This past weekend in Dallas Texas Ultrasubs debuted it’s 2009 lineup at USACi world finals.
They also had two competitors at the show.
Mike Schwitz (left) won 3rd place in PRO STOCK 0-600 SPL with a 151.1.
John Roberts (right) one 3rd place in Pro SQ.
Posted under The Shop
Wednesday, October 08, 2008 — TORRANCE, Calif. — It’s my pleasure to announce the top 100 retailers and installers in the nation for 2008-2009, as chosen by the industry.
We had such an overwhelming response with retailer nominations this year, we decided to up the ante and grow the category from 50 to 100 storefront names.
The List, as it’s often referred to at the magazine, consists of the stores and installers that our industry’s reps and manufacturer sales personnel felt were prime examples of professionalism, service and expertise. If your name or store is on this list, kudos to you! You are now officially in the running for the coveted title of Retailer of the Year or Installer of the Year.
The list will also be published in our November issue of Mobile Electronics magazine, but we’re releasing it on “Hotwire” first to give the nominees a chance to begin their campaigns. This November will be one of the most pivotal votes in our country’s history, so don’t be left out! Voting will begin Nov. 1 at our website (me-mag.com) and wrap up by Nov. 30.
It’s such a recognized honor, that Sony’s mobile audio division – makers of Xplod car audio products – is sponsoring the top 100 retailers throughout the voting process. The industry’s national certification program Mobile Electronics Certified Professional (MECP) is sponsoring the top 100 installers. Each nominee will receive a certificate acknowledging their recognition that will be presented on behalf of the sponsors.
Well, I’m geared up for our voting process, that we’re calling The 30-Day Sound-Off, giving everyone in the industry the chance to vote for their favorite stores and installers. Enjoy the November issue, and if you have any questions, e-mail me at joni@me-mag.com!
Adrenaline Autosound — Clayton, N.C.
Advanced Audio Designs — Sharon, Mass.
Audio Advice — Glendale, Calif.
Audio Experts Car Stereos & Alarms — Ventura, Calif.
Audio Files — Corvallis, Ore.
Audio Logic Car Audio — Hollywood, Fla.
Audio Shoppe — Riverside, Calif.
Audio Works — Pittsburgh, Pa.
Auto Marketing Inc. — Fitchburg, Wisc.
Autotoys Corp. — Randolph, Mass.
Benchmark Motoring — Bellevue, Wash.
Boulevard Customs — St. Petersburg, Fla.
California Custom Sounds — Moraine, Ohio
California Soundworks — Lancaster, Calif.
Car Concepts — Salt Lake City, Utah
Car Toys — Tulsa, Okla.
Carisma Audio — Tampa, Fla.
Cave Audio — Woodburn, Ore.
Certified Sounds — Wailuku, Hawaii
CN Sounds LLC — Fort Wayne, Ind.
Crush’s Custom Soundworks — Effingham, Ill.
Custom Car Stereo — Charleston, S.C.
Custom Car Stereo — Houston, Texas
DC’s Mobile Electronics — Evansville, Ind.
Definitive Audio — Phoenix, Ariz.
Electronic Express — Nashville, Tenn.
Enormis Mobile Specialties — Erie, Pa.
High End Vine St. Car Stereo — Philadelphia, Pa.
JC Audio — Jackson, Tenn.
JML Audio of St. Louis — Fenton, Mo.
Lakeside Audio — Conroe, Texas
Mobile Edge — Leghiton, Pa.
Mobile Innovations — Wenatchee, Wash.
Muntz Audio-Video — Green Bay, Wisc.
Pacific Stereo — Fremont, Calif.
Quality Auto Tint & Car Stereo — Colorado Springs, Colo.
Ray’s Electronics — Addison, Ill.
Security & Sound Systems — Honolulu, Hawaii
Signature Audio — Scottsdale, Ariz.
Sound Innovations — Hayward, Calif.
Sound Sensations — Marietta, Ga.
Sound Solutions — Gulfport, Miss.
Sounds Fast — Bend, Ore.
Soundsource — Burlington, N.J.
Stereo One — Dickson, Tenn.
Sub Zero Sounds — Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Syndicate Automotive Concepts — San Diego, Calif.
The Hi-Fi Shop — Roy, Utah
Traffic Jamz — Lancaster, Ohio
Unlimited Auto Sports — Champaign, Ill.
Westminster Speed & Sound — Westminster, Md.
Wild Bill’s Electronics — Boaz, Ala.
Xtreme Autosound — Louisville, Ky.
X-Treme Brothers LLC — Wooster, Ohio
ABC Automotive & Electronics — Elk Grove Village, Ill.
Audio Excellence — Orlando, Fla.
Audio Express Inc. — Searcy, Ark.
Audio Source Inc. — Columbus, Ind.
Audio Specialists — Hopkinsville, Ky.
Auto FX — Yukon, Okla.
Autosound Inc. — Lexington, Ky.
Car Audio Heaven — El Cajon, Calif.
Car Phonics — Boise, Idaho
Car Stereo One — Dayton, Ohio
Car Stereo Plus — Lynnwood, Wash.
Cartronics — Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Columbus Car Audio — Columbus, Ohio
Dealer Automotive Services Inc. — Hopkins, Minn.
J & J Electronics Inc. — Chicago, Ill.
Jackie Cooper Tire & Electronics — Oklahoma City, Okla.
Ken’s Car Tunes — Mobile, Ala.
Lombards Stereo — Goleta, Calif.
Lucky’s Auto Sports Inc. — Lexington, Ky.
Mobile Music Unlimited — Mt. Vernon, Wash.
Professional Auto Stereo — Waipahu, Hawaii
Radio Active Car Stereos — Jonesboro, Ga.
Shockwave Customs — Frankfort, Ill.
Sound of Tri-State — Claymont, Del.
Sound Warehouse — Salt Lake City, Utah
Soundz Good Stereo — Oxnard, Calif.
Ultimate Audio — Orlando, Fla.
ABC Automotive & Electronics — Elk Grove Village, Ill.
Advance Car Audio — Pascagoula, Miss.
Al & Ed’s Autosound — Van Nuys, Calif.
Aspen Sound — Spokane, Wash.
Car Toys Inc. — Seattle, Wash.
CKR Mobile Electronics — Montgomery, Ala.
Creative Car Audio — Joplin, Mo.
Custom Sounds — Austin, Texas
Drive In Autosound — Colorado Springs, Colo.
Freeman’s Car Stereo Inc. — Charlotte, N.C.
Mach 1 Car Audio & Security — Little Canada, Minn.
Mobile-One Auto Sound — New Orleans, La.
Radio City Inc. — Auburn, Maine
RC Willey — Salt Lake City, Utah
SK Mobile Works — Portland, Ore.
Sounds Great Stereo — Birmingham, Ala.
Tweeter Etc. — Canton, Mass.
Z Tech Audio + — Terre Haute, Ind.
Ziebart — Indianapolis, Ind.
Aaron Cook — Car Stereo Plus — Lynnwood, Wash.
Aaron Creech — JR’s Custom Auto Service — Irving, Texas
Anthony Aiello — Benchmark Motoring — Bellevue, Wash.
Billy Gormley — Audio Creations — Boca Raton, Fla.
Blake Thibodeaux — Bailey’s Audio — Lake Charles, La.
Bobby Carson — Ray’s Electronics — Addison, Ill.
Brad Dufrene — Prestige Customs & Autosound — Metairie, La.
Brad Eubank — Stereo One — Dickson, Tenn.
Brady Smith — The Hi-Fi Shop — Roy, Utah
Brian Fox — Audio Advantage — Cincinnati, Ohio
Brian Morris — Auto Sound Security & Accessories — Willoughby, Ohio
Brian Murphy — Best Buy — Mesquite, Texas
Chad Paredes — Extreme Audio Systems — Honolulu, Hawaii
Chad Petersen — Signature Audio — Scottsdale, Ariz.
Charles Dixon — Audio Logic — Hollywood, Fla.
Charles Maddy — Systems Unlimited — Bellevue, Wash.
Chris Norris — CN Sounds LLC — Fort Wayne, Ind.
Chris Pate — Car Toys — Tulsa, Okla.
Chris Yato — Elite Creations — Corona, Calif.
Dan Lixey — Extreme Car Audio — Grand Rapids, Mich.
Danny Britain — Stereo West Auto Toys — Omaha, Neb.
Darren Sprayberry — Al & Ed’s Autosound — Ontario, Calif.
Dave Ellers — Sound FX — Lewes, Del.
Dave Evans — Adrenaline Autosound — Clayton, N.C.
Dave Varga — Car Concepts — Salt Lake City, Utah
Derek Pace — Certified Sounds — Wailuku, Hawaii
Devin Oliver — Audio Advice — Glendale, Calif.
Dustin Santeler — Lakeside Audio Inc. — Conroe, Texas
Eddie Bodensiek — Advanced Audio Designs — Sharon, Mass.
Eric Hunn — Mobile-One Autosound — Metairie, La.
Eric Lepczyk — 215 Customs — Philadelphia, Pa.
Eric Lero — Sub Zero Sounds — Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Erich Nitz — Elite Car Audio Inc. — Sandy, Ore.
Frank Guarneros — Extreme Car Audio — Morristown, Tenn.
Garrick Allen — Abt Electronics — Glenview, Ill.
Glenn Story — Modern Image Car Audio — Moreno Valley, Calif.
Greg Murphy — VDYN LLC — Indianapolis, Ind.
Guerry Byers — Audio Outlaws — Buda, Texas
Harold Rivera — Quality Auto Performance Center — Colorado Springs, Colo.
Homer Tijerina — Ace’s Audio Alarm & Tint — Palmview, Texas
Jake Moore — Lux Audio Inc. — Rockwall, Texas
James Shields — North Olmstead Performance — North Olmstead, Ohio
James Stanton — Sound Sensations — Marietta, Ga.
Jason Grandmaison — Carisma Audio — Tampa, Fla.
Jason Kranitz — Kingpin Car Audio/Motoring — Wilsonville, Ore.
Jason Salas — AMS — Fitchburg, Wisc.
Jay Enge — Car-Fi — Springfield, Mo.
Jay Oliphant — Drive Customs — San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Jeff Meece — California Soundworks — Lancaster, Calif.
Jeff Sherrick — Traffic Jamz — Lancaster, Ohio
Jeff Smith — Sound Sensations — Marietta, Ga.
Jeremy Carlson — Extreme Performance — Palm City, Fla.
Jeremy Katz — Advanced Audio Designs — Sharon, Mass.
Jerry Batchelor — Ken’s Car Tunes — Mobile, Ala.
Jimmy Davis — JD Glass Works — Lubbock, Texas
Joe Provenzano — Audio Innovations — Glendora, Calif.
Joey Knapp — Pinnacle Autosound — Live Oak, Fla.
John Samp — Abt Electronics — Glenview, Ill.
Jon Clark — The Soundsource — Burlington, N.J.
Joseph Burnsworth — Audio Workx — Pittsburgh, Pa.
Joshua Landau — JML Audio of St. Louis — Fenton, Mo.
Keith Bass — Shades Custom Tint — Hewitt, Texas
Kent Izuka — Security and Sound Systems — Honolulu, Hawaii
Kenyon Lee — Audio Video Integration — Newton, Mass.
Kevin Dietz — Audio Excellence — Kaiser, Mo.
Louis Gonzales — Bay Area Audio Visions — Corpus Christi, Texas
Luke Gray — Hardcore Car Audio — Tucson, Ariz.
Mark Balzer — Imagine Audio — Cherry Hill, N.J.
Marlon Ramos — California Sound — San Bernardino, Calif.
Matt Murray — Audio Source Inc. — Columbus, Ind.
Micah Williams — SONUS Car Audio — Clarksville, Tenn.
Michael Ballowe — JML Audio of St. Louis — Fenton, Mo.
Michael Betts — Audio Workx — Pittsburgh, Pa.
Michael Jones — Custom Sound Works Car Audio and Performance — Lubbock, Texas
Mike McDaniel — Radio Clinic — Chattanooga, Tenn.
Mike Zakaryan — Lion Motoring — Boca Raton, Fla.
Monsour Baker — Audio Excellence — Orlando, Fla.
Paul Kauffman — Sound FX — Lewes, Del.
Pete Riker — The Specialists — Tucson, Ariz.
Rick Jones — Creative Audio Werks — Phoenix, Ariz.
Robbie Bruns — DC’s Mobile Electronics — Evansville, Ind.
Robert Bess — Audio Specialists — Hopkinsville, Ky.
Robert Davidoski — Mobile One Autosound — Houston, Texas
Rocky Palmer — California Custom Sounds — Moraine, Ohio
Roger Collins — Crush’s Custom Soundworks — Effingham, Ill.
Ronnie Ezzell — Tweeter — Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Sam Singleton — C.A.R. Audio & Security — Wake Forest, N.C.
Sandy Rhodes — Rhodes Rides — Woodinville, Wash.
Scott Whitehead — Benchmark Motoring — Bellevue, Wash.
Sean Young — Sound Decision — Montgomery, Ill.
Skip Fitch — Streetnoyz — San Diego, Calif.
Sonny DeVera — Benchmark Motoring — Bellevue, Wash.
Steve Coogle — Xtreme Autosound — Louisville, Ky.
Steve Grigorieff — Cave Audio — Woodburn, Ore.
Steve Pello — 212 Motoring — Brooklyn, N.Y.
Steve Pendergraft — Car Audio Innovations — Roseville, Calif.
Steve Yiu — Definitive Audio — Phoenix, Ariz.
Tim Olsen — Elite Creations — Corona, Calif.
Tom Miller — SK MobileWorks — Portland, Ore.
Wesley Cato — Anything Car Audio — Kenner, La.
Posted under The ShopHello friends & Ultra enthusiasts,
I am very proud to announce that ULTRA is now shipping our new FULL line for 2009 !!!
The “Early Bird gets the Worm”, our 2009 products are being released early due to public demand for more ULTRA offerings.
We have completed our offerings with THREE lines of performance subwoofers, Reference standard 6.5 separates and of course our new ULTRA 4200AM four channel and 1600AM mono block amplifiers.
All the new 2009 products are also “Standard Equipment” on the Christian Audigier and Ed Hardy limited edition $475,000.00 custom Escalade and Navigator, the Escalade was recently on display at the recent World famous Barret-Jackson auto auction in Arizona last month.
Another notable ULTRA enthusiast, Mr. George Foreman, with his new personal limo is loaded with ULTRA products to keep all his travels interesting.
Empire Coachworks also exclusively utilizes ULTRA products in all of their “High-end” vehicles as optional equipment.
We are very excited to say that all of our 2009 products are going to stir up excitement, American design and work ethics at its best.
We are proud to announce that James Hetfield from Metallica will be displaying his new truck built by Blue Collar customs at the PPG booth at SEMA.
The official public debut of our new products will be at the USACI World Finals and we will have our Award winning team member John Roberts representing ULTRA.
We also would like to tell everyone that custom car builders Rob Ida from Rob Ida concepts and Scott Mugford from Blue Collar customs now offer ULTRA products as optional equipment on all their high-end builds……. We have the best of the best on each coast !!!!!!
Come and visit our booth, ask for Brian Murphy our West coast regional sales and marketing director. He will personally be there to answer any questions and show off our new products !!!!
Posted under The ShopEver wonder what Car Audio looks like in another country?
I came across this page while searching another forum.
Members Page
I was blown away by the cars I saw.
I contacted the owner and asked for a little Bio.
My sound domain pages have a spread of work, all of mine but not all from the one shop.
A large portion of it is from when I had my own independent store (technik car audio), I have closed that shop and now work for a company that has three retail shops and also a fleet, trade and mining support company.
I am based at one of the retail stores and still do a fair bit of custom work but I am also the workshop manager and furthermore lend technical and fabrication support to all areas of the company.
Over my 16 years working full time in the industry I have worked for a number of shops, on both the east and west coasts of australia.
Gotta get going for now, nice to hear from you, take care mate.
Regards,
Michael Macey
http://www.mobilesolutions-usa.com/
Mobile Solutions is a one of a kind company that offers many Professional Training classes at their Tempe Arizona facility. They also teach seminars world wide.
We specialize in increasing the knowledge level, speed and precision required by today’s Car Audio Professionals!
Their parts catalog came out of the innovations related to custom fabrication. It’s a one stop shop for all your installation and fabrication needs.
http://www.mobilesolutions-usa.com/pdfs/2007-SmartPartsCatalog.pdf
Be sure and checkout the 2008 training schedule.
http://www.mobilesolutions-usa.com/pdfs/2008_Training_Program_Schedule.pdf
If you are already in the industry and want to learn more, then get yourself to a Mobile Solutions Training class. You won’t be disappointed.
AC/DC RADIO TO AIR ON XM RADIO
AC/DC band members will host “AC/DC Radio” on XM channel 53 and will broadcast non-stop AC/DC music from their three-decade career
“AC/DC Radio” will premiere in advance of the band’s upcoming studio album “Black Ice”
NEW YORK–September 9, 2008– SIRIUS XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced that legendary rock band AC/DC will host their own music channel on XM Radio. The channel will celebrate AC/DC’s iconic career and the upcoming release of Black Ice, the band’s first studio album in eight years. AC/DC Radio will be broadcast on XM channel 53 and will debut on Monday, September 15, 2008 at 6 pm ET through January 15, 2009.
AC/DC Radio will air AC/DC music 24/7, including classic rock recordings such as “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You),” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” and “Back in Black” as well as new songs from their Brendan O’Brien produced album, Black Ice (Columbia). The channel will also feature AC/DC band members Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson and Phil Rudd describing their singular rock & roll career spanning more than 30 years and sharing their personal insights into their music. The band will also guide XM listeners through an exclusive preview of every track on Black Ice, which will be sold in the U.S. exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club beginning Monday, October 20, 2008, and on the band’s web site www.acdc.com.
“AC/DC is an unparalleled and enduring force in rock music,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SIRIUS XM Radio. “We are thrilled to begin broadcasting AC/DC Radio and give AC/DC fans a channel on XM where they can hear the band’s distinctive music, uninterrupted and non-stop rock ‘n roll the way the band always envisioned their radio airplay.”
AC/DC Radio will offer fans exclusive access to the band and their music. AC/DC Radio listeners will also have the opportunity to choose their favorite AC/DC songs, with votes to be tallied and played back during the “Ultimate AC/DC Countdown.”
Australian rock band AC/DC has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. Back in Black has sold an estimated 42 million units worldwide and 22 million in the U.S alone, making it the fifth highest-selling album of all time. AC/DC was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003.
For more information, please visit www.xmradio.com.
Posted under The ShopSIRIUS XM Radio Provides Merger Update
Increased Estimate of Net Synergies to $425 Million in 2009
Provides Further Details on Synergies Estimates
Updates on 2008 – 2009 Financial Guidance
“Best of Both” to Launch October 6, 2008
NEW YORK – September 9, 2008 – SIRIUS XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) today provided an update on the company’s guidance, a detailed breakdown of expected 2009 synergies, and an outline of the company’s new “Best of Both” programming options.
The guidance and information was outlined today at the 2008 Merrill Lynch Media Fall Preview Conference in Marina del Rey, CA. An audiocast of today’s presentation by SIRIUS XM at the conference is available at the investor relations section of the company’s website, www.sirius.com. The audiocast will continue to be available until 5:00 pm, ET, on Tuesday, September 16, 2008.
The company provided the following new guidance for 2008 and 2009:
Subscribers
· The company expects to end 2008 with approximately 19.5 million subscribers and to end 2009 with approximately 21.5 million subscribers.
Revenue
· SIRIUS XM expects to post pro forma revenue of approximately $2.4 billion in 2008 and to post revenue of approximately $2.7 billion in 2009.
Adjusted EBITDA
· SIRIUS XM expects a pro forma adjusted EBITDA loss of approximately $350 million in 2008 and reiterated its previously stated financial guidance of approximately $300 million in positive adjusted EBITDA for 2009. Adjusted EBITDA is net income / (loss) before interest and investment income, interest expense (net of amounts capitalized), depreciation expense, and non-cash stock compensation expense.
Synergies
· SIRIUS XM announced it is increasing its estimate of net synergies to $425 million in 2009.
· The Company also provided a line item breakdown of how the expected 2009 synergies will be achieved, which will be available as an exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K that the company is filing today.
“We have made great strides over the last six weeks and continue to make progress integrating the company and delivering on our promises to customers and stockholders,” said Mel Karmazin, CEO of SIRIUS XM Radio. “We are finding significant cost savings on every line item of the P&L and are beginning to realize these synergies already. SIRIUS XM also continues to be one of the strongest growth stories in media, with pro forma revenue growth of approximately 17% in 2008.”
Today, the company also announced the content line-up for SIRIUS XM ’s new “Best of Both” programming options. As part of “Best of Both” programming, most current XM customers will continue to receive their existing XM service, and be able to obtain select SIRIUS programming. Likewise, most current SIRIUS customers will continue to receive their existing SIRIUS service and be able to obtain select XM programming. In addition to their existing service, SIRIUS and XM subscribers will be able to purchase the following channels:
|
SIRIUS on XM |
XM on SIRIUS |
| Howard 100Howard 101
Martha Stewart Living Radio SIRIUS NFL Radio * SIRIUS NASCAR Radio Playboy Radio |
NBA*NHL Home Ice *
Oprah & Friends The Virus Public Radio with Bob Edwards College Sports * PGA Tour |
| * Sports offerings will also include channels for play-by-play of NBA, NHL, NFL, and College Sports games. | |
Included on the “Best of” XM on SIRIUS will be such shows as Basketball and Beyond, hosted by Duke and Olympic basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski; Andretti Green, with driver Danica Patrick; 60/20, a sports magazine show by Luke Russert and James Carville; Indy Racing League car races; and games from the top college conferences, including the PAC 10, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East and ACC.
Karmazin stated, “We have been working closely with our content providers since the day the merger closed and have made significant progress in those discussions. The resulting “Best of Both” options we are outlining today represent another step towards fulfilling our promise of more choices and lower prices for our subscribers. We are very excited to begin offering existing and prospective listeners access to even more compelling programming and new packages.”
“Best of Both” programming will be available to satellite radio consumers beginning October 6, 2008 on most existing satellite radios at a monthly cost of $16.99. Also, the company’s full slate of new packages will be available to consumers on Oct. 6, including the opportunity to choose programming on an a la carte basis for the first time ever in subscription media.
Posted under The ShopIf you are a member of any Car Audio community then you have no doubt heard about the benifits of sound deadening your vehicle. It’s a proven fact that sound deadening can reduce road noise and help keep the sound in your vehicle and the rattles out. Have you seen the Sound Deadening Showdown? This website put many of the top sound deadening brands head to head to see who is on top. The sound Domain blog has covered sound deadening before. Check out this great info.
Try to Google Sound Deadener testimonials and you will find a few posts mixed in with ads and all sorts of nonsense. Sound Domain has decided it’s time we put all of them in one place. It’s time for The Official Sound Deadener Testimonial post. This is a place where you can share your experience. It’s not meant to be a commercial for any one brand. We all have our favorite brand and no one company fits everyone’s needs but please share your experience.
Well you soon will. Ultra is a company born and bred in the USA. Staten Island New York to be exact. Ultra believes in making quality products that you can beat on daily and they will keep working for you. No mass produced speakers with this company.
Brad Eubank from Stereo One in Dickson Tennessee, holds an IASCA World Record with TWO Ultra Monster 15’s. He scored a 162.3 in the Advanced One class at the NOPI Nationals. The funny part is Ultra doesn’t make SPL woofers. That record was broken with SQ woofers.
Ultra give a three year warranty on all of its product and they are Made in the USA.
The new and updated line will launch soon. It includes:
ULTRA A10
ULTRA A12
ULTRA 8
ULTRA 10
ULTRA 12
ULTRA SS-6
ULTRA 4200AM amplifier
ULTRA 1600AM amplifier
MONSTER 12
MONSTER 15
MONSTER 18
MONSTER 12 & 15 L.C.V.
Until the new website launches you can see pictures on Ultra’s Car Domain members page.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3128449
Be sure and stop by and check out some of the cool demo vehicles.
http://www.cardomain.com/id/UltraSubs
Here is a letter from the owner
My name is Lambros Vassiliou and I am the owner of Ultratech Autotronic Corporation, a small company out of NY. I have been producing hand built AMERICAN sub woofers for a little over 4 1/2 years. I did Research and Development work for Precision Power (PPI) on the Studio Drivers. I also worked with Esoteric Audio along with a few others. This was way back before all the mergers.
After many years in the 12 volt industry I got a little angry about companies promising the world and their products didn’t live up to their expectations. All I ended up with was irate customers and a ton of UPS bills. Those bills were created because of inferior products that needed to be shipped back to the manufacturers.
My wife told me one day “Hey you idiot,you helped everybody else with their subs and speakers ,why not make your own?” Then she added, “If you mess this up, I will kill you”.
I talked to a good friend who told me to “GO FOR IT”. This man was my mentor for many years. I sat down with the 10 years of speaker design background and made plans that I knew would work. I found an assembly line where I could hand make some subwoofers my way.
Something I should mention, is after sitting on the other side of the fence for many years, I had seen some ideas that would never work. When designing my speakers I learned from the mistakes of others and knew what to avoid with Ultrasubs. You learn a lot from making mistakes. Learning from others mistakes doesn’t cost you a dime.
Then a funny thing happened. When comparing the speakers I made to everything else out there, I knew I had finally created the product I was looking for. It’s a versatile, durable and great sounding speaker.
This is not some boardroom wrangling. My love and passion for this business has brought me right where I am supposed to be. Making quality speakers that people will love.
I didn’t care for expanding my company. This was a mission to prove to myself that I could do it.
After selling many speakers, we had no product come back for warranty issues. No failures means happy consumers and no more UPS bills.
Word of mouth got around and people started calling wanting to buy subwoofers. I was getting calls from Boston, Florida, California, and other areas of the country requesting my product. This was done without the typical internet marketing and the fan boys of the car audio forums.
I hired a national sales manager who didn’t seem to have passion for my company that I did. So I decided to “do it myself”.
After speaking to my trusted friend and mentor from Arc Audio, I decided to take his advice and do the sales end myself. He told me when Arc Audio first started he drove to dealers and sold the product out of the back of his truck. My friend’s advice drove me to make this business a reality. In 30 years I won’t be the guy saying “What if I did it my way?” I am doing it my way everyday. This is my company and my passion.
The speakers speak for themselves (pun intended). Every speaker has a 3 year REAL warranty. They work from as little as .5 cubic feet to as high as 1.5 cubic feet in a ported enclosure.
In a sealed application you get speed and accuracy In a ported enclosure you get bass that feels like it will knock your teeth out.
We do not authorize INTERNET SALES. We believe in making a strong relationship with our dealers and their customers. They will be the people you can talk to face to face. No faceless internet company can give you professional customer service. You won’t find Ultrasubs being sold unauthorized online.
I’m looking for dealers who believe in the products they sell. Dealers who love what they do and enjoy delivering a product that makes customers happy for years.
If Ultra sounds like a company for you:
Contact a local dealer http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3128449/3Email Ultra at ULTRASUBS@GMAIL.COM
Posted under Company ReviewsThis is our company demo car that we have been building for a few years now, making upgrades all the time to it.
1983 Buick Regal, all chrome removed and painted to match the new stock color paint, Grand National hood and deck lid spoiler. Both front and rear bumpers have been shaved. Lowered with Belltech dropped spindles in the front and coils in the rear. 16×8 Center Line Style 89 wheels.
1959 Chevy Impala dash heavily modified, 1966 Chevy Chevelle console, English Wool custom fit carpet, custom fabricated door panels, trim panels, headliner and every other piece of trim in the car. Dakota Digital Gauges.
Custom built bucket seats with custom Buick emblems.
Hand fabricated fiberglass trunk panels. ARC Audio ARC12″ subwoofers, ARC Audio FD1200.1 Mono Block, ARC Audio FD4150 4 channel amp. The whole car is wired with Hooker Audio wiring. Dakota Digital amp temperature and volt meters.
Custom bend white 10mm Neon lighting.
Chip Foose signed ARC Audio Foose series 4 Channel amplifier.
We built a complete custom front end for this Ferrari. We used about $7000US worth or European Hella lights and accessories. We replaced all the factory lighting on the front end of the car.
This is a custom air ride system we installed along with a Baer Brake front and rear disc upgrade kit, Bilstein shocks, 19″ Asanti wheels and a Dakota Digital air ride controller
We finished this job a while pack, thought we would post it up for you to see.
New gauge install
We just finished up this crazy system in a 26 foot Pontoon party barge. We installed 8 pairs of ARC Audio FD6000 components, 4 AVI SLS300 subs, 2 ARC Audio Foose 4150 4 channels and 2 ARC Audio Foose 1200.1 mono blocks.
We build two home theater style down firing enclosures for under each of the boats coolers.
We used two AVI SLS-300 woofers in each box, the small opening beside the terminal cup is a conduit for the drain tube of the cooler above the box to properly run through and out the floor of the boat.
8 Pairs of Arc Audio FD6000 components make this boat scream. The use of multiple Federal Signal FireRay stobes make this boat the ultimate party barge. These lights are commonly found on EMS trucks etc, so they are bright !
All the panels were made from treated marine plywood, then the speaker plates were molded to project the sound upwards and opposite from one another to eliminate any chance of phasing issues in such small quarters.
And yes……….for those that noticed, that is a full fledged brass stripper pole !!
Custom welded and powder coated steel amp rack for easy access and wiring off all the major components.
This purple rotating beacon is tied into a dimmer module and air horns, it’s a “Shot Caller”. When the horns and light go off, it’s time to take another drink !
Drunk proofing the system as best as you can.
Click here for a short video clip of the boat in action !
Posted under 26' Pontoon Boat, Vehicle ProjectsWe finally got the door panels finished for the Camaro.
This is what we started with when we got the car.
This is the new ABS door panel base. This is what we will build off of.
We needed to build some tweeter grilles for the tweeters in the door. I actually took the arm rest and traced it out on paper, I then downsized it to the size I wanted, while keeping the general look of the arm rest. I then made a plug out of 3/4″ mdf from which I did a combination of rabbeting and flush cut to get my template. I then transfered that over to ABS, used a round over on it and then inset studs to mount the grille to the panel. Once we had the grille trim all smoothed out I textured it and gave it a couple of coats of satin black and low luster clear to protect it. THEN, I took my template again and made another piece that will be mounted to the door panel. This will give the grille a “molded up” look to it, basically it will raise the tweeter grille up and make it look like it kinda grew out of the panel.
This shows the “riser” for the tweeter grille.
We also made a riser piece for the two edges of the top sections.
We then took 1/8″ landau foam and covered the three top sections, sanded the foam and we are all ready to go.
Then we wrapped each section separately.
We then started gluing each section to the door panel.
A bit of a closeup showing the rises between the sections.
Finished product. (I hate photographing black, never shows the color right……)
Almost every car sold now in the world comes with a CD player as a factory feature, so why do people still want to remove them ? They want to get better sound quality and better features then what the OEM is offering. People think that stock systems are now at a all time high as far as sound quality but it just isn’t true. In the 80’s and 90’s we had tapes, that was the standard back then and they sounded OK but nothing special, the fancier systems like “Bose” and other sounds a little better, but nothing to write home about. Today the standard is CD so all the cars have CD players and most people think that because it has a CD player now it’s a much better sound system, but it’s not. It’s the same thing we have always had. Now there are some cars out there like the Acura TL and the new Lexus that have really good sound systems but we all can’t afford those kinds of cars.
In the modern car, is it worth replacing the factory CD player with an aftermarket one? Yes it is and if you choose to do this there are so many options out there for you. With most aftermarket head units you can now expand them so far beyond just a tuner and CD player it isn’t funny.
We live in a portable world, and the portable world is ruled by the Apple iPod. Every head unit company out there has teamed up with Apple to allow you to control your iPod from your head unit just like you could with a CD Changer. Radio is a ever changing world as well, you have your standard AM/FM radio that we have always known but now you have the world of digital quality Satellite radio from Sirius and XM Radio. With hundreds of channels at your finger tips, you will always be able to listen to something that you like, for $12.95 a month. The owners of terrestrial radio stations are losing listeners left right and center to Satellite radio because of it’s higher quality so they got behind the movement of HD (High Definition) radio. Now we have seen radio formats come and go over the years all claiming better sound but the radio stations never got behind it. Now that Clear Channel (the largest terrestrial radio company in the world) has gotten behind the format, it seems to be here to stay.
Navigation has been around for years now, but it has only been in the last year or so that it has become affordable and portable. You can get your head unit with navigation built in or you can have a portable stand alone unit that you mount to your dash or suction cup to the window to guide you to your destination.
Bluetooth is one of those formats that was finally agreed upon by the manufacturers as being a standard of wireless communication between devices. While it is used everywhere these days, the one place that has greatly benefited from it is the automotive world. Bluetooth Hands-free in-car cellular kits will make the roads a much safer place. Back in the 80’s, in-car cellular phones had the hands-free feature with them, well when the world went portable, these were forgotten by most companies. Bluetooth now allows you to wirelessly hook up your cellular phone to a hands-free kit so you can keep your hands on the road and not holding your cell phone while trying to drive (yeah you know who you are). While these are stand alone units, almost all head units have this as a option as well, so not only do you have the safety of hands-free communication, it will also mute your stereo when a call comes in and allows you to control your phone from your radio.
Companies like Harmon Kardon has gone so far as to incorporate iPod, Bluetooth Hands-free and Sirius satellite all into one stand alone unit that can be added to any car.
The stock radios of today’s vehicles are integrated into the dash board more then ever. The simple fact is that in more and more cars the radios simply can not be removed from the vehicle. Auto manufacturers are running more and more vehicle functions thru the radio then they ever have. If you need or want to retain your stock head unit but upgrade your system, there are modules to help you do that, there are also modules so if you remove your factory radio you can retain your steering wheel controls, retain your Onstar system, retain your Bluetooth cellular system, and retain almost anything or add anything.
Posted under Our Rants & Ramblings, The IndustryThe year is 1985 and the stereo system in your new vehicle is just not good. It doesn’t sound good, it doesn’t look good and it didn’t have a CD player. Fast forward to the year 2006 and the stereo system in your new vehicle is pretty darn good, or is it?
Factory stereos overall quality in vehicle are at an all time high. With features like a CD player (not even a tape deck anymore), MP3, iPod ready, steering wheel controls, rear mounted controls, satellite ready, navigation and Bluetooth cellular hands free they have all the bells and whistles. Some cars manufacturers have even gone to the aftermarket companies to help them with their factory stereos by even badging them with names like Rockford Fosgate, Alpine, Pioneer, Dynaudio, Infinity and Boston Acoustics. Can you get any better then this? Sure you can, but you have to know a thing or two or three or maybe four for it to sound better then what the factory has provided for you.
The first thing you need to know is about head units, decks, source units. They are all the same thing just pick your terminology. In the modern car, is it worth replacing the factory CD player with an aftermarket one? For 75% of the people that want to improve their sound quality of their vehicle it is not worth replacing their CD player sounds just fine. The stock radios of today’s vehicles are integrated into the dash board more then ever. So why do people do it, well it’s because the general public has been conditioned to think that if it’s stock then it must be no good (remember our step back to 1985). The simple fact is that in more and more cars the radios simply can not be removed from the vehicle. Auto manufacturers are running more and more vehicle functions thru the radio then they ever have. Yes you can buy modules to take care of this but is it really worth it?
These days everything is done with a module. If you remove your factory radio you can get a module to retain your steering wheel controls, retain your Onstar system, retain your Bluetooth cellular system, and retain almost anything or add anything.
We asked if it was going to sound better, the simple matter of the truth is that the CD players provided in a KIA sounds no better or worse then the CD player found in a Lexus and most aftermarket decks are not going to sound any better either. And with the crazy flashy cosmetics of most aftermarket decks is it even going to look good in the dash board of your car. If you fall into that 25% that really want that higher sound quality, your going to have to be prepared to spend some good money on a higher end unit.
People will say “well the stock deck doesn’t have RCA’s on it, how do I plug my amplifiers into it. We have a module, several in fact to take care of that.
The simple fact of the matter is, if you want better sound spend your money on speakers, amplifiers and subwoofers.
The second thing you need to know about is speakers. A speaker is the most important part of a stereo system; after all it is what you hear the music coming from. If you have good speakers you will have good sound, bad speakers and you will have bad sound (back to 1985 again). Well what is a good speaker you ask? Ask 10 salesmen and you will get 12 opinions. Go online and ask 10 people on a forum and you will get 30 people responding with just as many opinions. The best sounding speaker is, are you ready for it? It’s the one that sounds the best. Brands, models, wattage, color, looks and opinions aside the only speaker worth buying is the one your ears like and the only way to tell this is to listen to them. Go into a store, tell the sales people to stop talking and listen to the speakers. The best sounding ones that you can afford are the ones you should leave with.
Not every speaker will fit into every car so you want to make sure you are listening to the type of speaker that may be installed in your vehicle. Any reputable shop will be able to custom mount most speakers into any car but you want to make sure they have the capabilities.
The third thing that you need to know about is amplifiers. Amplifiers do just that, they amplify the music coming out of your radio. Just like speakers, people ask “well what is a good amplifier”. This is a little trickier to explain then speakers because if a cheap pair of speakers sounds good to a person then that is ok. With amps there are as many cheap amps as there are good amps, and by cheap we mean poor quality. The market is flooded with cheap crap in every corner of the world. To sort this out you need to do a little research and find a good reputable shop or person to help you thru this mass confusion that can and will be brought on by the hundreds of options out there. Matching up the power ratings of the amp with the speaker is a good thing but it not written in stone; for the most part you can never have too much power when it comes to speakers. You will always do more damage to a speaker by under powering it then you will over powering it. It’s like having a 4 cylinder motor or an 8 cylinder motor. When you’re driving fast the four cylinders simply has no more and tops out, well then a speaker “tops” out it will keep trying to play louder and that is when distortion happens and that kills more speaker then anything else. With the 8 cylinder you can just keep going and going (yes you will also run out of power at some point, but as quick).
The fourth thing that you need to know about is subwoofers. Most people think that if they add a subwoofer they are now one of those annoying “ground pounders” that drive around and piss everyone off. Adding a subwoofer means nothing of the sort, in fact it simply means that you want to have a complete and enjoyable sound in your car. Subwoofers come in all sizes and even shapes and finding one to suit your car and your needs is as simple as talking to your qualified shop about what you need.
The last thing and the most important things is installation. This is an area where everyone says they can do what you want and how you want it but few are actually capable of doing a quality and professional job. Some things to look for and know when it comes to who you are going to get to work on your vehicle and what to expect when having a installation done.
Is this all of it ? Not even close, it would take a few dozen of these magazines to even come close. It really comes down to finding the right person and shop to deal with. Service is everything, everyone will give you the “lowest price guarantee” but can they give you service over and over again. There is never a dumb question so if you ever have a question please email us at info@hzemall.com
Remember, “a fool and his money will soon be parted” so do some research and ask some questions.
Posted under Our Rants & Ramblings, The IndustryA little while back I wrote, “Getting a Deal?” and I want to expand on this a little. You see I really do not understand why people do the things they do to “save” money, as I stated in the article. NOW, with that said what really blows me away is that the customer, dealership or Insurance company will question a person who fixes the issue more than the person who claims to have fixed the issue. A little confusing you say??? Well here is how it’s works. Customer has an issue with the car; in most cases they bring the car back to the Dealership where for some reason the Dealership cannot find the issue…. IF the car has any aftermarket product installed it is then sent back to the shop where the product was install with breakdown explaining that the Aftermarket product is now the cause of the issue but with no proof. This will most likely cost the customer a few hundred dollars and the added bonus of the car still having the issue. Ok, the car now shows up and the Aftermarket Installer takes a look at the car, and time after time in my own personal experience I have found that the issue has nothing to do with the aftermarket product installed and is a warranty issue and the Dealership should have taken care of it. Now before we fix the car, if possible, we show the customer what the issue is and then bill out for time spent in properly diagnosing the issue. If the car is older and out of warranty the customer is even more upset when they get a bill. My question is to everyone out there is: WHY ARE YOU MAD AT THE GUY WHO FIXED YOUR CAR????? I would think you would be upset at the person who billed you out to tell you the obvious issue with your car that you knew before coming in, in fact that is why you came into the shop in the first place.
Example: Customer has an older out of warranty car, the Battery keeps dying, the customer brings the car back to the dealership where he bought it new, they tell him the battery needs to be replaced, bills him and sends him on his way. Few day later the battery is dead again, so now the dealership tell the customer the Alternator needs to be replaced, bills him and sends him on his way, few days later the battery is dead again, the dealership now tells him they have no idea what is the issue and it will take a few days for them to hunt down the issue. It is fair to say now that the car is completely OEM (Which means no aftermarket product install ever). The customer who has now spent a lot of money and still has the same issue he had in the beginning now brings us the car to have a look. We had the car for about an hour and started to look over the car to see what could cause the battery to drain, turns out in the end it was a faulty trunk switch keeping the trunk light on, we unplug the light and now the car’s battery doesn’t die. The Customer is kind of pissed that we billed him an hour and show him what we found, BUT we fixed his car and he knows it…but he never goes back to the Dealership to question them in why he needed to buy an alternator and battery and yet still have the issue…. my favorite is when the Dealership tells the customer that there is no way the light could killed the battery and that they will not refund him any money and show him the door. Where is the customer service in that???
Claudio Piccolo
Posted under Our Rants & RamblingsWe made a bunch of progress on the Camaro this weekend.
When the car came in, the air ride tank, the solenoids and the compressors were all mounted to the floor with drywall screws. We welded up a frame work for the compressors and solenoids out of 1/2″ square tubing. We welded flat bar to the rack and then drilled and tapped them to mount everything to it. We bolted the tank to the floor and then the rack was bolted to the mounting tabs of the tank.
We then sprayed the rack with an epoxy coating from Eastwood, it’s “Satin Black Chassis Paint”
Next up was the amp rack. The car has some issues with the trunk sealing properly sometimes so we wanted to make sure that should water get into the trunk there was nothing there that would be damaged by water. Traditionally we would make the amp rack out of MDF but if water gets into the trunk, it won’t last very long. We took some more 1/2″ square tubing and welded up the amp rack and welded flat bar to mount the amps to it just like the air ride rack.
We then welded the top section of the rack and welded mounting tabs to it so it can be secured into the truk. Like the air ride rack, we sprayed it with the Eastwood Chassis Epoxy Paint.
The amp rack is bolted to the floor of the trunk using thread inserts and stainless bolts/washers.
We relocated the battery to the trunk. Using thread inserts we mounted the rack to the floor of the car. We then welded up a simple bracket that we mounted the Streetwires combo fuse block to, we then drilled and tapped the side of the battery rack to mount the combo block bracket.
Like all the other racks in the trunk, we coated them with the Eastwood Epoxy Chassis Paint. We mounted the heavy duty relays for the compressors out of the way behind the hinges. We also mounted the main ANL fuse for the cars electrical system for easy access.
We also started framing the subwoofer box between the rear seats. It will be housing two 8″ woofers that will be firing against the back seat sheet metal and will be ported out the bottom/front of the console/enclosure.
One of our good customers wanted to update the front of his Navi, we searched high and low and the only things we could find was your typical billet grille but no lower. E&G makes a mesh grille, but it looks like a chicken coupe and they don’t have a lower either and the STRUT package in Canada is WAY overpriced. We found a mesh grille that had really fine mesh from Putco that is part of their “Liquid Mesh Grille” line, but again they didn’t make a lower. Everyone has a lower up to 2003, but nothing for the newer one. We got the Putco grille ordered in only to find out that it is meant to go over the stock plastic section, there was no way in HELL that was going to happen, so we cut up the stock grille and fabricated our own mounts so that it fit flush with the plastic part of the grille. We then order a grille from a 2004-2006 Ford F-150 since it had the largest piece of mesh in it and decided to make our own.
We made a template out of cardboard of what we wanted the lower grille to look like and got it fitting perfect. We then transferred the template to 1/4″ MDF (so it would still bend) and got that to fit perfect in the opening. Finally we took a piece of 3/8″ aluminum and adhered the MDF template to the aluminum plate. We then fired up the router and the lube and 2 hours later we had a new grille surround. Once we had the piece made, we rabbeted a 1/4″ groove on the back for the mesh to recess into from the back. Once we had the grille made, we then begin the painful task of slowly and carefully bending the grill to match the curve of the bumper. Using body parts (chest and legs) and tables as bending tools we got the grille bent perfectly Billy Lane style.We fabricated a half dozen mounting tabs and adhered them to the grille. Using thread inserts into the lip of the bumper we test fitted everything into plate. Starting with 120grit sandpaper and going up to 2000 we slowly worked our way up to a dull polish. Several rubbing compounds and polishes later we had a pretty cool looking grille. We then cut the F150 grille apart and mounted the mesh into our new grille.
We recently got the PDF proofs for the magazine article that was done on the shop. Each month Performance Plus profiles 2 or 3 shops in Western Canada and we were picked as one of the shops to be featured.
Click on the thumbnail for the fullsize version.
Posted under Company Reviews, The ShopI have been burning up my PVR this week with the 40ish hours of Barrett Jackson and as I am watching what is called “Prime Time” at the auction I have some observations that I would like to talk about.
Thumbs Down - It is no secret that BJ has been setting the bar for the car market for years no, but in a lot of ways they have unintentionally also driven the price of cars up. Not every old car is a one off, low mileage collector car but there are way to many people out there who think that because they saw a Camaro or Mustang go for X amount of dollars that they will get close to that for theirs.
How many of these low mileage cars are really out there ? How do we really know they are low mileage ? We can verify options, models etc with hard facts, but what system to they use to verify mileage ? Where do all these build sheets, window stickers and protector plates come from ? We have all owned these cars and who was thinking 30 years ago to save these things ? How are these things verified to be original or are they just reproductions like so much else that people use to “restore” these cars ?
I have been working on cars for long enough to know that A LOT of these reproduction restoration parts are crap, the fit and finish on most is garbage, are these 6 figure cars built with this crap ? I know there are a lot of authorized parts out there, but there are more nonauthorized then there are authorized. I hear lots of people talk about how they changed the color of the car during the restoration process, why does this not affect the price on some of these cars, if they put a period correct upgrade item on the car it sure as hell knocks the price all to hell. I don’t get it.
Shouldn’t it be against a law or a rule that Craig Jackson can bid on cars ? It’s obvious he is trying to bump the price, it just doesn’t look right. The most annoying thing I find with the whole BJ process is everytime bidding stalls or the price is lower Craig or Steve jump up and start spewing stuff that is in the program. I am pretty sure that anyone who is looking at a particular car knows all about it, I’m sure they aren’t hiding the fact that it was owned by Carroll Shelby, or it was one of a kind etc. I think it is in poor taste and unprofessional to tell the bidders that this is well under the “market” value and they should bid more. It’s not a secret that the numbers are down as far as overall sales this year. I think by them jumping in all the time and almost begging people to pay more for car just because it’s at Barrett Jackson is disturbing and unprofessional, not to mention makes them look very pathetic.
Am I the only one who thinks that Craig Jackson looks like the JOKER when he smiles or grins ?? Steve……..take off the sunglasses, you look like a dork…..
Thumbs Up - Just like other years, I use this 40 hours of coverage to get a constant crash course in the automotive world. I was not even crawling when a lot of these cars were sold new so having the chance to learn is a great honor for me. I enjoy learning what the different models are, options that were offered and what infact makes some of these cars 6 or 7 figure cars. As a shop owner in this industry, it is a huge benefit to be able to constantly be able to learn about the hobby and industry that I love so much.
I find SPEED TV’s coverage as always to be exceptional. The knowledge the crew of commentators have is simply remarkable. Speaking of knowledge…………. Steve Magnante, what is with this guy ??? His knowledge of vehicle RPO codes and VIN numbers is simply bind boggling. There are lots of people who specialize in certain models of cars or even one manufacturer, but the depth of his knowledge is almost scary. I can only imagine that he has a photographic memory or something to be able to retain such detailed information, especially at his age.
I liked the increase of charity auctions this year and I like that this is the first year that BJ stated clearly that they did not collect or charge any fee’s (makes me wonder about previous years) on the charity auctions. Seeing guys like Tony Steward do so much for charity there makes me proud to be a Tony Stewart fan.
Neutral Things - I have really enjoyed seeing A LOT of nice cars going for fair money. There are better deals at BJ then on eBay and in my local classifieds. I also think that some cars went for way more then they are worth.
While it is cool that all the cars are sold at no reserve, I think that a lot of car owners get screwed for reasons outside of their control. It’s a shame to see cars sold for half or a quarter of what it would cost to build them when others go for huge money. I think for a person to build a custom car and take it to BJ is a huge risk. Based on this years auction, the amount of cars undersold is greater then the cars that are sold for fair money.
I get real tired of watching the same old Cudas, Corvette, Camaro’s and Mustangs year after year. I was really thrilled to see the huge increase in Fifties “float” cars like the Chryslers, Dodges, Pontiacs and so many more. I loved the increase in Impala’s and Pontiacs. I am also very glad they didn’t have the onslaught of music “crap” like they did in 07.
Well enough of my rant, still have a hour to go tonight and 4 hours tomorrow so i am sure I will find more to rant about.
Posted under Our Rants & RamblingsNever look for a good deal. Look for a good relationship.
Why? It’s simple, if you can find a good shop, they can help you spend your money on the right things. That is always a better deal then not having what you really wanted all along.
If all you want is a pair of Alpine 12’s in a box, then any shop will be happy to help. But when you walk into the right shop and say you want that, don’t be offended if you are asked more questions like what sort of music do you listen to, what car are you driving, do you have an amplifier, and there are hundreds more possible. It may sound like that sales person is just trying to get you to buy something else… but in reality, if they are a good sales person they are building a relationship with you. They are trying to understand some of your underlying needs and from that they can share their library of experience with you to help find wat you really want.
You see, that Brand X and size Z is just a label. Let’s compare it to shopping for shoes. Nike makes a mean pair of bball sneaks. But I’ve never seen the swoosh on a pair of hockey skates. They make soccer shoes, but are they better than Addidias? And who would wear a pair of Giorgio Brutini’s while white water rafting? No one! But every component in car audio has a purpose, strong points and weaknesses. A good shop knows their product line and their installers know your car. They can help you choose the right equipment and use it in the best way possible - no matter your budget.
Ok, they can’t do a complete alarm with autostart, windows, locks, hood, trunk, pager and the works in a VW Squareback for under $300, but they can help you choose the right starting point and install it right with the understanding that you intend to power the windows and thus need the outputs ready.
It’s always a good idea to ask questions about your car. Find out what they have done and what they have seen. If you are like me, bring in magazines or photos of things you like when it comes to custom work. Talk to the installers if you can. Discuss the ideas you have, the ones they have and talk about options too. Separates (mids and tweets) are more expensive and may be exactly what you came in for, but the shops’ experience may tell you that the best location for your front speakers means the cheaper co-axials. You would be surprised how many of the best sounding cars do not have an active mid in the door and tweeter up high.
Whenever it comes to spending a dollar on install work or a dollar on equipment, that dollar is best spent on custom work. Again, anybody can have a pair of 12’s in a box. How about a slick fiberglass enclosure for a single 12 that molds into your trunk yet rocks out just as much (if not more) than that 12″ pair in some nappy old box?
So…. about me - I’m NOT in the industry. I did work at a couple of shops way back when, but I’m the kid that read Car Audio and Car Stereo Review under the covers while the other kids had comic books. My first CD player was a Sony something (cdx-800 maybe?) car audio unit that I had to go to Radio Shack and buy a 12 volt power supply to use. I wasn’t 16 and when my dad discovered it, I was in a heap of trouble. He dragged me back into the store and made me return it. My eyes had barely dried, then the restocking fee hit me. Like I said, I’ve worked in car audio, but I’ve really just always been a customer. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on equipment and done probably as many hours behind the screw gun as well. Now I make computers work while planning the next ultimate system.
Every journey begins with the first step. That step into the right shop is the most important.
Posted under Our Rants & Ramblings, The Industry
