Car Audio & Security Memorial SPL Day
It was a little off-season and didn’t see quite as many warm bodies come to compete for the prizes as some days have done in the more summery weather but the recent SPL day held at Car Audio & Security in Hayes was still a total success.
It was held in memory of our chum Joe Ajji, who died suddenly a little while back. He was the importer and distributor for the UK of the Earthquake Sound line of high quality American car audio. One lovely thing is that Joe’s brother Tej has taken over the reins of Earthquake Sound UK and is going to finish his brother’s SPL Mercedes as well as doing an install in his own van as part of most assuredly NOT allowing this excellent brand to depart our shores. Tej has been into his mobile music for ever and has now found himself bitten deeply by the bug again, although for a sad reason losing his brother.
The competition’s classes were very simple, as ever. You had Boot Boomers, whose equipment had to be entirely housed within their boot and was divided into One, Two and Multiple-woofer classes and then there were the Extreme classes. Ones with kit spilling into the main cabin and a separate class for walled vehicles of which there were a few.
There were prizes put up by CAS of paired Vibe BlackDeath PA style compression-horn-concentric-with-midwoofer speakers for the extreme classes (tens for ‘˜Extreme’ and twelves for the walled ones) and pairs of the now cult-loved JBL GTO hard-to-kill big excursion subs in ten inch, twelve inch and even fifteen inch for the victors of each Boot Boomer class. A thousand pounds’ worth at retail in total.
I was there to act as compere and did a little operating of the Audio Control SA3055 RTA/SPL meter with the high-SPL modification to take the mad pressure sensor that can measure up to 190dB, rather than a microphone which would get ‘˜kicked in’ by the bass.
It was great fun and intended as such as well as allowing the SPL headz to get a decent measurement fix. A customer of Paul Richardson’s A1 Audio Designs, called Jaz who took a prize at the MyMods mad summer party in Epping for his lovely and potent install was the winner of the big bad Walled Class. His only real opposition was none other than Daz Hircock, he of the couple I call a Folie-A-Deux as they are both totally committed bass competitors.
Tragically for Daz, he was hoping for a massive 160dB and nearly made it, only to be just pipped by Jaz with his insane wall of bass. I heard afterwards that he was really ticked off at not winning, as the meter, operated by my good self, had not been re-set to a more bodacious ‘˜range’ bracket for his run and having been keen and taken first spot on the Oche in his class, he had to go again when the meter first read ‘OVR’, losing that First Ejaculation of Power effect. I did know about the bracketing operation of the thing, as I have one but I was commentating at the same time and simply forgot to check
Now, SPL competing is about a lot of things, it’s about your car’s up-graded power system as well as the audio system and its ability or lack of it – to reproduce the same level all the time, to be self-supporting electrically by its alternators making enough DC electricity to run it all. It’s also Gamesmanship and Daz chose to go first.he won’t again rather checking that the meter is working and set aright before spunking his first-ejaculation bass. It also proves that he and his darlin’ are utter champion contestants hell bent on the first place.
I just saw a new boy to the world of Big Boom, utterly chuffed rotten.
For Jaz was utterly delighted beyond belief to have won something and Daz has a mantelshelf full of glory after all, so I am afraid I felt little guiltthat’s SPL competitions.
I hope he’ll forgive me, (I’d hate to be in his wife’s Bad Books, as she is a Femme Formidable!) Anyway, a great time was had by all, with £250 being raised in the SPL fees for the local Sikh Gurdwara (temple) and Raj of Car Audio & Security generously matching every pound raised with another from his business to contribute £500 to the temple. Joe’s dad then added another £200 to take the total to £700. That’ll pay for a few meals for the Langar! {Wikipedia: Langar (Punjabi: ਲੰਗਰ, Hindi: लंगर) is the term used in the Sikh religion for common kitchen/canteen where food is served in a Gurdwara to all the visitors(without disctinction of background) for free.}
As the day matured, the crowd changed a little and then it became obvious that just like at Thurrock, Joe’s whole raft of relations and loved ones had showed up at the event to pay their respects and see what it was he got into and did, as Joe was a stalwart at every single CAS day I ever attended. Taking part, offering advice on operating the system for a competition run for the inexperienced and possible system changes and design tweaks for his mates.
And when we came to the prize giving bit, we even had the honour of having Joe’s dad to give away the subwoofers and glory. It was emotional for me. I regaled the competitors with some tales of ‘˜Joeness’ through the day and we had a Minute’s Boom rather than a minute’s silence as I felt it fitting. It was amazing and humbling and lovely to see just how many people were there for Joe.
I know he’d approve.