When it comes to cars that offer a unique driving experience, few can match the pride of Stuttgart’s Porsche. As amazing as these cars are, specialist mobile enhancement retailers can help make them significantly better in terms of audio systems, safety solutions and electronic upgrade accessories. Let’s look at some of the most popular accessories available.

Porsche Audio System Upgrades

Whether your Porsche rolled off of the assembly line with a radio from Becker, a Bose audio system or one of the amazing Porsche Connect systems with a 12-inch glass touchscreen, you can make that audio system sound better. Automakers walk a balance between delivering features that consumers want and controlling the cost of the vehicle. Premium speakers and subwoofers, when powered by a quality amplifier, can transform a commute to work into a musical experience that rivals world-class recording studios and premium home audio systems.

Your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer can also upgrade the technology in your car. If your Porsche didn’t come with Bluetooth hands-free calling, a new radio can fix that in a flash. If you are a true road warrior and want to send and receive text messages or make phone calls using the Apple CarPlay or Android Auto voice recognition systems, a new multimedia receiver is a the way to go.

You Can Never be Too Safe

Depending on the vintage of your Porsche, it may not have come from the factory with a backup camera system. This simple and elegant technology is standard issue on most new vehicles because it not only helps to prevent accidents, it can save lives. Kids playing in the driveway behind a Macan or Cayenne may not be visible in the rearview mirror. A high-resolution camera mounted on the tailgate or rear bumper will automatically show an image of anything and everything behind the vehicle.

In many instances, the camera can be integrated into the factory color display in the dash. If your vehicle doesn’t have a color screen, a replacement rearview mirror with an integrated display is a great option.

A dashcam is another great option for adding safety to your vehicle. Whether you witness an accident or are involved in one, a dashcam automatically records everything that happens as soon as the vehicle starts. Premium solutions add rear-facing cameras and include cloud-based connectivity to let you access the camera remotely.

Radar Detector and Laser Defense Systems

With as much as 690 horsepower on tap and 0-60 times well into the two-second range, going too fast by accident is a genuine reality for Porsche owners. Even a base-model Macan will reach 60 mph in just over six seconds, and that’s no slouch. If you have a habit of letting your speed creep up, adding a radar detector and laser defense system is a worthwhile investment.

Radar detectors are tuned to monitor the area in front of and behind your vehicle for specific radio-frequency signals produced by police radar guns. Even at long distances, you’ll get a warning that radar is in use and have enough time to check your speed and proceed safely.

Police forces across the nation are switching to lidar systems because of their speed and accuracy. A police laser (lidar) gun can target a vehicle and take a speed reading in less than half a second. This impressive speed makes it impossible for you to react. A laser defense system transmits a scrambled signal back to the police laser gun and prevents it from taking a reading. Once you are certain you are driving at a safe speed, you can cancel the transmission and allow the officer to take another reading. Executed properly, you’ll be allowed to carry on with your drive.

Porsche Security Systems and Vehicle Tracking Solutions

Sadly, Porsches are highly sought-after by criminals. In some cities, a car can be stolen and in a container on its way overseas in less than an hour. Nobody wants to walk out their front door to find their pride and joy missing. A security system, especially one with a two-way remote control, will alert you when someone is tampering with your vehicle. Most security systems include shock sensors but you can upgrade with glass breakage sensors and tilt/motion sensors. A tilt sensor is a great way to prevent wheel theft.

If you fear that thieves will simply ignore the sound of an alarm siren and don’t care if you come out of the office or your home to stop them, then you may want to look into a vehicle tracking solution. A small module that combines GPS locating can show you the position of your vehicle to within a few yards, right on the screen of your smartphone. In a time where thieves carry all manner of deadly weapons, it might be safer to let them take your car, then call the police and let them retrieve the vehicle.

Window Tint and Paint Protection Film

Many mobile enhancement retailers offer window tint and paint protection film installation services. Having your windows tinted can dramatically improve the appearance of your Porsche while helping conceal items stored inside. Premium ceramic window films block up to 60% of the UV energy from the sun to help keep the interior of the vehicle cool.

If you take your Porsche to the track, protecting the front of the vehicle from stone chips and rubber debris can be a full-time job. Having paint protection film installed on the vehicle serves as a protective layer between these objects and the fragile paint on the vehicle.

Paint protection film is a thin but incredibly strong urethane that absorbs impacts and prevents scratches. In fact, some of these films have self-healing properties that can absorb small scuffs and scrapes to keep your Porsche looking like new.

Upgrade Your Porsche Today

Hundreds of options, from simple amp and speaker upgrades to elaborate audiophile-grade sound systems, are available to enhance your Porsche. WeatherTech Floor mats, radar detectors, power USB plugs and much more are available from your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer. Drop by today and find out what they can do to upgrade your Porsche.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

When it comes to recreating music in our cars, the weakest link in the chain will be the downfall of the entire system. Knowing this, if we start with the best recordings possible, the chances of our music sounding more realistic and lifelike increase astronomically. The equipment required to record, master and distribute high-resolution music helps to ensure that our mobile entertainment systems sound amazing.

What Is High-Resolution Music?

By definition, any music that is recorded with a bit rate (sampling rate) and bit depth (resolution) higher than that of a compact disc is considered high-resolution. This means 48 kHz and higher sampling rates and 24-bit resolution are required. Higher sampling rates capture some harmonic information, but transmitting and reproducing those sounds is extremely difficult.

Where Can I Get High-Resolution Audio Files?

Perhaps the best-known source for high-resolution music is hdtracks.com. This website rightly boasts that it has the widest collection of high-resolution music available. You have a choice of purchasing and downloading albums in AIFF, ALAC, FLAC and WAV formats at resolutions up to 192 kHz/24-bit as well as 2.8 MHz and 5.6 MHz DSD files. File formats vary by album.

Another popular source for buying high-resolution albums is Acoustic Sounds. Acoustic Sounds Super HiRez specializes in DSD format. The itrax.com website is another great source.

If you’re into streaming, you will definitely want to check out Tidal.com and Qobuz.com.

Why Should I Buy High-Resolution Music?

Some people will tell you that humans can’t hear audio above 20 kHz and that we don’t need more than 16 bits of resolution to accurately recreate a listening experience. Let’s say these statements are completely accurate. Why then would we want to buy high-resolution music? The answer is noise and accuracy.

The effort required to build a microphone that records to 40 or 50 kHz requires serious attention to detail. Capturing the upper end of the audible range is child’s play for products of this caliber.

The second benefit of high-resolution recording is a reduction in noise. This reduction comes from the fact that there’s an increased number of bits to work with (65,536 vs. 16,777,216) and the fact that the equipment used must be of a higher performance specification. Digital interfaces capable of working with high-resolution microphones from companies like RME, Presonus, Apogee and Focusrite deliver amazingly accurate digital conversions of the analog signal from the microphone. If you’re a numbers geek, as many of us are, here are some specs from the best studio-quality interfaces:

Frequency Response: 2 Hz to 92 kHz at -1 dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 113 dB unweighted
Total Harmonic Distortion: <0.00032%
Channel Separation: >110dB

How to Reproduce High-Resolution Audio in Your Car

Buying great music is one thing, reproducing it in a vehicle is another challenge. Companies like Audison, Sony, Brax, Zapco and Kenwood all make audio components that will output or process high-resolution audio file formats. Of course, to hear that level of detail, you’ll need amplifiers capable of playing to at least 40 kHz and speakers with similarly impressive specifications.

Finally, and most crucially, how these components are integrated into your vehicle is also very important. To make the best use of the high-frequency information audible from high-resolution recordings, your tweeters will need to be mounted on-axis with the listening position or bounced off the windshield from a dash-mount location. If not, the directivity characteristics that are inherent in every speaker will make those sounds inaudible.

A Great Source Helps Ensure a Great Performance

If you’re passionate about your mobile audio system, drop by your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer today and ask them about upgrading your car stereo to support high-resolution audio formats like FLAC, DSD, WAV, ALAC and AIFF. We know you’ll be blown away by the accuracy and detail.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

Many new cars and trucks come with a feature called stop-start technology. This system senses when the car is stopped at a red light or stop sign and shuts down the engine to save fuel. As soon as you release the brake pedal, the engine starts up again, and you’re on your way. The question for those of us who are interested in upgrading our vehicles is, does this technology work with our new electronics? Read on to find out if your new high-power amplifier, dash camera or radar detector will get upset when your car stops and starts.

How Does Stop-Start Technology Work?

Almost all new cars are controlled by computers. As such, the act of turning off your engine at a stop light is as simple as cutting spark to the ignition system and fuel injectors. To restart the car again, the vehicle initiates the start-up sequence as though you pressed the start button on the dash. The radio keeps playing, the climate control system keeps running and all the lights stay on while the engine is off. Other than an eerie silence and a split-second hesitation when it’s time to drive off, you don’t really notice anything.

In the background, the computer in your car is monitoring several systems to determine when it should stop the engine and when it needs to start it again. If it’s summer and you’re running the air conditioning, the computer will monitor the temperature in the vehicle. If it starts to warm up, it starts the engine so the compressor can run. If it’s winter and you have the heated seats and rear window defroster running, the system pays close attention to the current draw on the battery and its voltage. Brake pedal pressure, the position of the clutch (if you have one), engine coolant temperature, a buckled seat belt and many other conditions determine whether the engine will stop at a light and when it will restart.

What’s the Problem with Stop-Start Systems?

While saving fuel seems like a great idea, there is a drawback to this system in terms of aftermarket electronics in your car. When the engine starts, there is a large draw from the vehicle battery. In some cases, the battery voltage can drop well below 9 volts. For many years, electronic devices designed for use in cars had a low-voltage cutoff around 10.8 volts. In cases where the voltage drops into the 9V or less region, your amplifier, signal processors, source unit, dash camera or radar detector may shut down, then restart once the voltage increases. If the voltage drop is extreme, problems with the microcontrollers in your devices may occur.

Dealing with Stop-Start Vehicles

If you own a vehicle equipped with one of these fuel-saving technologies and are interested in adding aftermarket electronics, search for a specialist mobile enhancement retailer who is familiar with how they operate.

For low-power devices like signal processors, radar detectors, laser jammer and dashcams, voltage stabilization modules are available to help keep everything happy. Companies like ARC Audio design their new amplifiers and processors to handle these low-voltage conditions. Audison offers a product called the ES3 that will help maintain voltage to certain low-power devices. Work with your salesperson to choose products that list stop-start compatibility in their feature list.

You will also want to make sure that the battery or batteries in your vehicle are in good condition. Even after a few years of regular use or in even harsher conditions involving multiple short trips, batteries can build up a layer of sulfate on their lead plates that can dramatically reduce their current delivery efficiency. A high-quality battery charger with maintenance capabilities can be a great investment in maintaining the life of your batteries and, of course, will ensure that your vehicle is ready to go whenever you are. Some companies offer maintenance chargers specifically for start-stop batteries.

Choose Your Technology Upgrades Wisely

If you’re thinking about upgrading the technology in your new car or truck that has stop-start technology, visit your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer and ask them about the solutions they have available.

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.

With the rise in popularity of digital media files over the last decade, car audio enthusiasts find themselves being more likely to carry a USB memory stick than a stack of compact disks. When it comes to organizing all those MP3, WMA, AAC and FLAC files, most manufacturers suggest that you don’t put all the songs in one folder. Read on to find out why.

How Car Radios Understand USB File Structure

Unlike a computer, your car radio is very limited in its ability to interpret different USB drive formats and the subsequent file structure. Most systems require that the USB drive be formatted using the FAT or FAT32 file format. Some new multimedia receivers can understand NTFS and exFAT file formats, so larger storage devices can be used.

Next, you need to maintain a standard long file name format that allows for a total of 255 characters, including the file extension (.mp3, .wma or .flac). An important part of the standard is avoiding command characters such as /, \, *, :, ?, “, <, > and|. These characters may be misinterpreted by the system and result in a file being unreadable, or on extreme cases, cause the system to stop reading subsequent filenames.

Folder Structure and File Limits

In most cases, you are limited to no more than eight folder layers. So, beyond the root folder, you may have subfolders by genre of music, artist name and album name. This configuration is fine as the music is stored four layers deep. It is worth noting that extremely long folder names may, depending on the radio and its available memory, cause problems. We recommend keeping everything as short and efficient as possible.

Different source units have significantly different limits on the total number of tracks they can play and the number of files or subfolders they can interpret. Many radios have a limit of 255 or 999 files or folders per directory and can only detect up to 999 files. Some radios increase this to 5,000 or 9,999 tracks. A few units on the market can read an impressive 65,535 files per folder, and there are a couple with supposedly no limits at all.

Don’t Put All Your Files in One Folder

When you are planning on buying a new radio, it’s worth spending a few minutes to find out whether it will play your music as you have it organized on your USB stick. Some radios won’t randomize songs in different folders, and others are extremely finicky about the total number of files. If you need help choosing a receiver that will sound great and play your digital media collection, drop by your local specialist mobile enhancement retailer and give the radio you have in mind a try!

This article is written and produced by the team at www.BestCarAudio.com. Reproduction or use of any kind is prohibited without the express written permission of 1sixty8 media.