Douglas Paddleford believes in the necessity of luxury. As he explains, "Our family was so accustomed to the audio/video systems in our other vehicles, that it became a necessity to have nothing but the best in the latest mobile multimedia equipment in our new family vehicle." This is a feeling many of us can readily understand. At least, if not in reality, then in principle
The new vehicle he speaks of is a burgundy 2000 Chevrolet Suburban that he purchased in June of 2000. In addition to their new Suburban, the Paddlefords own four other vehicles, each of which includes its own custom audio/video system, of course.
Paddleford discovered the benefits of full-scale audio systems a decade ago. He outfitted his previous Suburban, a 1992 model, with an extensive audio/video setup and upgraded it many times over the years. He then made the decision to trade the '92 Suburban for a new 2000 model.
There was no mystery to what his top priority would be after purchasing the vehicle. The Paddlefords went straight to the experts at Competition Soundworks (CSW) in Cerritos, California, to handle the extensive project. Owner Jason Lee coordinated the project, installer Cesar Meneses handled most of the hands-on work, and Danny Jones designed the fabrications. "We have been repairing and upgrading the systems in the Paddleford's other vehicles for many years," says Lee. "So when they came to us about this new project, we felt very comfortable about meeting their needs."
Initially, the installation of the Alpine IVA-C800 head unit went smoothly. However, a major problem arose once the unit was tested. With the Suburban's gearshift placed in park, the motorized monitor would hit against it when it opened. Jones unsuccessfully tried to bend the gearshift to fix the dilemma. Finally, he decided his only choice was to shorten the gearshift to make the necessary room for the monitor to fully open. The gearshift was disassembled away from the steering column, and one inch was removed. After re-assembly, the monitor opened flawlessly regardless of the transmission position.
Two additional Alpine 6.5-inch monitors are in the front seat headrests, and there is an Audiovox 6.8-inch flip-down monitor in the ceiling between the middle and third row seating. Two Alpine video switching units control the operation of these additional monitors. The first is located on the back of the center console where the rear factory stereo controls had previously been. The second is located near the third row seating and includes a jack for a wired headphone.
The Suburban is loaded with video options. An Alpine DVD player is installed in the center console where the factory CD player had been located. A DVD-ROM navigation system, also made by Alpine, is mounted under one of the front seats. An Alpine VHS recorder is located in the rear of the center console, and under the center console is an Alpine television tuner. There are also gaming ports under both the front and rear seats that can be used for the Nintendo or Sony PlayStation systems. Two 12-volt to 120-volt inverters were needed for powering the game consoles.
With the video completed, it was then time to focus on the system's sound. "I wanted more dynamic range and resolution with the performance of the front stage," says Paddleford. "The factory speakers just were not getting it done. The guys at Team CSW suggested Boston Acoustics' Pro 6.53 component set."