CA&E: What do you think of sound quality? Do you have an SQ car as well?M.B.: I don't have a SQ car currently, but SQ is far more important to me than people would expect. Most of us get into this kind of thing as a hobby in our "boom days." It usually starts with the thrill of bass and moves its way into complete sound. I definitely have a very well-rounded system in my daily driver. Doing the Extreme van gave me the ability to have a demo van for the store that can pound out fullrange music good and clean, and still have a van that can compete with the big boys in volume.
CA&E: Do you have any advice for someone starting out on the competition scene?M.B.: Enjoy it! The SPL competition scene is like its own community. Make lots of friends, spend your free time at shows having fun and relaxing. When you're in the lanes, keep your ears open and pay attention. There is a wealth of information out there with experienced competitors that are willing to share. This is not something you do for the money. You do this for the friends, the challenge and the rush of being the best at what you do.
CA&E: What do you think is the limit in terms of dB, at least for your class?M.B.: The limit for SPL, in my class or any class for that matter is very hard to say. We are within 2 to 3dB of the metering equipments current capability. We're also on the verge of the limits any current speaker can withstand. The amount of pressure being applied to the speaker can explode a dust cap on a speaker into 30 pieces in one second! That's downright violent. It used to be that 160dB was huge, then 170dB, now there's a few of us knocking on 180dB at the dash. What's next 190dB? It's definitely becoming very "elitist" these days. There's only five to six people in the entire world that are over 178dB.
Scott Owens
CA&E: How and when did you get into car audio?S.O.: I was playing baseball in college in Southern California and needed a summer job. I had torn my knee and could not play ball anymore and I realized I didn't like school that much so I never went back.
CA&E: What and where was your first job in the car audio industry?S.O.: My first job was with Jeff Haas at Haas Auto Stereo in Culver City, CA. It took me two weeks of going in there every day and asking for a job to get him to finally hire me.
CA&E: How did you learn to install?S.O.: I had gone to a trade school in high school for autobody so I had a lot of the fabrication skills, and I had always played around with stereos in my cars before I could even drive. Everything else has just been hands on. I was always ready to try something new and learn new things.