How to Upgrade Your Car Stereo to Support iPod, GPS and More Without Replacing Existing Head Unit

How to Upgrade Your Car Stereo to Support iPod, GPS and More Without Replacing Existing Head Unit

With so many options for devices that can be added to a car audio system emerging out there, it is almost impossible to keep up without having to upgrade your system every year, and even then there is always one more device out competing for your attention.

Kenwood seems to understand the quagmire and has come out with a controller that offers help in solving the issue with the Kenwood KOSV500. The KOSV500 is a multifunction device that offers support for the IPOD, Satellite radio, bluetooth, GPS navigation systems, TV tuner, backup camera and more.

Stereo Car Audio

What makes this system unique and appealing is that you don't have to replace the head unit to be able to support all these add-ons. The controller is installed as a separate device into your existing system and it provides all the inputs for the desired add-ons. The major advantage here is that you are able to accommodate more devices in one shot than any head unit out there could accommodate by itself.

Imagine not just being able to play your IPOD on your stereo, but also having the ability to play video from the IPOD as well, if you already have a video screen in your vehicle. That's right the KOSV500 allows you to play video from an external device. It also comes with a Bluetooth input,which allows you to plug and operate your cell phone from your car stereo. This is a great plus given that fact that several states now have no-cell-phone-use while driving laws.

If you have a satellite radio receiver, you are in luck, it has an input for it; want to add a back up camera, no problem, it comes with an input for a backup camera as well.

The KOSV500 system will even enhance the sound of your existing speakers with a built-in amp and equalizer. It is quite possible that if you are a car audio enthusiast, you already have a great sounding system, but it's nice to know that you have the added power at your disposal for whenever the need arises.

As you can tell Kenwood took the dilemma that we all face with keeping up with the array of latest car audio and video devices out there to heart when designing the KOSV500 and made it all possible.

I am certain that one day soon most Car Audio and Video systems will come with all these capabilities built-in, but for now the KOSV500 offers a great alternative to being able to accommodate all these add-ons.

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Upgrade Car Audio Speakers First

Upgrade Car Audio Speakers First

There's nothing quite like the sweet sound of your favorite music coming clearly through your car's audio system. Unfortunately, the stock speakers in most older or inexpensive cars really are nothing quite like that. Unless you happen to get a new car with expensive factory audio upgrade, you're forced to listen to tinny, crackling distortions that drive any music lover nuts.

To get a complete stereo system upgrade worth paying for, you normally need to spend a few thousand dollars to replace everything from the head unit, the power wiring, speaker wires and speakers. And of course you would be adding aftermarket amplifiers, speaker enclosures and other accessories. That's a big project and a large bill to pay all at once.

Stereo Car Audio

There is some good news though. You can get a huge improvement in sound just by replacing the factory speakers that came with your car. The cheap speakers that come with most cars are made with the lowest quality material and construction methods to keep the costs down. You will typically find weak paper cones, poor wiring, and brittle glue holding it all together. These materials degrade quickly after much use since an audio speaker is really a moving part in your car, but the cheap ones are not very mechanically sound.

Even inexpensive aftermarket speakers will sound better than these. At the lowest end, an aftermarket speaker will have better quality cones, domes, and wiring. Paper may still be used in the cones and domes, but it will be treated and stiffened to provide better sound quality and more durability.

If you can spend a little more money, you can get into some more exotic materials such as carbon fiber or specially designed plastics. This type of speaker will give you even more range, durability, and have a higher threshold for power if you choose to add amplifiers to your system down the road.

Going up one more step, you can get speakers designed for stock speaker replacement that will have a special configuration that puts two speakers, typically a mid-range and tweeter, into the same space as a single speaker. And if you have a compatible vehicle, you can even get tweeter and mid-range speaker kits that have the tweeter in a separate enclosure for you place in an appropriate spot in your car.

It may seem like overkill to spend much money putting good speakers into your car without replacing the tuner or adding amps, but you will notice a big improvement with just this one change, and it paves the way to upgrading your system incrementally. By replacing the speakers first, you're able to enjoy better sound immediately while you take the time upgrade the rest of your system.

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