I got to put a dock for a 4g 40gig yesterday in a Toyota Solara. There was a perfect spot right behind the shifter where you can see the screen and access the controls really easily while driving. It also integrated pretty well with the OEM console, kindof like the X3 I docked some time ago (see the gallery)…

Got to do a dock in a 2005 GTO the other day. Once again, the customer wanted a way to cover the dock when he wasn’t using it, So I busted out the removable section of the cupholder trick again. Enjoy…

Boston Acoustics showed a wild new subwoofer design at CES called the Revolution. It is a 13″ x 9″ (if memory serves) oval-shaped monster with a huge motor structure, machined aluminum basket and neodymium magnet assembly. The oval design will allow for a larger cone area in the same (horizontal) space a typical 10″ subwoofer would occupy. Aside from being a well-built, power-thirsty automotive woofer, the dust cap design is particularly intersting for those constantly running back to their favorite shop with smoking or frozen-up woofers. The speakers’ voice coil is attached to the dust cap, which is - in turn - held in place by six socket-cap screws. If and when the speaker stops functioning due to voice coil …

I got the chance to do a docked iPod in a current-body Ford Explorer a couple of days ago. The dock is coupled with an auxiliary input compatible Alpine CD player and a hardwired Belkin charger to provide power to the dock. The customer wanted a good view of the iPod’s screen, hence the angle toward the driver. Another interesting thing they asked for was the ability to hide the dock when it is not in use. Since the area where I installed the dock originally had a rubber mat covering it, I sectioned out part of the mat that can be removed or reinserted depending on whether or not the iPod is docked. Here are a few images of …

There were an insane amount of iPod control adapters shown at CES last week. In the year preceeding the show, I did a lot of auxiliary input and charging solutions for iPods because almost nothing existed to actually control the little buggers via a car radio. Then, along came the Dension ICELink. Next was the Alpine iPod adapter. Still, that was about it until CES. Now, the floodgates have opened. So, almost no matter what car you have or what head unit you may have in it (factory or aftermarket) you’re most likely going to be able to have charging, audio and control through a simple dock connector.
The primary and most reliable companies I saw at the show sporting iPod …

On display in the Rockford booth was the 1970 ‘Cuda designed and built by Chip Foose and Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy fame. The build was featured on a recent episode of TLC’s show rides, and is one nice piece of machinery. Although the audio system was not very extensive at all, it doesn’t need to be. The car would really stand on it’s own even if there was an 8-track player in the dash. This car is so perfect in the execution and details that you really can’t find one thing wrong with it, which I can only say about one other car at the entire show. The work required to re-route and trim out the exhaust …

Every year, Alpine and their head installer/designer, Steve Brown bring a few cars to CES. All of them are well-designed and executed, but there is always one out of the group that is completely off the charts in its scope and complexity.
This year it is a BMW X5 that is actually a recycled project car from the company. Previously, it remained a mostly stock X5 with a multimedia system installed in it. Now, it is a demo vehicle for Alpine’s flagship audio/video system F#1 Status, which is only carried by a handful of dealers nationwide. It has to be seen to be believed, but here are a few shots of the vehicle on display at CES. The X5 was …

A favorite company of mine, JL Audio is showing two entirely new product lines and is adding two new products to existing lines, which doesn’t sound that exciting until you hear what they are.
JLs first consumer woofer was the ridiculously popular 10w1. It completely overtook the car audio industry with its small size, impressive output and small enclosure requirements. After a long run, JL replaced the W1 with many other choices, including to ever-popular W6v1 and 2, the W3v1 and 2, W0v1 and 2 and W7. Realizing that there is still a big need for a really shallow woofer that will work in a relatively small enclosure (i.e. fits in stock sub locations, under seats, in floorboards, etc) the W1 …

A favorite company of mine, JL Audio is showing two entirely new product lines and is adding two new products to existing lines, which doesn’t sound that exciting until you hear what they are.
Boaters have long suffered from only a few choices when it comes to marine-specific audio gear that won’t be affected by salty air, moisture and vibration. Most of the stuff available was pretty cheap and inadequate. JL has fixed that permanently by developing a full line of marine speakers, subs, amplifiers and accesories. Available in the first a second quarter of 2005 are a 10″ marine subwoofer, two different sets of 7.7″ component speaker systems (one for cabins and one for wakeboard towers), a set of 7.7″ …

A favorite company of mine, JL Audio is showing two entirely new product lines and is adding two new products to existing lines, which doesn’t sound that exciting until you hear what they are.
Have you ever wanted to hear some simply retarted-ass bass in your home theater or home audio system? Lots of us out there had ridculously large boxes with a stupid amount of woofers stuffed into the backs of our cars when we were younger (or even now), but you could never really get that kind of knock in your house. Check this out: JL is introducing a line of home audio products and is starting with what they know best - subwoofers. The Gotham self-powered home subwoofer …

A favorite company of mine, JL Audio is showing two entirely new product lines and is adding two new products to existing lines, which doesn’t sound that exciting until you hear what they are.
JL, realizing that it’s getting more and more difficult to change out head units in today’s cars (since many are now tied into body control modules, engine control modules, a/c controls, OBDII, etcetera) - and entirely grasping what that might mean for a manufacturer of subwoofers, speakers and amplifiers - has developed a device that has been needed in car audio for a very long time. The clean sweep is basically a kick-ass line output converter with a built-in self-calibrating 120 band eq (30 bands per four …

December was a very busy month of travelling around the country, around the state and around town getting things done and trying to enjoy the holidays, so no posting got done, obviously. But, I’m here in Las Vegas now for the 2005 CES and will (try to) post daily as this show progresses. I’ll be taking pictures and asking around about things that catch my eye, but feel free to email me if you have any specific questions or suggestions about stuff I should be looking at as well…Enjoy!