Car Radios
A History of Mobile Audio
Car radios, those ingenious pieces of mobile audio technology that are often installed in the dashboards of cars and trucks, were first produced in the 1930s. Brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin, who owned the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation, gave their first car radio the brand name "Motorola." FM was developed by Blaupunkt in 1952, and FM stereo became standard in 1961. Car radios would remain AM/FM stereo until the turn of the twenty-first century.
Once audio cassettes (and later compact discs) were added, the in-dash car stereo became more commonly known as a "head unit", a term that described the functions and controls available. Today, that receiver, much like a home receiver, is the "brains" of the car audio operation, allowing the user to control sound output and adjust it as he/she sees fit. Manufacturer-installed in-dash systems are a marvel of computerization and function and aftermarket car stereos provide superior options and more features than the factory-installed head units.
Aftermarket car stereos (Sony, Alpine, Pioneer, Kenwood, for example) feature enhanced graphics that include animated displays and customizable color schemes. The sound output of these units are generally louder and cleaner than factory-installed car head units, and most have enhanced security features to prevent the head unit from being stolen. For the ultimate security features, these head units offer detachable face plates and stealth modes. When professionally installed, it is difficult to tell that a third-party car stereo wasn't original equipment for the car.
Aftermarket car stereos come standard with controls for AM/FM tuning. They may also have CD, MP3, WMA, and AAC playback capability. Standard controls are for volume, left-to-right balance, fader (front-to-back balance), tone, and source selection.
These head units add special skip protection, built-in crossovers and equalizers, and even Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound decoding. At the top of the line, head units boast features such as DVD playback, satellite radio controls, digital HD Radio, internal hard drives, Bluetooth capability, GPS navigation, and inputs for iPod and USB use.
Many car stereos offer connectivity to iPods, USB devices, and SD cards for MP3 playback. With these car radios, you can play music on your portable media player through the head unit, controlling it all through your in-dash controls. Another alternative is an FM modulator, so you can listen to your portable media players by tuning to a radio station frequency!
Bluetooth-enabled car stereos give you the capability to play music wirelessly from your laptop, cell phone or other digital media players. Certain car stereos even offer a built-in hard drive for storing your entire music library. Satellite and HD radio now deliver radio stations in 1005 digital format.
5.1 and even 7.1 Dolby digital and THX II Certified channel surround sound systems are now being integrated into some cars now. These systems include the full complement of front left and right speakers, center speakers, plus rear right and left surround speakers.
Since the first Motorola was installed in the 1930s, "car radio" has come a very long way.
