As editor and associate publisher of trade publication, Mobile Electronics, Solomon Daniels gets to check out a lot of gear. It should come as no surprise that his daily driver would be well equipped with cutting-edge products. In this regard, his 2005 Audi Quattro allroad crossover doesn't disappoint.
"I owned a Volvo XC90 previously," Daniels says. "And since I had bought it in its first year of production in 2003, there were lots of bugs in it. I finally traded it in for the allroad. I was looking for something different: BMWs, Mercedes and GM SUVs are a dime a dozen in Southern California. The Audi is unique. I originally looked at the A6 Avant, but was hooked when I saw the allroad. It offered the class and luxury of the Audi, yet also had the ruggedness that fit my lifestyle of kayaking, hiking and mountain biking."
Initially Daniels planned to go the OEM integration route, keeping the factory head unit and adding aftermarket amplifiers and speakers. But, at a press gathering at the 2005 SEMA Show, Kenwood's sales and marketing Vice President Keith Lehmann pulled his name out of a hat and presented Daniels with Kenwood's 25th Anniversary DVD head unit; so he began to rethink his plans for the Audi. "I figured I had to install it then, because every time I would see the guys from Kenwood they would surely ask, 'How do you like that new head unit?' and I knew that I couldn't likely tell them I sold it on eBay."
With a new set of priorities, Daniels decided to go all out and do a complete system. And even though he could have gotten just about anything he needed from the manufacturers, he wanted to set an example of supporting specialist shops, so he bought the rest of the components that comprised the system. For this he turned to John and Jay Park at All Star Sound in Long Beach, CA. "I was impressed by the way they bonded with their customers," Daniels said. "And especially John, who manages the front, was very down-to-earth and easy to connect with."
As the Audi came equipped with a factory-installed Bose system, it had a set of midrange and tweeters in each of the four doors along with a subwoofer in the right rear quarter panel. The left rear panel held the satellite radio receiver and a cavity for an optional changer. When asked what his priorities in designing the system were, Daniels related that he wanted all of his trunk space, separate rear-seat video to entertain his daughter and neice, all the options available for the Kenwood head unit, a rear-seat console to plug in his PlayStation 2, a 1/8" jack to plug his PDA into the audio system, a hands-free phone solution, an integrated radar detector, easy access to his spare tire and finally a security system that didn't override the factory system.
Daniels and the team at All Star Sound were able, even within the tight confines of the Audi's component-packed interior, to meet each and every one of his goals. The installation, which is completely stealth, took just over a week while Daniels attended the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show.
When we asked Daniels what was the most difficult part of the installation, he had this to say: "The most difficult part was the car itself. It is literally stuffed with factory electronics, so there's little space to put anything."
Knowing that the Audi is a space-challenged car, we were impressed how All Star Sound was able to take advantage of the rear compartments to install the Zapco amplifiers on the driver's side and the Treo 10" subwoofer on the passenger side, which is larger than the Bose sub it replaced. The installation is totally OEM level in the way that it is seamlessly integrated into the interior while retaining full functionality and utility. This same level of craftsmanship was exhibited in the installation of the headrest monitors, which required that the upholstery be perfectly matched for color and grain.
Because of the importance of iPod connectivity, the Audi's system uses two methods. The first is through the proprietary adapter that gives Daniels control of the audio through the head unit, but only plays audio. Since he has the 60GB Video iPod he also wanted to play videos and TV shows from time to time, so he has a separate cable that plugs into the headphone jack of the iPod and game console inputs of the audio system - a simple but elegant solution to a problem that faces many iPod enthusiasts.
On the communications front Daniels always has the most advanced mobile phones, going to great lengths to buy units not yet available in North America. So after the system was completed, he added a Bluetooth hands-free system and a 3-watt cell phone booster. As HD Radio is gaining traction in the marketplace, he added Kenwood's HD Radio tuner as soon as he could. In an effort to protect his driving privileges, Daniels installed a K40 Calibre Bluetooth-enabled radar detector with Laser Diffuser on the front license plate and the front/rear sensors. The indicator lights for the Calibre are installed in the top of the steering column cover right in front of the instrument cluster.
To make sure he doesn't back over anything hidden behind the bumper, a rear view camera was cleverly concealed in the license plate frame. Other additions to the installation include: a Valor video game console with A/V inputs; an on/off switch; an inverter and 110-volt outlet, disassembled and integrated into rear of center console; along with a 1/8" audio input jack for smartphone audio. All of the RSX 2.5 components are protected by a Clifford 2-way security/remote start system with window control.
When asked about the sonic qualities of the system, Daniels said with a smile: "Believe it or not, I don't really have an 'ear' for sound quality. [It's] a talent that I leave to good friends like industry veteran Bill Burton. But I listened to John's system and it sounded great, so that gave me a means of comparison. Listening to the new Audi system was a similar experience to listening to John's, so I was extremely pleased."
In his job as editor, he gets to see and listen to his share of over-the-top installs in magazines and at car shows; but he feels that it's even better for the industry to show how these electronics and the skills of installers translate into real-life applications. This system is totally practical and every feature has a purpose. Hopefully more shops show some of their practical work, because it's what people can really relate to. When it comes to kudos, Daniels had this to say: "I should thank Kenwood because I never win anything; but on the other hand I shake a joking fist at them since I then had to open the checkbook pretty wide to complete the system. But most importantly, my thanks go to the guys at All Star. I appreciate their professionalism and friendship, and hope to join them on one of their fishing outings real soon."
Clockwise from top left: The integrated K40 Calibre Radar Detector and K40 Laser Diffuser includes inconspicuous blue LEDs placed near the gauges; SAVV 7-inch headrest monitors keep the kids happy; in the license plate frame hides a rear view camera; gadgets have their place in the center console - the iPod connects to the head unit to play video and audio, and the smartphone makes use of a Parrot 3200LS Bluetooth handsfree kit and Dyna-Boost DC-819 wireless phone amplifier; lastly, the Kenwood 25th anniversary head unit above Alpine's center channel speaker hooks up to a KTC-HR100TR HD Radio receiver, KNA-G510 nav system and Directed Electronics Sirius Connect Satelllite Receiver for added utility.