2006 BMW 325i

What got you into competitions and what do you think of sound-offs today? And what about its future?What excited me about competitions was the friends from all over the U.S. Some of my best friends are guys that I met competing. The sound-off circuit today is a lot different than it was 10 years ago. Sound-offs used to be a great way to spend your weekend and play. Now it is much more serious and only the serious play. The future of car audio competitions is yet to be seen. Car Audio and Electronics' Trifecta has created a lot of enthusiasm. IASCA and USACi, and MECA all have great formats. They are not competing with each other any more. But, also other car show organizations such as NOPI. Young and old alike have so many more options, it's really all about who can create the most excitement and make it the cool fun place to be.

Are there any tricks left for improving sound quality in a car or are we at a limit in terms, not of products, but in terms of installation?There are a lot of techniques out there that guys are just now bringing to the mainstream in car audio. [It] used to be only the most radical builder and vehicle had custom dashes and rebuilt interiors to help the soundstage of a car appear to be real. Now even the most average guy is making these changes to his vehicle in search for that magical soundstage. But the biggest improvement will be in electronics that are just now becoming available. We are about to see products that will make every car audio system sound great almost regardless of where the speakers are mounted or located.

What projects do you have on the horizon? Any new ideas or techniques you could hint at?I am currently touring our new BMW 325i demo car. It has our new MS-8 signal processor in it. It is unbelievable how easy it makes setting up your vehicle. It is great for the guy that just wants great sound or the competitor that strives for superior sound. I also have a Toyota Solara that we have started to construct. It will act as a test bed for a lot of our new and innovative products that are coming down the pipe. I hope to share the build of the project with everyone soon. The installation will incorporate a lot of the current techniques with a few new twists. I am excited to be building a new car; the Regal has been around for a long time.

How much of the design on the Regal was done through trial and error or do you work everything out on paper first?The Regal was kind of my test bed. As a professional installer, I always felt that I needed to have the best car that I could. It was my business card. And I always was working on it to improve any and everything that I possibly could. My customers are really the ones that got to benefit as well. Everything I learned through a lot of trial and error I would also lend to the customers' vehicles that I was working on. Sometimes I would learn something in a customer's car and I would then apply it to my car.

You won your class at Spring Break Nationals. How much of the tuning for the BMW was done through the MS-8, as opposed to manual tuning?We went into SBN 2007 not really knowing what to expect. Andy [Wehmeyer] and I thought the car sounded really great. But until the judges get in and scrutinize every inch of it, you just don't know. We won MECA Best of Show SQ and we won IASCA ISCQ by over 25 points. What's amazing is that the MS-8 did about 80 percent of the tuning of the car on its own. Andy and I made a few small adjustments and only changed a few small things. Everyone that listened to the car was simply amazed. We are using the stock head unit in the BMW!