2003 Acura RSX

Arguably, multimedia systems have continued to be one of the hottest trends in the mobile electronics industry. A glance through any of our recent issues offers sufficient evidence of this popular movement. Wayne Watkins, however, chose a much different path when building his own demo/competition vehicle, a 2003 Acura RSX. Over the course of two years, he has created a truly remarkable competition audio system to compete in both IASCA and USACI 601+ classes. That's right, an audio system-no video sources or monitors anywhere.

A LITTLE PREPPY

To route JL Audio power/speaker cables and interconnects throughout the vehicle, Watkins gutted the RSX to the bare bones. The factory battery was replaced with two Optima Yellow Tops mounted in custom aluminum battery trays under the hood. All power cables were run in the factory frame rails under the rocker panels; the RCAs, down the center of the vehicle along the center console; and the speaker cables, down the roof through the A-pillars into the dash, doors and kick panels. Before reassembling the vehicle, every accessible inch of sheet metal was covered in Dynamat Extreme, consuming three bulk packs of the sound deadening material.

GO TO THE SOURCE

Up front, the factory double-DIN radio location now holds an Eclipse CD8053 source unit trimmed with a custom smoked acrylic panel that houses the RSX's custom gain controls, status LEDs and switch for the linear actuator in the sub enclosure (more on this later). No additional processors were required as the Eclipse features built-in crossovers, time alignment and equalization. For additional convenience, an Eclipse 5083 CD changer is tucked behind the rear seat.For a powerful yet accurate front stage, Watkins created a 3-way system utilizing the doors, kick panels and dash for driver placement. Focal 165K2P 6 1/2" drivers were installed in custom fiberglass inserts on the door panels. Watkins also built custom kick panels to house the 4" midrange driver from the Focal 100KP component set. The tweeter was flushed into the factory dash location. Both the door and kick panels feature color-matched silver trim panels with yellow accents and custom-made clear acrylic speaker grilles to protect the drivers.

HATCH CRAFTINESS

The rear hatch is now consumed by a beautifully crafted silver fiberglass amprack and subwoofer enclosure that also contains the rear fill drivers. Two JL Audio 13W6v2-D4 13" subs were molded into a custom MDF/fiberglass enclosure that features a hidden linear actuator that can open or close the port to tailor the bass response. For tighter, more accurate bass, the enclosure remains sealed. With a flick of the switch, the actuator opens the port for maximum SPL output. The trim rings of the subs were color-matched silver with yellow accents to match the rest of the installation.Before the subs, two of the four amplifiers that power the system were flush mounted in front of the amprack, just behind the rear seats. A JL Audio 1000/1 powers the two subs and a 300/2 powers the 6 1/2" midbass drivers in the doors. The remaining two JL Audio 300/4 amplifiers that drive the front and rear component sets were flush mounted in the side panels adjacent to the rear seats and trimmed with matching silver fiberglass panels. Folding the rear seats reveals yet another silver fiberglass panel that displays the fuses for each amplifier and also trims the Eclipse CD changer.

SO FILLING

Flanking the two amplifiers in the hatch is a Focal 100KP 4" component set that serves double duty for both rear fill and for demo speakers when the hatch is open. Matching yellow trim rings and custom clear acrylic grilles were added to protect the 4" drivers. For added flexibility, Watkins added a separate gain control for the rear stage to adjust the level of the drivers for either rear fill or demo purposes.The highest quality of workmanship and the utmost attention to detail is evident in all components of the installation. But don't take my word for it: Watkins' efforts have earned him the prestigious title of 2005 IASCA Ultra-Pro 601-and-up World Champion. Future plans for the RSX include custom A-pillars and a display podium, but for now Watkins continues to enjoy the fruits of his labor while remaining an active competitor.