Car Audio Talk with the Industry

It is very sad to write a first post with this theme, but I had to.

For those who don't know me my name is Carlos Alexis Lopez.

I, like most of you guys started doing stereos for the fun of it and it evolved to something else.

My disadvatage was that, living in an island inthe Caribbean, I had nowhere to grow my need for competition. So what I did? I came to the US and started competing at big events in rented cars. many times I had to spend 5 to 7k just in transportation and accomodations, but it was all worth it because all the effort I and the people that helped me (Todd Zier included) was rewarded with many throphies, including 2nd and 3rd places in db Drag World Finals and a 1st place at USAC Finals all of them in 2 day systems in rented cars. I even got the first Wayne Harris Award for dB Drag's competiotor of the year and the Competitive Spirit Award at USAC Finals the same year. those were the good days.

But even then I had a great concern... why were we doing competitions in places with no spectators? Why were this events done in places where only the competitors knew about them and there was no mainstream participation?

I stoped doing it for 2 reasons, first they created a rule that said that you had to acumulate half of the points required to place at finals with the vehicle that was going to be at finals, wich I called the anti-Carlos Alexis rule because I was the onlyone doing crazy things like that anyway. But more important, because I was spending so much money to get to lets say Daytona Beach and place second by .2 dbs in a class with 2 cars... or to finals to see only people that was competing and no public at all. If i, a competitor was disapointed, what can be said abot a sponsor that was paying $20k for a booth and had 25 people a day looking his goods?

That's why I believe Car Audio is no sport any more. The sanctioning bodies are only thinking of having the full pie, even if it is a very small one. This sport is meant to be fun for us, it's players, but also profitable for them, the sponsors who were paying the booth spaces, the throphies and sometimes the equipment and even the transportation and expenses of some well known competitors.

Where are the Alma Gates, the Steve Cooks, the Brantley Wrights, the Teams like Team Hertz, Pure Sound and Edge Audio just to mention a few... all gone for good. Yes, there is a Chris Norris and a Tommy Mckinney, but those few crazy ones that still do it are lone heros and only that... a few that sooner or later will be gone and with the the last to be seen ot our breed.

My dad once told me... it is better a pie for two than piece of shit for yourself alone. You know what? thats what the industry has done to itself. There is only a few true sportsmen in Car Audio and they're leaving in a hurry. It is not profitable anymore to build a ground shaker like we use to see at Fenders in Dallas every weekend back in the late 80's and 90's.

I will keep writing my thoughts in this forum and will keep speaking for all of us who really loved the sport and suffer to see 37 cars at a World Finals venue.

Lets move on, lets get events to where people is going to be anyway.

Todd... lets do something. Let's get to State Fairs and do our own thing. I'm willing to sacrifice for the good of the sport... but, who else will join me?

The season is still to start...

I just posted a lik to this post @ Termpro.

Lets see if they come and read it.

http://audioforum.termpro.com/cgi-bin/u ... 24264.html

Don't give up. Maybe someone will come up with a fun format that is not so expensive. Your post does bring up the point of changing the rules during the season and into question of should the points go with the competitor (driver) or the system (car). I see people all the time at finals who get there and then use equipment they did not use the win their way there. They borrow equipment from other competitors or manufacturer's to try and win. On the one hand it is nice to see people sharing info and equipment to help another, but should you be allowed to compete with different equipment than you used to get there? How would you regulate it? It comes down to setting rules and sticking with them for a season or two, to allow competitors to build a car/system and compete all season long with minor tweeks, instead of stopping a competitor or team halfway through a season to do a major change.

After the latest final we could all see how Car Audio competition is a sport dying real fast. Okay, so I haven't competed for the past 2 years but I am in the process of putting new batteries and maybe try MECA. In my opinion, some of the ideas why SPL has been dying is because the changes in rules year after year. I even believe that no car audio organization should tell you what wattage of amp you should use. At the end, the equipment is still only yours. Wouldn't you like to have an SPL class where you can buy whatever amp you feel like? That will stop companies making cheater amps to be able to satisfy the watt classes. Below is my idea how to bring people back without having to buy a special amp to fit their class.


SPL Amp. Clases - Class 1
1. One amp, one battery and as many sub as you want.
2. Two amps, one battery and as many subs as you want.
3. Three amps, one battery and as many subs as you want.
4. Four amps, one battery and as many subs as you want.

This is an example of what I mean. By telling the competitors to buy whatever amp they want, people will be a lot more creative on how to get louder.


I could go all night but I want to hear what you guys think.

MECA is good for SQ. You will do well. You are right in the fact that the rules change too much. Does not allow for someone to build a vehicle for the "season". You must now build for each event. New classes need to be well thought out.
Vendors, who we would like to support the sport, want to see their products in the vehicles. If you limit batteries to 1 the battery companies will be up set. It would be nice to sit down with several interested parties and come up with a proposed format for classifications.

I would have to agree with myth buster,,,our team bought several rounds of amps before we found out how the game was being played it cost me alot of loot. I would love to just run what i brung...but if im a stock car being placed in a mod class cuz of the wattage of my amps that just crazy. I would also agree that if all org"s were on some classes it would be cool. Then i could go to all of them and have fun.

LOL Carlos you may not remeber me but we work on a RENT A BASS neon together and it was alot of fun. I do believe the sport has hurt it self and its time for it to heal itself so we can enjoy once again. Man I love this sport like mad and it sucks to see what some org"s have done to it and to us the people who help keep it dangling on its last breath to stay alive. hope to see you around again. hey carlos do you still have the lumina van.

With participation dropping off in competition, maybe there should be a combination of SQ & SPL. You could have the rules of SQ with the SPL counting as a higher percentage of the score. This consolidation would cut in half the number of classes, thus saving money for the competitors while providing full classes.

I have several opinions, ideas and many a bitch on this subject

I start with what I feel is a critical foundation issue: A question; what vehicles are the Icons, Symbols, Poster Vehicle of the Car Audio Industry or Sport ? ? How many are their?
A vehicle that proudly represents Car Audio, the WOW Factor, the vehicle that belong on a Poster (on the walls of stereo shops and Audio enthusiast every where) a vehicle that should be highlighted on many TV Shows. A vehicle that inspires everyone, industry professionals and Common Consumers.

What dose it mean to be a so called Car Audio World Champion? How many of theses champions do we have every year? Now how many, if ANY, are the WOW – Icon – Poster Vehicle, Rock-Starts, the Rock-Stars? ? ?
We have so called SPL Vehicles: a vehicle that dose not play Music, unfinished, raw wood, maybe striped out interiors, stacks of batteries and amplifiers
Are these SPL vehicles, World Championship vehicles the Icons – WOW – all Inspiring – Poster vehicles? Scott Owens had a great SPL vehicle at a mind boggling 180 db, but did that truck represent all of Car Audio? How did that truck look to a common Consumer that knows nothing about Car Audio or SPL? Didn’t play music, only subs, amps and batteries finished out in wood and steel.
Theses type of vehicles may have a place in the industry and sport, but need to be put in perspective
I feel the spl type vehicles have damaged the Image of Car Audio (the drunken brother-in-law syndrome) it has become an imbursement. I have walked the lanes of Car Audio Competitions since 1983.
Imagine this situation; randomly pick 5 off the street individuals, now walk them threw the spl lanes of world finals. What do you think their response and option would be?
Don’t get me wrong, there is places for SPL, just not as it present N0-Standards Forum and the level of stature or prominence for achieving hi-spl levels needs to be adjusted.
Spl is only one ingredient or element of Car Audio and dose not deserve any More or Less acknowledgement or respect as any other single element (spl, sq, installation) of car Audio

Now the Sound Quality vehicles are not the ideal Choice either. The SQ Purist have hijacked the SQ competition as well with their no Bass or SPL. And recently seem to be taking a movement away from Installation Quality and scoring. This is a no better situation than the spl with no installations standards. Just like SPL, Sound Quality is an important part of Car Audio but not the only or most important element and needs categorized as such (just as SPL)
If some one wants an audio system that only strives for One single Component or ingredient is fine but needs to be properly ranked.

We are so divided in our industry today. The snobby SQ people have no respect for the SPL crowd and vise versa. This is a big problem.
The world finals events have become two separate shows (SPL, SQ) under the same roof and the two do not even like one another. How could we let this happen and go on for so long.
None of the Competition Originations can’t get a long or agree. So what we are left with is this Train Wreck of a mess; miss understood, poor image, divided, unorganized, fiasco of an industry and sport. We were on a slow death, now we are just Bleeding out (nothing slow about it) can you see it, do you agree?

The current formats and originations have only embraced or cussed this destructive divide. There are no formats or incentives to promote the ultimate Car Audio vehicles. The Rock Star Vehicles, the Car Audio Industry Icons, the caliber of vehicles that would put the WoW back in to Car Audio.

The Best of the Best, the World Champion Status Vehicles must have it all; Spl, Sound Quality and the very best and innovative installations. The division and conflict of current SPL and SQ formats and division and conflict between competitors has seriously damaged our image, efforts, industry and sport.
We all need to pull together and refocus as a unified group with the commonalty of Car Audio.

I agree with alot of this, I fall in a class that really cant compete because my set up is so musical and can play anything. My truck is one of them wow factor vehicles, I meter great but not enough to ever win and SQ wise, having 3 18's I would just get laughed at. Really sucks actually because I want to be part of USACi but they just don't offer anything for a wow factor vehicle.