The Car Stereo Cookbook [Paperback]

Mark Rumreich (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0070580839 | ISBN-13: 978-0070580831 | Publication Date: August 1, 1998 | Edition: 1

Rap, reggae, rock, or Rachmaninoff -- if you yearn for sound in your car that will make your friends drool, this book has your answers. Whether you want to pulsate the pavement or simply enjoy top-level clarity and music reproduction, this book will show you how to plan your design, choose your components, install them optimally and save a lot of money! Unlike books that cover only specific systems, the Cookbook shows you how to customize. With the Cookbook, your system will fit your tastes, your budget, and your car or truck.

Organized by component type, the Cookbook clearly shows you how to achieve good imaging; upgrade premium factory sound systems such as Delco/Bose and Ford/JBL; get more amp power for your money; properly set amplifier gains; install and set up an equalizer with or without a real-time analyzer; interface a CD changer; pick the right power line capacitors, speaker wire, patch cables, and sound-deadening devices; avoid common automotive noise problems; and a lot more!

Featuring guidance on the right specialty tools and step-by-step instructions for difficult procedures, The Car Stereo Cookbook makes sure that the special sound you've imagined in your head becomes the sound you hear in your car!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Overall, this book is a welcome oasis of knowledge and affordable car stereo solutions amidst a desert of info-barren hype in the car stereo magazines. And Mr. Rumreich's comprehensive description, explanation, and wide spectrum of solutions will enable you to have first-rate mobile sound with a modest budget. As an old car-stereo fanatic, I highly recommend this book. (Speaker Builder )

From the Back Cover

Build your own super sound system on wheels! Rap, reggae, rock, or Rachmaninoff--whether you crave a window-rattling rolling boom box or the most faithful auto music reproduction, there's only one good way to get the car stereo you want: Build it yourself. Here's the only guide you need to cook up your ultimate vehicular audio feast. Written by a master of audio electronics, The Car Stereo Cookbook shows you how to plan your design, choose your components, install them optimally--and save a lot of money! Unlike books that cover only specific systems, the Cookbookshows you how to customize. With the Cookbook, your system will fit your tastes, your budget, and your car or truck, whether it's a radical sport utility vehicle or your Dad'sold Chevy.

The book is clearly organized by project type--from speakers, subwoofers, and amps to equalizers, bi-amping, and accessories--so you can quickly find the information you need on all the ingredients your dream machine requires. Featuring guidance on using the right specialty tools and step-by-step instructions for more difficult procedures, The Car Stereo Cookbook puts you in the fast lane to the custom auto sound system that'll leave your friends' pathetic factory-made output choking in your dust. (19990701)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics; 1 edition (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070580839
• ISBN-13: 978-0070580831
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #995,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Car Stereo Cookbook, December 13, 1999

By 

Mark Carter (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Car Stereo Cookbook (Paperback)

I give due credit for my outstanding audio to the "Car Stereo Cookbook". I found far more audio system information than I will ever need, but scanning through the chapters(and actually reading some) gave me the information I needed to design and install a system in my vehicle. I thought subs were only for gangsta's, but this 44 year old avid hunter now has one in my 4x4 truck, and wouldn't trade for it. Although Rumreich does get rather technical in some areas, the average handyman possessing an average dose of common sense can navigate this sea of information quite easily. Thanks Mark for this great source of "do it yourself" info!

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Undefined Terms, December 21, 2001

By 

Joe J. Kern (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Car Stereo Cookbook (Paperback)

Rumreich makes the undefinable assumption that the reader "is a beginner but has some knowledge of car stereos." So exactly how much knowledge is that? Much of the information takes you from beginner to intermediate, but many terms remain undefined. Who's to say that the reader should already know the difference between a 12dB/octave slope and an 18dB/octave slope in a crossover? I sure didn't, and I had to look at another book to find out, making me question the usefulness of this book. A safer bet for a beginner would be Auto Audio by Andrew Yoder. However, there is some original information, such as the sections on Factory Hi-Fi systems by Bose and Ford.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Contains some helpful tips, April 25, 2004

By 

johnny "rocketman" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Car Stereo Cookbook (Paperback)

With a book of almost 300 pages I expected much more detailed explanations. The author introduces technical aspects but hardly ever explains what they mean ie cross over slopes. Set-up information is limited to wiring diagrams, you never seen any real installation pictures. And then there are diagrams for dual preamps head outputs but the pictures show one one set going to the amps. Then there is a huge chapter on subwoofers and the author gives no information on techniques for mounting the box to the car. The head installation was way to general. Good points made are setting up speakers for best ohm ratings (serial vs parallel), determining voltage with a multimeter, what power cable gauge to use. The book is several years old and seems out of date on some subject matter. There is also a lot of dialog on things that are obvious. Consider this book for tips, not as a bible for installing since you won't find too much on how to actually install anything.