Mobile Electronics Magazine June 2017 by Mobile Electronics

me-mag.com

T U ! O Y A T GE F THEcomW omise r p O onix n o s r â&#x20AC;&#x2122; t d c n e l a lute E hdaiv RETAILERS 2017

Ata E ushes Abso formance style p ext-level per to n

June 2017

INSTALLERS 2017

See the premier shops and techs who made the list - page 12 PLUS: DSP Part 2: Wehmeyer Weighs In Digital Biz Series, Part 1: Customer Retention Through Email Marketing

optimize your senses

RVC910

RVC1100

RVC1500

RVC180B

Wide Viewing, 120º view, 0.3 Lux

OEM look, Stick On mount super wide, 160º view

Mini Surface Mount Camera Incredible Low Light !

Split Screen 180º Rear/Front Camera

BACKUP CAMERA TECHNOLOGY ! IR LICENSE PLATE CAMERA WITH “DRS” ACTIVE PARKING ASSIST LINES

NEW !

No OBD Connection Required !

RVCLPM (Chrome) RVCLPMB (Black Chrome)

RVC800LPWIRB (Black) RVC800LPWIR (Chrome)

License Plate Camera 120º view

IR License Plate Camera 120º view

“DRS” active parking assist lines !

“DRS” active parking assist lines show car turning trajectory

TLP100IRBL

High sensitivity 1/3″ DSP color CCD Lux 0.3 @ F2.0 140° viewing angle

UNIVERSAL HEADS UP DISPLAY NEVER TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD

ON STAR ! OE STYLE REARVIEW MIRROR WITH BUILT IN 4.3” LCD (MANUAL DIMMING)

• 4.3” LCD Rear View Mirror with OnStar ! • Manual Dimming • Includes Cable Adaptor • Adjustable Parking Lines

NEW ! Adjustable Parking Lines

RVMMMDOS

OE STYLE REARVIEW MIRROR with Built In 4.3” LCD (Auto or Manual Dimming)

NEW !

Auto Dimming !

Rear View Mirror Monitor

RVM430NG

RVM430MMD RVM430MAD

Adjustable Parking Lines

5” Display with bluetooth to android smartphone function HUD500BT

OEM GRADE MICROWAVE BLINDSPOT SENSOR SYSTEM

3” Display

HUD300

USB POWERED PODS AND EXTENTIONS

• Installs behind bumper so no holes • OEM Quality • Clean Look • Waterproof IP67 • Easy to Install Not Ultrasonic

Microwave Radar will work in rain, snow and even through mud !

Dual USB Power Output

Dual USB Power POD with Mount

12 VDC Input

Round flush mount

Dual 2.1A / 2.1A Output

USBD12V

1 amp & 2.1 amp USB output

USBR12V

Indicator LED Lights

BSS300R

Volt Meter

DVM100/DVM200

HDMI / USB Extension

USBRHDMI

u o y e Ar

. . . y d Rea

10.2” OR 17” WIDESCREEN FLIPDOWN WITH WIFI STEAMING

10.2” MOTORIZED FLIPDOWN MONITOR WITH WIFI • Built in Wireless Wifi HD receiver • USB Input • AV + HDMI inputs • Wireless FM transmitter • Led Dome lights • IR Remote control • Wireless IR headphone transmitter • Motorized Auto (Up / Down)

( ( ( ((

Wirelessly Stream !

1080 HD Content from your smartphone

NEW ! (

• Built in Wireless Wifi HD receiver • Built in SD card player • Audio Video inputs • Wireless IR headphone transmitter • Wireless FM transmitter • Led Dome lights • IR Remote control

10.2”

1080 HD Content from your smartphone

(

AXFD102MHDWF

17900 Crusader Ave, Cerritos, CA 90703 USA (800) 788-1212 (562) 809-5090

NEW !

9”

Your HDMI Cable Here

((

(((

DVD9850

(

IR Transmitter

AH-IRXHDMI

IR Receiver

(

Interchangeable color skins (Gray & Tan)

IR REPEATER OVER HDMI CABLE

(( (

NEW !

10.2”

17”

AXFD102HDWF

CAR ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM WITH BUILT-IN DVD PLAYER / GAME CONTROLLER • High Resolution Digital Panel • Works in all type of Cars • Multimedia DVD Player • Supports 3-In-1 SD Card Slot, USB, DVD • HDMI Input • Game Controller and remote • Slim Design • Touch Button Controls • Dual IR Wireless Headphone Transmitter Built-in

( ( ( ((

Wirelessly Stream !

2017

Volume 34// Issue 6

Ad Index Accele Electronics...................................... p. 2 & ®3 Alpine ........................................................................ p. 7 American Bass .................................................. p. 47 DD Audio ............................................................... p. 10 Elettromedia: Audison .................................. p. 23 Firstech: Momento ......................................... p. 59 Harman: Infinity ................................................... p. 5 InstallerNet ......................................................... p. 29 Metra: Axxess ..................................................... p. 11 Mobile Electronics .......................................... p. 39 Orca: Focal ........................................................... p.34 SiriusXM ............................................................... p. 35

FEATURES 12 // What’s Happening: Top 50

Sony ....................................................................... p. 27

Making the industry’s most prestigious list is no easy task. Some of this year’s best share what it took for them to be included.

Voxx: Advent ...................................................... p. 60

30 // Real World Retail: Absolute Electronix

Having the right attitude is vital to becoming a profitable retailer. Luckily for Ata Ehdaivand, his no-nonsense approach has created a disciplined staff and a name for his store that attracts a wide demographic of customers.

40 // Behind the Scenes: IASCA

Drawing a crowd is a lot easier for 12-volt when there’s something at stake. The premier sound competition organization was founded with the intention of building an audience for the industry around top-tier sound quality and more.

44 // Digital Biz: You’ve Got Mail

Retaining customers is one of the best ways to increase a retailer’s bottom line. Doing so without a digital resource might prove costly, but luckily, we live in the age of email. Retailers and experts weigh in on the best software and tactics for retaining customers with email marketing.

48 // Tech Today: DSP Tuning, Part 2

Installation expert Joey Knapp brings in another expert to teach the art of DSP tuning in the form of AudioFrog owner and sound expert, Andy Wehmeyer.

50 ARTICLES 20 Retail News/Who’s Who 54 Installs

On the Cover

Aside from the Top 50, this month’s issue focused on retailer Ata Ehdaivand and his store, Absolute Electronix. As you can see in the image here, Ehdaivand is a serious man who believes in operating by his own rule set. We felt that his story lent itself well to both Real World Retail and the cover, with a fun shot to highlight the sense of teamsmenship his staff represents. COVER DESIGN: ROBIN LEBEL

4 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

DEPARTMENTS 6 Editor’s Forum 8 Feedback 9 Stats 10 Helpful Stuff 24 Hot Sellers 58 Guest Editorial

facebook.com/MobileElectronics

INTRODUCING THE ALL NEW KAPPA PERFECT COMPONENT SYSTEMS

DEFINING THE STANDARD FOR COMPONENT SPEAKERS. AGAIN. What happens when leading audio engineers with world-class resources develop uncompromising component speaker systems without cost constraints? Audio perfection. Introducing Kappa Perfect, Infinity’s flagship line of super-accurate, super-high performance speakers. Kappa Perfect component speakers deliver high power handling, high SPL capability, and unparalleled response. They also feature high-end industrial design and available three-way configuration. With just the flick of a switch, you can transform a 2-way system into a 3-way system by adding the Kappa Perfect midrange speaker. Any audio company can aspire to perfection. But only one with Infinity’s engineering, manufacturing and testing resources can achieve it. To Learn More Visit: www.infinityspeakers.com Or Please contact: Christopher Dragon at 203-328-4203 / Chris.Dragon@harman.com

© 2017 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Infinity is a trademark of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. Features, specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice.

editor’s FORUM Sound Bites to Chew On … and Swallow

Nominees from the Top 50 awards shared some pretty insightful answers in their videos. Wow! We’re right in the middle of awards season, and in this issue, you will find the 2017 recipients of the Top 50 Retailers and Top 50 Installers award. Let me first say: Congratulations! While these recipients are also finalists for the Top 12 in their respective categories—and ultimately the honors of Retailer of the Year and Installer of the Year—I don’t want to overlook the fact that the Top 50 is an award in itself. Think about it: Out of thousands of stores, installation technicians, fabricators, troubleshooters and problem-solvers across North America, the names starting on page 12 are those who best represent our industry in their professionalism, expertise, dedication, customer interaction and work ethic. Not a bad certificate to hang on a wall. Of the retailer and installation videos, the latter sticks with me the most, mainly because the entries consist of individuals describing their attributes, challenges, passion and goals. You get caught up in the personal sharing of having a child, finishing school or moving from employee to owner. These are all distractions and even hardships in our business, but in life, they are blessings. My sincerest congratulations and best wishes to the nominees who shared these special stories. Because a lot of the answers to our questions were similar— do the job right the first time, a desire to be better, make sure the customer is happy—I look for answers that stood out, and I wasn’t disappointed. Many of the nominees expressed refreshing viewpoints that I think we can all learn from. Not all of them made the cut, and I hope this recognition is taken as an honorable mention of sorts. But I felt it was important to share these with the industry. “The thing I want customers to remember about me is probably as little as possible. Everything they asked for was done properly. I’d like the customer to remember me as the guy who did it right and they never had to see.” – Chad Hayden Some stores delegate customer interaction to the salesperson, as is probably the case at Chad’s store. Still, I liked the viewpoint that his goal benefitted the store rather than himself. The customer leaves feeling like the business exceeded his or her goals. “My installation philosophy is simple. Be better than I was yesterday.” – Nathaniel Trierweiler

6 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

This is what I look for: a statement of growth and continued evolution. All of us have passion and are good at what we do, but the ability to keep learning is what makes us great. “This year I’ve done a better job of realizing the value of my work, realizing the value of my time, and charging accordingly.” – Jon Schmitz This is not only difficult to admit for some, but also difficult to put into practice. It takes time and experience to build up to the point where you can confidently explain the value that is commensurate with the price you need to be profitable. “My family comes first. Before my job, before 12-volt, before music in the car. Because ultimately, they are going to be around longer than any of these things.” – Jesse Mitchell It may surprise you that this is not a natural sentiment. It takes time or experience—like the joy of a new child or the discord of a job loss—to get to a point where you see and prioritize the real constants in life. “How would my coworkers describe me? Maybe as an a**hole sometimes, but I just try to come in here and get the job done.” – Steve Ledford There were a few of these answers that demonstrated focus on the work. (Still, Steve is a nice guy, though I’ve never seen him smile!) “The thing that I want my customers to remember about the installation that I performed for them is that I’ve tailored a solution for their use, to their lifestyle and for their enjoyment.” – Ron Hoser There’s a significant difference between doing magnificent work and delivering a personalized, fulfilling solution. It’s important to remember that this is what our business is about, and Ron said it perfectly. “How would co-workers describe me? Well … I’m Filipino, and very handsome.” – Jeff Morcilla This one just made me laugh. It’s refreshing to have someone take the question literally! “You see all these router bits? You see all these Sonus templates and Mobile Solutions templates on the wall? Well, they are not mine. But I use them all.” – Alain Sainvil Enough said, and I’m sure Carlos Ramirez was happy to share his toys. Congrats to all our winners!

 feedback

Brick-and-Mortar Reality Check

Graeme Wyatt thinks that owning a store is a constant headache that can be overcome through peer support, while Austin Thorne believes in the power of organization and procedure. You decide which one helps you win the day. “Choose your brands wisely based on the business programs/ethics of a manufacturer. Are they contributing quality to our industry? Or are they just trying to make a quick buck off of you?” Kimberly Trainer, Car-Tunes, Inc., Greenville, Miss. “If you are close to 60 years old, do not get up on a rickety ladder for any reason, unless you want to experience 2 broken arms or possibly worse.” Jeff West, Benchmark Audio, Inc., Springfield, Ill. “I have been treating my staff with more dignity, respect and understanding. This has changed the overall mood of the shop tremendously!” Keith McCumber, SoundsGood Auto, Coquitlam, British Columbia “In this industry, running a store sucks! There is no dressing it up to be great, it simply sucks. But guess what? This is our industry and we LOVE it!!! No matter how bad the day may have been or how many issues you had getting your hands on product, you have to remember that this is OUR industry. This is what we love. This is what can make you smile. This is your life and you wouldn’t have it any other way. So keep your head up and if you agree with me, know that you have a HUGE, wacky, messed-up family of other people just like you that are going through the same stuff as you that still love every bit of it and have your back if you reach out

8 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

ADVERTISING SALES Kerry Moyer 978.645.6457 • kerrym@mobile-electronics.com ®

EDITORIAL Solomon Daniels 978.645.6463 • solomond@mobile-electronics.com

for some help. We are the 12-volt industry!” Graeme Wyatt, Impact Tint and Audio, Tyler, Texas

Ted Goslin 800.949.6372 ext. 466 • tedg@mobile-electronics.com

“I recommend each dealer help one another in their community; don’t beat each other down and try to destroy them. After all, we are all in this together and are trying to build interest in the industry. There are many other ways consumers can spend their money. Let’s make it a pleasant experience for the consumer so they continue to enjoy the fruits of our labor!” Sondralee Orengia, Custom Audio, Erie, Pa.

Creative Layout and Design: Robin LeBel

“Stick to your processes and procedures. It keeps everyone in your organization on the same page and the only way to scale and/or train new hires. And never quit refining those processes. When you have solid processes and procedures in place it reduces new hire stress, shortens your ramp-up time and takes a lot of ‘stresses’ out of the decision-making process. Stick to the script.” Austin Thorne, TunesN-Tint, Lakeland, Fla. “Bad: Have a social media policy in effect for during and after store hours, have a cell phone policy in effect for business hours. Have cameras in all areas where employees can go. You never know who will be sending a nude picture of having sex at your workplace. Yes, it has been a crazy two weeks!!!” Eric Carter, Cartronix, Inc., Valparaiso, Ind.

Contributing Editors: Jamie Sorcher, Laura Kemmerer and Rosa Sophia.

Published by TM

mobile electronics association

Chris Cook, President 978.645.6434 • chrisc@mobile-electronics.com Kerry Moyer, VP Strategic Partnerships 978.645.6457 • kerrym@mobile-electronics.com Solomon Daniels, Dir. Media and Communications 978.645.6463 • solomond@mobile-electronics.com Richard Basler, Dir. Technology Solutions 978.645.6449 • richb@mobile-electronics.com Robin Lebel, Creative Director 978.645.6456 • robinlebel@mobile-electronics.com 1) Title of publication: Mobile Electronics. 2) Publication No.: 957-170 6. (ISSN# 1523-763X) 3) Copyright © 2017 by the Mobile Electronics 4) Date of filing: Sept. 1, 2016. 5) Frequency of issue: Monthly. 6) No. of issues published annually: 12 7) Annual subscription price: $35.00. 8) Periodical postage paid at Lawrence MA and additional mailing offices. 9) Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 10) Complete mailing address of the headquarters or general business offices of the publisher: 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 11) Full names and complete mailing address of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher: Chris Cook, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845; Editor/Managing Editor: Solomon Daniels/Ted Goslin, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845 12) Owner: MERA, Mobile Electronics Retailers Association, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 13) Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amounts of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None. 14) Tax Status: Not applicable. 15) Name of Publication: Mobile Electronics. 16) Issue date for circulation data below: August 2016. 6. a) Total no. copies (net press run) Average: 12,484 Single Issue; 12,826. b) Paid/Requested mail subscriptions Average: 6834, Single Issue: 6826. c) Paid sales through dealers, etc.; Average: 0. Single issue; d) Requested distributed by other classes of mail: Average: 531, Single issue: 520. Total paid and/or requested circulation; Average 7365. Single issue: 7346. e) Non-requested distribution by mail; Average: 4382 Single issue: 4223. Free distribution through other classes of mail: Average: 0, Single issue: 0. f) Non-requested distribution outside the mail; Average: 325. Single issue: 750. g) Total non-requested distribution; Average 4707, Single issue: 4973. h) Total distribution; Average: 12,072. Single issue: 12,319. i) Copies not distributed; h1) Office use, leftovers; Average: 412. Single Issue; 507 j) Total; Average: 12,484. Single issue; 12,826 Percent paid and/or requested circulation; Average: 61.01%. Single issue 59.63%. 17) POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Mobile Electronics, 85 Flagship Drive Suite F, North Andover MA 01845-9998

 stats

With Honors

Graduation season offers retailers a chance to spike profits with clever marketing strategies. Retailers Who Create a Special Emphasis in Their Store for Graduation Season

Time of Year Planning Begins for Graduation Season April or before - 12% April or before - 12%

70%

First half of May - 62%

60%

Last half of May - 25%

50%

First half of June - 0%

40%

We don't really plan - 0%

First half of June - 0%

30%

We don't really plan - 0%

20% 10% Yes, definitely - Yes, somewhat -

No -

Activities Most Implemented For Graduation Season

80% 40% 20%

Up to 5 Up to 10 Up to 20 More than 20 We don't keep percent percent percent percent - 0% track of increase - 29% increase - 43% increase - 14% graduation season sales 12%

• Put certain items on sale - 100% • Have a planned one-day or multi-day sales event - 14% • Create product packages that appeal to graduates - 57% • Order additional inventory - 14% • Have a hiring event for graduates - 0% • Offer gift certificates - 14%

50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

• Graduation-specific advertising - 71% • Eblasts/emails to customer base - 57%

60%

Anticipated Revenue Increase Over a Typical Month During Graduation Season

100%

120%

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 helpful stuff Book:

Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness www.peakperformancebook.net

No matter what your goal—to compete in an Iron Man, to hit record sales, or to get that promotion, there are common factors that impact what happens. In Peak Performance, Brad Stulberg, a former McKinsey and Company consultant and writer who covers health and the science of human performance, and Steve Magness, a performance scientist and coach of Olympic athletes, share what practices can help you achieve your best. Readers will uncover what artists can learn from athletes, what intellectuals can learn from artists, and what athletes can learn from intellectuals. The authors explain how routine and environment can impact performance as they share how and why, for instance, pre-game warm-ups of all-star athletes, artists, and public speakers are so alike and so effective. It’s no coincidence, the authors point out, that the best athletes perform the same rituals before every competition. And when they achieve their breakthroughs, why do so many great performers often thank and attribute their success to forces beyond themselves: be it their family, their religion, or some other transcendent power? The answers are within this compelling book. Give it a read so you can achieve your personal best.

10 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

App/Software:

Dragon Anywhere

www.nuance.com/dragon/dragon-anywhere.html When you need to be productive no matter where the job takes you, Dragon Anywhere offers a solution. Whether it’s preparing a document, sales report, or keeping a journal of field visits, this subscription app, for iOS and android, lets you dictate it on your mobile device. Easily and accurately dictate documents of any length, edit, adjust formatting, and then share them directly from your smartphone or tablet, and save them to the cloud.

Service: Soldsie web.soldsie.com

More and more these days, people are shopping on social media. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re posting images of your latest installs on Facebook or Instagram and getting positive feedback chances are folks might be interested in purchasing certain products that were used in the project. So how can a car audio retailer convert those likes into sales? With Soldsie, an e-commerce service, your followers can purchase through the comments section or through a shoppable link. Customers pay either with PayPal or a credit card.

Site To See: The Street www.thestreet.com

For interesting daily commentary, unbiased news, powerful data, and a fresh look at what is happening on Wall Street to Main Street and how tech, financial, and the entertainment worlds all collide, this site is your window into everything. Jim Cramer, who most recently authored Get Rich Carefully, is the voice who shares his opinions on companies from Apple to Tesla to Snapchat. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great source for guidance on investments and insights as to where the next business opportunities are.

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2017

Sponsored By

2017

017

Absolute Electronix Rockville, MD Adrenaline Autosound Clayton, NC Al & Ed’s Autosound Los Angeles, CA Audio Expert Car Stereo Clearwater, FL 12 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

2017

BUILT 2017 TOP 50 2017 017LAST 2TO RETAILERS

WORDS BY TED GOSLIN

201

17 50 Retailers 20Top 7 Some of this year’s 1 0 2 2017 and Installers share their hopes and 7 1 0 2 7 1 20 7 1 0 2 dreams for the industry. 2017

2017

2happening  what’s

017

2017

s a 12-year-old, Jeremiah Mojica loved music. Like most kids his age, he was looking for something to become enamored with. He became a musician. As a bass player and guitarist, Mojica played everything from Hard Rock and Metal to Reggae. Soon enough, as he worked at his parents’ retail store—GNC Customs in Goshen, Ind.—he found he liked something else even more: car audio. “Our parents had a business in 2002 and we wanted to specialize in something. It was a hobby at first. We had the radio shop and I wanted a stereo in my car. I wanted something loud and cool,” Mojica said. “I was a teenager at the time.

5 50

Jeremiah Mojica, as seen in his submission video. It segued into us wanting to be a better shop and me being a better installer.” At the age of 14, Mojica, who had little experience at that point, had just finished installing a system for a client when the man approached him with a request. “I didn’t know what I was doing. When I was done, the guy asked if I could make it cleaner. From then on I realized that there’s more. There’s always been more,” Mojica said. “The insecurity of it shows that I know I can be better. It’s important to know that you can try and mess up but just start over and try to do something different again.” As a Top 50 Installer, Mojica has his chance to show the industry the results of that early mistake, which includes further education at an installation institute in Orlando, Fla., as well as an MECP certification. Beyond that, Mojica knew the value of continuous improvement, which allowed him to find his own voice as a fabricator. “I like to have a plan before I go in. I do some sketches before I start and ask a client what they want to do with their vehicle. It doesn’t make sense to do a crazy truck build if they’re using it for groceries,” Mojica said. “Every part of an install that I do is an extension of who I am. I’m meticulous but also very easy going. I love Metal music but also love Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. I knew that when I was younger I wanted to be artistic and express myself in some way. That’s why I started with music, so I can express myself. I didn’t realize that being a fabricator does the same thing.” According to him, flexibility is one of

017

Autosound Lab Fresno, CA

Audio Solutions StL St. Louis, MO

Blvd Customs of Lakeland Lakeland, FL California Audio West Valley City, UT Cartronix, Inc. Valparaiso, IN Cartunes, Inc. (Atlanta) Atlanta, GA Certified Autosound & Security Maple Ridge, BC Distinctive Car Toyz Pleasantville, NJ Dr. Dashboard Evansville, IN Dreamworks Motorsports Roxboro, NC Driven Mobile Electronics Chantilly, VA Elevated Audio, Inc. Lakewood, CO Explicit Customs West Melbourne, FL Extreme Audio Mechanicsville, VA First Coast Auto Creations Jacksonville, FL Hot Rides Morrisville, PA GNC Customs Goshen, IN

Mojica’s chief attributes and he strives to find a better balance between work and family considering what it took to get him to the Top 50. For Mojica to feel worthy of the list has required total dedication to his craft. “I feel that my skill level has definitely been up there. Sure, I know a decent amount of it, but I’m learning at the same time,” he said. “I want to share what I have. I’ve dedicated my whole life to 12-volt. I don’t need attention, but having the acknowledgment that I can go out and hang with the best is nice.” Having just completed a Mobile Solutions training in Arizona, Mojica believes that while the best in the industry need to live up to a certain standard, once that standard is met, everyone is part of the same club. “Being here at Mobile Solutions, we all put our hands in the sink. Knowing these guys years ago was intimidating. But they say, no, we’re all the same,” he said. While he believes there’s also a division in the industry based on competitiveness and resentment, he can see a path forward. “I think we have one of the coolest industries. If we can get rid of that divisiveness and create brands, classes, shops and have an understanding that we’re all different people, the goal for me is to build bridges, share the wealth of knowledge and make our industry better, not be just a bunch of hack shops,” Mojica stressed. “For me the next idea is to be at a better state this year knowing what I do, and as a shop, being able to drive it better and continue putting that grease on the wheel.” 

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 what’s happening Industry Auto Designs Las Vegas, NV JC Audio Jackson, TN

NO ACCIDENTS

ven though Carlos Ramirez would say that his career in 12-volt happened somewhat by accident, his passion and drive to create one of the most profitable, wellknown retailers in the country is far from accidental. “I started doing installs regularly for friends when I was still in high school. Electronics has always come naturally to me; I don’t know why. My dad showed me how to install my first head unit when I was 11 years old. By the time I turned 12, I showed him he was doing it wrong,” Ramirez said. “I’ve been in the industry since 1993. I graduated from electronics school in 1996. After I graduated, I worked for Canon for two years, went to work in a suit and tie every day to work on computers and copiers and I was miserable. The entire time I worked there, I was still doing audio builds on nights and weekends in my garage. One day I just quit my ‘real job’ and turned my hobby into a career. I’ve always been in love with audio and modifying vehicles. It was really a no brainer for me.” Today, NVS Audio is again in the Top 50, thanks largely to Ramirez’s decision to quit his day job and chase his dreams. But in the beginning, his family was opposed to the decision, considering how hard it is owning your own business. “My mother was very upset that I chose to leave a very good job to play with cars. She came and looked at my shop, saw how well I was doing and never bothered me again,” Ramirez said. “After six years, we decided to move to a new location because the storefront was separate from garage. It was a one-bay garage able to fit

14 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

JML Audio of St. Louis Fenton, MO Kingpin Car & Marine Audio Wilsonville, OR Lakeside Audio Conroe, TX Lynx Customs Centennial, CO Mobile Edge Lehighton, PA Mobile Toys, Inc. College Station, TX

Carlos Ramirez, owner of NVS Audio, discovered his love of 12-volt by accident and grew his business from there to become a regular in the Top 50.

Mobileworks/Tintworks Santa Maria, CA NVS Audio Linden, NJ Ocala Car Audio Ocala, FL Prestige Car Audio & Marine Metairie, LA Showtime Audio Chicago, IL Sound Connection, Inc. Waite Park, MN Sound FX, Inc. Lewes, DE Soundscape Car Audio Carrollton, TX Sound Wave Customs Virginia Beach, VA

only two cars. We had three employees; one worked for me at the original garage. When we opened around the corner, I had to hire a sales guy.” As the store grew, so did its mindset, eventually centering on its primary type of business: high-end audio and fabrication. “Most of the jobs we do on a daily basis are in the $3,500 to $7,500 range. The majority of our builds are active front stage setups with DSP and custom subwoofer enclosures/custom trim panels,” Ramirez said. Previously focused on moving boxes in a traditional retail method, Ramirez made the decision to pivot and focus solely on high-end custom work, which has grown his business nearly ten-fold. “We weren’t getting good quality repeat clients. So I changed the direction of the business. We used to do 20 percent custom and 80 percent retail. Now it’s the opposite with 80 percent custom and 20 percent retail,” Ramirez said. “The average ticket used to be $149 but is now $749. Numbers are down but profitability

Sounds Good Stereo West Park, FL SoundsGood Auto Burnaby, BC SRQ Customs Sarasota, FL Stereo King

After moving to a new facility, Ramirez pivoted his store’s direction to focus on high-end custom work, which grew profits drastically.

Portland, OR Stereo Solutions Redding, CA is up. Our labor rate is almost double what it used to be.” With a total of 4,500 square feet at the current location, Ramirez has tightened up the presentation to have no product on display in the showroom. Only display panels and pictures of work the shop has done are on display for customers to see. The woodshop is four times larger than what was available at the old location to accommodate more fabrication work. The facility also has a dedicated upholstery room, a metal section and two bathrooms, one for employees in back and one for customers up front. This presentation allows the shop to maximize efficiency, which entices clients to come back. Achieving his goal of his team becoming a well-oiled machine is part of what allowed Ramirez to slide his store back into the Top 50 for the sixth straight year. “I feel my store should be part of the Top 50 Retailers because I feel our work is on par with the other top retailers across the country. We take pride in our work, we are equipped with all the best tools and we stay current with our fab and technical trainings,” he said. “Most of the shops in New York and New Jersey do not have the money invested in tools and training that we do, so we get a ton of out of state customers (some driving four to five hours each way) that come to have us work on their cars.”

The Car Audio Shop High Ridge, MO The Sound Shop Indian Trail, NC Tier One Motoring Oaks, PA Tint World Cumming, GA Tip Top Customs Morris, IL

With top-notch tooling and welltrained staff, Ramirez has worked hard to have a solid grasp of industry best practices. He only hopes others follow suit to make the industry even better moving forward. “As a retailer in my industry I hope to better the industry by doing my part to educate both the consumer and my teammates,” Ramirez said. “I would like to see some sort of mandatory accreditation put in place for shops and techs to help customers find the better shops, more training on the East coast and more demo vehicles built by manufacturers to showcase their products like they use to do in the 90s.” 

Tunes-N-Tint Lakeland, FL Westminster Speed & Sound Westminster, MD

me-mag.com 15

 what’s happening

TOP INSTALLERS Tim Baillie Certified Autosound & Security Maple Ridge, BC

PERMANENT

UPGRADE

fter starting his career as a part-time installer with Circuit City, Joe Cassity has come a long way to become operations manager of Tunes-N-Tint, a Top 50 Retailer. He believes part of the company’s success rests on the goal of continuous improvement. “Tunes-N-Tint consistently pushes for not only self-improvement but is an engaged retailer with various team members participating in groups, forums, industry organizations, and we’ve even sent team members to other retailers to give trainings in emerging categories,” Cassity said. “Tunes-N-Tint has evolved over the years and actually started out as a mobile-based installation company, which specialized in security. Today we consider ourselves vehicle restyling specialists, covering the entire range of vehicle personalization products (electronics, safety, security, graphics and suspension).” To keep staff at their best, Cassity invests in education. “As a retailer, we engage in ongoing product and technical trainings on a regular basis. Our team is at every local training offered,” he said. “We’ve brought in various trainers to further our team’s abilities and we actively have participated in national trainings and events throughout the year.” The company was previously known as Alarms, Etc. but officially changed its name a few years ago to Tunes-NTint. For over a decade Tunes-N-Tint has operated in Lakeland, Fla. with 12 total employees between three locations, which includes one franchise location. As part of its philosophy, the company has invested

16 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

Lee Bartels Streetstyle Carol Stream, IL Melinton Benavides Speed of Sound Technologies Milford, CT Charles Brazil First Coast Auto Creations Jacksonville, FL John Brettle Cartunes of Atlanta Atlanta, GA T.J. Carlson Kingpin Car & Marine Audio Wilsonville, OR Dan Castro The Car Audio Shop High Ridge, MO David Cruz Soundscape Car Audio Carrollton, TX Daniel DiCampli Windward Audio Kaneohe, HI Nik Edmonds Handcrafted Car Audio Chandler, AZ Derek Edwards Certified Autosound & Security Chilliwack, BC Ata Ehdaivand Absolute Electronix Rockville, MD

in a 3D printer, which has allowed the business to save the hours it had been losing when it came to lead time, communications and picking up etched items. “The costs on 3D printing have come down a lot,” Cassity said. “We’ve opted to invest in crowd funding options too, as most commercial consumer grade printers still had too small of a printing bed to make it useful.” While they once outsourced these duties, Cassity has discovered how much time they’re saving by relegating these tasks to a new member of the staff—a machine. The 3D printer allows staff to quickly and easily add the company logo to installs, which gives the device added value as a marketing tool. With the promotion of its brand comes an image Cassity hopes customers take away, considering the staff’s willingness to go the extra mile.

Andrew Emelander GNC Customs Goshen, IN Dave Evans Adrenaline Autosound Clayton, NC Andrew Evens Industry Auto Designs Las Vegas, NV Wayne Fabian Visions Electronics Winnipeg, MB Nicholas Frazier iNNovative Concepts West Springfield, MA Aaron Garcia Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security Anchorage, AK Roop Gossal Inc Ridez Surrey, BC “As our 3D scanning capabilities improve, we hope to use our 3D printer for unique or custom dash kits. Presently, we are seeing the most value in dimensional parts, items which may not be structural in nature but extend from a different plane for aesthetics or supporting other pieces, including basic dash trim and rings, speaker trim, logo and letter embossing, tweeter mounting rings, pods and other items which traditional tooling would be too time-consuming or difficult to scale down,” Cassity said. “3D printing and laser cutting requires a different skill set than traditional fab work.” The choice to invest in new technology is an attempt to counter what Cassity sees as a lack of standardization in 12-volt for consumers to easily get behind. “One of the biggest challenges in our industry is ‘closed technologies.’ My hope is that our industry will adopt

Brandon Green The Car Audio Shop High Ridge, MO Daniel Greenwood Soundscape Car Audio Carrollton, TX Richard Hansen Stereo Solutions Redding, CA Ron Hoser Tier One Motoring Oaks, PA David Kosakowski Stereo Installs Mentor, OH

more standardized platforms, networking and communications protocols and even connection ports and plugs,” Cassity said. “Standardization will allow existing customers to embrace new tech versus a manufacturer (both OE and aftermarket alike), which may go back and forth on connections/protocols causing existing customers to replace versus upgrade or adding to existing systems.” Whatever the improvements a store makes, Cassity believes that in the long run it will help a store to maximize its relationships with customers to show them what business 12-volt shops are really invested in. “Tunes-N-Tint is always striving to offer the latest in vehicle enhancement and personalization products. We will continue to expand our offerings, go-to market strategies and share those successes with fellow retailers while trying to deliver the best products and experiences possible to our customers,” Cassity said. “Our store operates on a very simple philosophy: ‘We are in the customer service business, we just happen to sell car audio.’ That statement has evolved over the years to include a lot more categories but fundamentally is what drives our business, our changes and ultimately, our successes.” 

me-mag.com 17

 what’s happening Brent Leavitt Low Notes Garage Boise, ID Steven Ledford Cartunes of Atlanta Atlanta, GA Erick Markland Markland Designs Lithonia, GA Christopher McNulty Driven Mobile Electronics Chantilly, VA

ANY WHICH WAY

oey Schultz has had to do many things to make the Top 50. Due to his store, Eminent Hi-Fi, being located in the rural area of Rexburg, Idaho, Schultz has had to combat low income residents that include students from the local college. But that hasn’t stopped him from using creative methods, including his own installation style, to draw customers. When the business was new, Schultz said they were trying to get whatever business they could, focusing on the entry-level customer to get by. “I would bring in a couple higher-end pieces, but I wasn’t expecting anyone to buy them,” Schultz said, recalling when he served customers who were just looking for the cheapest amp. To overcome the low numbers, Schultz experimented by harnessing the power of social networking and spending much less on advertising overall. By putting out quality content, word-of-mouth became the main marketing tool. It was boosted through community outreach, which, in 2005, included a special build to attract the younger generation. The shop gave away a custom vehicle to local students to inspire them to stay in school, according to an article in the Rexburg Standard Journal. “The car

18 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

Rob Miller JML Audio of St. Louis Fenton, MO Jesse Mitchell Safe & Sound Custom Car Audio and Security Manassas, VA Jeremiah Mojica GNC Customs Goshen, IN Jonathan Moore Dreamworks Motorsports Roxboro, NC Jeffery Morcilla BPG Autosound Richmond, BC Tyler Neault Visions Electronics Port Coquitlam, BC Jaime Palafox Agoura Autosounds Agoura Hills, CA Chris Pate Mobile Toys, Inc. College Station, TX Adam Perkins Sound Wave Customs Virginia Beach, VA

was originally bought for $650 and was completely reworked with new interior, wheels and sound and video systems,” the article stated. In recent years, the business has grown steadily by focusing on high-end work. Today, the business has been open for almost 17 years. The longevity can be attributed to adjusting to the market through rebranding. “A weird thing happened. We redid our signage. We started plastering that everywhere. We changed it to ‘Noise for your toys.’ We changed all that about three years ago,” Schultz said. “That was when our business went to the next stratosphere. I bought out the place next to me, expanded and worked on having a nicer fabrication facility.” The slogan, “Noise for your toys,” helps the store define what they do and sets them apart from other shops. Schultz backs up that slogan with his own installation style that combines quality sound and creative custom fabrication. He attributes his making the Top 50 to one core concept. “I’m always trying to evolve and get better. Learning new techniques and trying out new ideas is what I love to do!” he said. “I’ve always loved working on cars and I also have a huge passion for music. Car audio is a natural fit for me.

David Phillips The Sound Shop Indian Trail, NC Jonathan Ram Paradyme Sound & Vision Sacramento, CA

I’m almost 39 years old which means I’ve devoted over half my life to this industry.” From the age of eight, Schultz has been working on cars. “My dad owned a body shop for a number of years and he taught me to take pride in my work and do it right the first time. I worked for my dad after school until I was about 17. I then got offered a job at the local stereo shop at the time (1995) and started my 12-volt journey,” he said. “After going to some college and working for about five different car audio stores, I decided to open my own business in November of 2000 at the age of 21.” As an installer, Schultz believes that being a fabricator who designed his builds from the ground up has allowed him to be both technical and artistic at the same time. He also feels that his passion is what sets him apart from other installers. “Although it’s impossible to gauge someone’s passion for their work, I’m extremely passionate!” he said. “I know how important it is to deliver a product that exceeds someone’s expectations. I like delivering a product that looks OEM, just a lot cooler than what the factory would have done.” Thanks to the standard he’s set for himself as a Top 50 Installer, Schultz and his store now enjoy strong profits annually with the kinds of clients he’s always wanted. “We almost just sit back and reap the rewards. Going after this high-end clientele, the entry-level or middle of the road market craves your work and your craftsmanship more. We used to have a customer come in and go, ‘I want to get a radio install, an amplifier, a sub and a box and I have like 300 dollars. What can you show me?’ Now we have people who

Carlos Ramirez NVS Audio Linden, NJ Alain Sainvil NVS Audio Linden, NJ Jon Schmitz Mach 1 Audio Washington, MO Joey Schultz Eminent Hi-Fi Rexburg, ID Mike Schwitz Sound Connection, Inc. Waite Park, MN Nathaniel Trierweiler Elevate Audio Fort Wayne, IN Bryan Turvaville 806 Autoworks Amarillo, TX Jason Vanlakerveld BPG Autosound & Security Richmond, BC Miguel Vega Titan Motoring Nashville, TN Aaron Vertrees Mobile Works Santa Maria, CA Sage Weir Sounds Good Stereo Hollywood, FL

say, ‘I was hoping to replace my radio and maybe change out my speakers, but I only have $1,200, so is there anything you can do for me?’” he said. Word has spread, and those who have less money are more likely to save up and spend more when they can afford it. “It makes our job more fun. That person enjoys what we’ve done for them. The repeat business is almost built into it as well.” Schultz hopes to continue his education to improve his skill set further, but more than that, to be “recognized as an innovator and go-getter. And coming soon, manufacture my own line of products.” 

me-mag.com 19

 retail news

This H1 Hummer build tested the shop’s limits thanks to the amount of work involved.

Challenge Accepted NVS Audio has been working with high-end clients for years, but a recent Hummer vehicle wrap test their limits in unexpected ways. WORDS BY LAURA KEMMERER

Carlos Ramirez, owner of NVS Audio in Linden, N.J., has always been committed to excellence. It shows in the five-star ratings his business has been given time and again, and even more so, it shows in the

20 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

ability of his business to handle complex jobs for high-end clients. One recent job involved two Hummer H1s, a Ford Transit and one Army vehicle, all with full vehicle wraps, as well as light and audio upgrades and a rather sizeable budget. NVS Audio has been working with this particular client for ten years, Ramirez said. “They owned the largest gentlemen’s club in New York and in Las Vegas, and they purchased the vehicles to promote the new restaurant they just opened in Manhattan,” he added. NVS Audio deals with this kind of work on a day-to-day basis. Ramirez’s team consists of four people, and both

Hummer H1s took two weeks to complete. But with any such undertaking, there were some unexpected snags—as well as rewards—that cropped up along the way. The Army vehicle was a particular challenge, given that it was too big to wrap. “That one we had painted,” Ramirez said. “The Army vehicle came with a tan top. We had to find a company to build us a new top in black, as they wanted to go with an all flat black seam.” This client also wanted “police sirens, police strobes and a PA system on all the vehicles.” All of the brush guards and light bars that came with the vehicles had to be removed.

Who’s Who Marc Vickers

Sound Sensations Marietta, Ga. Years of industry experience: 36 Hobbies: Bike riding, running, traveling What you’re really good at: Delegating

Brian Hampson

Stereo West Autotoys Omaha, Neb.

The Hummer builds, including this LED light upgrade, took two weeks in total to complete.

Those that came with the Hummer H1s were replaced with parts from Predator Inc., a premier purveyor of Hummer parts and services. And while Predator Inc.’s products are some of the best on the market, Predator’s parts are “so heavy duty that on a normal car they just get bolted on, but for the Hummers they had to be welded on,” Ramirez said. This proved to be problematic. “We didn’t realize that until after the wraps were done, so we had to cover the entire vehicle to make sure the brand-new wrap didn’t get damaged,” he went on to say. But NVS Audio rose to meet the challenge, and the end product even helped bring in additional business. Customers wanted to “talk about the vehicles, they wanted to take pictures, and it just led to a few sales.” Attractive business draws new customers, especially when the work is complex and eye-catching. “After

customers came in, they saw the magnitude of the jobs we were able to do, and they realized that upgrading the audio in their car would just be a simple task for us,” Ramirez said. While this line of work can prove both lucrative and personally rewarding, Ramirez warns that you should not take on more than you can handle responsibly. “The problem with taking on jobs like this is that if you’re not equipped to handle the job, you’ll lose the entire account.” This line of work can also get expensive rather quickly. “You have to make sure you have the crew to be able to execute and deliver on the jobs, and you have the credit line to be able to order these parts because it gets expensive.” But, most importantly, make sure you do the job properly, Ramirez added. Taking care of the small details now can lead to high payoff in the future. 

Years of industry experience: 25 What you’re really good at: Marketing and advertising

Austin Thorne Tunes-N-Tint Lakeland, Fla.

Years of industry experience: 1.5 Hobbies: Rebuilding cars, customizing and music What you’re really good at: Troubleshooting and overcoming obstacles or challenges

Graeme Wyatt

Impact Tint And Audio Tyler, Texas Years of industry experience: 11 Hobbies: Woodworking, guns, video games What you’re really good at: Lighting

me-mag.com 21

 retail news

The Perks of Membership Joshua Landau, owner of JML Audio of St. Louis, educates Porsche Club members on modern technology for their vehicles at the April event.

JML Audio of St. Louis made the most of its membership with the St. Louis Porsche Club by hosting a spring tech session to educate Porsche owners on 12-volt products. WORDS BY LAURA KEMMERER AND TED GOSLIN

The team at JML Audio of St. Louis in Fenton, Mo., has always been dedicated to educating their clients about their products and services. Joshua Landau, owner of JML Audio of St. Louis is both a club member and board member of the St. Louis Porsche Club chapter, which serves as both effective community outreach and as a way to grow business through client

22 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

education. On April 2, 2017, they hosted an audio electronics tech session for Porsche. According to JML Audio of St. Louis’s promotional material for the event, the company educated drivers on “stealth radar and laser defense systems, modern connectivity, including Apple Car Play and Android Auto, adding safety components, such as forward and back up view safety cameras and high-performance audio.” For JML Audio of St. Louis, Porsche has become “one of our favorite brands,” according to Landau. In their most recent tech session, there were 45 attendees— their largest gathering yet for this type of event. Overall, there were five completed Porsches to show potential final outcomes for these vehicles, which included showing the full range of services JML Audio of St. Louis offers for Porsche.

“We showed built-in radar and laser defense, high-performance audio and how to tie into the factory or adding aftermarket receivers, video integration to the factory screen and how to link backup cameras to screens,” according to Landau. “We also showed different examples of radar and laser defense systems, how they work and what officers use. A radar and laser gun was there for people to hold and try out; this helped us to explain to them what officers use and how they work.” Hosting tech sessions for clients is a long-term investment in the future of your business. “It’s not so much an initial sales tool. It’s more establishing us as the experts. It could be six months, a year, or even longer down the road, they come in,” Landau said. “It’s a long-term play. Not an initial pop or bump. Long-term, it gives back a lot to community and other

THE HIGHEST EXPRESSION OF SOUND

Members of the St. Louis Porsche Club look on during a demo in the showroom at JML Audio of St. Louis.

The local St. Louis Porsche Club is an example of how retailers can participate in local clubs to boost awareness of their solutions and new 12-volt technology.

vehicle enthusiasts. It raises awareness of the technology possible in vehicles. This has become a once a year event. We have done twice before in the nine years we have been associated with the club. The tech session we did last year was very helpful to educate our clients that we definitely wanted to do it again.” Even with educating clients about what

options there are for Porsche, JML Audio of St. Louis still faces its fair share of challenges. “I think the biggest challenge when it comes to this industry as a whole is you try to tell people what you do, they think it’s just putting a stereo in a dash,” Landau said. “Just raising client awareness with the technology out there is a huge benefit for everyone.” 

16691 Noyes Ave Irvine, Ca 92606 (877) 567-3030 www.elettromedia-usa.com me-mag.com 23

 hot sellers

Josh Bowen sells a higher quality DSP ove integration capabilities, while David Ph demo board and emphasis on how mechl

JL Audio FiX™ - 86 OEM Integration DSP with Automatic Time Correction and Digital EQ

Submitted by Josh Bowen, Sommer Sound Systems, Panama City, Fla. Main Selling Features: “The benefit of seamlessly integrating into the factory system while also retaining balance and fade.” Primary Objection: Price How to Overcome: “Go into detail about the benefits of using this product over less expensive competition.”

Kenwood eXelon DDX9903S 2-DIN Monitor Receiver with Bluetooth & HD Radio

Main Selling Features: “New technology.” Primary Objection: Price, additional parts required How to Overcome: “We offer financing. We also stress how the unit will make everyday use of a radio easier with the integration of the phone. Once the features start to sink in, if they have the money, they go ahead and spend it.”

24 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

er low-end product thanks to its modern hillips sells the Sony XAV-AX100 with a less head units make more sense to him.

Phoenix Gold Speakers

Main Selling Features: “The sound/demo experience.” Primary Objection: Brand recognition How to Overcome: “Through sound board demo and knowledge.”

Compustar CM-7000 Remote Start Controller

Submitted by Keith McCumber, SoundsGood Auto, Coquitlam, British Columbia Main Selling Features: “Security, comfort, keeping the integrity of the vehicle.” Primary Objection: Price, additional parts required, labor cost to install. How to Overcome: “If you want the best, it’s probably going to cost you a little more than the ghetto product, right? And you don’t want the ghetto product do you?”

me-mag.com 25

 hot sellers

Rockford Fosgate TMS65 Harley-Davidson Direct Fit Speakers

Main Selling Features: “The amount of sound achieved out of these small 6-inch speakers in amazing. They are not cheap at $299 but they are well worth it and sell themselves once heard in person.” Primary Objection: Price, additional parts required How to Overcome: “Tell them about our successful past experience and allow a demo from our sound room.”

Focal Speakers

Main Selling Features: Demonstrate the quality of the product. Primary Objection: Price How to Overcome: “Hear the product vs. other entry level lines on display.”

Kenwood DDX9703S 2-DIN Monitor Receiver with Bluetooth & HD Radio

Main Selling Features: Phone integration Primary Objection: Price How to Overcome: Create value

26 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

Get MORE. All Sony Marine products are safeguarded by high humidity resistant vinyl resin to protect the electrical components on the inside. The outside is UV protected to prevent fading and discoloring from the sun.

MEX-M100BT

All Sony GS models are covered by a comprehensive 3 year warranty.

WX-GS920BH

MEX-XB100BT

MORE power. Get up to 180 watts RMS continuous power from Sony’s family of high-powered head units and bring your music to life.

MORE control. Use the Sony | Music Center app to select sources, change tracks and adjust audio settings easily from your smartphone.

MORE options. Sony’s high-power RMS head units come in a variety of sizes and capabilities, oﬀering installation options for all types of vehicles.

Sony supports and recommends Mobile Electronics Certiﬁed Professional (MECP) certiﬁcation, contact your Sony representative for more information

Sony is a proud member and supporter of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), and participates to support the entire Mobile Electronics industry.

Sony prides itself on well controlled authorized distribution and online marketplace compliance. ©2017 Sony Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony and the Sony logos are trademarks of Sony Corporation. Sony, Walkman, Music Center, Dynamic Color Illuminator and their respective logos are trademarks of Sony. iPod and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc. PANDORA, the PANDORA logo, and the Pandora trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pandora Media, Inc., used with permission. Google, Android, and their respective logos are trademarks of Google Inc. Bluetooth an and the Bluetooth logo are trademarks of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. The N Mark logo is a trademark of the NFC Forum, Inc. HD Radio is a trademark of iBiquity Digital Corporation. All other trademarks me-mag.com 27 notice. are trademarks of their respective owners. Features and speciﬁcations are subject to change without notice. Features and speciﬁcations are subject to change without

 hot sellers

Sony XAV-AX100 6.4-inch Media Receiver with Bluetooth Wireless Technology

Submitted by David Phillips, The Sound Shop, Indian Trail, N.C. Main Selling Features: “Carplay and Android Auto at compete I’ve pricing. Easy to use, fast, we demo in one of our cars.” Primary Objection: No CD How to Overcome: “Ask the customer when they last used a CD. Usually it’s been a while, and they realize they mostly use their phone.”

Directed Viper RF Kit Model 9756V 2-way LCD remote starter

Main Selling Features: “It gives users long-range control of their remote starter with visible run timer.” Primary Objection: Price How to Overcome: “Show value in the product over the lesser-priced units (i.e. visible display, rechargeable remotes).”

Compustar PRO T11 2-Way Remote Start System

Main Selling Features: “It has a three-mile range and comes with a lifetime warranty.” Primary Objection: Price How to Overcome: “Relate it to the cost of the vehicle.”

28 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

CHNICAL

P P ORT NTENT CO

T IN

ERNET

F T N GS HI

HICL E

T GUIDE

Installation Everything.

ALLATIO ST

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LO LO

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me-mag.com 29 www.InstallerNet.com • 800-444-1644

real world retail

Without a Doubt

Ata Ehdaivand's Top 50 store, Absolute Electronix, is proof that being true to yourself is sometimes the best way to make your dreams come true. WORDS BY TED GOSLIN

veryone lives by their own philosophy. Some believe that their own moral compass or religious beliefs should guide

30â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Mobile Electronics ď&#x201A;Ť June 2017

every decision. Others feel all that matters is ambition and getting ahead. Still others find a mixture between those two opposites to create their own belief system.

In the field of Philosophy, there are many concepts used to shape people's personal truths. One is the concept of Absolute Truth, which requires fixed, invariable, unalterable facts in order to be true. An example of this is that there

are no square circles or round squares. It's either one or the other. Of course, some people might argue the opposite simply because for them, it might be true. Therefore, in a way, any given truth is left to the determination of the individual. One thing that you can take to the bank as a certainty, however, is that Ata Ehdaivand, owner of Absolute Electronix in Rockville, Md. is unrelenting in how he does businessâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which is the main reason it's so profitable. While there's no

denying that the sound strategy of having a visible location just 200 feet from the town's main road is part of the shop's winning streak, Ehdaivand believes that individuality and an intolerance for foolishness from his staff may be a larger piece of the puzzle. "I'm very direct. I just do things the way I want to. There's no rhyme or reason. My employees don't always understand it. I don't always think the way the status quo operates. That's

just me in a nutshell," Ehdaivand said. "Everybody is part of the team. The only time I really need to get involved is when things get super bad. They know the marching orders." With over 20 years of experience under his belt, Ehdaivand has had plenty of time to perfect his method of management, especially given how it took most of those years for him to scratch his itch and open his own store. Like many in the industry, the itch began for

me-mag.com â&#x20AC;&#x201A; 31

real world retail Ehdaivand as a teenager. Del Ellis. That was really when things be successful. It sounds cliché, but you "My parents bought me an old Camry started to go crazy. Where we were, there really just want to take care of people. with an AM/FM radio, but no tape were mechanic shops. There were cars They pay the bills for my daughter's gym player. The guy behind the counter didn't everywhere." class. Whoever it is, they work hard for understand what a deck was. He was The new location had a dedicated their money, we just have to be there for really rude. They put the radio in my car, wood working room already in place. them." did a bad job, I fixed the radio," he said. Finding he Something Different had a niche, Ehdaivand It's easy for a retailer began working in the to follow known formulas industry, working his way from big box stores when up to manager at mediumit comes to customer sized chain, Meyr-Emco. relations, but it's an entirely "When I do something I different thing to be an jump in head first. I'm kind individual and follow your of over the edge. If I'm own format. Ehdaivand gonna do something, I'm believes in being honest addicted to it," he said. with the customer up front Despite making six and utilizing an industryfigures in different specific concept developed positions throughout his by sales guru Del Ellis. career, Ehdaivand realized "The first thing is the he needed something more greeting. How are you to believe in and started doing, how can we help? Number of Stores: 1 Absolute Electronix out Then we go through, look Address: 15837 Redland Rd, Rockville, Maryland, 20855 of his garage in 2011. The at the car, look around for Facility Square Footage: 3,700 initial work focused solely opportunities for upsells. Store Type: Boutique Retail on custom builds and We figure out the problem, Number of Employees: 6 installation work. But the give a solution, email the work tumbled in enough quote and write up a ticket," KEY STAFF for him to hire help and Ehdaivand said. "We do a Ata Ehdaivand - Owner eventually find the need to tour when a customer is on Christopher Mustico - General Manager, Sales open his own store. the verge of being skeptical. Mark Johnson - Senior Installer "It just got to the point We use that as an easy Maw Shen - Installation Technician where on a Saturday, I way to turn the tables on Rudi Martinez - Installation Technician would work from nine a.m. our competitors. They are Hector Mata - Installation Technician to eight p.m. and make super bad. Walking into a more in one day than I showroom then into the made all week. It started the wheels in The store was built at the break-neck back when you have $150,000 cars, street my head and made me go to the next pace of one week, thanks largely to rods and big builds back there—it puts step," he said. "A friend of mine worked the help of the shop's staff, according them at ease that we can work on their at a tire place. Next to it, there was a bay to Ehdaivand. Today, the store is more Civic." that no one used. He said I had to take it." profitable than ever, set to hit its highest To set themselves apart even further After four years in that location, the monthly revenue ever at around 90K. from their competition, the shop goes building was sold, which forced the Ehdaivand attributes the profitability to the extra mile and picks up customers' company to move to a location with his staff 's work ethic, customer service vehicles from their place of work or twice the size. "That's when it started to and the discipline to effort for continuous school. "It's a convenient way to not go crazy. We did 40K a month at the old improvement. interrupt their day." location. Then 60K a month in revenue "Our shop is traditional retail with For customers who want to wait for at the new location. Eventually we just a boutique edge. It's one of those deals their work in the shop, it is equipped ran out of space," Ehdaivand said. "A where we have a lot of displays. We have with a waiting area that includes tables, management company approached me speakers for $100 and $5,000 on display. chairs, a TV with Netflix and DVDs and a about a new facility that was right around We have something for everyone," he said. restroom. Clients can eat lunch there or the corner. We moved there and went "The goal here is to make friends. The walk to a local deli up the street. from 60 to 80K a month when we hired more friends you make, the more you'll In keeping to his roots, Ehdaivand

FAST FACTS

ABSOLUTE ELECTRONIX www.absoluteelectronix.com

32 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

Ata Ehdaivand is a rare breed: a no-nonsense store owner who cares deeply for his staff and customers. designed the showroom to be more in line with a car dealership than a standard retail store, with work stations set up for clients to sit and talk to sales staff about what they want done to their vehicles. Show cars are brought in, both personally owned by Ehdaivand and from a local celebrity client, to help seal the deal. "We have a celebrity client with ridiculous cars. This month he brought his Lamborghini. It's in the showroom when it's not being worked on. We've always got something cool," he added. The sales method Ehdaivand follows makes certain that the customer's voice is heard and anything they want is made the priority. "The number one sales concept I've learned from Del Ellis is to shut my mouth and listen to what a client wants," he said. "Just listening to a client is the number one way to make a good sale. Most of the time they are explaining it the wrong way but if you're really listening you can pick up what they're

The store is located on a main road, which sees thousands of vehicles pass by daily.

me-mag.com â&#x20AC;&#x201A; 33

real world retail

Live From Rockville

“The best thing we use is Facebook Live. People comment about that every day. I use my own personal Facebook and tag my shop in it. I have more friends than my shop has followers. My friends see it, it’s just this thing.

34 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

“I have this whole character created to get things done. That’s probably what most people know me for in this industry, going live with these videos. Sometimes it’s just me walking through the install bay. It’s been the biggest help ever. “I was inspired by Brian Piper. He was doing live videos of just fabrication. I don’t think that a client needs to see that. People don’t need to see our secrets. The best way I can describe it is as a reality show with snippets of our day. Each video is three to five minutes to show what we’re doing. It makes people go crazy and ask a lot of questions. We get a lot of phone calls. “The main speed bump was the first time I did it I was just standing around, not really saying or doing anything. I was just standing there like an idiot trying to make something to talk about. It was stupid but I kept doing it. Once we figured out what content was, it took off.”

trying to say." The shop utilizes a wide range of brands to offer something for anyone who comes in, since that's largely who his demographic is—everyone. "The brands we partner with are either really good brands as far as customer service, or really good as far as something you can beat the crap out of," Ehdaivand said. "If you don't have a product that is really durable you better have a good warranty."

All for One

"We offer bonuses and add-on incentives. It'll change based on what we're falling behind on. Last month I noticed we didn't do a lot of Dynamat. We stuffed envelopes with money and played a game of roulette. Each envelope

about it. 90 percent of the time the installer says, 'You need this,' they'll buy it. The last line of defense for add-ons is having installers approach the customer." All full-time employees are paid an annual salary and provided regular lunches with paid vacations and holidays. While each person has a dedicated role when the day begins, staff move around the shop when needed to aid with other tasks. "It hurts sometimes when you have a slow week, but in the end, this industry is really starving for people. If you have good people, you have to do something to retain them," Ehdaivand said. The installation bay sees a variety of work that includes standard audio installations and other 12-volt work

“When I talk to the guys, I tell them that when people come in here, they spend their hardearned money. What we do here is completely not needed. No one needs a radio or remote start. We aren’t selling milk or bread.” Ata Ehdaivand, Owner, Absolute Electronix

The simple truth is that not all shops are in a position to provide full health and dental insurance. But that hasn't stopped Absolute Electronix from finding other incentives for staff for their loyalty and hard work.

had either $1, $5, $50, or $100. If a sale is done and the client doesn't have Dynamat, if you approach the client to sell it, you get an envelope," Ehdaivand said. "It makes sure the client knows

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Leaping For Joy “We’ve been selling Audiofrog for a year and a half. The GS Series speakers are our best selling items from them. They sound good. When we demo things for customers, we demo everything. They all sound really good. They’re not cheap but not 5K either. They have great value and are flexible. They take a boatload of power and sound great. “Of their new products, we are Beta testing their multi-seat DSP for cars. I’m really excited about that. I have it in my daily driver and have been playing with it for the last eight or nine months. “We have a really strong relationship with them. They give great technical support that they are huge on. The next thing is product support. For instance, if we have a broken product, you don’t have to go through hoops to get that product taken care of. It’s done and over with. They send you a new one. The only time they ask for something back is if Andy or Gary feels that product has a defect they need to fix as a manufacturing issue. So they don’t have a piece of equipment not up to their standards.”

36 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

like remote starts, wheel and tire work, LED installations, Dynamat and backup cameras. Fabrication work is done by Senior Tech Mark Johnson and Ehdaivand in a separate wood room. Employee retention is high as well, with two people having been with the shop since the very beginning. "Chris and Mark have been with me since I opened the doors. Chris started out as a cleaning boy. He painted the walls, learned the business, how to sell, learned the policies," Ehdaivand said. "Mark worked with me at Emco. When it shut down, you got a guy who was really experienced. Once he was free from that place, he wanted to continue what he did the way he did it. The newest employee is Hector. He's been here six months." New employees are first given a try-out for a few days to see how they gel with the staff and shop policies. "Most of the time we're a pretty vocal staff. If you're stuck, we'll tell you. Either you stick or don't stick. We had a guy who worked here for almost two years; he sucked but if you can't take the ribbing, you won't last. We all really critique each other openly," Ehdaivand said.

It's easy enough for the staff to know if a new employee will make the cut based on how well they take criticism, according to Ehdaivand. "If a guy is late to work and I see it's going to be a problem, I won't sit that one guy down. I'll get everyone in the room and call him out to get to work on time. Let's get it done." To enhance his staff's skill sets, Ehdaivand takes them to manufacturer trainings regularly. When it comes to learning new skills in-house, Ehdaivand prefers to teach them himself rather than bring in an industry expert. "I've been doing this so long there are just ways that I do stuff for installation that I teach my guys that are the easiest ways of doing something. Every car with electrical connection gets soldered. It's everyday culture," he said. "It's so engrained in our brains it's not even like we're doing it. You walk by it like it's nothing. It's all about having a system in place."

Do It Right Popularity for a retailer comes in many forms, with the main approach being through word-of-mouth. Although the

same is true for Absolute Electronix, the shop's primary form of marketing is through social media. To maximize the effectiveness, the company uses Facebook Live to broadcast its work in progress, which has generated great interest in the shop from people who might otherwise not know what they do. To maintain its popularity amongst its established customer base, the shop only sends out email newsletters on special occasions. The newsletters either promote special deals or provide estimates on popular new product or service offerings. Existing customers are also given a follow-up call one week after their installation to check on their work and see if they want anything else done. The company's next major marketing campaign will be on Groupon, a tool that's been used in the past to generate new business. "We'll buy a certain amount of a good deal and work on Groupon to get it set up and going. We've done that with remote starts. We're working on backup cameras and Bluetooth devices right now," Ehdaivand said. "We'll try hard to make sure what we're putting in the car is the same

Poor Choice of Words

“I hired a media company to do my social media. They used Foursqaure, Twitter and Facebook, but were terrible. It cost $300 a month. They just didn’t have a clue about our industry. They would do a Google search of audio systems.

You can’t just post pictures of whatever the hell you want. It’s someone else’s work. “The goal was just to have some awareness. We did promotion after our first move. I didn’t know what I was doing. I gave them the goal to make sure people knew we moved and we needed a new stream of clients. It let people know we aren’t out of business. They did whatever they wanted. It lasted three months. “The photos and some of the questions they asked were stupid. One question was, ‘What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done in a car?’ The answer was always sex. It had nothing to do with people getting involved. It was just conversation talk. Nothing was being promoted. “Now, what I would do is something simple. Set a reminder on my phone for every day at a certain time to post something. Think about what you’ll do after you post the day before so you’re ready to go.”

me-mag.com 37

real world retail

Ehdaivand (left) teaches fabrication techniques to installer Rudi Martinez (right).

After making the Top 50 last year, the store aspires to crack the Top 12 in 2017. quality as what you would buy in the store, while getting a little bit of a deal. Groupon clientele are cheap but we still want the business." Like the Groupon promotions, Absolute Electronix has maintained its growth through seeking any and all avenues to improve its outreach. One of the biggest

38â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Mobile Electronics ď&#x201A;Ť June 2017

ways to promote growth is through internal improvement. Last year's move to a new location is perhaps the biggest example of the company's dedication to that concept, which was entirely a team effort. "Without my guys there is no way the move would have been possible. We hit 120K in December. It was the first time we ever did that," Ehdaivand said. "It was business as usual in the stores. When I was out doing what I had to get done, they were either cleaning, moving and it didn't stop. A lot of times, shop owners have to baby-sit. That was the only time I can remember that every single piston was firing and running like a well-oiled machine. Those guys knocked it out." To help motivate his team, Ehdaivand uses a regular mission statement: "Do it once, do it right." The message is secured further when he reminds them what's at stake. "When I talk to the guys, I tell them

that when people come in here, they spend their hard-earned money. What we do here is completely not needed. No one needs a radio or remote start. We aren't selling milk or bread," he said. "It's what we want to do. If we make it hard, we're going to lose that client. We need to get it done and get it done correctly." For the future, Ehdaivand hopes for his store to make the Top 12 for the 2017 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards. To do that, he plans on following his own advice, which he hopes other retailers will follow as well to better their own businesses. "Never forget what it feels like to be on the other side of the counter. Never forget that at one point you were the guy coming to a retail store looking for a radio," he said. "A lot of guys forget they didn't know anything about car audio at one point. Treat clients like that and help them along. Never forget where you came from. I never forget." ď&#x201A;ľ

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 behind the scenes

IASCA evolves from sound pressure emphasis to a sound quality focus as it enjoys a renaissance with old-timers. WORDS BY JAMIE SORCHER

The human voice registers at 25 to 35 decibels. Anything higher than 130 dB and you hit the pain threshold. Go to a rock concert and you’re in for about 125 dB. Fireworks or a space shuttle launch—even when you’re a few miles away—deliver almost off-the-charts sound. More obscure, but unbelievably powerful, is the low-frequency rumble of a blue whale at over 185 dB. Now imagine a vehicle with pressuresealed doors, a shatter-proof windshield, and booming bass—amps and subs packed to the max inside—and you’ve just entered the world of sound pressure league competitors. Auto sound competition, or what some might even consider a car audio art form, has been around for quite some time. The original governing body back in 1988 was called the National Autosound Challenge Association (NACA), but the name

40 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

didn’t cover its scope as more people got involved. “After a few Canadian distributors and dealers saw the value in what it was doing for the industry and came on board, they changed the name to IASCA (International Auto Sound Challenge Association) in 1989, said Moe Sabourin, director of operations for IASCA Worldwide. “IASCA’s main purpose was, and still is, to be a tool for retailers to promote the car audio industry to the general public and to gain exposure and credibility for the industry as a whole.” Sabourin has been in the industry since 1978—as a shop owner from 1998 to 2004, as an IASCA competitor from 1994 to 2005 (not to mention a former IASCA world champion), and now as general manager of Soundcrafters in Daytona Beach, Fla. He has also used the IASCA rules on the sales floor to gain credibility with his clients. “It was a successful program that

helped increase sales at my shop exponentially in the first three years of its existence,” Sabourin said. “I have been, and continue to be, a firm believer that the program works when used. Much like an installer and his tool box, a shop is the tool box and the IASCA rule book is a tool in the tool box, and a tool only works when the installer uses it. If the program is used, it works.” Sabourin, who was recently at an IASCA judges training at Soundscape Car Audio in Dallas, said one of the hottest topics of discussion among attendees was exactly this—going over the IASCA rulebook and how it can help build credibility with customers. “Our retail memberships have a full package that gives basic sales techniques and offers tools that dealers can use within their showrooms to increase sales and increase profits,” Sabourin said. “We spent a good three hours just talking about that.” Presently, there are about 150 IASCA events a year. “Promoters all across the country host events at local levels in their specific areas,” Sabourin said. “For

dealers, it brings them exposure and creates excitement, but the main goal for a retailer is to use the IASCA name and tools on the sales floor to generate credibility, enhance their reputation, and promote their quality of work.” IASCA, as many mistakenly assume, is not just a competition organization. “We are an organization designed for the betterment of the industry and to get some exposure to the consumer and to the public,” Sabourin said. “We do that through sanctioned events, local level events, and through the dealers as more of a tune-up clinic. Consumers can bring their vehicles into the retailer, and then show them off to the public. It allows people to see that we’ve been educated in the proper installation techniques and that we’re here to move into the 21st century with new technologies as well.” The organization also issues its wellknown IASCA Sound Quality Reference CD, which for the first time, is a two-disc set. Disc one is the evaluation CD and contains 32 new technical tracks and snippets of musical tracks for judging car audio systems. Disc two is the entertainment CD; it contains the fulllength version of the musical tracks used on the evaluation CD for the listener’s enjoyment. The musical tracks were carefully chosen for their ability to clearly define the sound quality of the system it plays on.

Boom Town In the late 90s and early 2000s, it was all about sound pressure. Back then, there was a heavy emphasis on the “boom boom boom,” Sabourin said. “Now we’re seeing a lot of interest and a resurgence in sound quality— not only in competition, but with the industry as a whole over the last few years.” “It was definitely just about the boom,” said Paul Papadeas, owner of Soundcrafters, and founder of the famous Spring Break Nationals, the kick-off to the sound-off competition season held annually in Daytona Beach. “Everybody was going for amps and subs, amps and subs,” he said. “There wasn’t much of an interest in complete systems or in

quality of sound. That trend has turned the corner. It has gone back now to where sound quality, at least in the last five to six years, is more important and there is a willingness to look at sound quality in more detail.” According to Papadeas, who has been in business since 1978, it is critical for retailers to take more of an interest in sound quality for several compelling reasons. For starters, he said, the demographics of the industry have changed making it necessary to court an older clientele, not just the younger folks who were the bread and butter for so many years. “There is a drive toward sound quality from a lot of old-timers coming back to the scene,” Papadeas said. “We’re doing a lot more with 30-, 40- and 50-somethings, and SPL isn’t really what’s working for them. Those retailers who still have the younger demographic coming into their stores can definitely continue to cater to that loud sound, or they can focus their professionalism on getting a broader, different clientele as we have here. We’re offering those more mature consumers the higher end whether it’s JL Audio, Hertz, Audison, or Morel. It’s allowing us to educate consumers about the entertainment of listening to music in their cars. Sound quality has always been popular—and always will be—for those who are really into listening to good music.” Another reason for retailers to concentrate their efforts on sound quality, Papadeas said, is that there is simply a limited scope to the world of SPL competition. “It has been out there for so long that it was becoming predictable as to who had what and who was going to be doing what,” he said. “There are only a certain number of SPL competitors nationwide and each one of those competitors has their numbers posted online on different websites, so everyone knows what a particular car does. Then it comes down to those guys doing everything they can to squeak out another tenth of a db.” What that has graduated to in just the last few years, said Papadeas, is somewhat of an SPL off-shoot. “We have

Moe Sabourin, director of operations for IASCA Worldwide.

Paul Papadeas, owner of Soundcrafters and founder of Spring Break Nationals.

seen a tendency of SPL guys now going into something called demos,” he said. “It’s a big thing where they go in and crank up the system as loud as it goes. It doesn’t matter what it looks like as long as it’s loud. We’re trying to steer away from that.”

Track Changes In addition to courting an older clientele and embracing sound quality, there needs to be a stronger focus by retailers to educate the

me-mag.com 41

 behind the scenes

Spring Break Nationals, in its 31st year, kicks off the sound off season at Daytona International Speedway. These are the SPL lanes and the finish line where competitors got to “pose” for a photo. 42 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

consumer—something that IASCA show primarily to trade only—training, Speedway is something our members and fully supports and a major reason why meetings, seminars—with a trade show participants have been asking for, for Papadeas said he started Spring Break floor, but then over the course of the quite some time,” Sabourin said in a press Nationals in the first place. weekend, open up on a Saturday night release at the time. “There is definitely still a youthful and allow consumers in for educational Papadeas stated it also allowed the demographic out there in some markets,” classes or workshops. This would work different sound-off organizations to Papadeas said. “In our market, that especially in the larger markets. It is a work together toward a common cause. younger customer might account for 10 formula that we used for SBN over the “We spearheaded different organizations percent of our business, if that. working together in one venue,” All of these millennials are he said. “It makes sense with shopping online now, getting there being a cooperative stuff in pawn shops, getting effort between IASCA, MECA things from friends. These kids and db Drag Racing and even are buying what they think are the International SPL League the best deals out there, but (ISPLL).” they’re getting burned in many cases. A lot of them simply Tool Time aren’t buying the right products “We took control of IASCA because they don’t know what in 2000,” Papadeas said. “We to buy. There isn’t enough brought to light that it isn’t consumer education out there. just about fun and games, but That is exactly what events like marketing. Sound competitions SBN were really all about. It is are a marketing opportunity. consumer exposure.” And while it will never be the The education that is so same as it was, it needs to important for consumers to develop into something else get, said Papadeas, needs to The PRV Audio team preps for competition at the that will continue to draw happen at events where both 2017 Spring Break Nationals. individuals into our fold and the trade and consumers can help them understand the come together. “Above all, it has technologies that we have.” years.” to happen by someone other than OEM,” Sabourin said his goal for IASCA in SBN, for its part, has changed with he said. “Retailers are not necessarily the next three years is to bring IASCA’s getting what they were years ago in terms the times, too. Having started out as a presence in the retail sector back to parking lot show, SBN eventually moved of market development funds, co-op, prominence so it has more value for the into the Ocean Center as it flourished and things that can help us get the word out. retailer. became one of the largest and longestOnce upon a time, if a retailer wanted to “We have redesigned our Retail running stereo and audio shows. This produce an event, a rep or manufacturer Membership program to include more past year, it’s 31st, it moved to a different would underwrite it.” That is one reason tools for retailers to use, to help build venue and still remains the season why, he explained, trade events with a trust with their customers as well as kick-off. consumer angle are so critical. credibility for the industry,” he said. “The For 2017, the season opened up at In fact, Papadeas said he would standards set in competition over the last the historic Daytona International like to see this idea continue with the 30 years of IASCA’s existence have given Speedway, a move that Papadeas said Mobile Electronics Association’s (MEA) birth to some of the best product our was long-coming and essential. Held in KnowledgeFest shows. KnowledgeFest industry has to offer, and the foundation conjunction with the Spring Turkey Run has an upcoming show in Dallas in for much of what car audio is today. Car Show March 24 to 26, 2017, the event August. Then for 2018, along with its These standards are still viable today, to attracted more than 15,000 spectators traditional March event in Indianapolis, continue this industry’s growth and show and more than 3,000 custom and classic MEA is scheduled to head out to the west the public that the independent brickcars from all eras. coast for the first time with a and-mortar retailers and their staff are IASCA held its Sound Quality and SPL KnowledgeFest in Long Beach, Calif. in the professionals in our industry, and the competitions, joined by MECA Sound February. people to take care of their car audio and Quality and SPL, and the dB Drag Racing “With the new California location mobile electronics needs. Independent Association’s SPL competitions. that was just added, this could become retailers need these tools and our goal is “Hosting the Auto Sound Competition a consumer and trade event like an SBN show,” he said. “Dedicate the Kickoff at the Daytona International to provide them.” 

me-mag.com 43

You’ve

GoMtail

Every business has a different approach to retaining customers. Retailers and experts discuss the upsides—and downsides—to utilizing email for customer retention. WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

arketing techniques are not one-size-fits-all. How a business approaches marketing and customer retention varies depending on a lot of factors, including demographics, location and niche. When it comes to customer retention through email, business owners must find a good balance in order to avoid alienating customers by sending too many emails. To make email marketing effective, a strategy has to be implemented that takes into account subject lines, content and graphics that emotionally engage the consumer. Jon Dewar owns Modern Media Geeks, a company based out of Kingsland, Ga. to help businesses with online marketing. Dewar has worked with businesses in a number of industries and acknowledged the difficulty of finding the right approach. “It’s a massive deal. Email marketing as

44 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

a whole is not a strong sector. Any good email marketer will tell you, you want the email to be sent at five or six in the morning so it’s at the top of the inbox,” Dewar said, noting that most people turn off their alarm in the morning and then pick up their phone. “It’s a fighting chance you’ll be opened instead of swiped.” Use engaging graphics that spark an emotion, Dewar said, and choose a catchy title. “Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, Wix has one—any of those are fantastic,” he said, naming a few providers that help create attractive emails. These providers also offer templates that make it easier to design an email that’s both eye-catching and informative.

Client Connections The first and most common method of collecting email addresses is at the point of sale. Dewar recommended that an email address always be gathered when the sale is made. “We have to register you for the warranty. What email would

you like to use?” Dewar said. “You’re not imposing on them, but you have that information now. Build your list if you need to reach out to them for any reason.” An opt-in feature on a business’s website can also help gather email addresses if the business provides a newsletter. However, there are some key factors to remember: never send so many emails that you’re spamming customers, send email only when necessary and always provide quality content. Don’t rely solely on electronic means to make a personal connection with your customers. Not everything can be done through email. Kimberly Trainer, president of CarTunes, Inc. in Greenville, Miss., believes that a personal connection will help to keep a business top-of-mind. “Our customer is our best advertisement,” she said. “When a customer comes in, I can talk about anything—the weather, their car, their kids. Whatever. That may not have anything to do with what they came in for. When you connect, they keep

A sign-up sheet on the counter at Sound Wave Customs gives clients a chance to opt-in to emails. The shop also brings the sign-up sheet with them when they attend events.

Sound Wave Customs has hosted its second Salespocalypse event recently, which drew a big crowd and gives them a chance to collect email addresses.

coming back. That’s something you can’t really do through an email.” A downside to email marketing is relying on it too much: Don’t miss out on making the personal connection in-person. Car-Tunes has been collecting email addresses for six to eight months, according to Trainer, but they have yet to implement email marketing tactics. “It’s a nice idea to use in addition to what we’re doing, but in today’s digital age, there’s something to be said for someone coming in and we take care of what they need,” she said. “You will be on their mind. They need that extra technical, professional environment. You can’t get that through a computer.” Sean Davis, president of Tip Top Customs in Morris, Ill., noted that Tip Top has utilized more than one approach when it comes to email marketing campaigns. “In the past, we used Infusionsoft and Businessworx to handle our email marketing campaigns. Both programs were great at letting us choose how often we would send emails out to current customers.” Davis added that a newsletter campaign is set up several months ahead of

newsletter. Some businesses provide a station in the store where customers can sign up to receive emails. Eric Carter of Cartronix in Valparaiso, Ind. said they have a kiosk with a tablet in the showroom, where customers can easily sign up. The shop also uses Square credit card processing, which asks for the customer’s email after the sale. “It goes in our database,” Carter said. “We have four or five different methods of gathering. If we’re at a car show, we will pass along a tablet and ask people if they can fill it out for us to win a prize.” However, Carter noted the most optimal time to gather emails is still at the time of the sale. Cartronix doesn’t have many people who opt-out of their emails. Carter feels this is because the information they send out is both educational and enjoyable. Sometimes coupons are sent out, and emails are always informative. “Our open rate is decent, too. It’s right around 49 percent,” Carter said, adding that he wished it were higher. “The subject line increases the open rate. If we mention 20 percent off or ‘spectacular sale,’ … we see a higher open rate.”

time and the emails are sent automatically. “This helps keep us consistent so we don’t have to try and find the time to do it every month,” he explained. “It also lets us set the amount of emails customers will receive each month so we know we are not bombarding them. I have found that one to two emails per month works well and keeps our opt-out numbers low.” If emails fail to provide quality information that clients find interesting, and if the emails are too frequent, a business is likely to lose newsletter or email subscribers. Sound Wave Customs of Virginia Beach, Va., uses MailChimp for email blasts about sales events, product announcements, reviews and for sharing blog posts. Sound Wave also boasts a low opt-out rate. “We incorporated [the newsletter] six to eight months ago,” said Ethan Blau, president of Sound Wave Customs. Blau added that they started writing blog entries about informative topics in order to educate customers. “We do that once a month so the customers who are interested can read about that. A lot of people seem to like it.” Blau added that the website gets at least one sign-up per day, if not more, when it comes to the

me-mag.com 45

start with things you may not relate to customer retention like a nice, clean, fresh environment with displays that are strategically placed and targeted for customers. It makes people comfortable and they enjoy the experience. They want to come back.”

The Big Strategy

Events held by Sound Wave Customs often draw a big crowd.

Tip Top Customs is located in Morris, Ill. Carter said he experiments with subject lines to see what’s more effective. For example, an email was sent out that focused on the Alpine Jeep backup camera. “We sent out an email with the video of the camera in action and the pictures,” Carter said. “I think the headline was ‘If you own a Jeep, does your Jeep do this?’” The email included video and images. Almost immediately, four or five of the backup cameras were sold, proving the effectiveness of the email. “It was sent out 10:30 or 11 a.m., and I’m not an expert, but I am always trying to find the right time, so I pick when to send it. Six

46 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

in the morning, at noon, early evenings. Some people say you should do it at the same time.” Carter acknowledges different people are likely viewing the email at different times of day, depending on their own personal schedules. Customer retention begins with a business’s presentation, according to Trainer. “It starts from the minute they walk in the door.” Trainer stated that if someone is going to come over to your house, you naturally straighten up and show them your best appearance. “We have guests coming over every single day in our store. Show them your best,” she advised. “We

Without strategy and careful monitoring, an email can become spam, and this is what businesses need to avoid. “You cannot waste their time,” Dewar stressed. “‘We’re having a 10 percent off sale because it’s Memorial Day’—I argue that’s not important. Tell me lane departure [warning systems] exist and people’s lives can be saved, I am listening.” Dewar noted the strong difference between simply advertising a sale, and providing quality information to customers who want to be educated and who want to learn about what’s out there. “Sell me your company, but give me a reason to be excited. That’s the difference. You’re not doing yourself any favors by sending out a newsletter if you’re not giving good information.” Soon, Trainer will be implementing a customer retention strategy through email marketing and so far the focus has been building a solid list of customer email addresses. “We’re old school in our customer retention, but I think that it’s something good to contribute along with all of our current techniques,” she said. “We’re a member of MESA, so we have several networking things available. We can get set up with a professional who will utilize our list and help compile these emails for us.” Davis agreed that providing quality information is key to a successful campaign. “We like to make our email blast informational. Educating people is a big need in our industry and people seem to respond to it well,” he said. “We stay away from pushing product on people. This seems to be the norm with a lot of companies in and out of our industry.” For Sound Wave Customs, customers also want to know about upcoming events. “People beg us to email about that stuff,” Blau said. “People come in and say,

‘Here’s my email. I want to know when you’re doing this.’” The business takes part in charity events for the military, March of Dimes and others. Recently, they also hosted their second “Salepocalypse” event. “It’s a four-hour sale on product, not on labor or installation. The first year was a test run and the second was a huge hit.” Though Blau does utilize email blasts for promotion and sales, he admits that it’s a “thin line” because no one wants their email to blow up with sales messages. “We get an email for every customer in our POS system. We’ll ask customers if they mind [emails], and we tell them we do no more than six a year or whatever it might be. I try to keep it minimal, for events and charity. Most people say they don’t mind as long as they don’t get emails every day or week.” The Salepocalypse at Sound Wave Customs has helped Blau to gather many more email addresses. The event was held on a Thursday this year. According to Blau, they had pizza, balloons, and tables set up. “I had about six or seven reps in the store. Two of my buddies who were Navy Seals worked security at the door.” At the start, there was a line of at least 50 or 60 people. “About 150 to 200 people came. We did over $19,000 in four hours.” Once customers purchased the item they wanted, an appointment was set up. There were also product giveaways, and in order to get a raffle ticket, customers had to register and provide an email address. “We gained a ton of emails by doing that.” Davis stated that Tip Top Customs sends a follow-up email after the purchase, so the customer has a chance to express how they feel. “This is a great way to know if we are doing our job or if we have things we need to work on or change about our processes,” Davis explained. “It’s also an easy way for our customers to let us know if they have any issues so we can get them taken care of quickly.”

Demonstrating Passion Based on feedback from Davis, Blau and Trainer, it’s ideal to use email for educational purposes, to inform about

future events and new products. Davis taking care of multiple generations of the also added that it’s important to use a same family for several years now.” program that allows you to track opt-in Another key to retention is to show and opt-out numbers. “This allows us to excitement to customers. If you’re not test to see what are customers like the excited, they likely won’t be. “Be enthusibest. We use email marketing for topastic about it,” Dewar advised. “When it’s of-mind awareness. We don’t need to remote start season, everyone promotes. bombard customers, but want to make You’re living and breathing that world. sure they remember us the next time If you are a specialist, you want to talk they are in the market for something about it on a regular basis regardless. In new.” Therefore, it’s important to have a general, they’re fantastic in the summer, program that lets you compile an email too!” marketing campaign. Demonstrating passion for the work is “We get too busy and it’s one of those essential, and that positivity will become things that gets pushed off to the side,” contagious when shared with clients. Davis said. “Businessworx is great for “Sell experiences and the numbers will this. We can set up a full year’s worth of follow,” Dewar added. “If you sell [only] newsletters to go out. It doesn’t take long the sale, you’ve already lost because and they can be changed if we see the you’ve just made it about price. If it’s need. We can also send out an email blast a holiday, be special. Talk about how it on the fly if we need to. This works great became the best Valentine’s day ever, or for product releases or running a special.” birthday themes. Less about the box, less Blau stated that a lot of his customers about the discount—more about you. It’s enjoy the newsletter. In order to decide all about the experience.”  how many emails to send and for what purpose, he considers his own personal interests. “If they’re sending emails every day, I’m probably going to opt out. I base it on my GODFATHER COMPETITION personal interests. SERIES • Designed Not everyone’s the WITH A for high SPL same. Some people • Air cooling ” bottom plate want less, some • 400 oz COIL! Magnet want more.” • 4” flat wire high temp When the coil • Multi-spider focus is customer system and a double satisfaction, stitched cone • Available in the rewards are 12”, 15” and 18” greater. “We want our customers to like us and be able to make informed ES NEO MIDRANGE SERIES decisions about GET LOUD SUPER WITH SLIM! their purchase, AMERICAN Available BASS in 10” and 12” MIDRANGE! not just sell them Available whatever we have in 6.5”, 8” and 6x9’s laying around,” Davis explained. Info@AmericanBassUSA.com “This is our 18th AmericanBassUSA.com year in business and we have been

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 tech today

DSP Tunin FORWARD BY JOEY KNAPP WORDS BY ANDY WEHMEYER

In the first of our series on tuning, Ken Ward shared his method of obtaining a useable signal from a factory stereo. While not “tuning,” getting a useable signal is the first step in building a great-sounding audio system, and all the tuning in the world can’t make up for an improper signal. In this installment, Andy Wehmeyer will be sharing some of the basics behind car audio tuning. The groundwork he lays will be the foundation for the following articles. Almost everyone in the car audio industry knows or has heard of Andy. For years, he was with JBL (Harman). He is extremely knowledgeable of all things audio, and is very open to sharing his knowledge. Now he has his own company, Audiofrog. Follow along as Andy shares with us some of his wisdom.

Andy Starts Here: Mystery in a hobby is part of the fun. Mystery in one’s profession is often a crash course in going out of business. We simply can’t afford for every installation and every exercise in tuning systems to

48 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

be an endless experiment and a witch’s brew of tips and tricks deployed without a plan or an understanding of what works and why. Dr. Floyd Toole describes the audio profession as “science in the service of art.” I think that’s a great description. Making music is art. Reproducing music is science. Conceiving a beautiful build is art. Actually building it is science. Science is process that’s repeatable and in order to create a repeatable process and to use it effectively, it’s important to understand the underlying principles. In this two-part article on tuning, we’ll explore some fundamental acoustic concepts, relate them to car audio systems and provide a predictable and straightforward method, based in proven acoustic principles, for making cars sound great. This is, of course, written for the professional technician, not for the hobbyist or the sound-off competitor. That distinction is an important one. For a hobbyist, the act of tuning and retuning, installing and reinstalling is the end. A hobby is the enjoyment of a never-ending process of experimentation and time spent well past the point of diminishing returns. While you may be a hobbyist (I still am) it’s important to draw a line between car

audio as your hobby and car audio as your profession if you expect to make a living. So, in this article, we aren’t talking about our hobby. We’re talking about our jobs—our professions. We’re also not talking about installations you may do for hard-core competitors or hobbyists. You know what I’m talking about—the jobs that never end. The one in which every after-the-sale adjustment is expected to be provided as warranty because the scoresheet indicated that the stage width should extend past the boundaries of the a-pillars and the singer should be thirty feet in front of the car. Yeah, we’re not talking about that. We’re talking about systems we design and build for customers who want an upgrade. That’s right. You read correctly: an upgrade. Everyone has a system already and the one they want to buy performs better than the one they have. That means their current system fails to meet their expectations. Marketers call that a “pain point” and it’s one from which the customer is seeking relief, wallet in hand. He wants to trade you money for something he believes is of equal or greater value. Your job is to satisfy him so you can get paid.

ng, Part 2 The second part of this series centers on the basics of car audio tuning once the first step of finding a useable signal is complete.

What They Don’t Know I hear and read all the time that “sound is subjective” and that’s often proffered to justify a process that doesn’t pass technical muster. Yes, preference exists, but its existence doesn’t invalidate acoustics. You may like pizza with thin crust and I may like pizza with thick crust, but that doesn’t mean that making a crust is a crapshoot. The same goes for audio systems. Preference is like adding spice. When you get your pizza, the pizza dude doesn’t offer you an entire spice cabinet to use at the table. If it’s a real pizza joint, he offers you some parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper and some granulated garlic. If you ask for ranch dressing, he may give you the side eye, but he’ll probably fork over a little tub of the stuff. None of that changes what the pizza actually is—a pizza. A pizza with fried chicken breasts as a crust isn’t a pizza and offering one to someone who expects a classic Neapolitan slice is sure to be a disappointment that makes enthusiastic payment unlikely. There has to be a fundament upon which adjustment for preference can be applied. There are rules for creating

fundamentally correct pizza and there are rules for providing fundamentally correct performance in car audio systems. In this article, we’re talking primarily about 2-channel systems—stereo systems optimized for listening in one seating position. There may be more than two channels used to drive the speakers in the car, but they are arranged to drive a left main speaker system, a right main speaker system and probably a sub. Some might call this a 2.1 system—a stereo system with a sub. So what are the rules? For a stereo system, there are three fundamental rules: the sound from the two stereo speakers should arrive at the listener at the same level, with the same frequency response and in phase. Read that carefully: in phase. “In phase” doesn’t necessarily mean “at the same time,” although that’s one way to ensure the right phase relationship between the two channels. The sound of the subwoofer also should arrive in phase. Basically, there are two components of a good tune. The first is tonal accuracy. Instruments and vocals should sound natural. What’s on the disc should

be reproduced without the perception of more or less high frequency content, more or less midrange, and so on and so forth. In a home audio system in a big room, the frequency response of the system measured in the listening position should be flat, a straight line from 20Hz to 20kHz. That doesn’t work so well in cars. In small spaces, bass is reinforced by the space. Therefore, in small spaces we expect to hear more bass. In order for the system to sound neutral (without accentuating any part of the frequency spectrum), our target curve (the one we try to match using our EQ) should have more bass. Because the reflecting surfaces in the car are much closer than the reflecting surfaces in a big room, our target curve should also have a little less high frequency content than the flat response that’s appropriate in a big room. A good starting point for a target curve is presented below. If you can get to this, then adjusting for your customer’s preference will be straightforward. Remember, we want to give the customer access to the right spices, not an entire spice cabinet.

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 tech today

Imaging

Step 2: Imaging The second component of a good tune is imaging. That means that the vocals and the instruments should be placed from right to left as they were intended by whomever did the final mix of the track to which we are listening. Read that again. The placement of the images in a correctly tuned system depends on the recording. If the vocalist isn’t recorded in the center, then the vocalist shouldn’t appear in the center. Since the recording determines where the images should appear, it’s important to understand a little bit about how recordings are made. As audiophiles, we often assume that every recording is designed to reproduce a live event, with vocalists and musicians arranged on a stage in a club or a concert hall. While that is the case for some recordings, it isn’t the case for all recordings. Recording engineers often use additional affects to add interest to the recording. Classic rock and roll recordings from the 60s and 70s often include instruments recorded only in the left or right channels or they may be recorded so that an instrument seems to move back and forth. A quick listen to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” is a good reference for this kind of creative license.

50 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

Here’s how it works. If an instrument is intended to appear in the center between the two speakers in a stereo system, then it’s recorded exactly the same in the left and right channels. That’s called “monaural” or “mono” for short. If a sound is intended to appear in the far left or the far right, then it’s recorded only in the left or the right channel. Some recording engineers attempt to place images outside the left or right boundaries of the system by adding a little bit of a sound recorded in the left channel to the right channel out of phase and vice versa. Does that work? Well, not very well. Images intended to appear closer to the left or right speakers and not in the center are recorded a little louder in the left than the right or a little louder in the right than the left. A difference of 6dB between the left and the right places the image about halfway between the center and either the left or right speaker. That’s called “panning.” Finally, in a studio recording, the recording engineer may add some synthesized reflections to place the images further forward or further backwards in the soundstage. In a live recording, this happens automatically.

Fair Expectations In order to tune efficiently, it’s helpful to understand what you can expect to achieve so you don’t waste time trying to catch unicorns. So, what can you expect? You can expect to reproduce the tonal qualities of the recording appropriately. An equalizer is the tool that makes this possible. You can also expect to reproduce the images contained in the stereo recording in their appropriate positions between the left and right speakers. Yeah, you read that correctly. You’re not going to be able to make images recorded only in the left channel appear to come from a point way past the left speaker. While some images may appear

Step 3: Sound Intentions

to come from outside the boundaries of the speakers, that will depend on how much ambient information is included in the recording. It’ll happen sometimes, but not all the time with all recordings. This is why audiophiles often choose various tracks to demonstrate their systems and they always use the same tracks. It’s important to set realistic expectations for the system in terms of imaging. The right and left boundaries for the placement of vocals and instruments are determined by the placement of the left and right speakers. Spaciousness, or the appearance of a room that’s

included in the recording depends on the recording and also on the amount of high frequency content that’s included in the reflected sound. Systems in which full range drivers without tweeters are pointed directly at the listener will often provide very precise images across the stage at the expense of spaciousness. Minimizing reflections removes spaciousness from the reproduction and approaches a reproduction similar to listening to headphones. There’s no “room” when you listen to headphones. You or your customer may or may not prefer this kind of reproduction.

located in the same concert hall, that arrangement would probably provide a somewhat realistic representation of the room ambience because the arrival of the reflected sounds played back over the speakers would be similar to their arrival during the live performance. If the size of the listening room is smaller, it’ll be less accurate but may still give a good approximation of the original space. Because a car is so much smaller, reflected sounds from behind the listener arrive so soon that they are combined with the direct

sound and we can’t count on reflections to render a similar approximation of an acoustic space. If you read the liner notes for some of the recordings made by audiophile labels like Mapleshade, you’ll see that sometimes those recordings are made in someone’s living room. Why would they do that? Because audiophiles listen to 2-channel systems in the same kind of space. This is one of the reasons that many audiophiles say car audio cannot come close to 2-channel listening at home.

SOUND

Before we move on, there is one additional and important point to consider about reproducing recording spaces. Recordings are often made to reproduce the original space. Concert halls and clubs are much bigger than cars. Those 2-channel recordings are often made to be played back in rooms that approximate the original or intended listening space. If you recorded a symphony in a concert hall with a pair of microphones direct to a 2-channel medium and then played that back over two speakers

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 tech today The intent in using a stereo speaker system to reproduce a stereo recording is to pass the signal through the system unchanged. Because the recording is designed to place instruments and vocals across the stage, the phase relationship between the two channels has to be maintained all the way through the system until the sound reaches the listener’s ears.

Phase isn’t just polarity. Remember that the center image is designed into the recording by making the content that should appear in the center exactly the same in both left and right channels. In order to reproduce that, the sound that arrives at the listener from the left and right speakers must also be identical—the frequency response must be the same and the phase must be the same, too. When two sine waves are added together, as is the case with two speakers playing the same sine wave, the sum depends on the arrangement of the peaks and dips in the waves. If they are in phase, the sum of the two is 6dB louder than each one on its own.

If they are 180 degrees out of phase (one is connected backwards), then they cancel each other.

If we consider this arrangement in terms of creating a center image, we can see that when the speakers are in correct phase, the center image will appear at a point between the two speakers. If one of the speakers is connected backwards (180 degrees out of phase), then the center image will be cancelled and we will hear the sound seem to come from the location of both of the speakers.

Setting up a home audio system usually includes placing the speakers exactly the same distance from the listener and making sure they’re connected correctly. So long as the level of the two amplifier channels is the same and the speakers have the same frequency response, this preserves the conditions necessary for good stereo performance—matching frequency response, level and phase at the listening position. In cars, however, we sit closer to one speaker than the other and that creates a problem. Sine waves at different frequencies have different lengths. Sound travels at roughly 1132 ft/second. So, a 20Hz (20 cycles per second) sine wave is 1132/20 feet long, or about 56 feet long. A 20kHz wave is 1132/20,000 feet long, or about .056 feet long. Low frequency waves are shorter than high frequency waves. Previously, we discussed sine waves in phase and at -180 degrees. Sine waves can be out of phase at other values, too. In this diagram, the two sine waves are 90 degrees out of phase. The sum of these two waves will be +3dB rather than +6dB.

52 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

Since sine waves at each frequency have a defined length based on the speed of sound, the phase relationship between the two speakers can also be something other than zero degrees if the speakers are not placed equidistant from the listener. In the example below, one speaker is 36 inches closer than the other speaker. In this arrangement, the phase between the speakers at 20Hz isn’t changed very much because the sine wave at 20Hz is 56 feet long. The phase difference is only 19 degrees and that doesn’t affect the sum of the two waves very much. As we move up the frequency spectrum, the difference in distance increases the phase difference between the two channels. At 188Hz, the two sine waves are 180 degrees out of phase. At 188 Hz, the output of the two speakers cancels and we have no center image at that frequency and nearby frequencies. The same condition happens at all frequencies at which the phase difference is a multiple of 180 degrees. The signal is 180 degrees out of phase at 188Hz, 566Hz,940Hz, 1.3kHz and so on an so forth. That’s called a comb filter. It affects the frequency response of the sum of the two speakers, but it also affects the imaging. At every point at which there is a dip, there’s also no center image. The difference in distance between the listener and speakers mounted in the doors of the car often creates this problem at a frequency between 200 and 300Hz, which is the fundamental range of vocals. That difference in distance destroys the center image in the vocal range and vocalists are often recorded so they appear in the center of the sound stage. Our seating position relative to the two front speakers screws up the reproduction. The old-school trick of flipping the polarity of one of the speakers turns the peaks into dips and the dips into peaks. That improves the placement of the vocals, but it screws up the bass and mid-bass. Before time alignment, this was an acceptable bandage. Time alignment fixes this problem completely for one seat by delaying the sound of the near speaker so it matches the arrival of the sound from the far speaker. This simply eliminates the comb filter and provides a center image at all frequencies. However, it only works for one seat. In the other seat, the imaging performance is even worse.

These two solutions should never be used at the same time. If you have time alignment, then all the speakers should be connected in the proper polarity. Using them together just makes the problem reappear.

Final Thoughts So, tuning systems in cars is the practice of matching phase response of the two front speakers as closely as possible to create a center image and matching the frequency response of the two front speakers so that the center image doesn’t shift left and right because of differences. Then, the sound of the

subwoofer should be added so that it is in phase, too. Once the center image appears in the center at all frequencies the rest will fall into place and the system is ready for a few spices to please your customer. Think about this carefully as you wait for next month’s article, which will

explain how to do this in a way that’s predictable and straightforward. Matching the frequency response and phase of the two front speakers is what matters in creating a car audio system that provides a believable representation of what was originally recorded. Everything else is secondary.

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 installs

The Fourth Dimension SUBMITTED BY MIKE SCHWITZ, SOUND CONNECTION, INC., RICE, MINN.

This 2017 Impala was brought into the shop by a regular customer wanting his fourth custom build completed. The factory head unit was retained and an Audison bitOne processor was used to correct the factory signal for tuning purposes. A Hertz HP30001 was used to power the pair of 10-inch Hertz Mille subwoofers. Audison 6.5-inch coaxial speakers were installed in the factory door locations. Hertz Mille components were mounted in factory locations in the front of the vehicle using custom made composite adapters. A Hertz HCP 4-channel amp was used to run the active front speakers while a Hertz HDP2 runs the rear coaxials. The Audison DRC MP was custom-molded in the factory center console and is the only piece of aftermarket equipment visible when the vehicle has the stealth panels on in the trunk area.

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 installs

SUBMITTED BY EDWARD CABE HONEYWILL, HONEYWELL TECHNOLOGIES, WEXFORD, PA.

Thanks to word-of-mouth, a client requested that the team at Honeywell Tech go for broke with his new Polaris Slingshot and customize it with as much lighting and customer enclosure work as it could hold. The build included a LED light kit, 3-foot multi-color LED strip, Ram Mount 180-degree parabolic rear view mirror kit, Clarion CMS5 Bluetooth Audio Receiver with Aluminum mounting plate, Assault Industries Gauge Bezel trim kit, DEI Complete Heat Control kit, SSV Works subwoofer enclosure and SSV Amplifier Installation wiring kit.

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Next Specialist Opportunity

The

Connectivity is changing our Industry faster than we know. It’s time to get in front of it. Looking toward the future and crystal ball aside, none of us can truly say we know what tomorrow will bring. What we do know is that past trends, today’s business and new technology advancements all play a role. As an industry, we are facing challenges to find good people, integrate into newer automobiles and overcome ever shrinking margins with competition from growing online sales. I have been both encouraged and distressed as I listen to retailers across this land. Some are stating signs of recovery while others continue to struggle. Some have hope of recovery, while others are awaiting the other boot to drop. Their statements, coupled with news of some key regional and national chains closing shop and others scaling back their interest seem to point to an opportunity for some market share growth for the independent specialist. However, outside of market share growth, our economy still appears to have some potholes on the road to recovery. As an industry of retailers with strong ties to the automotive industry, we also need to be real about our future prospects and plan accordingly. Significant Factors Now that I have you thinking, let’s look at the factors that are affecting the mobile electronics industry. Sales of new automobiles are up, but the last quarter was down year-over-year. There is also a focus toward self-driving vehicles that leaves our industry unsure of the future for upgrading the automobile. The consumer electronics market is booming albeit online, while leaving many brick-andmortar retailers behind. Our core categories for mobile electronics traditional are audio, video, security, convenience and the emerging category of safety. What is new for these categories is that they are or soon will be connected to the cloud. This connection is part of a much larger category that is referred to as Internet of Things (IoT). When it comes to lifestyle-based technology, consumers are flocking to anything in the “connected” realm. These are products communicating with each other and allow them to efficiently network, communicate and explore the world around them. This shift to IoT delivers the consumer seamless connectivity and opens a plethora of new opportunities. When looking at the IoT market, the automobile becomes just another room in the house. This new room will require installation services as these devices become mainstream in the automobile. What It Takes What does it take to get known as the “IoT Installation Specialist”

58 Mobile Electronics  June 2017

in your area? An understanding of what challenges the consumer has when using these products in the automobile and an awareness of where and how to communicate with these consumers. You can start by looking at the big picture of products related to IoT and how they interact with the automobile and the consumer. Our industry is well positioned to innovate and deliver products and services that speak to, and satisfy the lifestyle demands of the IoT consumer looking for seamless connections of their devices regardless of where they are or what they are doing. This new IoT opportunity may require a shift in your advertising and presentation to become a driving force for business in your store. Let’s face it, we are dependent on the automotive industry. To become less dependent we should look at ways to diversify and IoT could very well be that way! Research the Category To research this emerging category, you need go no further than your own store. Assuming you or your staff use products in this technology category, think about what you would like to be able to do with these connected products in the automobile. Take that knowledge and look for products that meet the challenge. If the idea you have does not exist, let your suppliers know. Your conclusion may provide a nice source of revenue for the future. Next, take a field trip to places that sell IoT products. Your first tip only requires a web browser. Go to SmartThings.com. This is a website created by Samsung that has a plethora of products. Take a few minutes review all the IoT products that are available. Then think about how this relates to products for the automobile. Amazon’s Alexa is a good example of what could become a great aftermarket IoT opportunity. You may be surprised at how many consumers have no idea of the experience you are able to create for them in this emerging category. Our passion as an industry is built around technology and the automobile. This is what we do. Our lack of a plausible alternative may be a cause for concern and even leave you perplexed and rather anxious. However, it may allow you to begin the process of analyzing options for the future like becoming an IoT Installation Specialist.

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