Make driving fun with an audio system

May 17, 2007

MANY car owners would not mind spending extra cash on plush accessories to make their cars look good.

By Vision Reporter

MANY car owners would not mind spending extra cash on plush accessories to make their cars look good.

Audio systems are ideal for making cars comfy. Music takes away stress for most people. It is also a nice distraction for anyone who is stuck in a traffic jam. Besides, car audio systems have become just another part of car owners’ egos.

Many cars come out of the factory with inbuilt audio systems, but reconditioned ones do not have them. Even audio systems in a brand new Nissan, Chevrolet and Mazda may require upgrading to suit the driver’s taste.

The speakers are often weak and some models come without an amplifier. Little wonder that many car-buyers end up shopping for new audio systems.

Audio systems are available at Game Stores at Lugogo, the Panasonic outlet on Jinja Road and in Kisekka Market. They cost between sh350,000 and sh4m (the price is high for multiple CD changers and those with video).

Below are tips on how to get value for your money when buying an audio system.

The head unit is the engine of the whole audio system. It consists of the radio receiver, the CD-player and also the LED display, which shows the station, time and the progress of the CD.

The head unit has ports where cables are attached to join it to the speakers, amplifier and subwoofer, which are connected to different points in the car
“Make sure that the receiver begins at FM88.

Most car radio receivers begin at FM 90 so they cannot get CBS or Sanyu FMs,” says Phillip Sempijja, an installations assistant at the car-audio stall near Star Car Wash on Buganda Road.

He adds that the best head units are those that come with large buttons. They display the station frequency and time simultaneously.

These, take less time to adjust and thus do not distract the driver from the road for long. Such head units cost between sh350,000 and sh4,000,000.

The speakers give the vibe of your audio system and without them, the head unit is useless. Buy a speaker or two and place them in different points of your car. At Kisekka Market, speakers go for as low as sh5,000.

However, Game Stores and Sony World have well- coordinated speaker sets. These come in pairs and work together to give a powerful sound. These cost sh50,000 per pair.

The audio system can also have a subwoofer. This is the thump and the bass of the whole system. Subwoofers are available at Damanico on Kampala Road for sh200,000.

Many people think buying an amplifier for car is a luxury. This is wrong. An amplifier is the muscle behind a good system and it makes the sound more powerful.

Good amplifiers cost about sh150,000 at electronics shops in town. Avoid second-hand ones because they can easily blow out the speakers.

While buying all these components, it pays to be accompanied by a technician who can advise you on the best items to pick.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});