Can you tell the difference between a nice car and a great car? It’s easy a great will make someone’s head turn as it drives by. The same line of thinking holds true for a great car audio system. A great stereo system can get people outside the car nodding their heads to the music while a poorly put together car stereo system causes nothing but stares and laughs. The lesson in all this is to know your car audio system pieces.

A great car audio system instantly brings street-cred and something to show off. Now, not only has your stock increased with your friends but you also have raised the value of the car overall if and when you decide to sell it. Only you know what can make the perfect audio system for your own car. It is up to you to design and plan it out.

Before you can do that you should at least have an understand all of the essential components of a complete system. Here is a breakdown of the four main parts you’ll need to get started.

• Before you can get started installing a brand new car audio system, you should probably have an understanding about the basics of a car stereo system. First off, it consists of four main components with all of the wiring connecting them together. The system includes the head unit, the main speakers, amplifiers for power and the subwoofers for some kick.
  
  
• In case you were not aware of the terminology, the head unit is just another name for the stereo itself and is the core part of the entire system. They normally contain a cassette or CD player and installed directly into the dash. Everything else you add on to the system is all connected to the head unit through at least one pair of wires if not more. Think of the head unit as the brain of the system.
  
  
• Next thing on your list to become familiar with are the car speakers. Most cars come standard with four main speakers, two in the front and two in the back. Some speakers are component speakers with each single speaker broken down into two: one for the highs and one for the bass. The speaker or channel then is connected to the head unit through speaker wire. If you are installing everything brand new, such as a new head unit and new speakers, then you should use new speaker wires for the installation too.
  
  
• You can spend all the money in the world on a kicking audio system but if no one can hear it then what’s the point? For that, you are going to need some excellent subwoofers. They are what give your car audio system that deep and heavy bass which your normal, smaller speakers cannot provide. If and when you decide to add subwoofers to your system, you will need an amplifier to hook them to for its extra pop in power.
  
  
• Speaking about amplifiers, you are going to need a good one if you plan on adding any additional equipment to the system other than the stereo and speakers. They provide extra muscle for the system plus a few extra channels of power for additional speakers but they are commonly used to power all the subwoofers. It is connected to the head unit through an RCA cable and directly to the car battery by a fused "hot" wire and a ground wire to the chassis of the car.

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