YOUR take on SPL/Car Audio scene these days?
50 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 464
heavy police presence +
when the car manufacturers looked at the aftermarket audio/video/nav to turn it into a profit center, the market started going downhill... then the big boxes started selling combo kits like it was a 5L jug of oil...
and when you have 300-400-600hp cars stock, who needs a B18 turbo anyways?
50 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 487
im gonna agree that the days of alot of loud cars are dead, there are still some but they are few and far between. The sport/industry is almost dead. Its the die hards that are keeping it going now. Kinda like linux, die hard computer nerds use it and thats about it, no one else really cares or wants it.
linux i like dbdrag and spl you tweak and play till its just how u like it and its usually free stuff like 2x4s and ducktape (sorry yuli)
on the other hand winblow$ is more like a prefab box blows apart and a 4 awg wiring kit that har rusty ring terminals
try this a usb drive that will be fully opperational and ready for use in 30 seconds on any pc for free
https://fedorahosted.org/liveusb-creator/
sorry im done ranting now
lolo out
unless you were to kill everyone between the ages of 16-23, the import era will never die. as long as you have fast and furious movies, accompanied by, like yuli said, guys who will drop 5 grand on there civic and tegs, the era wont die. i think car audio is something people think they MUST have. not a hobby. all the enclosures i built this summer were for my friends who just got a new car... they immediate HAD to put in a stereo system. its almost as if car audio is a MUST HAVE in new cars...
unless you were to kill everyone between the ages of 16-23, the import era will never die. as long as you have fast and furious movies, accompanied by, like yuli said, guys who will drop 5 grand on there civic and tegs, the era wont die. i think car audio is something people think they MUST have. not a hobby. all the enclosures i built this summer were for my friends who just got a new car... they immediate HAD to put in a stereo system. its almost as if car audio is a MUST HAVE in new cars...
i didnt say 5 grand. i said 2 grand, which is pretty fairly cheap and almost anyone can afford it. this is when it becomes nothing new and easily accessible to everyone who wants it = scene dead.
i also never said car audio is a hobby. SPL is a hobby, car audio is a consumer electronic good.
lol bro you flipped backwards everything that i said.
yes car audio (as a consumer electronic good) is around and more than ever, but the scene and competition aspect of it is dead.
same will happen to the rice scene.
Last edited by Father Yuli; Dec 2, 2008 at 10:53 AM.
[QUOTE=Father Yuli;429654] this is when it becomes nothing new and easily accessible to everyone who wants it = scene dead.
QUOTE]
but that theory can be applied to just about anything. take music for instance. hip hop used to be for the underground dudes and backpackers and whatever, the "heads" if you will. then when more and more people started to like it all those die hards quit on it saying its "too commercial" and whatever.
also, i think that when you say that if it "becomes easily accessible = scene dead" is a bit unfair. all the enthusiasts from the 90's and early 2000's that were mentioned before who were keeping the "sport" going were probably thrilled to have new people put stereos in their cars, as if they were the pioneers of the movement and now influencing the next wave.
i think the reason why the SPL scene may have died is because it has reached a point where few at the top stay there because they've been there for so long, where as the best a new person can do is tie these old records, like a monopoly or oligopy over the car audio scene. these old guys are making it tough for the new people to enter the market, so the new guys say why bother, costs to maintain my standard of living went up and i want to have a roof instead of shake my eyeballs, so i'll pass on the 20,000 watt system and put a down payment on a condo or something.
QUOTE]
but that theory can be applied to just about anything. take music for instance. hip hop used to be for the underground dudes and backpackers and whatever, the "heads" if you will. then when more and more people started to like it all those die hards quit on it saying its "too commercial" and whatever.
also, i think that when you say that if it "becomes easily accessible = scene dead" is a bit unfair. all the enthusiasts from the 90's and early 2000's that were mentioned before who were keeping the "sport" going were probably thrilled to have new people put stereos in their cars, as if they were the pioneers of the movement and now influencing the next wave.
i think the reason why the SPL scene may have died is because it has reached a point where few at the top stay there because they've been there for so long, where as the best a new person can do is tie these old records, like a monopoly or oligopy over the car audio scene. these old guys are making it tough for the new people to enter the market, so the new guys say why bother, costs to maintain my standard of living went up and i want to have a roof instead of shake my eyeballs, so i'll pass on the 20,000 watt system and put a down payment on a condo or something.
500 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 723
consumers these days are a paradox themselves. Have access to lots of information, and yet, very uneducated at the same time. Maybe it's the information overflow that creates the maze in which so many consumers get lost. Hard to tell.
Its true. If any of you have been paying attention, I've been researching car stereo equipment for the past month and a half. Mind you, it has not had anything to do with SPL equipment.
There are so many options that it becomes very difficult to pick one, and go with it. When you think you've learned something, there's another theory that someone throws at you, and you're off in an entirely new direction. There are so many things to look at, its hard to stay focused.
I know I'm going to **** a lot of people off with my next comment, that's not my intention. This is simply my take on the issue.
SPL is pointless. And that's not to say that a lot of you guys don't get anything out of it, cause you do. I just don't believe it offers any real long-term benefit.
With SQ you can enjoy the fruits of your labour (or someone else's labour). And you can enjoy them every time you're in the driver's seat. Not so with SPL.
Cracking windshields and flexing body panels is cool. But it doesn't last long.
I think that vehicle customization will never cease. I hope that it does become more mainstream, but it doesn't have to be cut-and-paste. If people want to find someone who can do custom fabrication, they will.
Yet, cut-and-paste is pretty much mass-production which is great for keeping costs down, and margins up. It becomes hard for the guys who do it by hand to stay competitive.
lets just hope that here in Ontario, enough of us enjoy and respect the game to keep it going strong. I personally love spl, if it were to fade away rite now it would take away something of who i am. So in its defence i try to bring in new people where i can and help them til they can help themselves and they're hooked. So, if you love the game, dont stand back and watch it fade without having your say...........
[quote=fresh1;429820]
yes, the theory can be applied to just about anything. some products/activites have a longer life cycle than others hence they stay around for a longer time. Your example of hip hop is applicable as well, the hip hop of the 90's has died a long time ago. The transformation and new develpment of its culture is what keeps that particular kind of music going.
car audio scene, on the other hand, has nothing to transform into, thus it has died.
also, putting a stereo in your car has hardly anything to do with the sport or the scene itself. Let's be clear on that. Just because you are using a consumer electronic good in your car how is a 'scene' or 'sport' in any way? That's like saying if you have a toaster in your house you are part of the cooking scene or cooking competitions. Or if you have a dog and you walk it every day, are you a part of the K9 scene?
These days EVERYONE has a stereo, yet, the turn outs at shows get worse and worse and worse every year. And Im not just saying this, for the last 5 years I've been to probably a few hundred shows and I can tell you that a steady decline in attandance is a solid fact. If that's not a dead scene then I dont know what is.
the spl scene did not die because you cant set a new record, that's absurd to say. New records are set every year, eventho smaller number of peoople competes every year. Like Bart said, it is the die hards who are still doing it. And when you have only a handful of people who dedicate their effort, time and money to an activity, it is hardly a sport, but simply a hobby.
There are no guys who've been at the top and stay at the top, they all have quit. The top is all open, yet no one is taking it and less and less people even cover half the way to the top. Where are the likes of Alma Gates now? Nowhere to be found. There are used to be 5 Extreme cars in Ontario......now, there is only 1 in the whole of Canada.
You were right about guys being too scared to enter the scene tho. But it's not because of anyone old or loud. It is because everyone wants a 1st place for just showing up. I've seen a TON of people who say, "if i cant win 1st place Im not gonna bother". But this is hardly car audio related, these people have this attitude towards everything competative in life.
this is when it becomes nothing new and easily accessible to everyone who wants it = scene dead.
QUOTE]
but that theory can be applied to just about anything. take music for instance. hip hop used to be for the underground dudes and backpackers and whatever, the "heads" if you will. then when more and more people started to like it all those die hards quit on it saying its "too commercial" and whatever.
also, i think that when you say that if it "becomes easily accessible = scene dead" is a bit unfair. all the enthusiasts from the 90's and early 2000's that were mentioned before who were keeping the "sport" going were probably thrilled to have new people put stereos in their cars, as if they were the pioneers of the movement and now influencing the next wave.
i think the reason why the SPL scene may have died is because it has reached a point where few at the top stay there because they've been there for so long, where as the best a new person can do is tie these old records, like a monopoly or oligopy over the car audio scene. these old guys are making it tough for the new people to enter the market, so the new guys say why bother, costs to maintain my standard of living went up and i want to have a roof instead of shake my eyeballs, so i'll pass on the 20,000 watt system and put a down payment on a condo or something.
QUOTE]
but that theory can be applied to just about anything. take music for instance. hip hop used to be for the underground dudes and backpackers and whatever, the "heads" if you will. then when more and more people started to like it all those die hards quit on it saying its "too commercial" and whatever.
also, i think that when you say that if it "becomes easily accessible = scene dead" is a bit unfair. all the enthusiasts from the 90's and early 2000's that were mentioned before who were keeping the "sport" going were probably thrilled to have new people put stereos in their cars, as if they were the pioneers of the movement and now influencing the next wave.
i think the reason why the SPL scene may have died is because it has reached a point where few at the top stay there because they've been there for so long, where as the best a new person can do is tie these old records, like a monopoly or oligopy over the car audio scene. these old guys are making it tough for the new people to enter the market, so the new guys say why bother, costs to maintain my standard of living went up and i want to have a roof instead of shake my eyeballs, so i'll pass on the 20,000 watt system and put a down payment on a condo or something.
car audio scene, on the other hand, has nothing to transform into, thus it has died.
also, putting a stereo in your car has hardly anything to do with the sport or the scene itself. Let's be clear on that. Just because you are using a consumer electronic good in your car how is a 'scene' or 'sport' in any way? That's like saying if you have a toaster in your house you are part of the cooking scene or cooking competitions. Or if you have a dog and you walk it every day, are you a part of the K9 scene?
These days EVERYONE has a stereo, yet, the turn outs at shows get worse and worse and worse every year. And Im not just saying this, for the last 5 years I've been to probably a few hundred shows and I can tell you that a steady decline in attandance is a solid fact. If that's not a dead scene then I dont know what is.
the spl scene did not die because you cant set a new record, that's absurd to say. New records are set every year, eventho smaller number of peoople competes every year. Like Bart said, it is the die hards who are still doing it. And when you have only a handful of people who dedicate their effort, time and money to an activity, it is hardly a sport, but simply a hobby.
There are no guys who've been at the top and stay at the top, they all have quit. The top is all open, yet no one is taking it and less and less people even cover half the way to the top. Where are the likes of Alma Gates now? Nowhere to be found. There are used to be 5 Extreme cars in Ontario......now, there is only 1 in the whole of Canada.
You were right about guys being too scared to enter the scene tho. But it's not because of anyone old or loud. It is because everyone wants a 1st place for just showing up. I've seen a TON of people who say, "if i cant win 1st place Im not gonna bother". But this is hardly car audio related, these people have this attitude towards everything competative in life.
