disturbance in the audio world force

[jaxteller]

Man. Weird things. Recently went to regular audio shop to talk new sub. Have 2 12 dub 7s. Voice coil blew after 7 years. Side note, while i love JL subwoofer sound, all amps, speakers, or anything else pretty much *****. I digress. So rather than send JL sub in for repair, I wanted to go with 2 arc audio 12s from the black series. Heard it's a pretty good woofer. I have arc amps, and an arc ps8 DSP, so familiar with Arc. Side note. PS8 is IMO best DSP on market. I know......... Audio control, but at the time, they didn't have a dedicated controller, like ps8 does, and no DSP could handle running an optical out like ps8. Sorry, again I digress. Go back to shop 2 weeks later, and it's seized for taxes. WOW!!!! Glad I didn't get on the schedule or make a deposit. 2 guys that own/install are pretty good people, and was concerned. They've been go to for around 7 years. IMHO, the one dude is probably the most knowledgeable I've ever met. Closed. Seized. Gone. Huge bummer. So I go to a tintworld, because the carried Arc. No one else seems to. I tried to order blacks myself, but website is out of stock. Went to the tintworld, cause I thought being a dealer, they could get them. And the guy who sold me the pair of blacks, said no problem. Got them ordered. So maybe he knew this before, maybe not. I think the place is super greasy and knew, but ARC BLACK SERIES is DISCONTINUED. I found that out by calling Arc. But I had ordered blacks. Tint world dude said on way! Arc said that's not possible. So subs arrive at tint world. I'm like really???! cool. I told dude I'd put in box myself, but he wanted me to let them install. Said drop off car, can do in a couple hours. Immediately my spidey sense went off. If it takes you a couple hours to drop 2 subs in a box already wired, you probably shouldn't be an installer. I said no, I'll pick them up. When I go to pick up, they're NOT arc blacks. I immediately knew because they guy handed me 1 very light box. I said, both in 1 box? He said yah. I was like........... WoW!!! Lightest subs I've ever felt. I set down on floor before leaving, opened box to find 2 arc SW subs in there. While the SW is basically an ARC BLACK, at the same price, it's still a SHALLOW WOOFER FOR TRUCKS!!! I one hundred percent believe the freaking dude knew that, and hoped to install them, and think I'd never know. Another disturbance. Most audio shops around the KC area are getting more greasy, more sketch. SMH. But IMO, car audio as people know it will be pretty much done in the next 20 to 30 years. Autonomous cars can't run, or won't run giant subs. LOL. Are that's what's coming. Car audio, like an old V8, will become luxury. Sure sure, self driving cars will have sound, so audio install will happen, but the sound will only be what an electric battery can run. Lol. Anyway, just the ramblings of an old bass head. Oh, yah. I said screw it and paid the money for JL to refurb. Rather have a refurb JL than something some greasy audio shop is trying to push.

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[BCotrell]

Run of the mill Car audio shops have always been in the greasy side. Their owners lead with questions like “how much you want to spend lol” and Installers typically know enough to get the stereo running. The result is that most customers are stoked because they have no baseline knowledge of equipment and car
Audio but there is improvement from baseline. I’m not saying that’s all of them but many of them.
-use of Undersized wire and fuses
-use of prefab boxes that are stacked in showroom
-cutting, drilling and screwing anywhere and everywhere knowing it’s “hidden”
-buying old stock or gear on blowout from a distributor (as you likely experienced)

 

[jaxteller]

Run of the mill Car audio shops have always been in the greasy side. Their owners lead with questions like “how much you want to spend lol” and Installers typically know enough to get the stereo running. The result is that most customers are stoked because they have no baseline knowledge of equipment and car
Audio but there is improvement from baseline. I’m not saying that’s all of them but many of them.
-use of Undersized wire and fuses
-use of prefab boxes that are stacked in showroom
-cutting, drilling and screwing anywhere and everywhere knowing it’s “hidden”
-buying old stock or gear on blowout from a distributor (as you likely experienced)

The one that closed wasn't run of the mill. Place had a few shows. etc. Dude knew how to wire what he was putting in. IMHO, an audio engineer without a degree. I haven't had issue with wire/install since he did it. Although a noob on the site, not a complete noob in knowing what I have, how it all works, and what's best to get the most out of it. We were pretty cool, and I watched most of what he did. He made me watch videos, and I spent countless hours in a DSP tuning, and fine tuning. Lol. You better know how to use the thing if you had it put in car. Right? right. Anyway, the place where I hoped to get ARC sub, DEFINITELY greezy, and won't be back.

 

[MattinMO]

any shop that's an authorized JL dealer propbably isn't run of the mill because in order to be a jl dealer you have to sell at least $100k worth of product a year and while JL audio is costly that's still a lot of product.

 

[jaxteller]

any shop that's an authorized JL dealer propbably isn't run of the mill because in order to be a jl dealer you have to sell at least $100k worth of product a year and while JL audio is costly that's still a lot of product.

shop I spoke of wasn't the one who put the JL subs in. THAT shop also put in 2 JL HD amps which if not wired properly will have problems, and the "authorized" JL shop should've known that, and they didn't. JL HD amps should be run on OFC only. I run it no matter, but those HD amps are particularly sensitive, and if you run any with even a hint of other than copper, you get some weird issues, such as the door lock/unlock button causing the speaker to cut out when pushed, and cut back in when pushed again. And I know, sounds crazy, and you would think that the system was somehow wired to door lock/unlock but no. LOL. It was the fact that the "authorized shop" put in non OFC at time they installed subs/amp.... etc. Again, they JL subs have lasted 7 years plus, so no complaints there. The wiring problem was found by the dude I spoke of that IMO knew his stuff. He looked at set up and in 1 minute told me to get non OFC wire out of there on HD amps. Wire OFC front to back, and problem will be gone. And it was. Seems simple, but the "authorized JL shop" didn't know that, so was pretty much done with them, and dude was go to for years. And now they're just gone. Will miss the knowledge.

 

[BCotrell]

I understand your sentiment. Btw, I wasn’t taking a dig at your og guy. I miss those guys too. Knew a few through my college years that would let me hang at their shop and just watch. I never questioned the gear I bought from them or price paid. They’re not in business anymore either. The online availability of equipment has likely driven the profit out of the biz and of course quality brick and mortar with it. The local tint, muffler and autosound shop isn’t likely still open to get haggled on labor with guys who bought their gear at the advice of a forum like this and wants to dictate exactly how they want everything installed.

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

I've know plenty of shops that have gone under for various shady reasons, from taxes, to theft, to selling drugs. These weren't little hole in the wall places either. Most had award winning show cars, tons of customers, and a good rep. You never really know. I've always done all my own work but I used to hang out at shops all the time back in the day.

 

[jaxteller]

I've know plenty of shops that have gone under for various shady reasons, from taxes, to theft, to selling drugs. These weren't little hole in the wall places either. Most had award winning show cars, tons of customers, and a good rep. You never really know. I've always done all my own work but I used to hang out at shops all the time back in the day.

LOL. NO DOUBT. I have a good enough brain that I could learn and understand all the wiring, but seems exhausting. Lol. I know what I like, and how it works, but I'd rather someone else put it in. Never had the time. Maybe I better learn. Fast. LOL. But like the gentleman above said, I couldn't have said better.

 

[jaxteller]

I understand your sentiment. Btw, I wasn’t taking a dig at your og guy. I miss those guys too. Knew a few through my college years that would let me hang at their shop and just watch. I never questioned the gear I bought from them or price paid. They’re not in business anymore either. The online availability of equipment has likely driven the profit out of the biz and of course quality brick and mortar with it. The local tint, muffler and autosound shop isn’t likely still open to get haggled on labor with guys who bought their gear at the advice of a forum like this and wants to dictate exactly how they want everything installed.

I didn't take as such. Lol. A dig. I did like hanging out with dude, and I also did that when I was a kid. Lol. Guess I was not into car audio for a long time. Lol. And the best buys, tint/tire/audio places almost drove me back away. But being in my 40s when I met dude, He got me back into it. Just didn't try to sell me crap. Told me to get off JL. LMAO. And he did. Showed me other lines, and said this stuff is awesome, and it's half the price. Like ARC AUDIO, which I've never had a bad piece of anything from them. An amp I have better than both JL HDS I had. But yah. Thanks for the words. At 50ish, I see the audio world a lot differently. It's just like you said, and couldn't have said better. And another gentleman said. The brick and mortars are hugely struggling, and yep, many doing other stuff to stay afloat. And people that want after market stuff better learn to do it. LOL. Anyway, I guess nuthin ever like it was yester year hu? Lol. Peace man

 

[dragon.breath 10+ year member]

My local old school brick and mortar stereo is still there. They carried alpine, JL and Orion back in the day. And were the place to go if you wanted it done right. But now, the original owner has sold the business. The guys that run it now are as shady as they come. Hacking up cars and installing cheap equipment and charging the customer for the expensive stuff.
The last time I was there ( before I knew that the shop had been sold ), I went in to get some 0 gauge wiring connectors for my second battery . They tried to sell me what looked like 4 gauge connectors. Then tried to argue with me when I told them that those connectors were too small. You should have seen the look on the guys face when I brought in a piece of 0 gauge knu koncepts true 0 gauge wire. “I never seen no wire like that before!”

 

[jaxteller]

My local old school brick and mortar stereo is still there. They carried alpine, JL and Orion back in the day. And were the place to go if you wanted it done right. But now, the original owner has sold the business. The guys that run it now are as shady as they come. Hacking up cars and installing cheap equipment and charging the customer for the expensive stuff.
The last time I was there ( before I knew that the shop had been sold ), I went in to get some 0 gauge wiring connectors for my second battery . They tried to sell me what looked like 4 gauge connectors. Then tried to argue with me when I told them that those connectors were too small. You should have seen the look on the guys face when I brought in a piece of 0 gauge knu koncepts true 0 gauge wire. “I never seen no wire like that before!”

That's 2 funny. audio is definitely a business where if you don't have a clue you can get it done to you with no grease. LOL. I've been there once or twice. It's saddening because I think it will definitely get worse for brick and mortar, and finding legitimate dealers/installers. Ain't mad in nobody. If my business was struggling, I'd find ways to make it meet too, but that bad juju always comes back. The future is obviously technology, autonomy, and most thankfully legal weed. In most places. Damn. wish i woulda got in the ground floor of one of them farms. Lol. Peace