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Frequently Asked General Questions

If there's something you're wondering about that isn't dealt with in the other Tech Center pages, Let Us Know and we'll try to address it here. This section is in it's early stages, but will be constantly growing as we continue adding to it and receiving input from our visitors.

 

I want to get twice as loud as what my system does now. What do I need to do?

You can double the volume in you setup two different ways. More Power or More Speakers.The way power (wattage) relates to volume (output) is that every time you double your power, you'll gain 3 dB of output. To get twice as loud, you need to increase your output 6 dBs (or 4 times the original wattage). How many extra watts you'll need depends on what you start with. Since volume increases logarithmically, the bigger the amp you have now, the more of a difference in wattage you'll need. For example, let's say we have someone with a 100 watt amp. You double 100 (= 200, 3dB increase), then double that again (3 more dB) which is leaves you at 400 watts. That's what they would need to get twice as loud. Now take someone with a 400 watt amp. They will need 1600 watts to get a 6 dB increase in output. To get the same increase (6dB) in output the first person got with 300 watts, the second guy has to get 1200 more watts.
The other way to get twice as loud is by increasing the surface area of your speaker or woofers. Every time you double the surface area (double the amount of woofers) you get a 3dB difference in output, just like doubling your power. So, if you get 4 times as many woofers as you have now, you get twice as loud. Of course, how much space you have available will greatly affect how easily that can be done. Sometimes a little of both methods can be the answer - double your power and the amount of woofers you have. Once again, the bigger the setup you're starting, the harder it will be to squeeze out those extra dBs. That's why it eventually gets so difficult for the hardcore competition systems to get just a few more dB louder.
Bear in mind that these dB increases are theoretical. Your vehicle can prevent you from getting what physics says you should be getting on paper, especially extremely high output systems. Things like the car's acoustics, shape, speaker placement, how much sound is lost by radiating out of the vehicle and more can all come into play.

 

I found this under my dash. It says you made it. It's called a "Car-fi floating output adapter". What does it do? And why is it made of cardboard?

What it is: The object in question is used when hooking up an indash stereo to a amp.  It’s not a common application used these days. It was more often used in the “Old Days” when people were hooking up powered EQs (or as they called them back then – boosters) to indash units. These type of amps were generally hooked to the speaker output of the indash. The speaker inputs on these boosters usuallly were: left +, right + and a common ground (-) that both the left and right grounds from the indash connected to. Many of the car stereo back then were low powered and the amplifiers in them were a common ground design. This means that the left and right channels of the amp share a ground (L+, R+, -). If the indash stereo was high powered, it probably had floating ground outputs (L+, R+, L-, R-). This means that the left and right channels operate separately and the grounds should not be wired together. A Floating Adapter is a device that converts the floating ground of a indash to common ground so it can conect to a booster without damaging the amp in the indash stereo.
Cardboard?: The cardboard was probably just the outer jacket of the adapter, used to sheild the minor circuit that a floating adapter consists of.
Did We Make it?: Nope. It’s an outside possibilty we may have had some made for us for a brief period of time. Back then “Car-fi” was a term used to refer to car stereo in general, so our name may have been used in a generic application on somebody’s product.

 

What is HD Radio?

HD Radio technology allows broadcasters to transmit a high-quality digital signal. If you have a HD receiver, you'll be able to enjoy FM radio with near CD-quality sound and AM that sounds like regular FM. It also also additional information like artist name and song titles to be transmitted along with the music. Because HD Radio is a digital broadcast, the signal can be subdivided so the station can Multicast. Multicasting is the ability to broadcast two or more programs simultaneously. One station, multiple formats. And since these additional channels could only be picked up through a HD tuner, it opens the door for the potential of specialty stations.The coolest part about HD Radio is the fact that it is not a subscription service, like satellite radio is. As long long as you have a HD receiver, you can enjoy any available stations around you. To find out what's in your area, go to our HD Radio Stations page. To find out if your radio is upgradable, call us at the store at 417-882-5511.

HD Radio is Free, and it is Here! Are you ready for it?

HD Radio Difference

  • Crystal clear digital sound with HD Radio
  • Hear FM radio with near CD-quality sound
  • Higher quality sound with AM radio
  • More programming option from your station with multicasting
  • Realtime program information including song title and artists
  • Static free over the air digital reception
  • Best of all HD Radio is FREE and now available in most markets
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What are the main differences between the two satellite radio choices, Sirius and Xm Radio?

Both systems offer a good selection commercial free music (close to 70 channels) along with news, comedy, sports, weather and children's programming. XM Radio offers over 170 digital channels and SIRIUS offers over 120. XM Radio has some drama and book channels that SIRUS does not have. SIRIUS has the Howard Stern Show, the Martha Stewart channel and a Rolling Stones channel that XM Radio doesn't offer.
One of the more common determining factors for our customers seem to be the sports offerings. XM Radio has Major League Baseball and NASCAR (although NASCAR is moving to SIRIUS in January of 2007), NHL Hockey and a variety of colleges sports. SIRIUS has NFL Football , NBA Basketball, CFL Football, Arena Football, NHL Hockey, Soccer and a variety of colleges sports.
As far as costs, XM Radio service will cost a consumer a $14.99 (or $9.99 online) activation fee plus monthly service fee of $12.95. If you are a business, you must be set up as a commercial account. Commercial accounts are $27.95 with a one-time activation fee of $14.99. They have several yearly package available at discounted prices. One-Year for $142.95, Two-Year for $271.95, Three-Year for $359.64, Four-Year for 479.52 and a Five-Year for $599.40. Additional plans are available for $6.99 / month.
SIRIUS offers similar plan options. Their activation fee is $15 (or $10 online) for one-year or greater plans.They have two annual plans , a one-year plan (for $145.45) where you pay for 11 months (at $12.95 / month) and get one month free and a two-year subscription (for $271.95), where you pay for only 21 months (at $12.95 / month) and get three months free. You can also add up to three additional subscriptions for $6.99 / month. They even have a Lifetime subscription for $499.99. Back To Top

 

How do I activate my SIRIUS satellite radio?

Activating your SIRIUS radio is relatively simple. You can either activate it by phone (888-539-7474) or on the online activation page (you save an extra $5 if you activate online). First, make sure your radio is installed and ready to go with the antenna facing skyward. Consult your radio's owner manual on installation instructions (there will also be activation instructions there). Tune your SIRIUS tuner to channel 184. Locate the ID/ESN number on your SIRIUS radio (a barcode usually beginning with SID: ). You'll also need a major credit card to activate, have it ready. If you're activating by phone, they will step you through the rest of the process. If you are going to do it online, just start the activation process on the page linked above and follow the instructions. Next, enjoy your tunes! Back To Top

 

How do I activate my XM-Radio satellite tuner?

Activating your XM radio is easy to do. You can either activate it by phone (800-967-2346) or on the online activation page (you save an extra $5 if you activate online). First, make sure your XM equipment is working properly by tuning to the XM Preview channel (#1). If you can hear XM Preview , your equipment is ready. Consult your radio's owner manual on installation instructions (there will also be activation instructions there). Next, make sure you have a credit card and your XM Radio ID handy. (You can display your ID by tuning your XM Radio to channel 0, one down from XM Preview .) You can also double-check your ID code on the outside of your tuner box. If you're activating by phone, they will step you through the rest of the process. If you are going to do it online, just start the activation process on the page linked above and follow the instructions. Next, enjoy your tunes! Back To Top

 

Can I have an aftermarket radio installed and still maintain factory steering wheel control?

We carry several model that will allow you (with an additional adapter) to interface your factory steering wheel controls like volume up/down and some tuner controls. Just tell your Car-Fi product specialist you want that option when you're looking at a new indash and we'll point you to the proper units to consider.

 

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