In the entertainment industry it seems like they're always giving one another awards for every little thing--someone shows up in a movie for a couple of minutes, let's say, and the next thing you know they're getting a trophy. We at the magazine haven't been as generous with the kudos, so we looked back and took a vote. After all, the cars and products that have been featured in our pages in 2004 really deserve to be commemorated in some way. Beyond that, we look at this as a kind of reader service: for the students in the back, so to speak, who haven't been paying close attention, this is what you might have missed out on! The manufacturer demo vehicles, for example, aren't just cool cars; they do embody creative ideas that consumers can avail themselves of--modified versions of the ideas, of course. More than that, they're sources of inspiration for aspiring installers and car audio connoisseurs. The privately owned cars especially deserve extra recognition. We have had some amazing rides for which people spent real dollars, if you know what we mean. Celebrities are a different case--it's like they're playing with Monopoly money. Here we chose the best car audio examples and not the most famous figures. Then there are the products that keep us striving for better and better systems in our vehicles: amps and speakers for improved sound quality, and multimedia products such as navigation and computer systems that change the nature of your setup... You know that if something received a positive review from our third-party testers in the mag that you can rely on their collective opinions. Check out our picks for the best of the best. You can't go wrong with the gear that we've selected.
DEMO VEHICLES
POLK AUDIO CIVIC
April 2004
These days it seems WRXs and Evos are taking over the tuner scene. Had there been more Civics like these, we doubt the changing trend in the market would've happened as fast, if at all. Who cares about engine performance when you have a system like this! With sound from Polk and styling by Momo this a Honda enthusiat's dream come true. Its most spectacular feature is in the hatch with half a dozen 15" subwoofers, each driven by 500-watt monoblock amps. The fiberglass fabrication craftsmanship resulted in an ice-smooth finish; and the amp and rack assembly is as artful as we've seen. This car deserves to be remembered long after a show season has come and gone.
ALPINE MINI
June 2004
These guys do it every year; and from the rumblings coming from Alpine headquarters it sounds like they're going to raise the bar yet again. This Speedster style Mini not only is center drive but has a motorized seat with quite a few feet of travel. Behind the seat? If you look closely you can make out the gigantic subwoofers. (Kudos to photog Carl Edwards for a fantastic shot.) Steve Brown and Mike Vu spent thousands of hours building the inside and outside of this vehicle. The only thing they didn't do was paint it. If you've been keeping up with Steve's column every month you too can learn how to make a car just like this. Yeah, right.
CONSUMER VEHICLES
FORD F150
March 2004
We spotted this truck at a show and knew right off the bat that this had to be in the pages of Car Audio. The fabricated center console is just one of many highlights on this vehicle, loaded up with Audiobahn gear. This thing is huge with a sound to match. Check out the gargantuan subs beautifully enclosed behind the seats. Kudos to Audio Concepts in West Palm Beach, FL. An easy pick for our Best of 2004.
CELEBRITY VEHICLES
MAURICE TAYLOR'S CADILLAC ESCALADE
February 2004
Top of the Line Motoring in Detroit, MI, justifies its name with vehicles like this. They're above and beyond just doing things right. NBA forward Mo Taylor not only wanted the spectacular custom amp and sub setup in the back, he wanted some cool accoutrements up front. The bar is a nice touch, apropos for a millionaire baller. You knew this section wouldn't be complete without an Escalade, right!?
PRODUCTS
SPEAKERS
ALPINE SPX-Z15M
January 2004
Alpine, Alpine, Alpine. They're everywhere. There's a good reason for that. The SPX-Z15M is a good example. Believe it or not there are more expensive speakers out there. But probably there isn't one that sounds as good. To quote Pat Turnmire: "Alpine has married the best of European and Asian design in engineering... Everything about this component set is classy, well designed, innovative and simply very cool." This 5 1/4-inch speaker isn't in every one's price range, but everyone should go out and listen to it as reference...
AMPLIFIERS
JBL A6000GTi
August 2004
Who the heck needs an 8,000-watt amp...except maybe Gary Biggs, right? Well, this amp wasn't exactly built to fly off the store shelves. This is a statement piece--and what a statement. Robert Zeff had this to say in his review: "The construction of the BIG JBL is truly unbelievable, both internal and external," followed by, "Speaking of power, this amp is in a class of its own, using 48 170-ampere switching FETs in the supply, helping it achieve greater than 85 percent efficiency into a 4-ohm load." O great JBL amp, we bow before your awesomeness! Seriously, no kidding.
NAVIGATION
PIONEER AVIC-N1November 2004
OK, it was a close call and not all the votes were in (part 2 of the navigation comparison didn't take place until this issue), but the AVIC-N1 did get the slight nod, notwithstanding mildly derisive comments about the gimmicky nature of some of its features. Certainly, the novelty of them may wear off after a couple of months, but the functionality and versatility of the AVIC overall are no joke. This handsome unit does it all. We've had some feedback from readers and installers with differing opinions--Eclipse, Kenwood also came up as their picks. They had their legitimate if subjective points: they like the factory look of the double DIN Eclipse and the ease of use of the Kenwood. Our view is that whatever your personal opinion of the the features on the Pioneer product, you have to concede that the unit does quite a lot, does it well and even allows for DVD video playing capability while still running navigation.
SUBWOOFER
ORBIS AUDIO ORB
October 2004
What's this funny looking carbon fiber sphere doing in Car Audio? Looks like it might belong in someone's house, not in a car. When we sent it out for testing we weren't sure what to expect. We were a little surprised to find out how well it did. "Packed with technology," "a fantastic performer." And it's lightweight on top of that.
HEAD UNITS
KENWOOD DDX7015
September 2004
When we ran this review the subhead read: "This Double DIN Deck Does it All!" We weren't indulging in hyperbole. The DDX is a touchscreen unit with a 6.5-inch LCD monitor; it handles just about any format you can throw at it and looks quite factory in the dash. According to Mike Frost, "it does all these things extremely well. If you plan to create a Kenwood mobile multimedia paradise, you need the DDX7015 as the centerpiece."