How do you take a head-turning, ear-pleasing, show-winning world-class install and make it better? According to Chris Pate of College Station, TX, you rip it out and start over. This 10-year install veteran is no stranger to change-he has rebuilt many systems from his own and rival shops for a myriad of reasons such as aesthetics, ergonomics, SPL, changes in competition class and organization, sound quality (as is the case here) and even boredom. After the 2004 USACi finals, in which Pate's 2000 silver Civic took third in the pro SQ 601- 1200 watt class, the winds of change blew so hard that they scoured away the old install to make way for a new one.
THE OLD
His previous system consisted of an Alpine 2909 head unit, PXA-H700 digital processor, two JL Audio 250/1 and 300/4 amps, four Focal 13 WS 5 1/4" subs, a pair of Focal GW2 mids, two Focal Audiom TLR tweeters, two Focal 33 WS subs and Stinger Expert interconnects. It didn't sound good-it sounded great-but Pate felt that "the fit and finish was not perfect, and the layout was all over the place." He completely stripped everything from the Civic, including all the interior panels and the dash, with the goal to build a new system "that allowed you to listen to music without being distracted by an over-the-top install or the product placement in it while music was playing." With a bare canvas and a fresh palette of new offerings from sponsors, Pate set himself to the arduous yet satisfying task of building the greatest SQ car of his career to date.
THE NEW
Pate set his architecturally trained mind to building a solid and ergonomic amp rack and sub enclosure. One and half inch tube steel was welded into a frame and bolted into eight places in the rear hatch. With a firm base to work from, a sealed enclosure for a Focal Utopia 16" woofer was built from 3/4" MDF and mounted into the frame firing upward, approximately 3" below the rear hatch.
Next, tubs were fabricated from fiberglass and MDF to secure and showcase the bevy of Focal amplifiers in front of the enclosure. The tubs were lined with 1/8"clear acrylic, texture matched with the vehicle's interior and painted black in accordance with the subdued install ideology. Monster Cable ANL fuse holders, in two banks of four, both positive and negative, were molded next to the upper amp tubs on each side of the enclosure to both protect the amps and keep a symmetric flow to the install lines. In all, five tubs accent the rear hatch area surrounded by hand-laid, convex vinyl covered fiberglass side panels.
Embedded in the amp enclosure cover is the signal control center, a modified dbx 260 studio signal processor. The unit was altered for use in the 12-volt environment from its native 120-volt A/C by Doug Winker, longtime friend and mentor to Pate. Mounted in textured MDF and surrounded by black vinyl. The dbx 260 hides behind the repositioned seats, processing at near light speed. The envy of 12-volt processors, though bulky and cumbersome, the hidden and unobtrusive dbx 260 slips right into this install.