haha....you guys are worried in the east? look how many west coast replys there are.........we need to step up in a big way out here!!

 

I agree in most scenarios, especially in bigger cities. My personal "who you hear in the neighbourhood" has to do with the general Owen Sound and surrounding area, comparitive to 6-8 years ago. Anyone I know who used to be in, isn't much anymore, and the younger guys who would be bumping around town, aren't. I live just off of the main road out to Sauble Beach and don't hear hardly any locals bumping as they drive by, which they'd have no reason not too. Just people from the city in the summer. Even that's decreased in the three years I've lived here. Same thing down my parents road (sideroad to the Beach), used to hear local guys bumpin down there all the time, only the odd out-of-towner now. My cousin, who's 20, says hardly anyone he knows has any sort of system in their vehicles.

It's like it was a fad that's faded away. Obviously it's not because there are still plenty of people with plenty of setups and a lot of new people joining, but just seems like compared to 6-8 years ago, the number aftermarket car audio enthusiasts has fallen off.

 

From Courtenay BC and there are 2 retail shops, 3 install bays I believe. Not that big a of a scene, mostly old retired people here

 

im in duncan on the island and theres absolutly nothing sound solutions on the island is the biggest joke around theres no real shops when i get my settlement money im thinking of opening a small shop

 

We've had this discussion in other threads, but I think the entire industry is in the middle of change ...
New automobiles today have the best stereos they've ever had in them, period. All the major companies are working with car companies and specific cars to build systems that are meant FOR the vehicle. They come stock with touch screens, full equiliziers, center channels, and a subwoofer in the back. That's what cars today have, so how can one person say car audio is "Dying"?

It's definitely a transitional period we're in right now ... the car is just beginning to connect with our phones and our computers and essentially, becoming one.

With that said, this question is like saying "Not a lot of people put Nos in their car anymore" ... well, not everyone they drive by is going to know this.
Same with car audio, especially since depending on where you live, it's a pull-over, ticket-worthy offence.

 

theres so many haters out there , for instance sq guys dont like to see spl guys builds they dont like how we do things such as multiple runs of wire uncarpeted boxes etc every part of audio weather its pretty instals or burping machenes are all needed in order for the industry to get back on its feeet I know when i go to a show i love to see both and i know the average person likes seeing huge amps and tons of batterys !!

 

I know I cant give the perfect reason for the decline in bassheads but il give it a shot.

Back in the 90's when i was in highschool, every guy with a car bumped a system that varried from mild to wild, But alot of guys also built tuners and hopped-up stangs and s-10 trucks. Timy's used to be a mess of all these cars every thursday through saturday gauranteed. The economy was booming and i didnt know even 1 willing person who was unable to get a job.

Around 2003, such a gradual decrease in jobs began and fuel prices sky rocketed the year before making the muscle car guys park and/or sell off. Then police began to crack down hard on the stereo guys so the fines combined with rising fuel cost made most guys throw their hands up. All this happened over 2-3 years so it went un-noticed by most.

Now, where competition comes into it!!

Back in these booming times came the spl scene, which put manufacturers on the map for consumers "who btw, had expendable cash we dont see these days!" to decide who got their business based on what brand rocked the lanes!! Manufacturers began supporting big names with lots of equipment ans other perks to keep their brands at the top. This was good marketing while consumers were spending!! Unfortunately, as the economy slumped slowly and fewer and fewer consumers had cash to burn, manufacturers couldnt justify the funds and free product out the door to competitors, for a market that was hurting. When the support stopped and competitors had to do for themselves, we started seeing less and less because not your average Joe could afford 8 big amps, 40 batterys, and recones for every show. Only the wealthy or the commited diehards kept it going...The guys who did it cuz its free for them jumped ship.

We are now, about halfway out of this recession and things are slowly coming back. Give it another 2 years and I wont be surprised if we see a comeback. it will be slow and probally wont peak until 5-6 years from now (on the street or the lanes) I can gaurantee it wont be the same, probally like it was it 03 but we still wont have it as extreme as before becuase manufacturers got burnt so bad giving things away free...competitor pricing will live on however and may catch-on with the mainstream brands.

 

Car audio is so popular in my town of Meaford that the ONLY stereo shop that was here(opened 1 yr ago) just shut down

I hear systems all the time, but being on HWY 26 we get alot of through traffic going to the ski hills /beaches etc. They might not be from here, but I'm glad to hear em

There's only a couple loud systems in town and no one else that competes that I know of. The couple of guys I do know with systems that could compete, just don't want to .. but I'm working on it


n0catchyname - Owen Sound is sooooooooo sad for stereos!!! I haven't heard one for months, and I'm there all the time. Slow backwards is the worst shop ever...

 

Use that settlement cash to pickup a few periods and commas while you are at it j/k .....

Seriously though, it seems as though even the Calgary scene (including the number of decent shops) is dying a slow/painful death like everywhere else. Big Box stores seem to be the only ones able to survive in this financial climate.

When a certain local shop, that used to be considered one of the most 'elite' in town (that pushed Audison, Hertz, Focal, Eclipse), is now calling 'Kenwood Excelon' their Premium line ? .....tells me that things are going downhill.....fast.....

 

When Calgary gets hit by the recession, you know its bad. When i lived there 2 years ago (just as the recession was starting) thats all i saw was guys in tuners racing with their tunes cranked. im not surprised that that isn't going on anymore. They should pick up again soon though, with the rising oil prices and all.