The Southeast’s Car Audio Blog
Pictures of Kicker’s QS60.2, their new high-end car audio component set for 2009. Shipping weight is 12.5lbs.
Packaging
Midbass
Woven tinsel Leads
Center of midbass
Phase plug
Crossover without cover
Tweeter
Tags: kicker qs60.2
March 2009 - They’re everywhere. You hear them at the mall, in the McDonald’s parking lot, and even driving through your neighborhood late at night; those booming car stereo systems. Surely they’re not all gun-toting, pants falling, gangster types intent on creating havoc and disturbing the peace. So what’s up with all the wall shaking mayhem? Find out in the March 2009 issue of Playboy. FloridaSPL.com provides inside information as writer George Prochnik explores the underground scene of sound pressure level competitions in Florida and around the world. Read interviews of Tommy “The King of Bass” McKinnie, Buzz Thompson, and Robin “MP3 Pimp” Butler. There’s even a cameo of Florida’s very own Michael “Gorilla Heavyweight” Hadden. Get to the roots of what drives an SPL (Sound Pressure Level) competitor to the brink of madness, catch up on the strange fascination with car audio you had as a high-schooler, and see where the extremists have taken it today.
Mobile Electronics Magazine Bestows Honor Voted by Industry Members
TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2009 – Alpine Electronics of America, Inc., the industry-leading manufacturer of automotive mobile media solutions, has been honored with the award for “Best Ever” CD receiver by Mobile Electronics magazine. The online poll of the mobile electronics industry was conducted during the fall of 2008 and Mobile Electronics recently presented the award to Alpine.
In 1989, Alpine introduced the 7909 (with an SRI of $1,200) as the company’s flagship AM/FM CD receiver, targeted to audiophile consumers and auto sound competitors. The 7909 was best known for its incredible sound quality at a time when the CD format was gaining major popularity in the car. It used a dual Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) architecture designed to outperform other single DAC-based CD receivers. The 7909’s 18 bit, 18x oversampling technology used with a 1 bit DAC delivered the best possible sound reproduction for CDs. The unit also featured CD Straight, which allowed the audio signal to bypass the bass, treble, balance and fader controls for the purest sound reproduction in the automotive aftermarket. Its 4-volt preamp outputs helped to further reduce noise.
The 7909’s performance made it a favorite among consumers and a popular source unit for International Auto Sound Challenge Association (IASCA) competitions. In 1998, Alpine re-introduced the 7909 Anniversary Edition, tied-in to the company’s 20th anniversary in North America. Acknowledging the changes in consumer use, the Anniversary Edition did not have the Quick Release Bracket (QRB) pull-out chassis design that was found on the original 7909. Today, the 7909 still enjoys a strong cult following among car audio enthusiasts.
“Alpine has always held exceptional sound quality as one of our key tenets, and the 7909 set this foundation for Alpine’s Engineering Team. This knowledge ultimately influenced Alpine’s product design principles, resulting in its strong reputation for sound quality,” said Stephen Witt, vice president, marketing, Alpine Electronics.
Tags: alpine
We’ve again uploaded the latest IASCA rules for those who don’t wish to create an account on IASCA.com to simply download their rules. Spread the word, no account needed here.
The rules are located here:
http://FloridaSPL.com/iasca_rules
Real factory stereo systems didn’t really start flourishing until the aftermarket companies made a huge impact on the car manufacturers in the 1990s. The problem is, the same companies that made in-dash changers and USB inputs were the same companies making the lackluster headunits in the OEM cars. Back in the day, it was given that you would gut the original stereo and put in something with some versatility and some balls. And after the vehicle manufacturers caught on, they started demanding fancy gizmos and even countermeasures installed in their factory radios to make them less appealing to replace, or even impossible to remove.
Well, this 1986 Toyota doesn’t have that problem.
After we removed the factory Dolby Noise Reduction Cassette Tuner, installed an Alpine in-dash DVD player and upgraded the dash speakers, it was time for a little bottom end enhancement. You see, the first two years that Toyota released the MR2 in the US, they included a factory 5 ¼ inch subwoofer under the driver’s seat.
Don’t get yourself all worked up. Since the only other speakers in the car are 4 inchers, it was all they could do to bolster the well-needed lower frequencies. But after 23 years, the foam surround on this factory subwoofer is shot.
And we’re not interested in shopping the market for a replacement to the measly performance of this generation-old bass maker. It’s time for a modern upgrade to match the other components in the system.
If you’ve paid any attention to the DIY home speaker market at all you’ve heard of the Tang Bands. They’re an inexpensive Chinese manufacturer of well-built drivers that people prefer to audition before they announce what you’re listening to. We got a hold of a TB W6-1139SI subwoofer for this project. 
Since we’re using the factory amp, which is used to a 4ohm driver, we wanted to keep it simple and power a single driver in the MR2. The TB just fit. And no pun intended; there isn’t any room for a subwoofer in an MR2. The factory sub is under the driver’s seat. We chose the area behind the driver’s seat for our sub.
Here’s what we did:
Take a 6 inch piece of PVC tube
Cut it to 17 inches long.
Make an MDF plug for the end with a router
Install and epoxy the endcap in the tube
Drill some holes in the other end for attaching the sub
Install a piece of closed-cell foam dampening in one end
Cut a piece of closed-cell foam for a seal around the sub
Drill a hole in the factory subwoofer for the wiring
Install that sucker in the car and get to jamming
This is a substantial improvement over the factory subwoofer. Of course all of you 6ft plus Deuce owners are out of luck. The seat won’t go all the way back. But if you’re really jonesing for some bass in your ride, then suck it up and put one of these behind the passenger seat. Or if you’re really looking for performance, get an amp and power one behind each seat.
Registration is now open for Spring Break Nationals 2009.
So you’ve got yourself one of those fancy horseless carriages with the unique distinction of an audiophile’s wet dream; it’s got dash speakers. The problem is, they’re tiny. They could be 3.5, 4, or if you’re lucky….4×6 inches! Whoo hoo! Hold up Custer. Those Little Bighorns in your dash are going to cause you as much trouble as Crazy Horse if you’re not careful.
You see, the larger the cone area on your speakers, the lower the resonant frequency is. Since you’re relying on these preemie babies to cover the transition in the audible range from your lows (which are typically crossed over somewhere between 80 and 100 Hz) to your midrange (if you’re lucky you’ll get a clean response all the way down to 80) then those pitiful electroacoustical transducers in your Model T are going to have their work cut out for them. Since the back waves of the speakers are firing into the cavernous void of airbags, evaporators, and speedo cables they’re essentially running infinite baffle. Baffling I know, but at that rate when the first beat of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch rips through your quasi-air dielectric bi-wired individually paralleled insulated Litz constructed speaker cables, your wee drivers are going to hop like Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA.
What’s the solution you say? Two words: sealed enclosures. I know, I know, the door speakers in your wife’s Fiat X-19 sound great, and that’s not exactly Grant’s catacomb. What gives Buzz? Ok, ok, I’ve got two more words: antiphase radiation. No, it’s not some 1950’s propaganda concept designed to convince you that nuclear fallout is good for your teeth. It’s what’s happening in that mysterious place abaft your dinky diaphragms. Every time you jam your Esteban instructional discs, your speakers are creating sound through the front and back of the cones. If the back waves meet your ears at the same time as the front waves, then most of the sound is cancelled out. (This is why your Funky Pups sound like EVs when you play them out of the box.)
Those door speakers may be playing into a vibrational, diffractional, reflectional, partition, but at least they’re not playing down through the top of your dash and into the listening area like those cramped co-axials under your windscreen. Those back waves are wreaking havoc on your speakers’ ability to reproduce accurate sound, much less down to the critical frequencies that you need to transition out of your subs’ range.
You’re thinking, “You’re asking me to remove my dash and build a complex fiberglass enclosure behind my speakers? You’re a lunatic!” Well, you may be right. I may be crazy. But it just may be a lunatic you’re looking…..sorry. I got distracted. NO! I’m going to show you what to do:
So you’ve got your high-fidelity factory dash speaker……
Go ahead. Check out your hair in that dust cap…..
Once you remove the speaker, you could find anything in there……
If you find any rodents, food, children, or trash, throw it away. If you find money or beer, send it to FloridaSPL.com here: http://www.floridaspl.com/forums/payments.php
You’re going to need some supplies to get working…..
Most important; beer. After that, you will need some sound deadening sheets like Damplifier, Dynamat, etc., a closed cell foam product like Overkill pro, a knife to cut them with, a surface to cut them on, and some spray adhesive.
You start by placing strips of the sound deadening sheets inside with the goal being to create a bowl or cup shape in the hole.
Keep in mind that your speakers have to fit in the dash when you’re done. So use common sense when building your enclosure. Make sure your speaker’s magnet and terminal connections will fit when you’re done.
Building this enclosure as air-tight as possible is the objective.
I built the bowl shape with lots of strips and then I sealed the top edge with these little rectangles you see here.
If you only have the self adhesive mats, you’re done. Install your speakers and enjoy the sonic benefits. But if you’re going all-out with the closed cell foam, keep reading.
Since the bowl shape is symmetrical, I cut 4 equal pieces and sprayed them with adhesive.
And then I sprayed the adhesive in the bowl.
Spray glues work best when they’re allowed to tack up (dry slightly) so go pour another beer while you wait.
Next, carefully position the pieces in the enclosure for maximum coverage.
You’re looking to create a non-reflecting environment to absorb the back waves and reduce the,……wait for it……..antiphase radiation.
Building an enclosure behind the speakers will increase the power handling, improve the sonic accuracy, and reduce diffraction created by those pesky little back waves.
Now you can install your Kracos and jam Zamfir through the hood with pride.
Since Sirius XM has now had some time to work things out from the merger, they’ve finally released some information on combining their programming.
One option for those of wanted the best of both worlds of XM and Sirius, they’ve ironically came up with the “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 100 NBA Howard 101 NHL Home Ice Martha Stewart Living Oprah & Friends SIRIUS NFL Radio Public Radio with Bob Edwards SIRIUS NASCAR Radio College Sports Playboy Radio PGA Tour
“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.
Tags: a la carte, sirius, xm
With the absence of NOPI Nationals this year, JBird Productions has been working diligently to duplicate this annual super-show and has done an excellent job in taking the reins on such a short notice and the event is shaping up nicely. With the venue changed to an indoor/air conditioned event at the Georgia International Convention Center this will hopefully save the crowd from those familiar NOPI sunburns and provide a much more enjoyable environment.
As for the car audio side of things, you will not want to miss this event! So far, three organizations (IASCA, MECA, CAN) will be hosting sanctioned events with lots of cash prizes involved and records to be broken. It’s rumored that Db Drag and USACi may join the event as well.
IASCA will be hosting a triple point Territorial Key Event (TKE) event and all classes will be offered from SQ to Bass Boxing. IASCA World records can also be set at this event. Terry Floyd has recently announced that IASCA will knock off 20% of your entry fee if there are at least three people in the class you enter. Big props to IASCA for doing this! Also don’t forget IASCA Finals have been moved to SBN 2009.
Car Audio Nationals (CAN) will be hosting their finals at this event with hefty $3,000 in cash prizes to it’s sound quality competitors. If you aren’t familiar with CAN, you need to be! They are the ONLY car audio sound quality sanctioning organization that awards its winners with a cash-prize pay-out. CAN uses an elite judging staff of Richard Clark, Richard Inferrera, Micah Sheveloff, Dave MacKinnon, Bob Johann just to name a few. CAN has played a large role in this event, be sure to check them out and pre-register for the event at www.CarAudioNationals.com.
MECA will be holding their Georgia State Finals at this event where state records will be set! Cash prizes can be won in their SQ and SPL classes as well.
The current schedule for the show is as follows:
8:00 AM – Move in. Registration Begins for Car Audio Nationals, IASCA & MECA
9:00 AM – MECA Sound Quality and SPL Judging.
9:00 AM – IASCA Sound Quality and IdBL Judging.
9:30 AM – Car Audio Nationals Sound Quality Judging.
5:00 PM – MECA Trophies.
7:00 PM – Car Audio Nationals Trophies.
8:00 AM – Move in.
9:00 AM – IASCA Sound Quality and IdBL Judging.
5:00 PM – IASCA Trophies.
For more information on the Motorsports Nationals, visit their website at www.motorsportsnationals.com
