Photo: Car audio competition (Getty Images) Author: Konstantin Shirokun
Yes, on the one hand, car audio competitions as a sport are an exotic thing. But on the other hand, it brings unambiguous benefits to motorists. We tell you about the practical and applied side of car audio competitions.
Read about how the car audio competitions were held in the RBC-Ukraine article.
In a nutshell, car audio is the art of creating high-quality music reproduction in a car. In European countries and overseas, this movement is also called Car audio. This business is connected with acoustics, radio engineering and metalwork, and at the output, the driver and his passengers receive the natural sound of all instruments and vocals, recorded on one or another carrier or caught on the air.
The Car as a Platform for Quality Sound
All over the world – and once in Ukraine – car audio competitions are a platform for demonstrating complex audio systems. These events bring together enthusiasts from different walks of life, eager to demonstrate the mastery of tuning, sound quality and volume (of course, how could they do without it!) of their audio systems.
It is probably worth saying that the car interior, from the point of view of audio theory, is in principle extremely unfavorable for organizing the correct sound stage in it. It is believed that it is impossible to create the ideal sound of the so-called “home level” in the car interior – however, all installers of audio components and participants in car audio competitions strive for this.
What is car audio competition
There are several Car audio federations in the world, under the auspices of which competitions in car audio are held. The most famous are EMMA (European Mobile Media Association ) and the American IASCA (International Auto Sound Challenge Association). The first has European origins, the second American, but under their flags Car audio fans compete on all continents.
During the competition, participants present their cars equipped with high-end audio systems. Judges evaluate various aspects of sound using special tables: volume, clarity, balance, and other parameters. Participants are divided into categories depending on the type of system, power, and other technical characteristics.
The main formats of car audio competitions are as follows:
SQ (Sound Quality) – sound quality assessment. Accuracy, naturalness and purity of music reproduction are important here. Judges evaluate the sound stage, detail and harmony of the system. From the point of view of an ordinary motorist, this is the most useful type of competition, since methods and technologies for organizing high-quality sound in a car are developed here.
SPL (Sound Pressure Level) – competitions for the maximum sound pressure level. In other words, this is the volume that is measured with a special device. Participants strive to achieve record volume using powerful subwoofers with amplifiers. The interior and body are also made as hard as possible so that the cabin capsule does not absorb sound waves and can withstand sound pressure. From a practical point of view, this is the least interesting nomination, but it is quite spectacular for the public.
Installation is a competition for the best design and installation of an audio system. Here, aesthetics, ergonomics and professionalism of the equipment installation are taken into account. This refers to both technical quality (fastening of components, wiring, connections, fire and passive safety of the car) and aesthetic quality (finishing, upholstery, materials, fitting of parts, etc.).
Both amateurs and professionals take part in the competition – tuning studios, installation workshops, suppliers of Car Audio components. For beginners, this is a great opportunity to learn and get valuable advice from experienced participants, and for experts – a chance to demonstrate their achievements and set new records.
Steps to prepare for competition
To be successful in competitions, it is necessary to combine a whole range of factors:
– Components . Choosing the right components is the first step to success. Even on this path, the author of the work will face many difficulties, mistakes and costs;
– Installation . The placement of components, primarily loudspeakers, in certain points of space is of great importance. Each speaker must receive, as experts say, acoustic design – be firmly fixed and have a certain closed or open space around it. And here much is done experimentally, with numerous alterations and improvements.
– Setting up . The seemingly ready, assembled audio system needs settings – primarily electronic, but also in terms of changing the placement of components and replacing them. Only after this is optimal sound achieved.
– Aesthetic design . All components of a professional audio system are alien to the interior from a design point of view. Therefore, the installer's task is to organically fit them into the standard style. In this direction, there is even a separate movement of installers – stealth installations, that is, invisible, hidden under the standard upholstery.
In brief
Car audio is a whole culture supported by car owners who are not indifferent to music and the means of its reproduction. In this movement, each car becomes a unique work of art, and competitions provide an opportunity to share this art with the world and benefit from someone else's experience. On the other hand, these competitions are the development and support of technologies that are important, by the way, not only for the Car audio sphere.
In preparing this article, materials from the publications “ Sound and Tuning ” and Car Audio were used .
Let us recall that RBC-Ukraine recently reported why pedestrians are not always right.