posted
OK, Here is a copy of an article about a truck that my team and I built last September. I did not have anything to do with the writing of the column so please excuse the fact that it sounds as if a SONY cheerleader wrote it.
Hmmm...
Cracking the doors open on this 1996 Chevrolet pickup is like being a little kid finding the prize in the Happy Meal. Except for the Sony logo and a 7-inch Sony monitor in each of the side windows, you don't know for sure what's under that camper shell that covers the bed of this truck. You can't see inside through the side windows because they are massively tinted. But when you do open the doors and inspect inside, your ears and eyes will be right in the middle of a feast of sound and video. This truck is equipped with nine Sony TV monitors, 12 Sony subwoofers, nine Sony amps, and the audio system is really cool with two distinct systems - one for enjoying when driving and one to wow spectators at special events. Constructed by the installation team at Audio Express in Chandler, Arizona, this pickup was awarded a trophy and cash for the Best Use of Sony Video at the Tenth Annual Sony Mobile Invitational 2004 Sonic Truth Sound Off held October 8-10 at the Green Valley Ranch Resort Hotel in Henderson, Nevada. Some modest work was done to the exterior of the pickup. The factory paint job gave way to a custom blue paint with pin striping done by Advance Autobody, Chandler, AZ, and Audio Express tinted the windows of the camper shell. The vehicle was conceived and constructed as a demo vehicle. Actual construction was painstakingly done to teach novice installers in the proper skills of fiberglass enclosures, racks, and speaker mounts. With the audio system configured into two distinct systems - "minor" and "full blown," it takes a little more than throwing a switch to make 'em sing. The "minor System" uses three amps and is for on-road use. The "full blown" system using all nine amps comes into play at exhibitions and special events. The user can switch from one configuration to the other with a switch in the center console along with the position of the parking brake and ignition switch. When the parking brake is engaged and the ignition switch is off, the "full blown" system plays. When the ignition is on and the parking brake is disengaged, the "Minor System" plays. (This is something like turning off the dome lights on a Chevy. Once you get the hang of it, it's easy, but to the average Joe, it provides a bit of security to ward off wannabes.) It took the design and installation team of Michael Abeita, Joseph Whitlock, Adam Kaiser, and Aaron Moore a little under a month to construct the system. (We don't want to speculate how late they were up and what they consumed to maintain their "edge" on such a pro install.) These guys deserve a round of applause for creating a system that stops passersby dead in their tracks. And for the purists, the "minor System" scored a healthy 137.6 dB in the SPL contest at the Sony sound off.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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