is there a car audio book or a website for dummies? I'm a relative noob when it comes to stereo's, amps, speakers etc. Eventually I want to get to the point where I feel comfortable installing my own hardware. I want to also know the geek speak and be able to tell a good amp from a cheapo one by looking at specs.

Anyone got any insight? Where did you guys start? Thanks.

 

First I don't think I am a guru.
But to give you some help, I started when I was about 14 building amps. I also read lots of magazines and saw how comparisons were done and also read lots of tutorials on tuning. Go to Google.com and type in what ever you want to know, it is usually there. By the way most of the time just looking at specs on an amp really does not justify what it can or can't do.

 

READ as much as you can. I learned 50% from trial and error, and the other 50% from reading books. I.E. The Car Stereo Cookbook etc.

 

Another good thing to do, is go to online forums and read as well.

Check these few out....there are many more out there:

http://www.caraudioforum.com/vbb2/
http://www.termpro.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi
http://forum.sounddomain.com/
http://www.soundillusions.net/index.php
http://forum.elitecaraudio.com/index.php

 

Almost everything that I learned was from experimenting on my first cars, and a few willing guinea pig friends...Once you feel comfortable with taking your car apart, and putting it back together, it just starts to come easier each time. After you take apart about 20 cars, you will really start to learn how they are put together. The easiest part is learning how to wire systems. The hard part is integration with all the new cars. Alarms are really simple once you try a few. Don't let all the wires scare you. Try to see if any local shops will let you hang out and watch. As far as equipment goes...it is your own taste that will lead you to the right gear. Good luck, and if you have any Q's just post them and one of us will answer...

 

cool thanks for the 411 guys.