In sound quality competitions trucks are rare, and next to vehicles like Mark Eldridge's remarkable 4-Runner, diamonds in the rough like this pickup often get overlooked. For the second time in the name of car audio, owner Keith Turner of Newport News, VA, invested long nights and dug deep into his pockets with this install. Wrapped completely in the A/V world, he even walks the "dark side" (i.e., home audio) during the day with his business, Audio, Video Intelligence. Accompanying attention to detail and meticulous fabrication, Turner's vast audio knowledge took hold in this truck. So don't let the smooth taste fool you. Though it looks factory, this Nissan is far from ordinary.
Where the Magic Happens
The fact that such euphoric sounds could come from door speakers and tweeters in A-pillar locations immediately impresses first-time listeners. Turner will be the first to inform them that accomplishing such an acoustical essence would have been daunting with just that configuration. But although the Dynaudio MW160 midbass drivers in the doors and the MB Quart RTC 19 1" tweeters in the pillars aren't the heart and soul of the sound system, it doesn't mean that they don't play key roles.
In the doors, multiple layers of rubber in various thicknesses along with hefty amounts of Dynamat Xtreme minimize the rattles and resonations generated by acoustical energy from the MW160. Because the factory A-pillars were not designed for tweeter mounting, Turner installed some Nissan Pathfinder panels designed for tweeter allocation, and thus avoided having to fabricate custom pods. In their new mounts, the MB Quart tweeters provide additional soundstage height and depth.
Under close observation, one will soon discover where the magic happens. Kick panel enclosures have been welded to the body of the truck and are discreetly integrated using color-matched acoustical carpet. Each enclosure holds a set of components, which until this article, were only known to others as "Turner Audio." At the request of inquiring minds, Turner reveals that the drivers of choice are Dynaudio MD 100 tweeters and Dynaudio MW 150 midranges. Custom crossovers were built using top-of-the-line capacitors and resistors. These components were individually selected after critical listening evaluations with assistance from former IASCA World Champion, Steve Cornell.
Full of Surprises
At first glimpse, the rear of the cab looks like Nissan's factory design, but Turner informs us that it originally had two side fold-down jump seats instead of a bench seat. A plethora of audio equipment protected by acrylic and vinyl-wrapped panels replaces the jump seats. The right quarter panel houses various Stinger accessories precisely laid out as if that were a Nissan factory option. All power wires, ground wires and audio equipment fuses are located here, giving Turner quick accessibility. This allows him to easily meet any audio competition's sanctioning rules of accessing equipment fuses with no problem.
The custom rear bench seat performs two functions: seating space and protection for the amprack installed beneath it. Turner created the amprack out of fiberglass and wood inside the Nissan's cab storage location to house three 2050-CXL Arc Audio amplifiers. Each amplifier has been chrome plated to a finish that even impresses Arc Audio. Turner stands by his motto, "Just Chrome It." The amprack was sanded smooth and painted green to match the truck's exterior. The floor of the amprack was contoured to house each amplifier perfectly. Four fans built into the sides of the rack provide cool air from the outside while removing hot air generated by the amplifiers. One of the 2050's provides 230 watts to a single Arc Audio ARC10D2 subwoofer firing through a chrome-plated mesh grille that is fabricated into the underside of the bench seat.
Turner installed some Nissan Pathfinder panels designed for tweeter allocation...
Supplying analog signals to the trio of amplifiers via Stinger Dream Series RCA cables is the Pioneer DEQ-P9, located in the driver's side rear quarter panel. Providing dual 30-band equalization, 4-way crossover and time alignment, this processor gets much kudos on the sound quality competition circuit. Turner has earned a reputation for his tuning skills with the work he has done on his vehicle as well as other competitors' rides. He has always chosen the DEQ-P9 as his weapon of choice. If they ever issue them, Pioneer should send him a P9 tuning certificate. In the meantime, Turner certified his DEQ-P9 in his own fashion by plating the chassis with a chrome finish to make it one of a kind.
Providing the DEQ-P9 with its digital signal via Pioneer's proprietary optical cable is Pioneer's DEX-P9 CD tuner, mounted in the center of the dash. Wood grain trim had to be custom made to match the wood grain dash kit that Turner had installed shortly after purchasing the truck. The CD player recedes in the dash, making it slightly challenging to access its controls. To accommodate listeners, Turner installed tracking and volume controls into the center console using a set of Ford mirror switches.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
At Spring Break Nationals this year, Turner and his Nissan finished in the top five. He currently has plans to build yet another vehicle, which will be in the rookie division. Watch out competition--there is more to come from Keith Turner!
DRIVER PROFILE
A veteran competitor, Keith Turner has traveled much of the East Coast over the past 11 years, attending shows from Daytona Beach to Chester, WV. With the average length of an audio competitor's career around two years max, he's obviously a true enthusiast. His dedication and hard work finally paid off when he won his first IASCA World Championship in 2004. He topped that by bringing home the crown from MECA on the same day. He also took home top honors in MECA's RTA Shootout and Best Install for Modified Plus Class. Did we mention that he did all of this on his own dime? With credentials like this under his belt, manufacturers should relish the opportunity to bring him on board. But Turner is not waiting for opportunities to come to him. He has used his success and reputation in the industry to start his own empire as an installer. Former IASCA World Champion Ron Baker hired Turner to build his 2002 Chevy Impala. The car debuted at SBN 2005 taking first place in PRO STREET 1-600 class.