You don't have to be a hoop junkie to know the influence of NBA stars like Michael Jordan in our culture. Even if you don't have NBA or March Madness highlights e-mailed to your mobile device, it's likely you're more than dimly aware of the sport's importance. However, when Dr. James Naismith invented basketball in 1891, he couldn't possibly have foreseen its impact - social or economic.
The same might be said of General Motors when they minted the H2 Hummer. Although carmakers always aim to sell as many units as possible, the sales results are often mundane. GM couldn't have known that the H2 would be become a slam-dunk sell to sports superstars, Hollywood celebs, and cubicle dwellers who scrape up just enough paper to elbow their way a little closer to the bling-bling dream.
The Hummer is a hit. And not just to those who actually need a 4WD to cross rough geographical terrain. But also to those who feel they need an H2 to ease the boring psychological terrain of their freeway commutes. The H2 does just that: It lends its own inexplicable celebrity to any commoner willing to make those monthly payments to the dealer, those weekly payments at the pump. The H2 lends its glamour, its muscularity, to those who can only imagine what it's like to be a Kobe Bryant, a Dwayne Wade.
So it made sense when Kevin Denalifiar (KD) of Audio Fantasy picked this 2004 Hummer H2 for his company's demo vehicle. With KD's abiding love for the Lakers - and his shop being just a few miles from their homecourt Staples Center - this yellow Hummer was the perfect platform to highlight the shop's install talent and to show its support for the local team. Just as you would assemble the best players for a championship team, KD drafted the system's components carefully to get optimal results.
Starting FiveAt the point is Pioneer's AVIC-N1. With its combination of navigation, multi-zone video, CD, DVD and MP3 capabilities, this was the right choice to run and assist the team of equipment. Neatly custom fit into the dash, it's accompanied by Pioneer's DEQ P8000 processor to adjust the game plan.
Next, at the second position are the nine monitors installed to give a better view of the court. From Planet Audio we have in-dash and at the drop-down position, three P10.4VF 10-inch monitors. All four headrests are custom fit with four P7VH 7-inch monitors and, for what used to be the third row seats, a P17VF 17-inch drop down. KD wanted to make sure that the game could be viewed from all areas, so a 23-inch Fahrenheit monitor in a motorized enclosure sits poised in the rear compartment for the cheap seats.
No championship contender could reach that level without a pair of strong forwards and neither could this demo vehicle. Here KD drafted the best from Alphasonik. In custom speaker pods on the vehicle's A-pillar are PCT5026 5 1/4" separates. The front doors were fitted with a pair of PCT6501 6 1/2" separates, which provide for a dynamic stage area for the frontcourt. The system is further enhanced with a pair of PF65C 6 1/2" coaxials in the rear doors and a PCT6551 6 1/2" 3-way system facing the rear to round out the backcourt.
At strong forward the choice was again Alphasonik's 600 series woofer. Six 12" subs reside in two crescent-shaped enclosures built from 3/4" MDF and fiberglass. Each woofer has its own sealed area with 3/4ft3 of air space. Two woofers firing out and the middle woofer firing in on both sides give a visually artistic effect - not to mention ground-pounding low-frequency notes.