Well, there are probably only two instances where a need for a discount car stereo will come in. These two instances always entail lack of a financial comfort zone (that’s why we call them discount car stereos).

First instance, you don’t have an audio system in your car, and you would like to install one. Following the premise we have above, you’re most probably a car owner who doesn’t have enough cash to spend on a new, top of the line system.

What to do: How do you get a discount car stereo? One way is to go to a car stereo sale. Still, you have to deal with store prices, they’re cheap, but not that cheap. Another is to scour the classifieds and buy and sell for second-hand items. These are real discount car stereos, but you have to have a sharp eye to recognize which is a good deal and which is a swindle. Ask the seller how many years he had it, in what car. Inspect the car where it is installed. If it’s still installed on the car, give it a go. If it’s just a head unit, or a speaker that isn’t installed, just be careful. Research the model of the discount car stereo you’re planning to buy, also find reviews.

Second instance: You already have a car stereo system installed, but you would like to upgrade it. Again, most probably you’re just searching for a discount car stereo/discount car stereo system not far from what you have. Maybe something with higher wattage, or a head unit which can play mp3s? And again, try searching at sales. Take advantage of classifieds, buy and sells, second hands, and also swaps. Chances are, if you’re a car audio enthusiast, someone in your circle currently has a better system than yours and maybe willing to sell it to you. No need for standard pricing here. Or if others have equivalent items which they might be willing to swap, like a head unit for an amplifier, or a nice set of tweeters for a cd changer (i highly doubt it) or your pedigreed pitbull for the whole shebang! You’ll get more discount car stereos if you have a circle of friends/people who share the same interest.

Other tips which might help: Another way to get a discount car stereo is to SUBSTITUTE. Like cars, Japanese made units are often cheaper than German/European/American made units. Also, look at the basics. What is it that you need, as in the most BASIC FEATURES? Do you really need that mesmerizing LED display, or can you do without it? Goes for speakers too. If you’re not going to enter a car audio competition and you just want to hear good treble and bass levels without making your speakers croak, maybe you can do away with a couple of 3way/4 way speakers. A big subwoofer will definitely need an amplifier, and those are already 2 things to buy.

Discount car stereos are always a good deal, you just have to know where to get one.

According to studies singing while driving actually can improve driver alertness and decrease chances for falling asleep behind the wheel. The same studies show that music that’s too pumped up, though, can actually create an undesired effect and promote distractions and accidents. Any driver that’s felt their foot hit the pedal a wee bit too hard after landing on their favorite song knows this is more than gravity at work!

So, before you head out for a road trip with your brand new stereo, make good music selections for the road. Whether it’s rock, country, pop, hip hop or another form of music, pick tunes you love to sing along with but not those that are so easy to tap your foot along to you can’t resist doing just that!

If you have an MP3 capable CD player included in your car stereo set up, the choices for drive music will be incredible. With a download connection and a little time, you can create your own mix of music just right for the road. With an ability to play about 10 hours straight of the driver’s favorite tunes, there’s no reason to keep changing out CDs when there’s an MP3 player onboard.

Remember when you get your music all picked out to be certain to store it in an easy location for changing when it’s time. Drivers should not take their eyes off the road for anything, so changing channels and CDs should be done by rote or even better at rest stops. If that’s not possible, make sure your presets are locked and loaded with favorite stations so there’s no need to take your eyes off the road to change the channel.

A new stereo system can be an exciting upgrade for a car. Maybe not as important as the engine, the stereo is actually a pretty valuable tool for keeping drivers alert and letting them know about important news as they travel from point A to point B.

The drive doesn’t have to be boring, however. A good selection of drive music, tailored to meet the driver’s tastes, can really spice up a ride and help keep everyone awake and ready to go!

In a lot of cases, the answer to this question is simply personal choice. For the music lover with a keen ear, only the best equipment at the highest prices will do. For someone who enjoys tunes, but doesn’t need concert quality in their car, a more basic set up will more than suffice. Others still make choices that fall somewhere in the middle.

One of the biggest choices a buyer will have to make beyond the quality of the radio receiver is what, if any, auxiliary items should go along with the system. A big question for many is whether to buy cassette or CD equipment and some simply end up choosing both. There are even some models that combine it all together along with the receiver.

If the systems you’re looking at offer an either or choice, consider what you like listening to. Do you have a cassette collection that’s 100 deep and only three CDs? If so, the answer is pretty clear. But if you’re somewhere in the middle of the road, consider the fact that cassettes are nearly impossible to come by nowadays and the choice becomes obvious.

There are some advantages to a CD system over a cassette system for a driver, too. The ease of using CDs makes this choice actually a little safer for drivers. There’s no need to keep a finger on a button with a CD to change songs or get to specific parts of a song. The less time you spend fiddling with the musical options and the more time your eyes are on the road the better.

Other benefits of the CD over tapes include the obvious – sound, storage, multi-disk changing capabilities of some systems and so on.

Deciding to buy a stereo system that includes a CD or a cassette player is a personal choice. If the decision can’t be made, consider adding both. But when it comes to sound quality, ease of use and options for new additions to the musical collection, CDs are often the better choice or even more modernized CD/MP3 players.

The sound quality of an MP3 is considered higher than old fashion cassettes by a long shot and even better than CD. What’s more, MP3s are quite a bit more versatile than CDs. They can travel from portable players to computers and cars.

But what is an MP3? An MP3 is basically a compressed digital audio file that enables the storage of a large amount music on a single CD. In fact, the MP3 format generally allows the storage of about 10 hours of music on a single CD-R or CD-RW disc.

The MP3 format is taking the musical world by storm and enabling music lovers a greater amount of choice in creating their own CDs than they’d ever had before. Download sites are available to allow MP3 lovers to create their own musical line-ups. The sites allow users to download MP3 files of their favorite songs onto their computers or portable player machines. These files can then be burned onto a CD for use in a car and so on.

The cost for creating a musical library of favorite songs is cheaper than buying a whole album for a single loved song, too. Sites that legally sell MP3 downloads charge typically under a dollar for a single song.

The advantage here is the fact that MP3 lovers can create their own “albums,” so to say. They don’t have to endure songs they don’t like to get to the ones they do. Also, by providing up to 10 hours of continuous play, the driver of a car doesn’t have to constantly change out CDs or fiddle with buttons to get to the one or two songs on an album that really appeal.

Be careful though if buying an MP3 player for a car. There are lots of sites out there that offer “free” downloads of music. Some of these offers are technically illegal since the record labels, writers, producers and most importantly the artists that make the music don’t get a cut of the proceeds. Steer clear.

MP3 players are fast becoming one of the most sought after choices for musical storage. By giving drivers the freedom to create their own, high-quality mix, the freedom they offer simply can’t be beat.

We all know their slogan and yes, they need not say anymore. Sony is a dominating and well respected name in world consumer electronics. From the Aibo to the PlayStation to the Vaio, Sony has created, innovated and excelled in the production of almost anything electronic under the sun.

The Sony Corporation, based in Tokyo is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Their music, motion picture, television, computer entertainment, and online businesses also make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world.

So it is not surprising to learn that Sony car stereos are also well renowned in the automotive audio market. In 2005, Sony car stereos launched their latest carrier car audio product, the Sony car stereo Xplod series which has an amazing lineup of head units, speakers, amplifiers, subwoofers, changers and accessories. It is impressive both in performance and aesthetic value.

A good head unit from the Sony car stereo Xplod Series is the CDX – M9900 CD Receiver/Changer Controller/MP3 Player which boasts these features:

- 32,000-color TFT display
- Video Input for External Source Playback
- CD/CD-R/CD-RW/MP3 playback
- 4-Volt F/R/Sub Preouts w/HPF & LPF
- 52W x 4 High Power
- CEA-2006 Power Compliant
- CD/MD Control, CD Text
- XM Ready
- BBE MP, DSO, EQ7
- Auxiliary Input
- 1-bit D/A Converter
- Drive-S with 120dB S/N Ratio
- SSIR-EXA tuner, 18FM & 12AM presets
- Red key illumination
- Supplied wireless card remote (RM-X145A)
- Optional wireless rotary remote (RM-X6S)
- Optional wired rotary remote (RM-X4S)

This Sony car stereo goes best installed with matching items from the Xplod series such as:

Sony car stereo XS – V6941H 6 x 9″ 4 – Way Speakers:

- 6 x 9″ HOP Woofer Cone
- Stroke Stabilizer Surround
- 2-5/8″ Cone Mid
- 1″ Balanced Dome PEI Tweeter, Super Tweeter
- 400W Peak Power (100W RMS)
- Flexible Mounting Options

Sony car stereo XM-2100GTX 2/1 Channel Amplifier:

- 600W Max Power
- 100W x 2 RMS into 4 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz @ 0.04% THD
- 250W x 1 RMS into 4 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz @ 0.1% THD
- CEA-2006 Power Compliant
- Variable 50 – 300 Hz low pass filter
- 40 Hz EQ boost
- MOSFET power supply
- RCA & speaker level inputs

Sony car stereo XS-L102P5 10″ Subwoofer:

- 10″ Polypropylene Cone
- 1200W Peak Power (330W RMS)
- Unique cone design offers superior rigidity
- Gold-plated Binding Posts
- Small sealed/bandpass enclosure optimized
- 4-Ohm Voice Coil
- 2005 Subwoofer Parameters

Like other modern car audio manufacturers, the Sony car stereo also offers video capable units for playing VCDs, DVDs. A good item from the Sony car stereo Dream System Series is the MV – 900SDS Mobile DVD Dream System.

- 9″ wide screen TFT display with swivel function
- DVD/CD-R/RW/VCD/MP3 Playback
- Built-in wired FM modulator
- Reversible display image
- Slot-load DVD Mechanism
- Memory Stick® media for playback of JPEG, MPEG, MP3
- Built-in Stereo Speakers
- A/V Input
- A/V Output
- Optical Digital Output (Dolby Digital®, dts®)
- IR transmitter for wireless headphones
- 2 sets of wireless headphones included
- Wireless card remote included

This unit is encased in a grey metallic finish and is ideally attached on the ceiling of the vehicle.

It is also an amazing fact that a lot of enthusiasts also incorporate the PlayStation into their Sony car stereos, which is probably one of the reasons why the Sony car stereo system has earned quite a following.

Since there are almost as many car stereo makers and options available as there are car makes and models, finding the pick of the litter can be a little more than troublesome. The best places to start are with the gift recipient and his or her car.

Ask yourself these questions:

* Will the recipient use a high-end stereo with all the latest bells and whistles? Or, would a more simplistic system with just a receiver and speakers be suitable?

* Is there a particular type of music the person likes to listen to? Does it sound better on one stereo over another? Do the stereos you’re considering have level settings that adjust to make, jazz for example, pop from the speakers crisp and clean?

* What kind of system is in the vehicle already? Should it just be enhanced with the purchase?

* How about options? Would the person benefit from a full system with a CD player, receiver, equalizer and even MP3 player?

Stereos whether high end or reasonable in price make great gifts for a number of reasons. From traffic reports to soothing drive-time music, most motorists like a little sound to drown out the road noises as they go along. A good system can really enhance drive time and many motorists say the music actually helps them focus better on the road.

Once the type of stereo is chosen, it’s a good idea to consider the vehicle, too. Will the person need an in-dash mounted system or one that mounts under it? Are speaker upgrades needed?

After these things are considered, it’s time to start shopping around. Keep your needs and wants for the gift in focus and set a smart budget to match. Look at the options available in the price range set and compare makes and models to come out with the best. It’s always a good idea to read some reviews from past buyers, as well. If this is possible, you’ll find out all kinds of valuable information that may really help guide the purchase.

The gift of music is one almost every person enjoys. A car stereo is a great way to go for a gift for someone who appreciates music and doubly appreciates it on the road.

But be very careful, you really won’t want to damage your expensive hardware. Well, most car audio hardware are no-brainers to install, you’d find that most of the time the parts have specially shaped sockets and slots etc. and would only fit where it’s supposed to be installed. Still, it’s best to proceed methodically.

In a car stereo installation, you have to determine what kind of rig you’re going to put into your vehicle. If you’re a beginner, it’s best you do a car stereo installation if it’s just a simple system. You may want to leave the complicated stuff to the professionals, like installing delicate equipment like LCD panels, motorized parts etc. especially if it requires the creation of custom panels and such.

Head units are one of the easiest to do in a car stereo installation. Fortunately, most units follow the same size standards (DIN). In many cars, once the factory radio is removed the aftermarket radio will fit in the hole. In many other cars, a kit is needed if the factory hole is too big, or not deep enough. In some cases the dash has to be cut. Any car stereo store should have kits required for installation.

There are two types of mounting in a car stereo installation. ISO mounting is when the radio can be screwed to existing factory radio brackets, such as in most Japanese cars. Ring mounting is when an aftermarket radio comes with a metal ring that gets mounted to the factory radio hole or aftermarket kit via bendable tabs. In many cars, dash and trim rings have to be filed to enlarge the radio hole. Once the ring is installed, the radio slides in and is held by snaps. In most cases, special tools are required to remove the radio.

Speakers are very critical in a car stereo installation. No matter how expensive your speakers are, if they are not properly installed, the sound will not be up to par.

In a simple car stereo installation, you’ll probably be using speakers that fit into a factory location. Just make sure there are no gaps or holes. Sometimes building a wood or fiberglass baffle helps reduce holes and gives you much better sound. But always be careful when using power tools around speakers. Car stereo installation warranties usually don’t cover holes in speakers.

For unconventional speaker locations, sometimes metal has to be cut. You might want to leave this to the professionals, tools like plasma cutters and pneumatics drills are required. But if you’re going to insist, a pair of metal snips (left and right cut) will do.

A car stereo installation has to put up with vibrations and other noise sources in its environment. Even though it is impossible to eliminate these completely, there are products that will greatly decrease the noise and rattling, particularly on non-luxury cars. Liners, sprays and adhesive strips and even carpeting applied onto the panels can make a world of difference.

A good car stereo system is a marvel to experience, just like a poorly constructed car stereo system is such a pity to look at. The price is a big factor, but not all expensive hardware perform well if installed haphazardly, or if hooked up with incompatible hardware. It is also subjective, just as some of us find black cars more appealing than other color cars. If you like your car stereo system more than any other in the same vehicle, then you have the best.

If you like some other car stereo system more than yours in the same vehicle, then that one is better. Only you can decide which is best for you. For a car stereo system to be a good or great, it must first meet or exceed the user’s expectations.

The type of vehicle also plays a major part in what kind car stereo system you should build. For some people, after only being in a few vehicles their ears recognize the inherent characteristics of this unique environment. Most of what we hear in a vehicle is a recording of the original artist in a given environment, usually in two channel stereo which can be playing in a totally different environment with the listeners placed in awkward listening positions relative to the placement of speakers. A great car stereo system is created with the understanding of acoustics, basic electronics, and the different products that are to be used.

A good idea is to gain references to compare to your auto audio system or any other and experience it live in as many different environments as possible. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to go to expos’ and conventions. As you hop from exhibit to exhibit you’ll immediately notice the difference in sound characteristics of each setup. You will find some car stereo systems that you prefer over others, if not a favorite and that is the way to choose a cheap car stereo system that you like. Also ask for specs, they’ll gladly give it to you.

The benefits of aftermarket speakers are: they have a larger frequency response (more music coming through the car stereo speakers), more power handling capabilities, they will brighten your highs and increase your auto audio system bass. There are two types of CAR speakers available: the dual cone and the two way. A dual cone has a small paper cone built into a larger paper cone.

Amplifiers are the backbone of your car stereo system. Weak amplifiers damage good car stereo speakers, not the other way around. Amplifiers provides musical power and contributes greatly to the elimination of distortion and the upgrade of sound clarity. The size of the amplifiers will be proportionate to the level of power you want. You can tell a good power amp by turning the auto stereo system above half volume and still hearing clear amplification. Bear in mind that the more power you have the better control you have over your system.

A good car stereo system is something to show for. It can bring satisfaction to you, the owner, and to those who will witness it. It will also raise the quality and value of your car in case you wish to resell it.

Buying a new stereo for a car can be a big investment, however. The process to choose a good make and model can be a little daunting. Finding just the right “sound” to fit the budget takes a little time and research.

But once that’s done and the purchase has been made, the stereo will still need to be installed. Making the choice to install it yourself or to hire a pro to do the work is a big one. Installation jobs can be quite easy, depending on the car and stereo model, or very complicated. A lot will depend on the system purchased.

Here are some things to consider before making a final decision to buy or not:

* Based on manufacturer instructions, how complicated is the installation process? Are the directions so complex they appear to be written in Latin? If so, hiring a pro might be the way to go.

* Are you adept with tools and electronics? If you are, there’s likely no reason why you can’t save a few dollars and do it yourself. Instructions for stereo installation can be a little tricky, but if the process is understood, it’s far from rocket science.

* Is your car’s electronics system wired in with other accessories that might need to be coordinated with the stereo system. If so and if you’re not sure how to work around the issue, hire a pro.

* Do you have the necessary tools? If you don’t, an installation job generally doesn’t cost much and will save the tool costs on top of the system itself.

Since most modern cars are highly wired, the task of installing a stereo system is a little more complex than it was in years past. If the process is familiar and the car’s wiring system understood (at least in the accessory department), installing a stereo can be a fun afternoon project. Otherwise, do take advantage of a professional installation job. These generally won’t break the bank and you’ll thank yourself later as you’re enjoying the new sounds in your car.

So how can a person tired from a long day’s work or fatigued from a particularly long drive, sharpen their senses behind the wheel. A British study shows that drivers who prefer to sing-along to their favorite songs while driving are generally more able to concentrate on the road and less likely to doze off.

How’s that for flying in the face of conventional wisdom!

According to Dr. Nicola Dibben of the University of Sheffield, singing while driving can stimulate the mind and body which staves off fatigue and has a big impact on increasing alertness.

The study showed that singing was a more effective means for increasing alertness then conversation, talk radio and especially silence.

The study, of course, simply proves what many drivers already know. The background noise of the radio and singing along to it helps drivers relax their minds and pay better attention to the task at hand. Singing becomes almost an automatic function that requires little thought while keeping the brain and body awake.

While many believe that any distraction from the road is dangerous, singing it turns out isn’t really a distraction. Granted, turning on the radio and fumbling through channels or flipping through CDs is a distraction. But, there are ways drivers can take advantage of the benefits of music without running the risks fumbling creates.

Before heading out on a road trip, consider using the presets on your stereo to tune in your favorite channels. Better yet, get a CD/MP3 player and create your own driving disc. That way you won’t have to change out CDs every so often. With up to 10 hours of driving music, an MP3 disc is perfect for keeping a driver awake for the long haul.

Regardless of the means, remember the radio isn’t the danger in the car, it’s how the driver uses it. Singing is great. Fumbling with buttons is not!

With a little planning and some good tunes, there are ways to increase alertness and stave off the boredom of a long trip. Let’s face it, even a short trip that involves a traffic jam can make even the most awake driver bored and sleepy!

So, the next time you’re feeling a little drowsy behind the wheel, turn on that stereo, find a favorite tune and enjoy a good sing along.