• Parrot’s PMK 5800 is a compact Bluetooth solution that’s perfect for just about anybody. The technically challenged will love the simplicity; the person-on-the-go will appreciate the mobility; and the gadget-guy will praise the intuitive design. In the newest video installment, Al & Ed’s "Mr. Mobile" discusses the Parrot PMK 5800, and he’s giving one away, too!
• One look at the new Massive Audio D-Block amplifiers and we were sold. SoundDomain got a sneak peek of the new and soon-to-be released line. Massive gave us a pic and it dawned on us the we actually snapped some pics at CES and didn’t even realize it! (I guess the huge new SQ woofer got in the way)!
• Ben Vollmer from Car Audio Nationals hooked us with his personal collection of photos from Spring Break Nationals. Since Ben spent most of his time over at the car audio competition during the show, he’s hooked us up with a slew of competitor car pics! Get an inside look at some of the best Sound Quality and SPL show cars in the industry. (Including SoundDomain’s own, Andy Jones!)
• Team Zapco has a strong reputation for success at the top car audio competitions across the nation,  and most recently added 11-year old Andrea McIntyre and her modified Jeep Wrangler Power Wheels to the winner’s circle. Andrea took two 1st Place trophy’s at Spring Break Nationals this year, hitting 140.1dB in the MECA Kids SPL shootout and 122.8dB in the MECA Drive-By SPL Parade. Congrats!

I spent the weekend down in Daytona Beach covering the Spring Break Nationals Car Audio Competition. Were you there? Man… Tons of hot cars, cool products, a bright warm sun, girls in bikinis…. This job is really rough sometimes. I don’t know how we do it. You know what keeps me going? Cool stuff like this:

• The guys at EyeCandy in Orlando Florida brought an absolutely INSANE Hummer limo to SBN. Stretched, third axle, six 30" chrome wheels, full Pioneer A/V DJ system, marble floors, suede and leather interior, and… a throne. Seriously. Check it.
• Scosche has a new dash kit available for all you 2007+ Mitsu Eclipse owners. You can finally dump the factory radio and upgrade. For real.
• The guys at Al & Ed’s Autosound checked out the new Pioneer AVIC-D3x in a smart FourTwo. We’ve got the video, and it’s dope.
• Orca design just developed a new marine audio grille that’ll keep Focal speakers dry in your boat. It uses a mesh backing like that used on an Injen cold air intake. The stuff is called "hydro-phobic polyester". No you can make your owns waves in audiophile style.
• Infinity just released the deets on the new Kappa speakers, and we’ve got all the specs and lots of pics! THey look like a million bucks, but come in under $250!
• If you’re an audiophile who likes to spend ridiculous amounts of cash on your car (like me), then these new Morel Elate Limited speakers are right up your alley! Carbon fiber cones, bad-ass crossovers, and they ship in a big metal suitcase. Morel calls it a "gift box", but it looks like a case the Transporter would carry.

Spring Break Nationals is all about hot cars and hot custom installs, but the show organizers are also nice enough to throw in a few hot bikini contests as well! After the Saturday evening NiteGlow competition we were fortunate enough to land a front-and-center spot at the Hooters Swimsuit Competition. Yeah, I know,  sometimes this job really sucks. You’ve probably figured it out by now, but stay tuned for CarDomain’s complete coverage!

When the sun starts to set, Spring Break Nationals really starts to shine. The NiteGlow Competition is a cool twist to the car show scene and offers a truly unique view of competitors’ show cars not usually available at your typical car show. This MKII Supra was one of the more subtle examples we shot, sporting a multicolor LED underbody kit that transitioned between purple, blue, and red. The collection of show cars on display were dressed in LEDs, Neon, strobes – even a full police lite bar on Crown Vic cruiser! Check out CarDomain events section for full coverage.

While checking out the cars at the Tuner Jam portion of SBN, I noticed a hot little Mazda 3 with a CarDomain sticker in the rear window. Turns out the car is part of a "little" show car group that’s no stranger to the pages of CarDomain, the International AllStars. A red-on-black color theme is featured both inside and out with a carbon hood and black wheels on red paint that perfectly compliment the black interior with red accents. A 6.5" LCD is molded into center of the dash, and the hatch was filled with Eclipse amps and subs trimmed in glossy red fiberglass. Here’s a teaser shot for now. Want to see rest? Stay tuned for the SBN coverage later this week!

As impressive as the cars were inside the show, some of the coolest cars I spotted were actually on the streets in Daytona Beach. Coming back from lunch on Saturday, we spotted this huge custom monster truck in our rearview and just had to get a better look. I got a kick out the brief message painted onto the back window: "14.2 mpg". We’ll have a few more pics of this monster, as well as a few other gems cruising Atlantic Ave.

Spring Break Nationals brings out some of the best show cars the mobile electronics industry has to offer. I don’t know as much about donks as John, but I do know a good thing when I see it! Visitors to the show were greeted by a slew of very impressive high risers at the entrance to show grounds. The blown high-riser you see below is my particular favorite, but make sure to click on the jump to see a few other examples, including video of a solidly executed Miami Hurricanes-themed donk. Stay tuned for complete coverage from Spring Break Nationals, including more photos of these rides, shortly on CarDomain.

Continue reading "Spring Break Nationals Preview: Donkalicious!" »

Well, according to the weather report on my handy iPhone, Seattle has snow, sleet, and rain in the forecast for tomorrow and the entire weekend…. Good thing I’m heading to Daytona, Florida tomorrow for Spring Break Nationals! SBN is one of the largest and most anticipated car audio events of the year, and we’ll be bringing you coverage of the event all weekend long. That’s right, more bad ass cars, bikinis, sun, and custom car stereo systems than you can shake a stick at! Keep checking back!
For more details on the show hop over to the Spring Break Nationals website!