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If you have a hot car, great equipment and a
sweet install, what do you do? The answer is simple:
you show it off. No one can blame the people at
Audiobahn for wanting to display their wares.
This busy company located in Buena Park, California
is constantly bringing new products to the market,
creating the need for new demo vehicles to show
consumers just how outstanding their equipment
performs.
When the team at Audiobahn sat down to choose
a car they wanted to have something that virtually
anyone could relate to. The Honda Accord fit that
category perfectly. It just so happened that Audiobahn's
Western Regional Sales Manager, Rick Anderson,
had recently purchased an Accord Coupe.
The completed vehicle was slated for a full
schedule, calling on dealers in the Southern California
market place, while still garnering attention
as a feature vehicle at special events such as
Hot Import Nights, and dealer events. This would
prove to be an ideal platform to work with.
While the sound system was in its planning stages,
the Accord was taken to Kaminari USA for one of
their latest body kits. And then Injen Technology
helped the engine breathe easier with its high-performance
intake system.
The next stop was for the wheels and tires.
To complement the body kit, the wheels needed
to be aggressive, yet smooth. ALT Wheels had just
the right combo with their AT191, called the "X-File."
This 18-inch wheel package could only be covered
by the best, as this car would soon see plenty
of miles.
The Proxes T1S size 225/40 ZR18 from Toyo Tires
was the perfect choice for the demands that would
be placed on them. The car was looking great now,
but an altitude adjustment still needed to take
place. Intrax made this possible with their Sport
Lowering Springs.
A drop of 13/4 inches gave this vehicle the
aggressive stance it was asking for. Afterwards,
a little exterior work needed to be done. A cruise
on down to Modern Image Signworks in Huntington
Beach, CA was the last stop. The guys there laid
down vinyl that screams for attention. With all
of the cosmetics taken care of it was now time
to make this ride rock!
Pacific Stereo in Buena Park, CA had their lead
installer, Ramses Sanchez, lend a hand at this
point to map out the system. With everything in
place now, the install was ready to get underway.
All of the signals originate up front with a
Nakamichi CD-45z AM/FM CD player, and an MF-51
changer with a DAC-41 D/A converter. Straight
out of there it goes into Audiobahn's dash-mounted
AEQ5, 5-band parametric equalizer for finger tip
control. The signal then goes to an Audiobahn
AEX300, 30-band equalizer with 3-way electronic
crossover, mounted in a custom fiberglass tub
on one of the side walls in the trunk.
On the opposite side wall, there are two of
Audiobahn's ACAP10 capacitor banks, also mounted
in the same style tub. Four farad of capacitance
keeps the Accord's power supply to the amps nice
and steady.
The front stage was handled by Audiobahn's AT56
1-inch tweeters combined with their AMD50 5-inch
glass-fiber midranges, mounted in custom fiberglass
kick panels. These are powered by the high-end
A2150HC amplifier, two channels, rated at 150
watts x 2 (but can actually put out over 1000
watts when loaded down).
The solution for the rear fill and mid bass
come in the form of another set of Audiobahn's
AT56 1-inch tweeters along with a pair of AMD60
6-inch glass-fiber mid-bass drivers, mounted in
the custom rear deck area, also powered by an
Audiobahn A2150HC amplifier.
One of the goals for the system was to play
loud, but not at the sacrifice of smooth sound.
When it came time to choose a subwoofer, the smoothest
was the ALUM12, a 12-inch woofer that is aimed
at aficionados of sound quality, yet is more than
capable of serving serious bass-heads.
Ramses took three of these subs and mounted
them in a tri-chambered, sealed box, firing forward
through the opening behind the rear seat. These
subs can handle plenty of power, 1000 watts each;
and of course the A2200HC amplifier has power
to spare. It's a two channel amp rated at 200
x 2, but can deliver 1600 watts to the subs.
The three amplifiers are mounted in the center
section of the trunk, with Audiobahn's high current
A2200HC vertical behind the box, and the pair
of high current A2150HC's sunk into the floor
of the trunk, all protected by lexan. The two-tone
vinyl wrapped fiberglass tubs that the equipment
in the trunk is mounted on really do a great job
of showing off the quality of the chrome & gold
finish on Audiobahn's amps and processors.
With top-notch audio gear and the talent to
integrate it into the car, there's no doubt that
the Audiobahn team has ended up with a vehicle
that will stop passers-by in their tracks. It's
a great combination of car, gear, and installation;
it is the culmination of a lot of creative thought
and hard work.
When you see this vehicle at a show, make sure
you get a chance to sit inside. This isn't a system
you just listen to or look at; it's a system you
have to immerse yourself in for the total experience.
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