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Have you ever wondered what all the fuss was about concerning car stereos (er, I mean
car audio)? I know I have many friends who have spent various amounts of money and time
trying to achieve that perfect (to them) car audio experience.
Approximately 40 chapter members attended this event in search of the car audio
"Holy Grail" and kept the event going until nearly midnight! After listening to
Richard Inferrera (owner) of Rich’s CarTunes, and Steve Ravinski (VP of Marketing)
and Bob Hazelwood (VP of Engineering) of a/d/s/, I’ve gained a new and profound
appreciation of what most people are after in their search for an upgraded system.
 Rich’s CarTunes and a/d/s/
gave us a sensational tech session. We were given food, product demonstrations, peeks at
various installations in progress, and a very thorough explanation of car audio by a/d/s/.
Rich’s is a well known local shop and Rich and his staff were more than willing to
let us invade their home for a few hours and were very patient with us as we bombarded
them with questions. Not that it was an uneventful night for them either: several chapter
members signed up for system upgrades that kept Rich busy writing up orders all evening.
 Steve
and Bob of a/d/s/ provided us with a very well thought out presentation on BMW car audio
systems and the numerous implications of each type of upgrade scenario. The presentation
was designed to benefit the true novice (me) as well as the serious car audio techies
present. We covered everything from simple upgrade options (such as why amplifiers and
speakers can be more effective than head units when desiring a reasonable upgrade) to an
in-depth review of complete "installations". Steve and Bob showed plans for
upgrading every recent model BMW audio system using a/d/s/ products. I must confess that I
was not a serious car audio fan. After listening to their philosophy of what is important
to a quality car audio system, I’m convinced that I would seriously consider a/d/s/
as I plan to upgrade my system.
The 7 Myths of Car Audio
presented by Steve Ravinski of a/d/s |
| Myth #1 |
Premium aftermarket car audio is designed for kids and bassheads. |
| Myth #2 |
Premium car stereo will interfere with your autocross times. |
| Myth #3 |
To get good sound you have to replace the entire stock system. |
| Myth #4 |
To get good sound you have to fill the trunk with hardware. |
| Myth #5 |
Good sound equipment requires an upgraded electrical system with high
output alternators and extra batteries. |
| Myth #6 |
To adapt the factory radio to an aftermarket system, line output
converters are needed. |
| Myth #7 |
BMWs are difficult cars to work on. |
|
 Basically, the message from these guys is
that car audio upgrades can be effective for nearly all BMWs and all budgets. The
philosophy of a/d/s/ is that they build components that are designed to provide maximum
benefit to a system versus maximizing individual component characteristics. For a couple
hundred bucks you have options that will further your car audio enjoyment from the stock
system. Of course, there is almost no limit as to what you can accomplish given the
appropriate amount of capital, but most people’s desires can be achieved without
having to deplete the car upgrade savings account.
Much thanks to Steve Ravinski of a/d/s/ and Rich Inferrera of Rich’s CarTunes for
putting on this event for us. I’m positive that those present really learned much
about car audio and that given the interest level, that we should add this to our list of
annual events. This was the first such event like this for a/d/s/ with the BMW CCA. They
are now rolling out similar events nationwide with the other BMW CCA chapters. a/d/s/ is
located at 300 Wildwood Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801. Rich’s CarTunes is located at
204 Dexter Avenue Watertown, MA 02472, (617) 923-1490, http://www.cartunes.com/. |
