Music (while driving) to ears
Blame the audio connoisseurs. These individuals can be quite finicky when it comes to selecting sound systems that would deliver the best sound quality possible.
Whether they are acquiring just a headphone or a whole set enough to convert their room into an opera house, they will require nothing less than the best.
So it’s no surprise if you find their homes filled with tens of thousands of pesos worth of custom installations that would make composer John Williams or film director and producer George Lucas proud.
Their discerning standards have inspired car owners to do the same thing with their favorite rides. For them, having the best-sounding audio system is not only about immersing themselves with the richest and most accurate sound while stuck in traffic or making long distance trips—it’s another way to flaunt.
And just like audio connoisseurs, car audio enthusiasts find that more speakers do not necessarily mean better sound quality. It takes good planning, installation and setting up to achieve the perfect car project.
Supportive
Here in the Philippines, TSL Marketing Corp., in partnership with DLS Sweden, has been supportive of local car audio enthusiasts by sponsoring annual competitions that invite beginners as well as the experts.
The TSL Marketing Corp., which exclusively distributes DLS as well as Kicker car audio products, is a member of the Winterpine Group of Companies.
In the second edition of the DLS Philippines Open Competition held at the Tiendesitas in Pasig City last month, 19 entries competed for the best installed car audio system.
Determining which entry produced the music that sounded closest to the original, without noise and distortion is Swedish Peter Flodqvist, who is chief of DLS technical support worldwide and a certified sound-quality competition judge.
The International European Mobile Media Association (EMMA) head judge was joined by locally based Swiss national and EMMA head judge/trainer Glen Saitowitz, who did the quality evaluation of each of the entry’s
installations.
The competitors were required to set up a standard installation package for both the Pro and Classic categories, while in the Open category any DLS audio configuration was allowed.
Winners
Winning the grand prize for the Pro category was a Nissan Verita set up by Mickey’s Autosound. The Classic category went to a Toyota Yaris owned by Oliver Cristobal, with JC Car Audio as the installer.
The Open category went to a Toyota Fortuner owned by Dong Chung with installation done by Mickey’s Autosound.
Special awards were also given to Mickey Pascual (Competitor’s Choice); Autoline (Best in Display); Jeffrey Yap (People’s Choice); Rommel Trillianes (Most Creative Modifications); and Roland Car Audio (Most Pristine).
Coinciding with the 2nd DLS Philippines Open Competition was the 2011 Kicker Sound Off competition. But unlike in the DLS where sound quality was the basis, the Kicker event looked at the entry that produced the loudest sound (average of the two decibel readings taken while the entry vehicle’s doors are closed and while opened).
Twenty-eight entries competed in the event that was divided to Fixed and Open categories.
In the Fixed category wherein all entries feature a Rockford Fosgate T1500-1BD amplifier and a Kicker 2010 CVR124 subwoofer, the champion trophy was hoisted by Elgin Dee of Quest Audio.
In the Open category where entries have an existing Kicker subwoofer installation and were subdivided into categories that counts the woofer (2-woofer, 3-woofer, and 4-woofer classes), eventual winners were Dennis Hizon (2-woofer category), Jeffrey Palcone (3-woofer category), and the duo of Egay Mercedes and Jason Diwa (4-woofer category).
Another important event to complete the competitions held at the Tiendesitas was the country’s first-ever auto tint skills competition called the 1st 3M Master Tintero challenge.
Besting 27 other expert tinteros were the three eventual winners: Jess Andes of Team Car in Banawe, Quezon City was declared Master Tintero Grand Champion. First runner-up title went to Roque Terre of Dan’s Car Audio in Dagupan City, second runner-up title went to Juan Rotarca of Golden Bridge in Makati, and third runner-up title went to Antonio Umbao, Jr. of Speed Zone of Iloilo.
