Car audios have come a LONG way since its first inception. It is fascinating how the concept of car audio has evolved from clunky AM radios to ones with operating systems and with multiple functions. For today we’re gonna talk about the evolution of car audio.

1900s - Did you know that the first car audio was presented as early as 1904? Lee De Forest, the “Father of Radio”, performed a demonstration at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis.

1920s - The first factory-installed car radio was installed on a 1922 Chevrolet (the radio brand was Westinghouse) and almost cost as half as the actual cost of the car itself! Talk about pricey!

1930s - Paul and Joseph Galvin, entrepreneurs and brothers, bought the bankrupt Stewart Battery Company. The company made The Battery Eliminator that allowed battery-operated home radios to run on household current, the equivalent to today’s AC adapters. The Galvin brothers utilized the company’s battery eliminator design and used that to manufacture battery eliminators for their radios.

Eventually, the battery eliminators became obsolete as AC-powered radios were becoming the standard. Paul Galvin met with William Lear and Elmer Wavering, two radio engineers, who created a radio with a design that removed the problem with static interference.

(the first commercially released car audio -- The Motorola)

The brothers eventually came up with the first radio which they named The Motorola, which is a portmanteau of the words “automative” and “Victrola” (a brand name of a phonograph, but eventually became a generic term for any kind of phonograph). Motorola eventually became the big telecommunications company it is today (YES, that Motorola).

1952 - Blaupunkt, a German company, created the first FM radio. Prior to this, the only option of frequency for radios was the AM frequency. A year later, Becker Mexico made an AM/FM receiver with a station search or scan function.

1955 onwards (before 1970s) was a period of trial and error for car audio manufacturers. Chrysler Hi-Fi was the first time one’s own records were played in the car, and was also the first and only car phonograph. It used a mini-turntable (located on the dash of the passenger side) to play its records. This only lasted for a few years, however. This is because one of the Hi-Fi’s fatal flaws is that the record skips even on the smallest bump on the road the car runs into. 

(photo by sv1ambo on Flickr)

The Hi-Fi eventually evolved to Earl Muntz’s Stereo-Pak, who was the pioneer of a 4-track system. Tracks did not skip with this kind of car audio (an upgrade to the Hi-Fi). Muntz then developed the AutoStereo in the early 60s, which had drivers the freedom to customize and select their personal listening experience. After that, improvements were made to Muntz’s idea and the 8-track cartridge system was developed.

1970s to 80s - Cassette tapes eventually replaced the 8-track system. And with the invention of the Walkman in 1979, cassette tapes became much more prevalent. It improved 8-track’s technology with longer play times, improved tape quality, Dolby noise reduction and auto reverse.

1980s to 90s - Philips and Sony were the first to develop the model for the CD which was first marketed for home use in 1982. However, it was Pioneer who developed the first ever car CD player in 1984. Named the CDX-1, this player had a significantly improved sound quality unlike everyone else. Aside from that, CDX-1 was much more durable than cassette tape players and had the ability to skip tracks.

(CDX-1 image from Pioneer's website)

2000s - car audio quality even improved significantly after the CD player phase of car audio. There was the digitization of music, and gave rise to MP3 players. These are portable devices that can hold thousands of songs and can play different types of music formats. By the mid-2000s, in-car audio systems developed the capability to connect these players to the car’s audio systems. Features like the USB, AUX and Bluetooth became staples on car audios.

And with the rise of smartphones and the usage of apps like Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM and the use of car assistant systems like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, playing music in your car has never been easier. 

Sources: (1) (2) (3) (4)

So check out onlinecarstereo.com for our wide array of car audio products and subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly promotions and save tons of cash!

Thanksgiving Day is fast approaching and that also means that Black Friday and Cyber Monday is also around the corner. This year in particular will be a very different one from all the previous years we have done the two biggest shopping days of the year because of the pandemic.

But where (and when) exactly did the terms “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” come from?

(image source: bloomberg.com)

Black Friday dates back to Philadelphia in the 1960s where newspapers in the state used the term to describe the massive frenzy of crowds at stores and the congestion of traffic that happens on the day after Thanksgiving. The crowd frenzy was paralleled after the original “Black Friday”, which was a stock market panic on September 24, 1869, where the price of gold collapsed due to then-President Ulysses Grant’s interference on the scheme of three investors: Jay Gould, James Fisk, and President Grant’s own brother-in-law, Abel Corbin.

(image source: abc7.com)

Cyber Monday, however, is a much newer term that was coined by Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation and Scott Silverman, and was used as a marketing term for the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States. It was created as a digital counterpart to Black Friday to encourage people to do online shopping and has rapidly become the biggest ecommerce event in the US, whereas Black Friday is more of a brick-and-mortar sale event. 

However, with the pandemic happening right now, Black Friday will probably shift to a bigger online event than it was before rather than doing the traditional in-store sales retailers have done in previous years. So definitely watch out in the coming weeks for upcoming deals and bundles for Black Friday and Cyber Monday at onlinecarstereo.com and subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly promotions and save tons of cash!

We always strive for customer satisfaction when you buy from us here at Online Car Stereo, but sometimes, one might have problems with their purchase and decide to return it. We have one of the best hassle-free return policies out there. If by some reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, unused/uninstalled items can be returned within 60 days.

Making a return is pretty easy!

• Contact us. To start a return, call 1-310-526-8635 and chat with our helpful and friendly customer service representatives. We can also be reached through email at  [email protected] for any questions.
• Get an RA (return authorization). If you call us at our contact number, a customer service representative will be able to assist you through your options and help set up a return authorization. You can also request a return authorization online through email at  [email protected].
• Pack returned items carefully. Returned items should be new and in their original packaging, complete with all the original accessories, manuals and warranty card. We care about the safety of the items so we overbox most of the products to protect them during shipping.
• Attach the shipping label. You will receive a UPS Authorized Return Service shipping label along with a return authorization number. Remove or mark out the original labels, then securely tape the new return shipping label to the package.
• Give the package to UPS. Take it to any official UPS drop-off site. To search for drop-off locations nearest you, call 1-800-742-5877 or visit www.ups.com.

Online Car Stereo will send a “return received” notice through email detailing that the returned item has been received. An additional email will also be sent following the completion of the return process.

There are also important details to consider when doing a return.

Refund or exchange. You can either choose an exchange or a refund according to the amount of the item you purchased. Refunds will be issued to the same credit card, debit card, gift certificate, or other form of payment that was used in the original transaction. The refund or exchange process for items usually gets processed within three business days after we receive the returned item, as we normally conduct additional testing and evaluation. Additionally, depending on the financial institution, the refunded amount will take about 3-5 business days to reflect back on your account.

Shipping costs. Return shipping costs are deducted from your refund or exchange.

For most returns, Online Car Stereo can issue you a UPS Authorized Return Shipping (ARS) label for a flat fee.

New condition. All returns for refund will be subject to a 10% restocking fee (and higher if the item is used/abused). Online Car Stereo may refuse a customer return or charge a higher restocking fee when the returned item is not NEW. Conditions that will lead to refused returns or be charged a higher restocking fee include:

• When the returned item has a different serial number than what Online Car Stereo originally shipped.
• When there are missing parts or the original packaging has been damaged or tampered with.
• When there is damage due to the package being improperly packaged for return shipment.
• When there is physical damage from drops, spilled liquid, or mishandling.
• When the product has been installed or has attempted to be installed and was removed from the original packaging.
• When the item has any signs or indication of it being installed, with scratches, or other signs of use such as physical markings, screw holes, etc.

Freight shipping: Items like Boxes and Large subwoofers may require special freight shipping, and they usually cost more to return. An Online Car Stereo representative will be able to help figure out the exact shipping cost of freight items when setting up the return.

**Online Car Stereo does not accept any returns for Rims, Tires and finance orders. Only exchange or store credit will be granted.

International shipping: UPS ARS labels are not valid for international shipping or shipping on US territories. The customer is responsible for any international shipping charges or duties.

We here at Online Car Stereo will always be committed to give you the best customer service we can possibly give. Always visit us at onlinecarstereo.com to check out our wide array of products and subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly promotions and save tons of cash.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and a lot of pockets, fingers and palms are itching to make that purchase online for the perfect car audio deal. Majority of us men are quite hesitant to do it and afraid that our wives, fiances or girlfriend will get mad at our orders. Here are some suggestions on how to work around that fiery partner and turn things around to your benefit.

First, you can tell your wife that the sound on her Toyota Corolla is no longer pleasing to the ears and you’ll give her an upgrade to the Alpine S-S65C which will drastically improve her music stream using spotify with that 240 watts power component 2-way speaker set. At the same time, you can purchase for yourself the KW-M650BT 2-DIN Digital Media Receiver that is Apple Carplay and bluetooth ready perfect for your new Iphone 11 Pro Max.

On the other hand, tell your fiance that aux cords are so 2010 and you can buy her old Honda Civic and upgrade her stock radio with a new Pioneer DEH-X8800BHS and for sure, she will love you more because she can now listen to her favorite music on iHeart Radio or Spotify and can even talk to you while driving with the hands-free calling feature. At the same time, you can purchase for yourself the Alpine ILX-F309 9" Digital Multimedia Receiver with Built In HD Radio Tuner that can sync thru Carplay or Android Auto.

Finally, if your girlfriend is always complaining that you are always buying things for your car, you can purchase her the new Pioneer AVH-310EX 6.8” display 2-DIN Multimedia DVD receiver so she can watch her favorite movieS in the car and stream music from Spotify, Pandora or iHart Radio. At the same time, you can finally get your bass sound upgrade and get the Rockford Fosgate R2SD4-12 Prime Series with 500 watts of peak power and you’re both going to be happy.

There you go folks! Hurry and take advantage of the pricedrop promo this week and make your partners and yourselves happy. You can also subscribe to our NEWSLETTER and receive weekly mailers for exclusive promotions and save tons of cash.

Subject to credit check and approval. Down payment may be required.

For purchases under $100, limited payment options are available.

Affirm loans are made by Cross River Bank, a New Jersey State Chartered Commercial Bank, Member FDIC.