Audio Options Takes Passengers On An Odyssey Through A Wonderland Of Sights And Sounds
Steve Kamada and Duane Uyeda learned the value of research the hard way. After falling victim to slick salesman tricks and buying car audio equipment that did not meet their needs, or that simply did not work, they decided that careful research would be their best solution.
With years of learning on a broad range of car audio products under their belts, they established Audio Options in 1989. The time came when they felt they needed a vehicle on-site to demonstrate the ever-expanding possibilities of mobile multimedia, so they purchased a white 2000 Honda Odyssey minivan and set to work. All of the work on the van was done by Kamada, Uyeda, Mike Thrush, Darwin Tanabe, and Juan Herrera. What they have built is a true multimedia wonderland.
Not only did they want to showcase the latest mobile multimedia products inside the Odyssey, but they also needed a vehicle to show off some amazing installation tricks that they and their staff had dreamt up. "For every consumer who buys a vehicle with a video system from the dealership, there are at least ten others who have an existing vehicle without such amenities," explains Uyeda. "After taking a tour of the Odyssey, the most common response from our customers is, 'I didn't know that was possible!'"
The Odyssey's interior is actually divided into two completely separate audio and video systems. "We designed the front with the driver's convenience and safety as the main concerns," says Uyeda. "The rear system is designed solely for passenger enjoyment of the multimedia system."
A Clarion Joyride unit, equipped with a navigation module and CUE wireless receiver, is the Odyssey's source unit. Along with GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation and real-time traffic information and directions, it also has the capability to play CDs, DVDs, MP3s, video CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs. The multi-faceted, single-DIN unit is mounted to the factory brackets, and directly below it a custom bracket was fabricated to house the accompanying display piece for the Clarion DVS9755z DVD player and 5.1 processor. Both units are trimmed and finished with a routed piece of black Plexiglas.
A Clarion UC6 six-disc changer is mounted under the front passenger seat. The first slot in the changer is used exclusively for navigation discs while the remaining five slots can be used for any variety of favorite music discs.
Also up front, inside a custom fabricated center console, is Clarion's 6.4-inch LCD monitor that features both composite and RGB video inputs. The RGB input is used for video, and the composite is used with Clarion's CC425 rear vision camera. Looking further into the console, one discovers four Scosche ATC fused power distribution blocks hidden under a cover plate. Also hidden deep inside the console is a Clarion 10-inch subwoofer, part of Clarion's SRX1693 component system that provides the sound for the front of truck. "The sub is pointing forward, toward the firewall, so the bass wave gets dispersed before localization sets in," explains Uyeda.
Advancing beyond the front of the vehicle, passengers discover a completely separate audio and video system featuring the full Dolby Digital, DTS-encoded 5.1 listening experience. A Clarion 11.3-inch VMA1131 color LCD monitor, located on the back of the center console, provides a large, crystal clear picture for those in the rear. The monitor has been removed from its original housing and mounted in a custom enclosure made from MDF and fiberglass and finished in matching vinyl. Below the monitor are a TCS101 controller and a WR100 wireless headphone transmitter.