You just bought your first car and it is a second-hand vehicle with great mileage and even better condition but there is one flaw. Some may consider it unimportant but for many having a good sound system in your vehicle is important. Now, your new car has some sound issues and you are not satisfied, so what to do?
Today’s article will help you determine if you have a problem that needs addressing by upgrading your sound system entirely or just exchanging a few components that will bring you the results you want and expect. Now, this isn’t for those who bought new vehicles with good sound systems from the factory, like Boose or Harman Kardon. These will offer a pretty awesome music experience in your vehicle and you shouldn’t think about switching them if you do not need more sound for a contest or something.
Now, let’s get on with the list. If by some chance you see some of these problems in your vehicle and decide you need some new equipment for your sound system visit https://jlaudiovisual.com/ and find exactly what you need.
![](https://thefrisky.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Car-Audio-System-1-730x737.jpg)
Source: NVX
Contents
1. Head unit
Most malfunctions in the sound system come from head units. There are a lot of these on the market and you can opt for any in whatever price range you wish. Cheap ones don’t offer great sound quality or clarity plus the cheap parts used to make them aren’t exactly reliable. You will get sound issues, noise that isn’t supposed to be there or even bad reception. Bad head units will also be low on power and won’t send enough power to your speakers and that will cause problems of their own.
2. Speakers
Speakers are a medium on which the music is reproduced and if that component fails, well there is no sound. Speakers can be bad in a few ways, with not working at all as the most obvious one, and it is working but crackling on higher volume or even having rough sound with blow through sound and feel. These two are sure things that you have a sure problem with speakers and you should opt to replace them since repairing here is only a temporary solution and probably not long-lasting as well. You should also watch out for the size of the speakers, range and wattage which all must carefully be paired with your head unit if you want everything to operate perfectly.
![](https://thefrisky.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Car-Audio-System-2-730x565.jpg)
Source: HotDeals360
3. Wiring
Many opting for aftermarket sound systems make beginner mistakes when connecting everything up. If you make a mistake during wiring you can expect a cool silence from your speakers at best. The worst-case scenario is that you make a short somewhere and blow your fuse or even burn your system and vehicle down. Every specialist will advise you to disconnect your battery before attacking this type of job and watch what you connect and where. Don’t hesitate to use your owner’s manual which will thoroughly instruct you on how to connect everything up.
4. Power
If you bought a car with an aftermarket sound system that after some time starts powering on and off in intervals, you probably have a problem with your battery. When opting for an aftermarket system you should read carefully about its power needs and consumption because you might be having a lower power battery that is struggling to run your lights, A/C unit and sound system all at the same time. If that is the case your sound system will suffer the most and you will have that intermission power on and off the problem.
![](https://thefrisky.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Car-Audio-System-3-730x619.jpg)
Source: HotDeals360
5. Noise
The type of noise that we are thinking here is that wine most of us have experienced at some point. The wine we are talking about is that alternator wind or wind when speeding up and the head unit picks that acceleration and sends it through speakers. There is often popping and crackling from windshield wipers and indicator lights and it can be rather frustrating. These do not necessarily have to mean that you have to change or upgrade your sound system entirely or even by specific component, but you rather have to look for a culprit of the noise or wine and try to re-ground it properly. A bad ground is a culprit for 99% of the problems we mentioned here, so look for a badly grounded wire in any one of these.
6. Sound quality
If everything is working correctly and no issues that we already mentioned appear in your car, and the quality of sound getting to your ears is still pretty bad then you have different issues. These, again, don’t mean you need to change any of the components but you need to attack several issues that are neglected during car manufacture. One of those issues is sound-deadening materials that are necessary if you want the best quality sound coming from your speakers without picking up road noise. Another thing that can be added to ensure a little better sound quality is car sound amplifiers. They will regulate anything from bass to low end sounds and you will immediately see an improvement in the quality and strength of your music.
![](https://thefrisky.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Car-Audio-System-4-730x617.jpg)
Source: The Sieve
7. Control the tone of your stereo
Most of us that want to boost the sound quality and strength max out our tone controls. That might be an easy fix for when you drive around town and on shorter distances, but highway travel might create a lot of distortion coming out of your system. There is an easy fix for this that doesn’t need a new sound system installation and it is lowering your bass level a bit while at the same time lowering the mid-range and low range a bit while increasing the overall level of the system a bit. This will get you a little richer sound and probably a little more strength with clarity.
So, after everything read here you will be able to determine if your car stereo is ripe for change or do you have to perform a few quick fixes to improve its quality. Not every problem has to be expensive, some of them are easy to fix, with virtually no expenses, all you have to do is invest some of your time. Even though car stereo shouldn’t be the centre point of a vehicle, it is an integral part of it and it can make or break a purchase of your next vehicle. A good sound system is there to make you feel even more comfortable and better in a vehicle of your choice, whether you travel long distances or short ones.