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[I]What Are Car Audio Signal Processors?
Car audio signal processors can range from something as simple as the tri-way crossover circuit in a car amplifier like the Pyle PLAM 1000 to something as complex as a dedicated signal processor like the JBL MS -8. Most equalizers fall under this general category as well. The key to a high-end car signal processor is the Digital Signal Processor (DSP). A DSP is essentially a computer designed specifically for processing data streams on the fly, and they are very common in both audio and video applications.
Digital Signal Processor Basics
Digital signals are inherently easier to manipulate than analog ones. This is because rather than working with the sound itself, they work with the building blocks used to create the sound. This is one reason why digital sound is often clearer than analog; it is not a copy of the original sound that has been passed to the microphone or speakers, but a recreation from the source. The general pattern is that the original analog sound is run through an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which produces a digital input for the DSP to work with. After conversion, the sound signal is fed to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which then outputs the analog signal required by the speakers. DSPs can handle everything from adjusting each frequency band individually to compressing and decompressing data streams on the fly.
How a Simple Car Signal Processor Works
A simple car signal processor circuit, such as a tri-way crossover, may only have a single function. It has no programmable functions and operates almost entirely without user intervention once it has been enabled. For example, a tri-way crossover circuit is designed to convert two channels into three, allowing a two-channel amplifier designed to drive a pair of stereo speakers to drive a subwoofer as well. The way it works is that it takes the two existing audio signals and combines the low frequencies, which it sends to the subwoofer, while sending the higher frequencies directly to the regular stereo speakers.
That is one of the simplest examples of how a signal processor can dramatically affect the sound that reaches a listener’s ears. Other simple signal processors can include basic two- or three-band equalizers and simple filters. These devices are all functional enough but do not display anything close to the full range of capabilities demonstrated by the more complex, higher-end signal processors.
How a Complex Car Signal Processor Works
A fully programmable high-end car signal processor does far more to the sound that reaches the listener’s ears than simply strip out and combine the lows to create an additional channel from information that was already present in the incoming signal. High-end signal processors can reshape the entire soundscape within the vehicle, starting by tuning the sound to fit the available space and existing speaker installation.
The following table shows just what a dedicated signal processor can do to improve the enthusiast’s listening experience:
Function
Description
Strip Factory Sound Shaping
Most factory stereos tune their output to match the original speakers, so even when the owner replaces those speakers with higher quality ones the sound will still be limited by the original speaker settings. A signal processor can strip this tuning from the audio signal, allowing an enthusiast to get the full benefit from their new speaker investment.
Match Sound to Interior
Even a perfectly clean signal can produce poor sound in a car installation because a car interior is a spectacularly bad audio environment with a mixture of reflective and absorbent material. Many high-end processors come with microphone-based systems that allow them to shape the sound to perfectly match the car interior, taking into account everything from the specific acoustics of the passenger cabin to the number, placement, and output of the speakers.
Equalize and Amplify
Many dedicated signal processors also include both equalizers and amplifiers to provide a single solution to the consumer’s audio needs. Since many of the functions of an equalizer are duplicated and enhanced by a signal processor, it is only logical that many signal processors also include equalizer functionality, enabling the owner to tweak the sound to their personal tastes.
Define Frequency Bands
Natural sound does not fall into the same tightly defined bands as are found on an equalizer. Sometimes the internal acoustics of an automobile may cause sound problems that affect the bottom part of one band and the top part of another, making correction much more difficult. High-end signal processors and parametric equalizers have the ability to set the center point and width of a frequency band, allowing the system to compensate only for the affected frequencies, with minimal spillover.
As can be seen from the table above, complex signal processors can do many things to improve a car’s internal soundscape. In many cases, they can perform some of the functions of other components, making them an excellent choice for an audiophile’s car stereo system.
Signal Processors and Speakers
While a signal processor can do many things to affect the sound the user hears, it cannot do everything because the signal processor does not produce the sound directly. That task falls to the speakers. Even the most capable signal processor can only deliver the best sound the speakers can create, and low-end speakers are generally unable to take full advantage of the perfectly balanced clean signal provided by a high-end signal processor. This is why any prospective purchaser looking to buy a high-end signal processor should also take the time to make sure their speakers are capable of producing clean enough sound to take full advantage of it. Otherwise they will have no way to judge the full effect of the signal processor.
Conclusion
Car signal processors can affect sound in an overwhelmingly positive fashion; in many cases, second only to speakers. The term "signal processor" can refer to any device that manipulates digital signals, including simple tri-way crossovers and basic equalizers, but the name is more commonly applied to advanced devices that have the ability to tailor the sound produced by a car audio system to the interior of any specific vehicle. These advanced signal processors often duplicate the functionality of other components, such as equalizers and amplifiers, but that is far from all they do. Many of them have the ability to strip the sound shaping used by factory stereo systems to match their output to the limitations of the original speakers, allowing the listener to take full advantage of any speaker upgrade. Some use microphones to effectively map the acoustic properties of the car interior so that the sound takes into account not only the shape of the car interior but also the materials. Car signal processors are an essential component of any car audiophile’s stereo system.[/I]
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