Upgrade Your Sound Without Replacing Your Factory Radio
Maybe you love your factory radio, it’s got everything you could want, you know how to use it, and you just don’t want to give it up. Or maybe your vehicle’s dash design makes it impossible or hard to fit an aftermarket radio. That’s ok sometimes, you don’t always have to replace your factory radio to get improved sound.
Let us help you get better sound quality out of your OEM system, without replacing your factory radio with some of the options below.
Replace Your Speakers
One of the first things you can do is replace the factory speakers in your vehicle with aftermarket ones. Factory speakers are mediocre at best and is typically where a factory system suffers most. Upgraded speakers provide better sound quality, smoother frequency response, extended bandwidth, and increased power handling and volume. Plus, they’re built with higher quality materials which means they’ll last longer, giving you a better product for your money.
Add An Amplifier
Another step you can take is adding an amplifier to your factory system. If your factory system came with an amp, it was meant to power your factory speakers, not the new aftermarket ones you just added. You typically won’t want to add an aftermarket amp to factory speakers though, since factory speakers generally can’t handle the higher wattage they’d get from an aftermarket amp.
Adding an aftermarket amp can provide better sound quality and increased volume with higher wattage ratings to properly power your speakers and provides a cleaner output signal to your new speakers.
Add A Subwoofer
An aftermarket subwoofer produces much lower frequencies than any speaker in your vehicle can reproduce. The addition of these lower frequencies can really round out the sound you’re getting from your ride. A quality subwoofer will also add depth and realism to your music that your factory system was just missing.
CarPlay Interfaces
Factory radio didn’t come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and you can’t replace the radio? Your best option might be adding an interface that integrates the latest technology to your factory system. This allows you to use select smartphone features directly from your vehicle’s controls.
Sound Processor & Tuning
In our opinion, this is the most essential addition in upgrading your factory sound. Digital signal processors (DSP) allow us to get you the best sound that your vehicle can produce. With a DSP we’re able to manipulate the signal, adjust equalization, assign certain frequencies to certain speakers through crossovers, adjust time alignment or delay – so that your music sounds centered even when you’re not sitting centered. With a DSP we’ll be able to overcome various factory acoustic flaws and tailor the sound to your liking. Adding a DSP is basically the equivalent of changing your radio without actually changing your radio and gives you way more control over the sound than before.
Next Steps
Don’t know where to start? We can help! Stop by one of our stores with your vehicle, we’ll take a listen to your current set up and discuss options on improving your sound while maintaining your factory radio. We can walk you through the options that will meet your needs and your budget so you can feel confident you’re getting the best solution for you. Life with a factory radio doesn’t have to sound bad, we can help you find options to add performance and functionality to your system. So, if you’re forced to keep your factory radio or simply don’t want to get rid of it, there are options out there for you!
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