Table of contents for #2 2015 in InCar Entertainment

Reinforcing the uptake of smartphone technologies to the in-car space (in conjunction with Apple’s Car Play and MirrorLink technologies) Android Auto now joins the fray. Suitably, Pioneer has announced products that will incorporate the new technology. The new AVIC-F70DAB and AVH-X8750BT head units will feature Google’s new tech for compatible smartphones (Android 5.0 and subsequent OS systems). For those with such devices, the look will be a familiar one replicated on the head unit’s screen, while new voice command functionality will aid ease of use and on-road safety. “Integrating Android Auto into our 2015 in-car receivers enables compatible Android smartphone owners to use the power and connectivity of their devices for navigation, communications, music and more,” said Paul Petrakis, Sales and Marketing Manager at Pioneer Australia. He continues, “Android Auto…

Name: Adrian Cowie Car: 2011 Holden Commodore 1. What got you into car electronics? I always had an interest in clear loud music, attending Sound Offs and Show ‘n Shines. 2. How long have you been into it for? Ten years. 3. Occupation? Auto electrician. 4. Favourite music for testing audio gear? RNB, DJ Mix Ups. 5. Dream car? Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. 6. Other hobbies/interests? NRL, Supercars and just starting to get into photography. 7. Where to next? Upgrade to a HSV and start the modifications.…

This 2008 Ford Falcon is one of the most elegant we’ve seen. It has been conceptualised with firm belief in the KISS principle and, as far as we’re concerned, this has paid off handsomely. Even the plates reflect the overall philosophy: “CL45SY”. Indeed. STRIKE A POSE So the ingredients to an elegant look when it comes to car exteriors are actually quite simple. Here owner Steven Page debadged the car, with the exception of the minimalist ‘G6’ factory symbol, while keeping the ‘Ford’ signature blue oval on the front grille and boot chrome dress strip. All else is smooth re-sprayed silver. And of course, heavy window tinting, awesome-looking Zenetti Masquerade 20-inch wheels and low profile white walled tyres just finish off the stylish theme. Equal finesse has been applied to…

I’m sure everyone has actually heard of the popular US car maker Plymouth. The company’s logo featured on most of the car badges or emblems was inspired and designed after the Mayflower which landed in the New World from Plymouth England. The 1947 to 1949 Plymouth Deluxe coupes were also a popular choice as police cruisers for local Police Departments in the US during the Great Depression. And it’s easy to see that this 1949 Plymouth custom Deluxe coupe was the perfect car to customise for owner Greg Hughes who also helped restore it. This is an outstanding custom build which Greg worked on with his father Gary Hughes, a former Fire Chief who sadly passed away in 2007. FAMILY BUILT With Greg Hughes is committed to much more than…

As we advance in to 2015, there’s no doubt it’ll be another year that will see manufacturers heating up the competition and frantically creating receivers resplendent with an endless array of abilities. It’s quite a reasonable assumption to make a priori, however not all companies share this mindset; especially Clarion. It opted to take an existing platform and rather than stuffing its virtual real estate full of new features resulting in technological tautology; it instead retained its comparatively moderate list of existing abilities and reworked them to perfection, the result being the new NX404AU. It’s a hard mindset to argue with, because while the NX404AU doesn’t possess the aforesaid multitude of functionality, it does audio, it does visual, it does telecommunication and it does navigation. In other words all your…

Things have been a little quiet on the Scandinavian front of late, thanks by in large to Swedish manufacturer DLS taking a stay of absence from the Australian car audio market; albeit through no fault of its own. That doesn’t mean this maestro of audio has been resting on its laurels procrastinating; anything but actually. The good news for us is that DLS has returned to Australia, bringing with it a dazzling new range of audio goodies. Just in case you’ve been caught unawares, DLS has been producing stunning audio products since its conception in 1979 by three audiophiles Dawid, Leif and Stefan (yes of course one of them is named Stefan). Since these humble beginnings the company has grown exponentially to become one of the most successful audio competitors…

No, not a bi-cultural electronics project but rather a new component from Germany’s Blaupunkt, the Cape Town 940 multimedia head unit. The Cape Town 940 is Blaupunkt’s flagship model and as such features a whole stream of technologies and functionality at, what we must say, is a terrific price point of $1299 (includes GPS navigation). For starters, the head unit features operability with Android Jelly Bean OS which can be navigated via the large 6.8-inch LCD capacitive 800 by 480 pixels touch screen. A ‘Fast Boot’ function puts the unit to sleep (for up to five days) while the ignition is off and immediately revives it once the vehicle is powered up. This of course translates to lightning fast access to all the functionality as soon as the starter key…

Bluetooth master Parrot has announced the new RNB 6 head unit – or ‘Infotainment’ system as the company refers to it – with comprehensive smartphone connectivity. Released at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the RNB 6 is Android 5.0 (Lollipop) based while also featuring CarPlay and, naturally, Android Auto. But it’s not just about the new smartphone integration systems because the unit also features a whole stream of tech allowing extensive functionality. This is highlighted by the on-board GPS navigation system, Bluetooth hands-free telephony of course, driving assistance services, voice commands for most functions including Apps, music, radio and navigation, a dash camera and access to the on-board diagnostics of the car. This last feature displays real-time technical and performance based information on the vehicle while also…

There’s something very ‘Knight of the Round Table’ about this Commodore. It’s medieval-looking in a visually stunning sense. It really is an impressive vehicle that is the fruit of Adrian Cowie who not only owns this mean green machine but is also responsible for the installation and design. And there’s substantial work involved, especially in the interior’s retrim, colour scheme and audio gear installation. FUSION & IQ Adrian wisely picked Fusion as the audio gear of choice to enhance on the considerable capabilities of Holden’s factory IQ system. So the signal starts there with the substantial feature-set of the IQ head unit. To massage the signal into his own tastes an re-Q5 5-channel processor was chosen for its highly-reputed capabilities. Amplification duties are relegated to a Fusion CADA41400 4-channel amplifier…

Summernats brought Canberra to life with the roar of engines and smell of methanol for the 28th year over January 1st to the 4th. The event and the New Year kicked things off with a bang with 103 cars completing a simultaneous burnout to not only form Canberra’s quickest ever cloud cover but also reclaim a Guinness World record. These 103 burnout entrants only formed a small snapshot of the 1800-plus overall entrants providing plenty of the usual favourites and some of the automotive oddities that are becoming more common cruisers at the Summernats. This vibe from the World record on the Thursday flowed into another successful running of the city cruise on the Friday. This brief cruise shuts down the main road of Canberra and brings the atmosphere of…

Time to turn up the volume while we take you behind the scenes of the 2015 International CES super staged in Vegas from January 6th to the 9th. The oasis that is Las Vegas Nevada becomes the world’s centre for the latest technologies and devices that are there for exhibition. Just to give you an idea; the show setup itself takes a few weeks as all the big players sort out their giant display areas and booths. It’s an organisational and logistics challenge but, as is always the case in the biggest electronics show on the planet, when the main doors open the crowds are almost devastatingly enormous throughout the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Centre (LVCC). The show seems to make history every year breaking its own records…

Many, many head units these days provide excellent integration with smartphones. You have music in your phone you’d like to play on your car speakers. You want to make and receive telephone calls and not run afoul of the law. Of course you need a car audio system that communicates with your phone. But that leaves one problem unsolved: where do you actually put the thing? Sony’s XSP-N1BT head unit deals with that. It not only communicates with your phone, it accommodates it. Literally. THE INSIDE STORY The product name says it all. Sony calls the XSPN1BT a ‘Smart phone Cradle Receiver’. This unit holds your phone, so it’s not bouncing around in a niche in your centre console, nor hanging from a cable. We shall return to the ‘cradle’…

Orion has just released a new subwoofer range based on the valuable lessons learned in the design of the flagship HCCA subwoofers. The new XTRPRO series drivers feature a custom cast aluminium frame, custom terminals, a symmetrical tuned long throw surround and a massive dual voice coil and magnet motor system. Available in 10-, 12- and 15-inch versions with either dual 4- or 2-ohms voice coils, the subwoofer drivers are capable of withstanding massive maximum music power peaks ranging from 1000 to 7200 watts while the RMS power rating are substantial and starting at 900 watts RMS for the smallest 10-incher to a staggering 1800 watts RMS for the largest 15-inch sub. The subs are available as twin 4-ohms designs and with twin 2-ohms voice coils. “Orion’s new range of…

The Nissan Juke is certainly a distinctive design and the small sports ‘Crossover’ turns heads wherever it goes because of its unusual styling. Here, this Directed Australia Sony demo vehicle is bound to twist a few more heads. The car is chockers with Sony gear – and as one of the many Directed brands, Viper security kit too – providing a platform for enthusiasts to not only eyeball the stuff but to also have a thorough audition in a real world car rather than a store demo board. Having said that, this wasn’t just a matter of throwing as much gear into the car as possible in a willy nilly fashion. This gear has been carefully installed with aims to sound and look good. And the Juke serves as a…

The first car manufacturer I stumbled across was Japanese car maker Toyota. On display was the Mirai a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle which may be the turning point in the future of transportation. The car stores energy and recovers it during decelerations. This Toyota has a high performance polymer electrolyte fuel cell that produces a 100-plus KWs of output. Amazing technology. Also on an alternative to oilbased engines, Panasonic showed a huge booth in the South Hall but didn’t have much in the way of car audio. But what was a true eye treat for everyone was the Tesla Model X electric crossover car that is powered by fuel cell batteries. It’s a performance car capable of doing 0-60 mph in less than 5 seconds; very impressive. There was Chevrolet…

Name: Steven Page Car: 2008 Ford Falcon FG G6 1. What got you into car electronics? The glory days of ‘sexspec’ cars with awesome audio visual setups. 2. How long have you been into it for? Around 10 years. 3. Occupation? Fire technician/white waller. 4. Favourite music for testing audio gear? It’s gotta be Hip Hop. 5. Dream car? A Kombie camper Van. 6. Other hobbies/interests? B Ball, cracking laps of the town. 7. Where to next? I have decided to part ways with the car, so it’s onto another project and another audio install.…

If you’re one who dabbles in both car audio and home theatre you’ll notice certain trends are attributed fairly strictly to one or the other. One of the major culprits pertains to system schematics, whereby the central brain of the home theatre is always the receiver, which not only handles all the information but then processes it, amplifies it and distributes it to the surrounding satellite speakers. The subwoofer is almost always a separately powered unit, its only interaction with the receiver being the signal that’s fed from the latter. MULTI & MONO Italian amplifier designer Audison will need no introduction to any enthusiast into quality car audio. Since its conception in 1979 it has effectively done for the mobile electronics industry what Henry Ford did for motoring and as…

4-CHANNEL AMPLIFIER Rockford Fosgate has been there since the beginning. From the days of Jim Fosgate developing amplifiers in his garage, to the purchase of Hafler and the expansion into international markets, Rockford Fosgate’s history is one of innovation and quality. The company became the first in the industry to license Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound Decoder technology. First with high powered amplification for automobiles. In 1973 after finding that its amplifiers were too powerful for the speaker drivers of the day, it simply formed a partnership with a speaker manufacturer, and proceeded to build better drivers themselves, going on to improve sound quality with nearly every product. Very early on, it also recognised the need (and the market potential) for differentiating the premium brands from those they wanted to…