It is a simple term - car stereo - but most people pay more attention to the car stereo system than they do to their home stereo. Many people are quite content with a mediochre home stereo and will never mention it in conversation, but the car stereo! Well, that is a different kettle of fish. People want speakers in each door, sub-woofers front and back and a graphic equalizer.
Most modern cars come with some form of car stereo already fitted, but these can be quite rudimentary systems.
In the early days of auto audio systems, car stereos were nothing more than smaller versions of indoor, home stereo systems. However, the environment was totally different and musical purists could tell that they were getting a raw deal. The speakers were too close together and the vibrations from the car's engine rattled everything apart. Speakers were puny and frequently blew.
Enthusiasts started to demand better quality car stereo systems. The concept of a dedicated car stereo, if not yet the product itself was born.
Some car manufacturers include their own, factory-installed makes of audio system. BMW falls into this category. All of BMW's cars are delivered with a BMW car audio system. Many top car manufacturers like to keep this level of control over the quality of their vehicles. Other car manufacturers, like Mercedes, prefer to leave the design and technology of such secondary vehicular accessories to third parties like Blaupunkt.
Blaupunkt, a German firm, takes this level of responsibility very, very seriously. It is a huge mark of prestige that they have won the contract to supply car audio systems to companies like Mercedes. This reputation gains them many pore sales from people who want the same quality that is associated with Mercedes luxury vehicles.
Most of the standard systems these days incorporate a multi-band radio and a CD player, which may or may not have a CD auto-changer in the boot of the car. The most modern car audio systems may also have MP3 and Internet access. These newer stereo units typically allow the driver to plug in external media devices containing music or other files.
If you have an older car, you may want to upgrade your car stereo system to something that suits your requirements. This could be accomplished by simply changing the speakers or even adding further speakers. However, you may think that it is easier or better to just change the whole caboodle. There are many options regarding car stereos, but if you cannot hear the difference then there is no real point.
After all, music should not be a distraction from the main reason for sitting in a car in the first place, which is to get from A to B safely.
