While they indeed do still exist, DIN-sized in-dash stereos are really a thing of the past for today's street rods and customs. Believe it or not, just as it is with new-model vehicles, Bluetooth is where it's now at for high-end cruising tunes.
No matter what style build—resto, nostalgia, contemporary, and so on—the phrase "less is more" often applies in various areas (especially with smaller '20s-'40s cars). But up until recently, if you wanted big sound out of your audio system, you needed some fairly big equipment—both in the physical size and financial departments. Not any longer, however, thanks to modern wireless technology. Welcome to the world of Bluetooth car audio.
You may be familiar with (or even have) iPod-integrated audio for hot rods. Chances are, it's hard-wired—in other words, whatever it is that's providing the music is physically plugged into the vehicle. That's not so much a bad thing, but it does limit the mobility of your "mobile" media device. With Bluetooth capability, you can play your music anywhere in range, whether you're in the vehicle or not.
The Audio Shoppe's Alan Hickmann recently let us in on a brand-new system perfectly suited for any street rod, custom, classic truck—basically, anything with 12V power. Based on Earthquake's EQ-4000BT four-band equalizer, which controls everything from volume to individual sound levels, depending on the size of the vehicle—and the extreme to which the desired music will be listened to—the entire ensemble can range from a single amplifier and a set of coaxial speakers, to multiple amps and a full complement of drivers.
For our exercise here, we'll show the Bluetooth controller feeding two 120-watt amplified 6-1/2-inch, two 120-watt amplified 5-1/4-inch coaxials, and two 400-watt amplified 10-inch subwoofers (all Arc Audio XDI series, including amps). While that may seem like a lot of equipment, requiring a lot of interior real estate, in reality it's not—the front speakers fit discretely in the kick panels, the rears under the package tray, the subs enclosed behind the rear seat back (taking up minimal trunk space), and the relatively compact amps mount neatly under the front seat and tucked in the sides of the trunk. The EQ itself, which is roughly half the size of a traditional DIN-size head unit, mounts easily to the top portion of the glovebox, but can also go beneath the seat or under the dash—access isn't as crucial as with a standard stereo since much of the controlling will be done through the iPhone/iPod.
Which leads us to the "mobile" aspect—the wireless source of the music. As with any Bluetooth device, simply pair your phone/player with the EQ and you're good to go. And, as long as you're within range, you hot rod's music is literally at your fingertips, whether that's from within the car or outside of it. (Obviously, make sure and follow your local laws applying to use of cell phones while driving.) As far as charging of the device goes—even though it's being used wirelessly, simply outfit the car with an accessory cigarette lighter and utilize your regular car charger.
If you've been looking for a way to integrate a quality audio system into your hot rod, one that's discrete yet elicits high-quality sound, look no further than the all-new Bluetooth system from Earthquake. Give The Audio Shoppe a call for more details and system component options/compatibilities.
01 Wireless in-car audio is here at last.
02 Through his decades of custom car audio design and installation, The Audio Shoppe's Alan Hickmann has found "the" source for modern Bluetooth audio for your hot rod: Earthquake's EQ-4000BT equalizer control unit.
03 Acting as a pre-amp, the EQ is paired up with an appropriate amplifier(s)—in this case, Arc Audio's XDi803 (three total).
04-06 Initial setup of the mobile "stereo" (iPhone/iPod) is just like pairing any Bluetooth device: Turn Bluetooth on; discover/connect; utilize music library. Simple as 1-2-3!
07-08 Those three amps power three sets of drivers (speakers); two 6-1/2-inch Arc Audio XDi602s in the kick panels...
09 ...two 10-inch Arc Audio XDi subwoofers enclosed behind the rear seat back...
10 ...and two 5-1/4-inch Arc Audio XDi502 coaxials in the package tray.
11-12 For those of you wondering about the possible drawback with the "wireless" feature, don't worry—simply install a regular old accessory cigarette lighter and utilize your device's normal car charger. Done!
