The image of former Secretary of State Alexander Haig stepping up to the podium to erroneously inform everyone he was in charge while Ronald Reagan was in the hospital after the infamous assassination attempt flickered in my mind for a few frames. Having the benefit of that historical lesson to guide me, I restrained from any grand announcement that might be perceived as a ridiculous faux pas. I would wait until it was official. Rodney Wills is no longer with Car Audio and Electronics, having crossed over to the fast lane to Racer magazine where he'll be able cover the drivers that race at speeds he frequently approached on California freeways (well, it felt pretty fast in that noisy little Civic he'd sometimes drive -- hey, I'll ride with you any time, Rodney). I feel like a rally co-driver who is given the chance to take over the wheel. Appropriately enough, this page is called Driver's Seat. After over four years on the magazine it feels like a natural transition.
While we're on the subject of change -- I have to say that the more things change the more they stay the same. You'll notice that this month there are a couple of aspects of the magazine that are different. For one thing you'll notice that our vehicle features are somewhat altered, with a driver profile and a separate box for non-audio tech info, in addition to detailed captions. The purpose of this is to make it easier for readers to reference material. No more having to re-comb the text to find the info you need. Also you'll see that we've added a new department we call Sound & Style. Instead of providing an explanation here I suggest you just go straight to page 16 and check it out.
What you currently see there will be one side of many faces that will appear in that section. And for car audio enthusiasts who want to know what else they could do to their cars to enhance the overall feel of, or to complement, their setups in their vehicles, we also have included a product page for non-audio gear. We hope you find it helpful. But as I say, even as we progress, alter some part of our approach, or do new things, we intend to stay on course with our loyal core readers who expect to see great installs and thorough product reviews every month. (Speaking of our core readership -- we want our dealers to send us pictures of their best work. See page 91 to find out how you can show everyone what kind of incredible work your shop does!)
That brings us to this October's story about satellite radio. Our golden ear, Eric Holdaway, spent a lot of time listening to both Sirius and XM. The focus of the article is on the sound quality of the two services. People have sometimes complained that we don't do enough comparison reports any more. Well, here's one on the most important things to happen to car audio since, well, radio started broadcasting FM signals for bored road warriors. We've been heading the charge for greater SQ consciousness so it's only natural we start with that focus in regard to satellite radio. But there are other issues involved. Look for future stories on the different products that connect you to satellite sound, and the content that the two companies offer. There are enough significant differences between XM and Sirius to merit careful consideration before choosing one over the other.
We also have three test reports on products from Eclipse, Scosche and Emerson. It's not every issue you'll see a review on a 17-inch flip-down, ceiling-mount monitor. For you multimedia heads who have to have the biggest and baddest this may be what you've been looking for. What's next? LCDs built into the windshield? And if you're in the market for a new head unit or amp then you will want to check out the other test reports. Our thanks to test gurus Mike Frost, Bob Norvelle and Eric Holdaway. They get bylines nearly every month but still don't get half of the recognition they deserve. Finally, on a personal level, my thanks to our own tech guy, Casey "No, I'm Not Going To Build Anything For You" Thorson, new managing editor Adam "The Commuter King" Douglas, and photog Steve "Green Thumb" Sawitz, as well as the rest of the extended Car Audio crew for making this transition as simple as switching on the head unit in my car -- and turning up the volume.