Some of you seem to have ideas but would rather snicker and slam us on some corner of the Internet than direct that positive or negative feedback to us. Truthfully, I very rarely pay any attention to those who flame our magazine behind our backs. Some people do send me e-mail and/or phone calls with their concerns and I try to take the time to discuss their issues and ideas, but I know that's a small minority. Let's state it clearly at the start: we are open to constructive criticism.
Admittedly we don't hit the mark 100 percent every issue; but frankly with a large readership that is growing, it's impossible to make everyone happy - or even every demographic within it. The main thing is that in just a year and a half we've built a solid team. In the long run that is what will lead to greater success. We do have a long way to go before we start tooting our horns, but we're getting there; and when we do, fear will be struck in many. However, we will never reach that point if you, the reader, will not reach out to us with helpful feedback. This online flaming is about as good as an IASCA judge getting out of your car and saying your system sucks and walking off without any explanation (nor a score sheet to build off). So you got something to say? BRING IT! (Or flame on.) Secondly, we never were, are, or will be an SPL magazine! We may talk about it; we might even show a vehicle or two depending on its aesthetics; we may even try to dispel some of the mysteries behind the math of enhancing the left side of the spectrum; but we will continue to treat it as that: just a part of the sound spectrum. It's all about the front stage! As my father always said, "Sh*t only rolls down hill." Front staging is the peak of the mountain. It's the most difficult to reach yet the least concern for most audio enthusiasts today. That is why the formation of the SQL-Squad is under way, a campaign to return to sound quality - LOUD!
Speaking of sounding off on the Web - in a recent conversation with Sirius SATRAD, I learned that you can go online and listen to the 100 different stations that are actually playing for the car audio community. Although most of us have minimal audio capability on our computers, there are a couple of ways to set up your computer's audio to test Sirius' SATRAD S-PLEX sound quality through your home reference audio system. The extreme side begins with some home systems from Kenwood that actually let you stream five different Sirius channels simultaneously - that is, you could if you had five different rooms wired to receive the audio. If you want to use your computer for the music source, Harmon Electronics has an interface device that allows your computer to deliver music to your home stereo system. Either way you listen to it, I think it's a great move on Sirius' behalf to allow us to check out the stations for free and decide if we feel it's worth the investment for our cars. This free use of the Web comes at a time when corporate greed is at an all time high and public trust is obviously low with the results showing on the stock market. Speaking of industry greed and following under the heading of Audio Conspiracy Theory, the Web has seen a rash of "bad downloads" in the way of song titles put online that amount to little more than static once downloaded. Is this the music industry's way of trying to detour the downloading of music and push more people to pay for it? If you've got feedback on this, let's hear it.
Also filed under my Audio Conspiracy Theory findings: In my continued pursuit of topics pertaining to CD recording quality (see my letter in the August issue for more), I discovered a recent interview with producer Rick Rubin, written by Lisa Roy, on the eqmag.com site:
The always-candid Rubin isn't afraid to vent his frustration over spending his life trying to make great sounding records when the quality is being so drastically changed by new technology like MP3s. "With people downloading MP3s off the Web, the quality of the material just gets degraded and degraded. Even CDs... I went to a hi-fi store that specialized in analog equipment and they had CD and vinyl versions of the same albums. I listened to a CD and it sounded good. It sounded like I was familiar hearing it and then I put on a record of the same music and the CD was blown out of the water! It was heartbreaking, because I put so much time into trying to make CDs sound good when it's not the greatest format.
You may not know who Rick Rubin is, but you may have heard some of his production work: System of A Down, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Cult, Tom Petty, The Beastie Boys, and Run-DMC have all worked with him. That such a mainstream producer is aware of this problem is pretty key.
Finally, the CA&E project Festiva, better known as the Fester, is coming! Yes, the ultimate budget performance car, complete with audio system, is under way. I have located the 323 B6T turbo motor and the guys at Cork Sports (www.corksport.com) found the computer and wiring harness. My six-year dream shall soon become a reality! Direction for the audio system? Lightweight/power-to-weight ratio while remaining within the guidelines of the SQL-Squad standards stay tuned.