Automotive Forums

Under the Shell



Cracking the doors open on this 1996 Chevrolet pickup is like being a little kid finding the prize in the Cracker Jacks box. Except for the Sony logo and a 7-inch Sony monitor in each of the side windows, you don’t know for sure what’s under that camper shell that covers the bed of this truck. You can’t see inside through the side windows because they are massively tinted.



But when you do crack open the doors and inspect inside your ears and eyes will be right in the middle of a feast of sound and video. This truck is equipped with nine Sony TV monitors, 12 Sony subwoofers, nine Sony amplifiers, and the audio system has been installed in a manner that actually creates two distinct systems -- one for enjoying when driving and one to wow spectators at special events.



Constructed by the installation team at Audio Express in Chandler, Arizona, this pickup was awarded a trophy and cash for the Best Use of Sony Video at the Tenth Annual Sony Mobile Invitational 2004 Sonic Truth Sound Off held October 8-10 at the Green Valley Ranch Resort Hotel in Henderson, Nevada.



Some modest work was done to the exterior of the pickup. The factory paint job gave way to a custom blue paint with pinstriping done by Advance Autobody, Chandler, Arizona, and the windows of the camper shell were tinted by Audio Express.



The vehicle was constructed to be used as a demonstration vehicle. Moreover, the installation process on this vehicle was used to teach novice installers how to construct fiberglass enclosures, racks, and speaker mounts.



A Show Under the Big Top

Tucked into the factory opening in the dash is a Sony Xplod CDX-M9905X AM/FM receiver, CD player and CD changer controller. This unit features a 32,000-color thin film transistor display, video input for external source playback, and a video capture function of up to 100 images. It plays MP3, CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs and has a built-in seven band equalizer, a four channel power supply that is rated 52 watts per channel, and 4-volt front/rear/subwoofer preouts with highpass and lowpass filters. The radio portion of the unit includes station memo and 18 FM and 12 AM memory presets and it is XM Satellite radio ready.



Feeding into this head unit and the center console mounted Sony monitor are views from forward and rear cameras.



The center console houses a Sony Xplod DVD changer and Sony 7-inch monitor. The DVDs used in the changer during special events appearances have been custom made and shows breakdancing transformers which was downloaded from the internet.



The mids and highs of the audio in the front of the vehicle spreads out from two Sony Xplod 6-1/2-inch speakers and a tweeter in each of the doors and a Sony Xplod 6-1/2-inch speaker and tweeter in each of two custom constructed fiberglass kick panels. There is also a Sony 7-inch monitor in each door. The lower half of the doors were cut away and a basic skeleton was constructed over which was molded fiberglass to contain the speakers and monitor. The custom panel was covered in purple pearl/blue marine vinyl with gray carpet insets.



What used to be the rear wall of the cab is now an amplifier rack and passage way to the forward half of the camper shell containing a sealed fiberglass enclosure which holds eight 12-inch subwoofers and amplifiers mounted to the floor, ceiling, and even one that appears to float in mid-air. The enclosure is actually eight individual chambers which have been fiberglassed together and painted to match the exterior of the vehicle. There is also another fiberglass subwoofer enclosure in the rear which contains four subwoofers. Incorporated into this enclosure are two pairs of midrange and tweeters, the amplifier rack, and a second head unit -- the Sony Xplod XAV-7W AM/FM receiver and CD/MD controller. This unit features a 7-inch TFT motorized monitor, a monitor output and two auxiliary inputs, a seven band equalizer, front/rear/subwoofer preouts with highpass and lowpass filters, and a built-in four channel power supply that is rated 45 watts per channel.



Contained in the amp rack are six Sony Xplod XM-DS1600P5 mono Class D amplifiers and three Sony Xplod XM-2200GTX two channel amplifiers. Each of the six XM-DS1600P5 mono amplifiers powers two subwoofers. One XM-2200GTX runs the midbass drivers located in the doors of the vehicle; while the second XM-2200GTX provides power to the midrange driver and tweeter located in the kick panels and a second set of tweeters located in the factory door locations. The third XM-2200GTX plays the mids and tweeters in the rear of the pickup.



The XM-DS1600P5 mono amplifier has a maximum power rating of 1600 watts. It plays 500 watts RMS into 4 ohms and 900 watts RMS into 2 ohms. It includes a built-in variable lowpass filter which can be set between 50 Hz. and 300 Hz., an EQ boost at 40 Hz., remote subwoofer level control, and a subsonic filter.



The XM-2200GTX two-channel amplifier has a maximum power rating of 1200 watts. It is rated at 200 watts per channel RMS into 4 ohms and it can be bridged to supply 500 watts RMS into 4 ohms. It includes a variable lowpass filter which can be adjusted between 50 Hz. and 300 Hz., and a 0-10 dB EQ boost at 40 Hz.



A Sony Xplod 9-inch monitor with DVD player is mounted to the roof in the cab area and a Sony Xplod 7-inch monitor appears in each of the side windows.



Two Sony Xplod 7-inch monitors are mounted on goose necks in the very rear of the vehicle and share a display with a Sony Playstation 2.



As noted above, the audio system has been configured into two distinct systems. One system is referred to as the “Minor System” and the other is the full blown system. The “Minor System” uses three amplifiers and is played when the vehicle is driving on the road. The full blown system using all nine amplifiers comes into play at exhibitions and special events. The user can switch from one configuration to the other with a switch in the center console along with the position of the parking brake and ignition switch. When the parking brake is engaged and the ignition switch is off, the full blown system plays. When the ignition is on and the parking brake is disengaged, the “Minor System” plays.



It took the design and installation team of Michael Abeita, Joseph Whitlock, Adam Kaiser, and Aaron Moore three and one half weeks to construct the system. Several late nights and daily visits to Starbucks helped the installation team achieve their objective of creating a system that stops passersby dead in their tracks.



For those who are interested, the “Minor System” scored a 137.6 dB in the SPL contest at the Sony sound off.