Car Audio 101: What’s in a Name?

You might have noticed that automobile manufacturers have been “paying more attention” to the calls for better sounding factory audio systems in their vehicles. Manufacturers are touting systems with components from brands including Alpine, Bose, Infinity, JBL, Pioneer and others- which might lead you to think that there isn’t a reason to look at aftermarket equipment as a logical upgrade.

Nothing could be further from the truth here!

Let me start by saying that auto manufacturers do indeed use systems from the aforementioned brands, but there is a difference compared to their aftermarket counterparts here. Take a look at the speakers- generally the most crucial part of any audio system- and you’ll find that these companies actually provide components that are usually of lesser quality than the aftermarket models. Factors including foam speaker surrounds versus rubber surrounds and hard dome versus soft dome tweeters are just some of the areas where factory gear falls short of aftermarket, regardless of the brand name. Other areas where you can see and hear the difference include the system power amplifiers and of course, head units.

No Contest… Example of a factory (Toyota/Lexus) 5 Channel amp and the JL Audio 5 Channel HD Amplifier

Comparing a factory “brand name” speaker to an aftermarket Morel car speaker.

Here’s a general “roadmap” that shows what brands certain car manufacturers use. If your goal is to improve the sound quality of your car’s audio system, always look to aftermarket options as they offer the best sound quality and durability.

Premium In-Car "Name Brand" Audio	Automaker
Alpine	Chrysler, Dodge, Land Rover, Scion
Bang & Olufsen	Audi, Mercedes-Benz
Bose	Acura, Audi, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Fiat, Infiniti, Maserati, Mazda, Nissan, Porsche, Saab
Boston Acoustics	Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge
Bowers and Wilkins	Jaguar
Burmester	Porsche
Dimension	Hyundai
Dolby	Volvo
Dynaudio	Volkswagen
ELS	Acura
Harman/Kardon	BMW, Buick, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Saab, Subaru
Infinity	Dodge, Hyundai, Kia
JBL	Toyota
Kicker	Dodge
Lexicon	Hyundai, Rolls-Royce
Mark Levinson	Lexus
Meridian	Land Rover
Naim	Bentley
Pioneer	Chevrolet, Scion
Rockford Fosgate	Mitsubishi, Nissan, Suzuki
Sony	Ford
Shaker	Ford
THX	Lincoln