Having "CEO" on a business card says a lot about a person. At a glance, you immediately recognize that this person must be intelligent, driven to succeed, and possessed of great business acumen. Well, they should be; that's why they make all that mad money! Seriously, though, attaining this level comes with a lot of hard work and determination. It isn't that common for someone to just step into the role. Demitrios Karabinis earned his way because he has the qualities listed above. As CEO of Arc Audio in northern California, he has a business schedule that is very demanding; most people probably would have difficulty keeping up. His time is essential and critical decisions are made daily.
When it came time to decide on a demo vehicle for Arc Audio, Karabinis treated this decision with due gravity. Karabinis's experience in attending shows, visiting dealers, and talking to consumers has given him a strong perspective on what people are looking for. As a former competitor, he learned what type of vehicle and installation it took to attract prospective buyers to stop and take a look. "Demo vehicles need to make a bold statement," says Karabinis. This car definitely does that.
Karabinis's vehicle of choice is a 1996 Chevrolet Impala. He is just a pure American muscle car type of guy (his previous vehicle was a souped up 1972 Gran Torino that graced the pages of numerous publications). The Impala is big, bold, and powerful! Exactly what he wanted. When it came time to install a system into the vehicle, Karabinis had a few parameters in mind. The first was to be able to transport passengers, and the second, to be able to haul luggage. Luckily, the spacious Impala doesn't lack in size.
Karabinis had practically no time to do an install, so he enlisted Steve Stotts of Sounds Unlimited and Dennis King with Kings Fabrication, both residing in Modesto, California. Stotts would be responsible for the fiberglass work, electrical system, design and assembly while King handled all the hand fabricated aluminum panels.
SourcesStarting in the dash, the Impala uses an Eclipse 7002 head unit featuring a 5.8-inch monitor. It resides in the factory dash location. Underneath the radio is an Arc Audio PEQ 7-band parametric equalizer for easy access to making adjustments to sound quality. The PEQ's line level output is 3.5v to 9.0v so there was no need for a line driver.
A Panasonic DV-1500 portable DVD player residing in the trunk opposite an Eclipse 5083 8-disc CD changer gives Karabinis a few sources to choose from during long trips. A secondary 7-inch Action monitor located on the drive shaft hump in the rear helps keep rear passengers entertained. All source switching is at your fingertips via the Eclipse 7002.
RainbowArc Audio Rainbow Reference Series CS260.30 components (6.5" mids and tweets) were used up front to provide the middle and high frequencies. Handmade in Germany, they provide accurate sound reproduction at a retail price of $7,500.00, and are designed to rival ultra high-end home speakers. They are mounted in custom fabricated kick panels made by Stotts. A good portion of time was spent on trying to find the best angle for the mid and tweeter to provide the optimal staging and imaging.
The enclosures are solid fiberglass, front and rear. They are about a 1/4" thick and completely sound dampened inside. The volume of the two enclosures is approximately .25 cubic ft. The finished panels are painted to match the exterior color of the vehicle. Grills were not used so people peering at them can view the actual speaker. The crossovers for the component speakers are mounted underneath the spare tire in the trunk.
Rainbow CS265P2 midbass drivers are installed in the doors. Adding a second midbass driver to the front stage enhances the "kick" up front by 3dB. The speakers are complemented by intricate Rainbow crossovers, which increase the level of sound quality up front.