Signal Processors

In any audio component system, signal processors play the most vital tasks of enhancing the sound. It’s neither the subwoofers nor the tweeters mind you, that make the sound any better, it’s these signal processors. If by chance you are planning to aftermarket your car audio system, its time you learn the basics of car signal processors, and what they do to improving your audio.

What signal processors do in chief is to electronically modify audio signals from your stereo equipment, to make the audio produced more distinct, and clearer. Like for instance, the crossover, which is a signal processor wholly responsible for segregating data audio signals it receives from the stereo equipment. These segregated data packets (or for a more concise figurative, the split audio signals) are then resend to designated components best designed to reproduce such sounds. The equalizer operates on an entirely different manner; it enhances or decreases frequency levels, operating somewhat like a balancing medium for the speaker systems.

Signal processors do not make the sounds however, they only act as channels or ‘brains’ (as in processors, obviously) that does altering signals and making them more useful to specific components. Here are some of the most known signal processors.

Car Equalizers

Among the more common signal processors, car equalizers are designed to change the frequency envelope of an existing car audio system. They are relatively cheap compared to other audio system components, and they don’t require other audio components save themselves. That’s why they’re usually the initial equipment added when one needs better sounding car audio equipment.

When purchasing new vehicles, there are several OEM car equalizers that are even outstanding. Usually these are dashboard type car equalizers, added with the intent of enhancing its appraisal value. These however, maybe poorly installed as the factory intent is to assemble the details and making sure each component works, but not necessarily sounding better.

Perhaps the one biggest misconception for car equalizers is this: people seem to think that having equalizers installed will also raise the level out power output of the car audio system, which is very false. Equalizers are designed as a balancing medium, as was stated earlier. Raising the knobs won’t make the sound any louder, only more distorted. That’s the reason why the trunk variety car equalizers are more used for serious car audio system than digital signal processors, that is because equalizers are meant to be adjusted only one (initial setting) then afterwards adjustments would only serve as corrections. Dashboard type car equalizers due to their unambiguousness, tends to get fondled more often and thus losing the initial settings.

Crossovers

Let’s say in a 3 way component system; we have stereo equipment, a crossover, a tweeter, a subwoofer and a band pass speaker. As the stereo equipment launches a sound, it gets sent to the crossover where the audio signal is then splitted to three signals according to their frequency highs and lows. The low frequency audio signal is sent to the bass subwoofer, the high frequency to the tweeters and the mid frequency to the band pass speaker. This is how a live sound signal processors, such as a car audio crossover works. By segregating these audio signals, and sending the specific frequency band audio signal to components that’s best suited for such sound frequency spectrum, sounds are produced more real. Band pass speakers (or mid frequency speakers) cannot emulate low frequency sounds, such as bass. A band pass speaker playing bass in higher volumes can tear its cone, and the sound effected isn’t that great.

Take you time in learning various types of car signal processors. There are many still not mentioned. There are still the amplifiers, and the line drivers, both equally important in their own right.