Auto Audio

Believe me when I tell you I was a complete novice where auto audio is concerned. While I have setup several home systems, I have always got all of my cars' systems professionally installed, with the shop providing recommendations on what to buy, etc. I had no real understanding of amps, pre-amps, cross-overs, impedance, etc. I didn't even know what speaker specifications to look for.Also, if anything at all went wrong with my system, I wouldn't have known where to start to diagnose the problem.However, after reading this book, I can now say confidently (as I have proven by re-configuring my current setup) that I understand, not only the terms, but how everything fits together. I can now confidently (as I'm currently doing) shop around for my own components, without having to blindly accept what the dealer says.I even now have the confidence to install the system myself, although for that professional finish, I may not. At least I can specify exactly what I want and can understand and challenge the installer, if necessary.I very, very highly recommend this book. You will NOT be disappointed.

very useful.

I give it 4 stars because my son found it use full and i blame myself for not catching the 1995 copyright date. This book is very outdated.

I ordered this hoping that some basic questions would be answered, and many were, but this book is outdated. For example: Nowadays, the most common good quality car system uses a pair of component speakers, sometimes called "splits" plus a sub woofer. You wouldn't know it from reading this book though.Tuning your system? Doesn't even mention how to do this.Troubleshooting chapter? Nope.This book is pretty much all there is out there, and it will help with understanding many important things, esp if you are a complete novice. But because it is outdated, you will come away with some ideas that are not longer valid or important in helping you put together a system. You will need to supplement what you read here with info from other places.It is not a complete waste of your money, but if I were this author I would write a newer version, and pronto, and cover the sorts of issues people are bringing up on the car audio forums, where I have learned much more than what is given in this book. There is a real need for a good book on the subject.

I'd recommend this book to the beginners. Simple explanations about audio topics are given, without going too deep on the subjects. Some subjects are a little dated (for example, mp3 and other systems aren't covered and CD players sound like very new technology) but it can give you a great idea and vision about how car sound systems work. I started with this one in the car audio world and can't complain.

This is the best book on car audio I have purchased or even read. I highly recommend it to anyone building a system or just replacing a head unit. It is well written, yes it does get rather detailed about things, but that is what I was looking for. Thanks Mr Yoder, Cliff "Cyclops" Bryant

This book is so easy to read and understand. Unless you have experience, this is probably the only book available that will explain audio and car audio concepts in a language you can understand. I've read other books, and so many were frustrating because they say "Assumes some knowledge of car audio" in the intorduction. This really means "I'm not going to bother defining half of my terms so that you will be left very confused and frustrated trying to make sense of what I'm talking about." Not so with Auto Audio. I understood everything he said, and it was very useful.

well this is not what I expected there is a lot of useful information but not enough detail on wiring different types of systems but its good to learn a lot of terms and details on items worth the 4 bucks I paid.