Just because the dash in your car has a specific finish, that doesn't mean that you need to match it when replacing your factory radio. We offer several different finish options that allow you to play around a bit with the look of your new radio and the dash that surrounds it. Our Piano Black finish offers a glossy look that gives your car a more luxurious feel. Check out this installation on a 2014 Honda Civic that originally comes with a flat black finish. The glossy look gives the dash an elegance that it did not have before the installation. So, if you are in the market for installation products for your new aftermarket radio, consider going with one of our piano black finishes to gloss it up!
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Why replace your car's factory radio with an aftermarket radio? There are lots of different reasons to replace your radio depending on the situation, but we give you 5 instances where it is necessary to do it ASAP.
5. It's broke... Ok, here's a no-brainer. Driving without music? Not a chance! If you can't listen to music while driving to work, or to the store, or to wherever you're going, then you need to install a new aftermarket radio immediately. And as for trying to get the radio fixed or putting the same factory radio back in...good luck! The money that you will spend trying to do that will be significantly more than installing an new aftermarket radio. Especially if you go with D-I-Y route with your install. You will save some mad bucks! All of the parts that we offer to install radios are plug and play, so if you have a little bit of time, you can easily install the new system. There is a common misconception that a professional installer is required, but this is just not the case. There are definitely great installers out there to do the work for a fair price, but if you have the inclination to D-I-Y, it can certainly be done. 4. It's outdated... This is a common one nowadays. With the advancement of technology over the past several years, older car radios can be very outdated. They don't have the plug-ins that you need like AUX & USB, they don't offer features like Bluetooth or navigation, and they most definitely don't have fancy touchscreens. A lot of the new aftermarket radios can make you feel like you have a brand new upgraded car with the amount of features that they offer. Everything from Bluetooth and audio streaming to Siri Eyes Free control and motorized touchscreens so that you can be safer while driving and utilize all of your gadgets like iPods and smartphones. So if you're in this situation, get your car up to speed (no pun intended) with a new aftermarket radio that comes with all the bells and whistles. Then connect that phone to Bluetooth and start jammin' out! 3. It was stolen... Another no-brainer here! If you have no radio at all, what are you waiting for? Trying to find the same factory radio to re-install or fixing one that has been damaged will cost you way more in the end than installing a new aftermarket radio. Even though it seems that a new radio might be more expensive because of the features that it offers, factory radio prices are usually way steeper. And if those thieves messed up your factory wiring, don't worry because we carry the reverse wiring harnesses that allow you to fix the damaged wiring before installing the aftermarket radio. So, when you go to sell your vehicle, you can let the buyer know that the wiring behind the radio is factory quality. 2. It sounds bad... Even if you aren't a huge critic of music and sound, rest assured that just by replacing the factory radio, you will find a big difference in the quality of sound that you hear. Audiophiles can probably skip this reason for replacing the car radio because it is probably one of the first things they did after buying their car. Even the premium sound system options can sound pretty weak, so putting an aftermarket system in is a must. In most cases, aftermarket radios will improve the sound quality even without replacing the factory speakers. Simply put, the new radio will provide more power to the stock speakers, allowing for better quality. And hey, if you want to upgrade the sound even more, go for aftermarket speakers too. 1. Just because... When you buy your car, you don't have many options when it comes to how the radio looks or sounds. Usually it's the basic package or a premium system, and that's all. Why not go out there an choose the exact radio that you want? Get all the features you want, with the look that you like, by purchasing an aftermarket radio. It's so easy to do when you have great companies like Spiral Audio, that carry all the products that you need to get it done! In our previous posts, we have covered what a premium amplified sound system is and what kind of harness is required for aftermarket radio installation. Now we want to go in a bit more depth about RCAs and the potential necessity for a Line Output Convertor (LOC).
With a wire harness that includes RCA connectors, it is obviously necessary to plug those connectors in somewhere. In a perfect scenario, your aftermarket radio not only includes RCA outputs, but includes the exact number of outputs that you need for the installation. You simply plug your wire harness connector into the vehicle’s harness behind the factory radio and then plug the RCAs into the aftermarket radio RCA outputs and you’re all set. But what happens when the aftermarket radio has only 2 outputs and you have 4 RCAs or when the radio has 0 outputs, but you have 2 or 4 RCAs? Cue the need for a LOC… A LOC is a small device that converts RCA connectors (low level) to regular speaker wire (high level), so that an installation can be completed with an aftermarket radio that does not have RCA outputs or has less than needed. Basically, the LOC is acting as a bridge from the wire harness with RCAs to the aftermarket radio without RCA outputs. Now, there are 2 options for LOCs; 2-channel and 4-channel. What does this mean, you ask? Easy! A 2-channel LOC allows for plugging in 2 RCA connectors while a 4-channel LOC allows for plugging in 4 RCA connectors. So, let’s do a little math for example: Wire harness includes: 4 RCAs Aftermarket radio includes: 2 RCA outputs You need: (1) 2-Channel LOC Makes sense yet? Let’s do one more: Wire harness includes 4 RCAs Aftermarket radio includes: 0 RCA outputs You need: (2) 2-Channel LOCs or (1) 4-Channel LOC See…it’s not too difficult to understand. Now you know what to do in the case that your aftermarket radio is lacking in RCA outputs, but you have a wire harness with RCA connectors. |
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