Speed of Sound Technologies

Mobile Enhancement Experts in Milford CT

55 Woodmont Rd., Milford, CT 203-954-0066
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What To Look For When Buying Marine Audio Products

Marine AudioIf you own a boat, you know how great it is to hang out on it with your friends in the evenings and on weekends. Enjoying great conversation, good food and awesome music is the perfect recipe for fun and relaxation. When it comes to designing and installing a marine audio system on a boat, there are some specific product requirements that will help ensure it lasts for years and always sounds great. Let’s take a look at a few.

Water Damage

Marine AudioImagine the cockpit of a bow-rider or wakeboard boat. If you were to install a conventional car audio CD player in the dash and get it wet, it would stop working. Maybe not right away, but all the exposed internal components that are not protected against corrosion will fail eventually. The same goes for speakers. Car audio speakers can handle a few drops of water now and then, but being rained on or splashed a lot will do them in.

Water-resistant source units are built with control panels that seal themselves when closed. They include rubber gaskets to ensure water won’t get into the back of the radio, and the buttons and controls can withstand whatever Mother Nature throws their way. Look for an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IP66 or higher. The first number in the rating describes the dust protection capabilities, and the second describes moisture protection. An IP rating of 66 means it is fully protected against dust and against water being sprayed by high-power jets. Specifically, level 6 jets spray 100 liters (26.4 gallons) of water per minute at a pressure of 100 kPA (14.5 psi), at a distance of 3 meters (9.85 feet) for a total of 3 minutes. No water can get into the device during the test.

While direct exposure to water is a problem, so is exposure to dampness and humidity. Thankfully, companies that design source units designed for a marine application coat their circuit boards with a non-conductive water resistant coating. This is referred to as conformal coating. It prevents moisture from corroding component connections inside the radio.

Marine Audio
Thanks to Prestige Car Audio And Marine for sharing this picture with us.

A genuine marine speaker is designed in the same way. These speakers include a rubber gasket on the mounting surface to seal them to the boat. For a coaxial speaker, there must be a secondary gasket at the base of the woofer cone to prevent water from getting into the speaker’s motor assembly. Without this seal, the top plate and T-yoke of the speaker will corrode. Good-quality marine speakers often include drainage channels to let water out from the behind the grille and include provisions for allowing wiring to be secured to the speaker. This prevents speaker wires from being pulled off when objects like life jackets or fishing rods are being pulled out of storage lockers.

UV Exposure

The second challenge is the sun. Almost every boat sits outside in the hot sun all summer. The sun will dry out plastics and fiberglass resins that are not designed specifically to handle harsh UV rays. The materials can fade, turn yellow, crack, turn chalky or simply dissolve. The UV rays cause the microscopic carbon bonds within the plastics to fail at an atomic level, causing free radicals. Once these free radicals (which are highly reactive molecules) are exposed to oxygen in the air, the material starts to fail. Quality marine audio products are made from plastics like Centrex 814 and similar materials that are designed to withstand UV exposure.

Marine manufacturers often specific industry-standard testing procedures such as ASTM D4329. This test puts products in intense UV exposure situations to verify material stability.

Ignition Protection

Marine AudioThe American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) has a set of guidelines for the installation of electrical and electronic equipment on boats. While the ABYC guidelines are written for boat manufacturers, they are good practice for anyone who works on boats. Of interest to the installation of marine audio products is the requirement to use of ignition-protected equipment.

Ignition protection-rated devices were designed for use in environments where there are fuel vapors, such as the engine compartment of your boat. In these applications, the devices cannot produce any spark or another form of ignition of flammable substances during normal operation. Manufacturers of compliant products have their products tested in a chamber filled with a flammable air/fuel mixture. The device is operated and cycled through its functions repeatedly to ensure that it is safe. The best part of the test is the conclusion: To confirm the validity of the test, a spark is created inside the test chamber to ignite the fuel. Yes, they blow up the product under test. I know – cool, eh? Devices such as remote controls and circuit overload protection devices (fuses, circuit breakers, etc.) should be ignition protected. Why risk the alternative?

Connectivity

Marine source unit manufacturers put a great deal of effort into their source unit accessories, from simple wired remote controls to units with color LCD displays and wireless units. There are hand-held Infrared and Radio Frequency Remotes, remotes with extra features and outputs to control other functions on your boat (hatch covers, lights, etc.), and even remotes that will let you use your iPod or iPhone to control your radio and see what is playing. These features are not typically found on common “car audio” units.

Salt Exposure

Marine AudioIf your boat is going to be operated near saltwater, fear not. Marine entertainment product manufacturers test for reliability under extremely salty conditions as well. In fact, most manufacturers of marine audio products do extensive salt spray and thermal testing, along with the UV and water ingress tests. Look for ASTM B117 Salt Fog Exposure testing on the products you are interested in using.

It’s no secret that marine audio products cost a little more than similar car audio products. You are making an investment in their reliability. The last thing you want is to sail out on the first day of a long weekend and have your system not work. With quality marine audio products on board and a professional installation, you will always be entertained.

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.

Filed Under: ARTICLES, Marine Audio, RESOURCE LIBRARY

Product Spotlight: SoundShield Sound Deadening

SoundShield Deadening

Car audio enthusiasts have been using sound deadening products to improve the comfort of their vehicles and the performance of mobile audio systems for decades. SoundShield is the newest name in the game, but the technology and team behind the products are a step above the rest. Read on to find out more about this innovative sound control material and the people who brought it to market.

Who’s Behind SoundShield?

SoundShield DeadeningIndustry legends John Schwartz and Bryan Schmitt are partners in SoundShield. John is the owner of Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security in Anchorage, Alaska. This prestigious car audio retail location has won the Retailer of the Year award not once but twice and has been recognized as the #1 Compustar retailer in the world every year since 2005. John is the chief executive officer of SoundShield.

Bryan Schmitt is the owner of the world-renowned Mobile Solutions car audio training facility and solution provider in Tempe, Arizona. Bryan is considered one of the top car audio and custom vehicle interior fabricators in the world, and his training services have elevated the quality and creativity of car audio technicians in every corner of the globe. Bryan is the vice-president of sales for SoundShield and is a managing partner in the company.

Bryan saw a need for a premium sound deadening solution that would provide world-class damping and sound absorption properties. Knowing that John had all the connections needed to bring the plan to fruition, these moguls combined their expertise to create SoundShield. The brand launched at the KnowledgeFest mobile electronics industry conference in August 2019.

What Is SoundShield Sound Deadening?

SoundShield DeadeningUnlike some asphalt- and vinyl-based products, SoundShield takes a three-pronged approach to improving the performance of your car stereo system while increasing the comfort in your car, truck or SUV. The base layer is 1.5 mm-thick butyl rubber. This layer adds mass to the panels it’s adhered to, making it more difficult for sound energy to be transmitted. The butyl features a high-tack adhesive to ensure it stays in place in even the hottest and coldest conditions.

The middle layer is an aluminum foil sheet. The foil acts as a thermal barrier and serves as a second structural component to further reduce sound energy transfer. The strength of the aluminum allows SoundShield to span openings in door panels to help transform them into a speaker enclosure.

The top layer of SoundShield is 3 mm of closed-cell foam. This foam absorbs additional sound energy that may radiate through the mounting service for better performance. More importantly, the foam prevents wire harnesses, door lock and door handle actuator rods and trim panels from buzzing and rattling caused by high-power aftermarket audio systems. The choice of closed-cell foam ensures that the material won’t hold water, which could lead to mold and mildew issues.

Why Do You Need SoundShield?

SoundShield DeadeningModern vehicles are designed to be as light as possible to reduce fuel consumption. Thin carpets, less underpadding and flimsier trim panels allow more wind and tire noise into the cabin. You can dramatically improve the comfort of your vehicle by having your local authorized SoundShield dealer install their damping material on the floor, firewall, trunk and cargo area, roof and both the inner and outer door skins. Reductions in road noise of 10 dB or more aren’t uncommon.

The primary benefit is that your car is, quite simply, quieter. You can hear more of the music from your existing stereo and wring out every last ounce of performance from a speaker or subwoofer upgrade. Because the vehicle interior is quieter, Bluetooth and voice-recognition technologies like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be more accurate.

If you’re looking for better performance from your audio system, having the openings in a car or truck door sealed will dramatically improve midbass response to bring your car stereo to life. The performance improvement realized by adding SoundShield can be more significant than that of purchasing better speakers, making it an excellent value.

Improve Your Vehicle with Premium Sound Deadening

SoundShield is available in 11-square-foot rolls. This is usually enough material to treat the inner and outer skins of a typical car door. If you’re interested in improving the performance of your car audio system, or are planning a new speaker purchase and want to maximize their performance, drop by your local authorized SoundShield retailer and ask about having your vehicle treated. To learn more about the product, visit the www.soundshieldusa.com website. Be sure to follow the company on Facebook and Instagram to see the latest projects created using SoundShield.

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.

Filed Under: ARTICLES, Car Audio, PRODUCTS, RESOURCE LIBRARY Tagged With: Soundshield

Product Spotlight: ARC Audio ARC Amplifiers

ARC AmplifiersBased in Modesto, California, ARC Audio is one of the few mobile electronics companies that still designs its amplifiers from scratch in the United States. The ARC Series trio of amplifiers represents a high-performance mobile audio amplification solution that incorporates features that aren’t available from competing products. Let’s take a look at what makes the ARC 1000.2, ARC 1000.4 and ARC 1000.6 truly special.

Premium Car Audio Amplifier Solutions

ARC AmplifiersCombining the latest high-frequency Class-D driver technology with the engineering experience and acumen of the ARC Audio team, the three ARC Series amplifiers not only produce impressive amounts of power, but they also sound amazing. Each amplifier is housed in an identical custom-tooled cast-aluminum heatsink. Four large hex-head cap screws (that conceal the mounting locations) and seven machined fins across the top of the amp provide classy contrast against the textured matte black powder coat finish. All the connections and controls for the amp are placed along the bottom edge to simplify installation, configuration and calibration. Power connections are made using a chassis-mounted terminal block that accepts 4-AWG cable, and speaker and remote connections are on quick-release plugs. All amplifiers include on-board fusing, so there aren’t any surprises at installation time.

ARC AmplifiersThe ARC amplifier family includes the ARC 1000.2 two-channel amp that produces up to 500 watts per channel into a 4-ohm load, 600 watts into a 2-ohm load, and 1,200 watts when both channels are bridged to a single four-ohm subwoofer. The ARC 1000.4 is a four-channel amp rated at 250 watts per channel into 2 or 4 ohms, and each pair of channels can be bridged to provide 500 watts to a single 4-ohm load. The ARC 1000.6 produces a beefy 175 watts from each of its six channels at 2- or 4-ohm impedances. Each of the three channel pairs can be bridged to produce up to 350 watts into 4-ohm loads. Switches underneath each speaker connector change the internal supply voltage to optimize power delivery so that 2- and 4-ohm power production is similar.

Amplifier Common Features

ARC AmplifiersAll ARC Series amplifiers use balanced differential inputs capable of up to 4 volts of input with the default analog signal input card or up to 32 volts input with the optional IPS8.8 DSP card in place This higher level of signal input range is optimum for connections with factory amplified OEM systems and from some higher output OEM radios. At a quick glance, you’ll notice that there don’t appear to be many signal processing options on the ARC Series amplifiers. The ARC 1000.2 has a variable high- or low-pass crossover while the four- and six-channel amplifiers don’t have any crossovers at all. ARC Audio designed the analog signal processing portion of these amplifiers to be easily removable so that they can be used with any of the Pro-Series DSP processors from ARC Audio. If space is a limitation in your vehicle, each model of ARC Series amplifiers can he upgraded with the IPS8.8 Pro Series digital signal processor by simply removing the front end signal input module and replacing it with the IPS8.8. We took a close look at the eight-channel Pro-Series DSP platform here.

Each amplifier has an Auto Sense switch that allows your installer to choose from the remote turn-on connection, DC voltage sensing and a signal sensing option in order to activate the amplifiers when connected to an aftermarket source unit or a factory-installed sound system.

Microprocessor-Controlled Features

ARC AmplifiersYou will note that each amplifier has a micro-USB port on the front panel. This port exists even if you haven’t opted for the IPS8.8 processor upgrade and provides access to adjust the color of the logo on top of the amp and to change the Class-D switching frequency. Knowing that high-frequency switching inherent in all Class-D designs can occasionally interfere with radio reception, the engineers at ARC allow access to adjust the switching frequency from 323.4 kHz to 450 kHz. In the unlikely event your ARC Series amp does affect radio reception in your application, your installer can resolve the issue with a few taps on his computer keyboard. No other amplifier manufacturer in the car audio industry includes this feature.

Build Your Car Audio System with ARC Audio Amplifiers

Whether you need the ARC 1000.2 to power a subwoofer or are designing a four-way fully active entertainment system with an ARC 1000.6 and an ARC 1000.2, these amplifiers will ensure amazing sound and unparalleled flexibility when upgraded with an IPS8.8 processor. Drop by your local authorized ARC Audio dealer and ask for a demonstration today. For more information about ARC Audio and their products, visit their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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.

Filed Under: ARTICLES, Car Audio, PRODUCTS, RESOURCE LIBRARY Tagged With: ARC Audio

Speed of Sound Technologies in Connecticut Builds COVID-19 Face Shields

Connecticut COVID-19 Shields

(This article was recently posted on BestCarAudio.com.  We are sharing it here with their permission)

Speed of Sound Technologies, located in Milford, Connecticut, is one of the dozens of car stereo specialty retailers around North America that has joined in on building face shields to help protect frontline health care workers from COVID-19. These shields are designed to work in conjunction with face masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment to help protect doctors, nurses and technicians from possible infection and help to keep our emergency medical staff safe and healthy.

We’re All in This Together

Melinton Benavides, owner of Speed of Sound Technologies, told us that he had seen the shield design on a car audio Facebook group and immediately wanted to do his part to help his community. He started production with the original laser-cut shield design developed by Jeremy Katz and Evan Collins at JK Automotive Designs. He’s since switched to a flat-pack design by Mobile Solutions, creating shields that are easier to transport to hospitals and medical centers.

Connecticut COVID-19 Shields
Melinton Benavides uses a Boss LS-3655 industrial-grade CO2 to cut the ABS plastic for the headband and PETG clear plastic for the shield.

Several area companies have helped to make the production of these shields a reality. Gordon Rubber & Packing Company, Automotive Specialty Systems, Home Depot and Kartele in Waterbury have graciously donated materials to help with production. Benavides mentioned that he’s happily donating his time to the project, but supplies are both expensive and scarce. If you’d like to help get more shields made, consider contributing to the GoFundMe campaign he is running.

Helping Frontline Workers Stay Safe

So far, Speed of Sound has built more than 1,000 shields, and they’ve been delivered to Norwalk Hospital, Stamford EMS, Hartford Children’s Hospital, Golden Hill Nursing Home, Hamden Manor Nursing Home, Shady Knolls Nursing Home, St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport, VA Hospital in West Haven, Bethany Fire, Milford Boys and Girls home and Griffin Hospital. Benavides plans to keep working to build shields as long as the materials remain available.

Connecticut COVID-19 Shields
During the recession of 2008, Melinton Benavides became an EMT and volunteered at Seymour Ambulance. Being able to donate shields to his former teammates was especially emotional.

We would like to extend our thanks to Melinton Benavides for helping his community. His generosity is just one of the many reasons we are proud to be part of this industry. Be sure to give Speed of Sound Technologies a like on Facebook and follow them on Instagram. You can learn more about the company by visiting their website.

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.

Filed Under: ARTICLES

Sound Deadening: A Great Upgrade For Any Vehicle

Sound DeadeningIf you have purchased a set of premium car audio speakers from a respected mobile electronics retailer in the past few years, then you should be familiar with the concept of sound deadening. If you aren’t familiar with this, or want to know more, then read on! We think you will find sound deadening is an often-overlooked upgrade that has more benefits than most people are aware of.

What Is Sound Deadening?

Automobile manufacturers apply small sheets of dense asphalt or butyl-based material to the floor, firewall or door panels of their vehicles. This damping material adds mass to the panel, making it more difficult for sound and vibration to move the panel and transfer sound into the interior of the vehicle. Automakers walk a fine line between adding weight to a vehicle to reduce noise versus losing fuel economy and handling characteristics due to this added mass. For this reason, most don’t go overboard with sound deadening. They are missing out on a great opportunity.

In spite of what they say in their marketing materials, manufacturers don’t really put that much emphasis on their audio systems. Even when vehicles include multichannel systems with well-recognised namebrands like Bose, Lexicon or JBL, little effort is put into maximizing the performance of the speakers. Proper application of sound deadening can have a dramatic effect on the performance of an audio system.

Aftermarket Deadening Materials

One of the first companies to actively promote sound deadening was Dynamat. Dozens have since followed suit with different approaches to controlling noise inside the vehicle. All of them work on the same principle of absorbing sound energy in one fashion or another and preventing it from being transferred to the interior of the vehicle. Sound deadening has two main benefits when it comes to car audio – exterior noise blocking and audio system performance improvement by preventing backwave cancellation.

Shop At Ralph's
Photo courtesy of Tip Top Customs

When you look at the inside metal skin of a car or truck door, you can see that there are openings to allow access to power window motors, door handles and other components in the door cavity. These openings are typically covered with a thin sheet of plastic. The purpose of the plastic is to keep water away from the interior door panel. That’s important, of course, but these openings work against your efforts to get good sound from your new speakers. There is just as much sound energy being produced from the rear of the speaker as there is from the front. If this rearward-facing sound is allowed to mix with the sound coming from the front, they cancel each other. The result is poor bass and midbass response. Sealing up these openings with a layer of sound deadening means the energy being produced by the rear of the speaker cannot mix with the frontal energy.

Just how dramatic can this cancellation affect be? We have seen instrumented measurements of a factory 6×9” speaker where the difference between having sound deadening or not produced an increase in output of up to 8 dB at several frequencies between 100 and 500 Hz. If you think about how much additional amplifier power it would take to produce the same increase in output, that’s more than six times are much. To be clearer, if you put 10 watts of power into the speaker and measured the response, you would need 63 watts of power into the same speaker to get the same output without the sound deadening. As you can see, that’s a significant difference, and the benefit is not just in efficiency, but in improved low frequency output. The speaker doesn’t have to work as hard, and that alone will improve the overall sound of your system.

It is well worth noting that an upgrade in speaker quality will not produce the same improvement in performance. With a properly sealed and damped door, an inexpensive speaker can easily outperform speakers costing five to 10 times as much money. Sound deadening is critical to the performance of an audio system.

Signal To Noise

Sound DeadeningThe second benefit of sound deadening is in keeping the interior of the vehicle quiet. When you make the interior quieter, the benefit is two-fold. Driving is more comfortable, since you hear less road, wind and tire noise. This reduction in noise also makes it easier to hear your audio system. You don’t have to turn it up quite as loud to drown out the remaining noise. You can hear the quiet parts of your music more easily. Your Bluetooth hands-free system will also sound better. In the same way that controlling backwave cancellation reduces the need for a speaker to work hard, having a quieter interior does the same.

Kinds Of Deadening

Sound DeadeningThere are many different kinds of sound deadening. The most popular are butyl sheets bonded to a thin aluminum layer. The combination works well to span large openings, but is thin and flexible enough to adhere to complex shapes. Other materials are made of vinyl and asphalt-based.

There are three key considerations when looking at different sound deadening products: How flexible is it? How thick is it? How well does it stay adhered once installed? On the engineering and development side, testing the damping characteristics at different temperatures can show quite varied results. Some materials don’t work as well in high or low temperatures. We have seen many people attempt to use materials not specifically designed for automotive applications. When the material melts and ends up as a gooey, black mess at the bottom of your door or leaks onto your carpet, the cost to repair the damage can be significant.

There are also several products on the market that add a layer of foam to the top of the aluminum layer. This foam is great when used between the inside door skin and the metal door because it eliminates buzzes and rattles.

See Your Specialist Car Audio Retailer To Learn More

The next time you are driving by a specialist car audio retailer, drop in and ask about sound deadening. Many people have chosen to apply sound deadening to otherwise stock vehicles. We guarantee the difference in performance from the audio system, combined with the increased comfort while driving, will be well worth the investment.

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.

Filed Under: Car Audio, ARTICLES, RESOURCE LIBRARY

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