Members Of Team Seas Lotus Usa Care About One Thing-Great AudioEvery day we get bombarded with e-mails and pictures of A/V installs. Most of these enthusiasts cram performance and body mods into their rides, leaving the sound system as an afterthought. These enthusiasts care less for what a system sounds like than what it looks like and, therefore, put little thought into their choice of gear. That's why it's refreshing to come across a bunch of guys who put sound first, like the knowledgeable members of Team SEAS Lotus USA.
In the sound competition world, you have the big boys like Team JBL, but don't ignore the smaller teams. If SEAS Lotus doesn't ring a bell (say "say-us"), check out our April 2005 issue for the review of the RS165F component set (it made our Best of ... list for 2005, which tells you a little about the caliber the team aspires to). Each member's "show car" is a daily driver. Hey, they want to enjoy great audio on a daily basis, not just on the weekends. That means when Saturday comes around, all they have to do is drive up to the judging lanes and they're ready to go.
Eng SoedjonoWhen ringleader Eng Soedjono immigrated to the U.S. from Indonesia, he renewed his interest in car audio by participating in USAC and now IASCA. From the outside, his 1996 Nissan Maxima isn't much to look at. But then, that's the point. "I picked this car since it's cheap and I do not have to worry about thieves," he says, explaining that his previous vehicle had been broken into. "I guess thieves do not target or see an old Nissan Maxima to have a good system inside."
Soedjono originally had the Alpine CDA-9835 running Ai-Net to the PXA-H701 processor in the trunk, but fellow teammate Albert Chan "helped swap my head unit to the DVA-7996 with optical out, which eliminates the ground noise I had while using the Ai-Net," Soedjono explains. He chose the processor because it covers "31-band graphic EQ, 10-band parametic EQ, multimedia capabilities, time alignment, independent crossover and a controller that is very convenient and easy to use."
Given his team affiliation, Soedjono's choice of the Lotus Reference midbasses in the factory location as well as midrange and tweeters in custom kick panels was obvious. "I spent two months listening to my speakers mounted in baffles before I built the kick panels," Soedjono reveals. He took this step in order to find the best placement and, thus, determined that because the vehicle's glove compartment is so large, it actually blocked the speakers. Therefore, installer Devin Oliver from Audio Advice in La Crescenta, CA, moved the enclosures a little closer to the door. Soedjono chose three Lotus SW250 subs "to hit the SPL limit on IASCA," and adds, "I think that three subwoofers will do it easily without stressing the subs too much." A false floor keeps things looking seamless, while the DLS amps mount on top of the 2.3ft3 birch plywood sub enclosure to save more space. "I liked DLS amplifiers for their reliability, looks and the layout," Soedjono concludes.
Lowell AbaloSome fraternal inspiration put Lowell Abalo on the car audio path. Being 14 years old and unable to drive a car did not deter him from building his first system. He built this 2001 BMW 325i because, "I wanted to have great tunes wherever I drove to." Like Soedjono, he turned to Devin Oliver to install and design the system.
An Alpine 9835 head unit trimmed in by a Scosche faceplate provided Abalo flexibility that fit his budget. "I've always used Alpines for their reliability and their user interface," Abalo reveals. "The 9835 menus are really quick and easy to use. Some very important features I needed were time alignment and a parametric equalizer." The head unit runs to Zapco SLB-TP4 and SLB-R4 line drivers that boost the signal to the Tru Technology amps, which were chosen for their "slick looks and sheer power." Abalo picked out the SEAS Lotus Reference speakers "because they provided a very detailed midrange clarity that I have not heard from the other popular brands," Abalo explains. "The build quality is excellent and they work well in an IB (infinite baffle) setup. The support provided from their U.S. distributor is second to none."
In the rear, two 10" Image Dynamics IDMAX subs were dropped in a birch plywood dual-chambered enclosure of 3/4ft3 for each speaker. "Image Dynamics makes great-sounding subs and they support their competitors," Abalo says regarding his choice in of IDs. Since he also wanted to retain trunk space and his tire ("First and foremost, spare tires are essential!" he exclaims), a fold-down amprack that Oliver welded together holds the front stage amp while a side rack holds the sub amp.