Table of contents for Issue 1 2016 in InCar Entertainment

And we’re off! Yes, a new year stretches ahead of us, and this issue kicks off 2016 with some of the best cars and installations we’ve seen in quite some time – outstanding in every respect, from the choice of materials and themes, the colours, the accessories, the installation techniques and, of course, the hand-picked kit that makes the tunes we love. And it’s a diverse bunch. Check out the Commie Sportswagon (fondly referred to as AGIT8). Could you get a more impressive install than this? Are you serious? Talk about attention to detail… it’s absolutely everywhere. Even the subwoofer baskets are given the car-matching paint treatment in House of Kolor’s quaintly-named Texas Tea (some might call it brown). This is without a doubt one of the most impressive installs…

New from Transcend is this fully-featured road recorder device with a few twists that set it apart from the rest of the peloton. The DrivePro 220 ‘Car Video Recorder’ has already received three European awards for its implementation of a host of technologies in addition to its core abilities as a high quality road recorder, for which it features a fast Aptina f1.8 multi-element glass lens and high resolution C-MOS sensor, recording to the included 16GB SD card in full high-resolution 1080p at 30 fps (720p at 30fps is also available and provides added recording capacity). The SD card is automatically programmed to record over the oldest files once it has reached its capacity. Video can be played back via the built-in 2.4-inch 480p resolution LCD screen or transferred to…

US-based company Phoenix Gold held an industry night, via its Australian distributor, in order to launch the company’s new products for the coming 2016 season. Phoenix Gold Australia held the event at the trendy Garage Café to celebrate the company’s latest car audio products and to showcase the newly rebuilt Phoenix Gold Holden Astra demo car, sporting the latest kit. The Astra was shown alongside four other demo cars, which together covered the full gamut of installation possibilities. The café’s central space was used to erect a large Phoenix Gold tent showcasing the latest products and the new in-store demo board design. Also on show was a collector’s edition Phoenix Gold “The ONE” 12,000-watt RMS amplifier as a proud example of the company’s substantial contribution to the high-end car audio…

Who doesn’t like to sit down and relax in the comfort of their home to watch some of their favourite TV shows? But ever wonder what it’s like to be up there on the screen? Meeting the owner of this extremely customised 1941 Willys Coupe gave us the chance to find out, as he’s none other than American Restoration owner Rick Dale, one of the main players of the most watched reality TV show in the world. But he plays down the whole stardom thing. “It’s just a job, I don’t notice a difference,” he told us. “Maybe the first week it was very weird, and I was nervous. But everyone gets used to it and it’s not a big deal. And I like that people love what we do…

Curious headline? Perhaps, though rest assured I harbour no machination. It more pertains to where these components fit into the grand scheme of all things Rockford Fosgate. Because when talking about this American-born company, one needs to appreciate its rather awe-inspiring audio ubiquity. Rockford has been producing audio components for decades, a record that naturally leads to a substantial and everexpanding stable of goodies. Where these comments gain momentum is when you’re the poor coot deciding which ones to purchase. We’d never advise you to simply rush out and spend the most money you can (unless Lotto has been especially kind to you). Nor should you go for the cheapest components you can find, lest you find yourself with a product that’s exactly that. Research is the key when looking…

Alpine continues to expand its innovative approach to car marque targeted audio-visual integration, and now has a new solution for Audi vehicles. Alpine calls it ‘Alpine Style’ – and indeed it does add a sense of style to the acclaimed Audi interiors. The new offerings vary from head units with Alpine integration solutions to full system infotainment solutions including amplification and speakers. For example, In the A4, aside from the head unit replacement (which also caters for the vehicle’s own settings and menus), Alpine offers a high quality speaker system with installation solutions for all the componentry, even providing a kit which includes sound deadening material in order to wring the best performance from the system. Similar solutions are also available for the A5 and Q5. The Audi Q5 head…

Need a double-DIN multimedia navigation system that will squeeze into a single-DIN chassis? Alpine’s $2299 INE-W997D could be your solution – full navigation, smartphone interoperation and even high-res audio playback, all accessed through an ultra-high-end 7-inch capacitive panel. For music, the INE-W997D allows playback from USB not only of MP3, WMA and AAC files, but also high-resolution FLAC audio, plus DAB+ digital radio, RDS and much more. Video and audio can be replayed from iPod or iPhone, while HDMI connectivity allows the addition of DVD/CD players (Alpine’s DVE-5300 CD/DVD player being an obvious pairing), while builtin Bluetooth allows hands-free calling, audio streaming and even voice control directly from compatible smartphones. Advanced sound processing options include crossover, 6-channel digital time correction and dual HD EQ, the latest in parametric EQ technology,…

t here’s so much to say about this wagon… and of course the images here speak volumes. We caught a glimpse of it at this year’s New-Tech Show in Sydney and we were blown away — it has got to be one of the best installs on show right now. We immediately paved the way for a photo shoot and a full InCar feature, so it was just a matter of time before we got another close look at this marvel of a Sportswagon – and this time with lovely model Rianna Lé providing further visual attraction. BIG IN TEXAS So here it is in all its glory. And it’s not only a kit-fest – the Sportswagon’s interior itself is OTT radical. The installers, along with owner Peta Psaras, faced…

What we enjoy most about bringing our feature cars to you is the variety. There’s a plethora of Commodores and Falcons, of course, but we find a wide diversity in the themes, colours, interior materials, installation methodologies and visual results – and, finally, in the gear list. Despite the commonality in branding and models, these cars stand as individual entities of merit. Here, we feature yet another outstanding example where the owner strongly stipulated to installers The Life Style Store his desire for a stealth interior installation, an attractive but not overtly flashy boot set-up and, most importantly, a system with absolute clarity. ZERO FUSS As per the requirement, the black leather and suede interior, a beautiful stock design, has been kept. However, provision was made for the speaker system,…

While ‘trending’ may be a term commonplace in today’s vocabulary, if you’re of my generation (or earlier), then you’d likely not heard of it, were it not for social media. As a descriptor for something that’s common and popular, in audio design terminology ‘trending’ means something that’s becoming accepted as the norm. And when you’re been reviewing receivers as long as I have you see trends aplenty. This is because to stay in the race you need to stay with the lead peloton, right? Is this not the mark of experience? Remain with the winners and keep your head down. And on the surface this approach seems to have worked for many companies hitherto. However moving forward we’re witnessing expert designers like Clarion now doing the exact opposite. Rather than…

Through my travels I get to meet audiophiles aplenty, and most don’t mess about. They demand the best brands, the best installs, and money’s no object (at least up to a point – six and seven-figure prices can make many of the aforementioned suddenly decide that perhaps money is an object, and quite a serious one at that). Fiscal bravado is nothing new to French artisan Focal; it has faced off against this since its inception in 1979. As a result it’s not only mastered the art of producing speakers with prices such that even NASA might request a discount, the competencies the company has acquired in doing so enable it to trickle this knowledge and technology down into its lower ranges. In this modern age of budgetary austerity, Focal…

Sony has announced a new range of high-end in-car audio components with high-resolution audio as a key focus. The new range is headed by the RSX-GS9 media player which will be complemented by an amplifier, a component speaker system and a subwoofer. The RSX-GS9 media player/head unit features an in-built ESS DAC and will be capable of playing just about every format extant, including high-res audio formats including FLAC and native DSD – indeed Sony claims here to be delivering the world’s first DSD in-car player. At lower bit-rates Sony’s DSEE HX up-sampling software claims to improve compressed files to “almost high-res quality”. Sony has also included high quality componentry – premium capacitors, high quality op-amps and a clock generator to improve digital playback, while the unit also uses NFC…

A couple of issues ago we published a story on Scosche’s range of in-car mobile phone solutions, in particular the MagicMount magnetic mount bracket. We have since had the company’s MagicMount Vent in use for a couple of weeks, and can report on its successful integration (so much so that Scosche will have to break into our car to get it back). The MagicMount Vent is a grip cradle and platform which attaches to your car’s air conditioning vents. A thin magnetic plate attaches to the back of the phone itself (this is so thin you can use many phone covers over the top of it without issues), and allows magnetic mating simply by hovering your phone near the vent cradle. Scosche provides two plate sizes – small for most…

Our team here at Incar was actually privy to some pre-commencement details of this marvellous installation. About a year ago or so, at The Life Style Store’s premises (the team responsible for the build), we were told of the wonderful things to come, the plans to make this an outstanding showcase car for the audio delights available from Italian manufacturer Hertz Audio Video. Despite the briefing, however, we had not fully envisioned the awesome results of the hard work from talented installers. But now we bring this to you in living colour… GOLFING AROUND… With the focus on the audio, not too much has been done to the exterior here – this is a terrific-looking Golf anyway. But the original bonnet has been replaced with a carbon-fibre one, while a…

Walking through the Sydney CBD on a late afternoon many years ago, this writer remembers being approached by a Holden promotions team. “Would you like to see Holden’s new small car?” The jovial couple escorted me to a nook in Martin Place where a rather attractive little coupé was parked with open doors. I recall the young Holden reps’ pride when showing me the attractive (but back then, seemingly over-illuminated) interior and the sporty coupé exterior lines. I was rather impressed at the build quality, the included features and appointments for the money. That car was the just-about-to-bereleased Holden Cruze. JUST CRUZIN’ Fast forward to 2016 and here is a recent-gen version of that very same model – and, we think, the first Cruze we’ve ever featured in Incar. So…

When reviewing in-car entertainment systems, some things quickly become evident. One of the first is that most modern offerings in the high-end in-car entertainment market are competently designed, packed with features and (usually) provide at least good value at their respective price points. And secondly, you rarely get a sub-standard item sent for review, since your Editor has already pre-picked the most exciting items to delight our readers. But this can create a challenge for the reviewer – not to become repetitive, singing the praises of every piece of equipment that comes along. You can simply run out of new words. But happily, once in a while, a product comes along that can surprise you, and the words flood forth. For this reviewer, the Alpine DLX-F17S proved one such product.…