History of Audio in Cars and Trucks

History

The introduction of the car stereo came in the 1930s from the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. Galvin Manufacturing was owned and operated by Paul V. Galvin and his brother Joseph E. Galvin. The Galvin brothers purchased a battery eliminator business in 1928 and the corporation’s first product was a battery eliminator that allowed battery-powered radios to run on standard household electric current. In 1930, the Galvin Corporation introduced the first commercial car radio, the Motorola model 5T71, which sold for between $110 and $130 and could be installed in most popular automobiles. The name Motorola was created by Paul Galvin combining the term “motor” for motion and “ola” for sound [1].

The movement to add more than just a basic radio to a car largely originated on the west coast of the United States in the late 1970s. Several early manufacturers and enthusiasts began building audio amplifiers to run on twelve volts (the standard voltage in automotive electrical systems). Jim Fosgate, later to become the founder of Rockford Fosgate, was one such pioneer. The company a/d/s also brought an amplifier to market in 1978.

At first, speakers from the home audio and professional markets were simply installed into vehicles. However, they were not well suited to the extremes of temperature and vibration which are a normal part of the environment of an automobile. Modified drivers were developed to cope with these factors.

Today, advances in acoustic technology mean that even two 10-inch speakers in a well-designed efficient enclosure can produce more than 160 decibels SPL (sound pressure level) within the cabin.

Car audio competitions started in the early 1980s in a quest to find the loudest and/or most outrageous installations. For example, in 1985, Wayne Harris famously modified a 1960 Cadillac Hearse to feature several 24-inch subwoofers. Little consideration was given to sound quality early on, but in the early 1990s, several organizations, including IASCA, began car audio competitions focusing on sound quality. The two styles -- SPL vs. sound quality -- have become almost mutually exclusive.

I didn't know that it originated in the West Coast. I guess there's a reason why Pimp My Ride takes place on the West Coast.

Thanks for the great information!