, mainly because of how tight a space a truck cab really has. If you’re interested in making your truck be as bad as it can be, consult a professional to learn how you can transform your ho-hum factory installed stereo into something completely amazing.

GPS units have completely changed the game. They make it so that you can get wherever you want, within a decent amount of time, without having to deal with a great deal of stress. And let’s not even talk about the amount of marriages that have been saved simply because no one has to stop and ask for directions anymore! With today’s GPS units you can not only enjoy spoken turn-by-turn directions, along with a thorough map, but you can also get information about gas prices as well as traffic updates, making driving much more relaxing than it has ever been.

Going In-Dash

There is a lot to be said about portable GPS units, including the fact that you can take the GPS unit with you wherever you go and that it is easily hidden whenever you’re not in the vehicle. But they can also fall off of the windshield or dash fairly easily and that can be a complete pain. Going with in-dash navigation systems is actually a wonderful idea simply because there are a number of benefits that you can’t get with portable GPS units, including:

• No visible wires – Who wants to clutter up their car with a wire hanging from the GPS unit to the power outlet.
• No dead battery – Anyone who’s had a GPS unit die on them knows how frustrating it can be. When you have an in-dash GPS unit you never have to worry about the GPS dying out on you.
• Always available – A portable GPS unit is easy to hide, which can be great, but it can also be easy to forget, and what’s the point of having a GPS system if you don’t have it with you when you need it?
• Easy repair – In-dash GPS units are often much easier to repair than portable GPS units, giving owners a sense of security.

Today’s in-dash navigation units are much more stylish than their clunky ancestors. Now you can even get in-dash GPS units that are literally hidden away in the dash until you need them, which is when they pop out for you to use. They can even be connected to your iPod and some can even do more than that. If you’re curious about whether or not a GPS unit will really help you, borrow a portable one from a friend and try driving around for a few weeks with it. You’ll see that a GPS unit, no matter whether you live in the city or the country, is invaluable.

The basic sound system that comes with a vehicle does a decent job at being just okay. It has okay sound, it works decently, and that’s about it. While this “decent” system is fine for many people, it’s not fine for everyone, and those who want something “more” often find themselves investing thousands of dollars in a new car sound system. Look into Alpine car audio systems or JVC car audio systems and you can quickly figure out in your head how you could easily spend a small fortune upgrading your car’s sound system.

If you’re using a basic, factory installed sound system, you likely won’t need to have it insured. This is because basic sound systems are actually rather cheap to put in yourself, and you will spend more money on the insurance than you would spend replacing whatever piece broke. But if you’ve spent a pretty penny upgrading your audio to get some banging sounds, you definitely don’t want to have to shell out that same amount of money all over again, should something bad happen with your system. That’s why it may be a good idea to get insurance.

If you have decided that you’re ready to insure your sound system you’ll have to contact your insurance company. It’s always a good idea to stick with a company that you’re used to dealing with. Explain that you have upgraded your car sound system and that you’re looking to insure it. In most cases you’ll find that they will either have to send someone to look at your system or they will ask for all of the specs about the pieces you have put in. Insurance companies charge you based on a certain system, and because each company has a different system, it can be difficult to figure out exactly how much it will cost until you get the final estimate from the insurance company. Just remember that insurance estimates are free and they may be very worth it.

Your insurance premium will increase, and a good rule of thumb to remember is that the more sound you have, the more you’ll likely have to pay for insurance. But honestly sometimes having insurance for your Alpine car audio or JVC car audio systems is much more affordable than having to replace the entire thing should you get into an accident or should some punk decide to steal it.

Boat Audio

The waves and seagulls are great to listen to – for a few days. After that you may be ready for a change of sound. Or maybe you’re going to be throwing a huge party on your boat – do you really want to drag a CD player or your MP3 setup onboard? With the right boat audio setup you can blast the waves out of the water! One thing to be wary of when you’re looking at boat audio setups is the water resistance. If you don’t have the right boat audio system installed you’ll likely wind up having to replace the entire unit. While most of the time waves and water don’t tend to get the captain’s area wet, there are rare occasions when they do, and that’s when having a water resistant boat audio system is going to be important. And you wouldn’t want your speakers to short out either, so make sure that any system that’s installed on your boat is extremely resistant to water.

Boat Video

Did you know that technology has now advanced so far that you can even have a television and DVD player hooked up onto your boat? And we’re not talking about having a television on a yacht, but rather a simple pleasure craft. Boat video technology has advanced a huge amount in the past five years and now it’s possible or anyone who owns a boat to enjoy whatever view they want to enjoy – no matter whether it’s the beautiful waves, a gorgeous island, or a DVD movie. DVD setups in a boat can also be a great option if you have children, as it can keep them entertained while you catch some relaxation on the waves. But it’s vital that you make sure that whomever hooks up your boat video equipment knows exactly what they’re doing, as a wrong move can make things very tricky, and possibly very expensive, to fix.