# Meca, Iasca and DbDrag Unified Finals 2016



## leoleal86

Only 1 Month left, Who's going? 

Leonardo Leal Red Audi S3 
Iasca SQC amateur IQC street custom 
Meca SQC modified street IQC street 


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## audiophile25

Assuming I can get 5 more points, I will be there in my spare car.
Michael Myers 2002 Mazda Protege 5 MECA Modified


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## subterFUSE

Me.


2013 Audi S6
IASCA Pro-AM
MECA Modified


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## pocket5s

Pretegistetered for iasca yesterday so I'm going

Iasca amateur
Meca modex 

Robert McIntosh. 2012 charger


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## SkizeR

ill be there to cheer you guys on..


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## SouthSyde

Nissan Titan

Iasca - Pro1q
Meca - Extreme


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## adriancp

I'll be there to watch


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## chefhow

Not happening this year kids.
Good luck to all the competitors.


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## BowDown

IASCA SQC Pro/Am


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## BlackHHR

Maybe....

Pro 1 SQC


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## AccordUno

MECA Master.. 

Didn't hit enough IASCA shows this year to qualify.. maybe next year..


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## adriancp

So is it too early to ask where everybody is staying?


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## BlackHHR

adriancp said:


> So is it too early to ask where everybody is staying?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


We booked our rooms as soon as the venue was secured and it was announced by IASCA.

Not sure where Klifton booked us, but it will be close to the event.


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## adriancp

Thanks man, stinks there isn't a hotel attached to the convention center


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## thefordmccord

I'll be there in MECA Stock Class.


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## cmusic

There's a good chance I will be there as a spectator on Saturday.


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## cmusic

adriancp said:


> Thanks man, stinks there isn't a hotel attached to the convention center
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


If you have never been to the Louisville Fairgrounds, the place is huge! I've been there for car audio competitions since the early '90s. There is a hotel within walking distance though.


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## subterFUSE

Is this event indoors or outdoors?


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## cmusic

subterFUSE said:


> Is this event indoors or outdoors?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Indoors. There are several huge halls at the fairgrounds, all connected except for one. I don't know which halls are going to be used though. I hope the hall(s) that has the SQ and manufacture area is separate from the SPL area. I've been to many car audio shows at the fairgrounds (competing, judging, and spectating depending on the year) where the SPL hall gets extremely loud and filled with exhaust fumes.

EDIT: I just looked on the fairground's web page and it shows the event is supposed to be in the Broadbent Arena, which is the one hall that is not connected to the rest of the halls. It is only about 30 yards away from the main halls though and there is a covered walkway between the buildings. The Broadbent Arena is seemingly too small for the entire event; it's sort of the same size as a large high school gym. I hope that the Arena will be used for DB Drag and SPL while the nearby halls attached to the main building will be used for SQ and manufactures.

EDIT END 

Also, there are no nearby restaurants within a mile or so. Only expensive fairground food and drink are available. You have to leave the fairgrounds and drive to the next exit on the nearby freeway to get to some restaurants. If you do that you may have to pay for parking a second time in the same day. The parking police are *very strict*, even if you have a parking permit that says free entry. There is a hotel that is at the entrance to the fairground parking lot. When the KY state fair was there in August, I parked at the hotel (where I was staying) and walked to the fairground buildings, and I had to pay $6 on top of my pre-paid fair tickets for me and my wife to walk across the parking lot! If you park at the hotel without a hotel parking permit, your car will be towed! 

*For competitors I would think about bringing a cooler of drinks, food, and snacks and make an indoor picknick of it. * When I was there for car audio shows I had a cooler with wheels that I pulled between the fairground and the hotel. 

Also remember for those of you that like to drink, there are no alcohol sales in KY on Sunday, except for some restaurants.


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## pocket5s

AccordUno said:


> MECA Master..
> 
> Didn't hit enough IASCA shows this year to qualify.. maybe next year..




Unless you have a ton of sq shows in your area you most likely don't need the points. If you hit one on a 250 mile radius (although the more the better) you can still request an invite. 

I have 70 points for example. Right after I preregistered I got my invite via email 

Previous years I just sent an email to Moe or Kim asking and got it. 


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## cmusic

pocket5s said:


> Unless you have a ton of sq shows in your area you most likely don't need the points. If you hit one on a 250 mile radius (although the more the better) you can still request an invite.
> 
> I have 70 points for example. Right after I preregistered I got my invite via email
> 
> Previous years I just sent an email to Moe or Kim asking and got it.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This is true, the organizations want as many competitors as possible to compete at finals these days. 

I do remember back in the mid and late '90s that IASCA limited each class to 30-35 competitors. Even if you had the points and gotten an invite to go to finals, if you did not register in time you might still have not gotten to compete. I remember in '97, '98, and '99 calling the IASCA office at exactly 9am CST (the IASCA office was in Phoenix, AZ at that time) on the first day of open finals registration to get a spot for my class before they were filled, and getting busy signal after busy signal. Those days are gone.


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## pocket5s

cmusic said:


> This is true, the organizations want as many competitors as possible to compete at finals these days.
> 
> I do remember back in the mid and late '90s that IASCA limited each class to 30-35 competitors. Even if you had the points and gotten an invite to go to finals, if you did not register in time you might still have not gotten to compete. I remember in '97, '98, and '99 calling the IASCA office at exactly 9am CST (the IASCA office was in Phoenix, AZ at that time) on the first day of open finals registration to get a spot for my class before they were filled, and getting busy signal after busy signal. Those days are gone.


yes they are 

MECA is still strict on points, but not IASCA.


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## subterFUSE

pocket5s said:


> yes they are
> 
> MECA is still strict on points, but not IASCA.


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## AccordUno

Fellas, I'm not active IASCA member haven't been since 2006, so I will probably just doing MECA this year.. I will for sure next year.. The only IASCA show I did was Slamology..


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## SoundQ SVT

AccordUno said:


> Fellas, I'm not active IASCA member haven't been since 2006, so I will probably just doing MECA this year.. I will for sure next year.. The only IASCA show I did was Slamology..


Jose, here's your plan... Get an IASCA membership just before the championship weekend. Make sure Kim understands your intention that it is your 2017 membership. Enter the 2017 IASCA triple point event that will also be going on that weekend. Now you have your head start for 2017.


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## SoundQ SVT

I will be attending the Championship weekend as well. 

IASCA ProAm. (Both Championship and 3x)
MECA Modified Street and SQ2 (hopefully I am not alone again, but the points summary for the class shows only 1 other qualifier in SQ2. All others are in SQ2+.)


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## SouthSyde

BlackHHR said:


> Maybe....
> 
> Pro 1 SQC


Why maybe?


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## BlackHHR

SouthSyde said:


> Why maybe?



I will be there with the HHR.


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## ErinH

I'm out this year. Family vacation that week. I'm sub'ing to this thread, though, for pictures and updates! Good luck to you all.


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## SouthSyde

BlackHHR said:


> I will be there with the HHR.


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## PPI_GUY

Looks like 3-4 of my friends and I will be going on Sat. Been a while since we've been to a major car audio event, let alone one at the Fairgrounds. 
Just wondering what to expect in the way of manufacturers? Any new or used products sold by vendors or individuals at this event? 
Also, how many SQ vehicles should we expect to get a good look at?


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## pocket5s

PPI_GUY said:


> Looks like 3-4 of my friends and I will be going on Sat. Been a while since we've been to a major car audio event, let alone one at the Fairgrounds.
> Just wondering what to expect in the way of manufacturers? Any new or used products sold by vendors or individuals at this event?
> Also, how many SQ vehicles should we expect to get a good look at?


There should be 50-60 sq cars there, give or take. 

Not many manufacturers show up at finals anymore. Certainly not like in the old days when they would bring out their show cars and all that. They save those for CES and such.

A few SPL oriented vendors show up and have their subs on display. Hybrid usually has a booth. I think Linear Power did a year to two ago.


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## leoleal86

29 days for finals 
Greetings from Monterrey, México 


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## captainobvious

pocket5s said:


> Pretegistetered for iasca yesterday so I'm going
> 
> Iasca amateur
> Meca modex
> 
> Robert McIntosh. 2012 charger
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Crap! I have to face off against you in *both* organizations?? 

Don't hurt me bro! :blush:


Definitely need to get a demo this year!





.


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## captainobvious

BlackHHR said:


> Maybe....
> 
> Pro 1 SQC



Don't tease us.



:mean:



See you there buddy


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## pocket5s

captainobvious said:


> Crap! I have to face off against you in *both* organizations??
> 
> Don't hurt me bro! :blush:
> 
> 
> Definitely need to get a demo this year!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


I ain't nothin to be scared of


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## captainobvious

I'll be there and competing in the following:

MECA Modex
MECA SQ2+
Iasca INAC Amateur
Iasca 3x points event


Looking forward to catching up with everyone and having a good time at the event.


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## captainobvious

pocket5s said:


> I ain't nothin to be scared of



:laugh::laugh:

Not foolin' me.


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## BlackHHR

captainobvious said:


> Don't tease us.
> 
> 
> 
> :mean:
> 
> 
> 
> See you there buddy



Oh yes, I am going. 
On a brighter note, I will be seeing you this weekend. Check your phone, I sent you a message about 30 minutes ago.


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## benny z

IASCA INAC Amateur
IASCA 2017 3X Amateur
MECA ModEx

I'll be there Saturday...maybe.


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## audiovibe

IASCA INAC Novice
IASCA 2017 3X Novice


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## Ted J

cmusic said:


> There's a good chance I will be there as a spectator on Saturday.


Thanks for all the info and hoping to see you there. My brother and I hope to be there on both days as a spectators as well!





BlackHHR said:


> I will be there with the HHR.



Sorry I didn't get a chance to make it out ot the Hybrid show recently. Looking forward to check out the new install in the HHR at Finals!




benny z said:


> IASCA INAC Amateur
> IASCA 2017 3X Amateur
> MECA ModEx
> 
> I'll be there Saturday...maybe.



I hope that maybe turns into you being there. Your car was one of the cars I wanted to listen to last year but didn't get a chance to get a demo.


I had to leave in the late afternoon on Sunday last year and some people I think were still waiting to get judged so I wasn't able to get a demo. Hopefully this year judging can get done sooner but I suppose we shall see.


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## benny z

Ted J said:


> I hope that maybe turns into you being there. Your car was one of the cars I wanted to listen to last year but didn't get a chance to get a demo.



No problem. I will definitely be there sometime Saturday. I'm sending the car down Friday, and it will be there the whole weekend - but I will only be there Saturday. You're more than welcome to a demo!


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## captainobvious

Yup, my car is always open for demo's as well (red Mazdaspeed 3).

Glad you'll be attending, even if for a short while Benny. I want to get your ears on the Mazda to see what you think  It's much improved.


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## PPI_GUY

Hoping to get a few demo's from some of you guys. Been so long since I've been to a large event and even longer since I've been to an event with so many top notch SQ-based vehicles. Will have three others with me and they are pumped too. 
Best of luck to all competitors!


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## probillygun

Just registered;

IASCA INAC amateur
IASCA 2017 3x amateur
MECA Mod Street

see you guys there...


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## RRizz

Im going as well
2011 Nissan 370z
MECA Street


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## adriancp

So I kinda touched on this earlier, maybe too early.... Most everybody staying downtown or near the Expo center? Looks like there isn't much going on in that area. Plus the hotels I've seen are $$$$. Just looking for any feedback


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## #1BigMike

I am in....

IASCA - Amateur
MECA - Extreme

Super pumped... First time going to finals, I will make sure to have 2 Demo CD's made. There are a ton of cars I want to hear.


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## audiophile25

adriancp said:


> So I kinda touched on this earlier, maybe too early.... Most everybody staying downtown or near the Expo center? Looks like there isn't much going on in that area. Plus the hotels I've seen are $$$$. Just looking for any feedback
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



We are staying near the expo center I believe. It is more expensive though


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## adriancp

audiophile25 said:


> We are staying near the expo center I believe. It is more expensive though




Thanks Mike, probably gonna make some reservations tonight. See you & the rest of the guys there, good luck!


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## JayinMI

adriancp said:


> Thanks man, stinks there isn't a hotel attached to the convention center
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I really liked the venue last year for this very reason. My GF could come down for a little while and go back to the hotel. She's not really into car audio.



pocket5s said:


> There should be 50-60 sq cars there, give or take.
> 
> Not many manufacturers show up at finals anymore. Certainly not like in the old days when they would bring out their show cars and all that. They save those for CES and such.
> 
> A few SPL oriented vendors show up and have their subs on display. Hybrid usually has a booth. I think Linear Power did a year to two ago.


Linear Power had a booth and a couple demo cars last year. Right after you came down the stairs by the entrance to the competition area. IIRC, he was across the aisle from Mark Eldridge's car.




captainobvious said:


> Yup, my car is always open for demo's as well (red Mazdaspeed 3).
> 
> Glad you'll be attending, even if for a short while Benny. I want to get your ears on the Mazda to see what you think  It's much improved.


Steve, your car is one of the main reasons I'm coming down for this.
Save me a spot! lol


adriancp said:


> So I kinda touched on this earlier, maybe too early.... Most everybody staying downtown or near the Expo center? Looks like there isn't much going on in that area. Plus the hotels I've seen are $$$$. Just looking for any feedback
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


My GF handles my travel arrangements, lol. She got me a room at the LaQuinta about 3 miles from the Expo Center. When I was looking around anything under about $125/night was sketchy as hell. Especially the $44 Motel 6, lol. 

Jay


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## subterFUSE

Yeah the Huntsville venue was awesome. Too bad the SPL knuckle draggers ruined it forever so we can't go back there again.


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## JayinMI

I was wondering what happened. I really liked that venue. I'd go again if it was there.
But having SQ in one building and SPL in another was a better setup, like in TN in '14...but that venue was a hole.

Jay


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## subterFUSE

Yup, they asked the SPL people to refrain from running their engines except in the competition lanes to keep the carbon monoxide levels under the limit set by the fire Marshall. Unfortunately, they did not comply.


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## KP

I'll be there sometime Friday. I hope to be able to listen to cars being a spectator now.


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## bigbubba

Hope everything goes well for everyone. Wish I was going, hopefully next year.


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## captainobvious

KP said:


> I'll be there sometime Friday. I hope to be able to listen to cars being a spectator now.



Will be great to have you there brother. Yours is one car on my short list that I've been wanting to hear. Are you bringing up the Acura? Would be great to get you in my car too for some feedback. See you out there.


-Steve W


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## SouthSyde

captainobvious said:


> Will be great to have you there brother. Yours is one car on my short list that I've been wanting to hear. Are you bringing up the Acura? Would be great to get you in my car too for some feedback. See you out there.
> 
> 
> -Steve W


Robert is competing with the Acura...


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## benny z

pocket5s said:


> There should be 50-60 sq cars there, give or take.


meca has announced a record 60 sq cars have registered.

http://mecacaraudio.com/v8/2016/10/08/record-60-sql-vehicles-registered-for-finals/

this is good news and bad news! good news for the industry as a whole...bad news for competitors lol. the classes are absolutely STACKED with good cars!

be interesting to see how many additional IASCA-only cars show up...i'm guessing it's possible we could see 80+ total sq cars between the organizations.

the message is simple - sound quality is alive!


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## cmusic

I should be there on Saturday as a spectator. I've competed in 7 IASCA Finals but I have not been to one since 2004. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, making new ones, and listening to a lot of systems. 

I've made my own demo CD with tracks that are very demanding, revealing, and that I know every nuance of. I'll have extra free copies of my Demo CD if anyone wants one.


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## adriancp

Got my reservations made. Looking forward to this event for sure!


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## benny z

cmusic said:


> I should be there on Saturday as a spectator. I've competed in 7 IASCA Finals but I have not been to one since 2004. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, making new ones, and listening to a lot of systems.
> 
> I've made my own demo CD with tracks that are very demanding, revealing, and that I know every nuance of. I'll have extra free copies of my Demo CD if anyone wants one.


i'd love to have a copy! look for the silver e46 bmw sedan...

see you there, and looking forward to meeting you.

cheers!
ben


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## subterFUSE

That's excellent news. Good to see support growing. 


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## SkizeR

im always down for more demo music  ill be getting there early saturday am, most likely hopped up on 5 hour energy drinks. see you guys then


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## BlackHHR

Is it time to leave yet ?? Ready to go !!


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## AccordUno

Productivity is down for the week for me. I got to a checklist running thru my head, trying to ensure I got everything done..


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## benny z

AccordUno said:


> Productivity is down for the week for me. I got to a checklist running thru my head, trying to ensure I got everything done..




Uh yeh. I should have taken the whole week off.


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## BlackHHR

benny z said:


> Uh yeh. I should have taken the whole week off.


Ha, thought you finished you car a month ago. Just ribbing ya Benny.

What do you have left to be ready for the trailer? From what I saw your car looked finished.


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## captainobvious

cmusic said:


> I should be there on Saturday as a spectator. I've competed in 7 IASCA Finals but I have not been to one since 2004. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, making new ones, and listening to a lot of systems.
> 
> I've made my own demo CD with tracks that are very demanding, revealing, and that I know every nuance of. I'll have extra free copies of my Demo CD if anyone wants one.


I'm always up for hearing someone else's demo/mix. Swing by and introduce yourself and get a demo in the car. Mine is a red 2013 Mazdaspeed 3.


-Steve


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## captainobvious

JayinMI said:


> Steve, your car is one of the main reasons I'm coming down for this.
> Save me a spot! lol
> 
> Jay


I'm honored- thanks Jay. It performed really well last year with 3rd in Iasca and 4th in Meca and I think it's definitely better this year.


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## PPI_GUY

cmusic said:


> I should be there on Saturday as a spectator. I've competed in 7 IASCA Finals but I have not been to one since 2004. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, making new ones, and listening to a lot of systems.
> 
> I've made my own demo CD with tracks that are very demanding, revealing, and that I know every nuance of. I'll have extra free copies of my Demo CD if anyone wants one.


I'd love to have a copy of your demo disc if possible. I'm in Somerset, KY and will be there as a spectator. Pretty excited to see and hopefully hear 60+ SQ cars. PM and we'll either try to meet up or work out a way to get a copy of your CD. We're about the same age so, will be interesting to hear what someone in my age group is listening to for SQ. 

Only bad thing is I think they are putting all the SQ cars in the Pavilion area at KY Expo. That's the oldest part of the place. Hope they've done some work in that section since the last time I was in there.


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## cmusic

PPI_GUY said:


> I'd love to have a copy of your demo disc if possible. I'm in Somerset, KY and will be there as a spectator. Pretty excited to see and hopefully hear 60+ SQ cars. PM and we'll either try to meet up or work out a way to get a copy of your CD. We're about the same age so, will be interesting to hear what someone in my age group is listening to for SQ.
> 
> Only bad thing is I think they are putting all the SQ cars in the Pavilion area at KY Expo. That's the oldest part of the place. Hope they've done some work in that section since the last time I was in there.


I'll send you a PM Friday evening about meeting up. 

The Pavilion area is where Steve Stern has held many USACi and MECA competitions. There will be plenty of space for competitors. I just hope that SPL is going to be in the Broadbent Arena just outside of the Pavilion area. I've been to several shows in the Pavilion area where SQ and SPL were together, and by the end of the day the fumes from the SPL competitor's vehicles was pretty toxic.


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## benny z

BlackHHR said:


> Ha, thought you finished you car a month ago. Just ribbing ya Benny.
> 
> What do you have left to be ready for the trailer? From what I saw your car looked finished.


Oh I'm ready... Just more nervous/excited and unable to focus on much of anything else. Loss of productivity...kinda like a kid the week of Christmas.

See you Thursday!


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## PPI_GUY

cmusic said:


> I'll send you a PM Friday evening about meeting up.
> 
> The Pavilion area is where Steve Stern has held many USACi and MECA competitions. There will be plenty of space for competitors. I just hope that SPL is going to be in the Broadbent Arena just outside of the Pavilion area. I've been to several shows in the Pavilion area where SQ and SPL were together, and by the end of the day the fumes from the SPL competitor's vehicles was pretty toxic.


Sounds good. 
I've been to a few smaller events in the Pavilion a few times, agree completely on the exhaust fumes. 
On the event Facebook page it mentions the Pavilion as the "SQ hall" so, I'm hoping it's exclusively for those cars only. Also says that Broadbent will be where the DB drags and other SPL events are to be held. That's smart IMO. Hope it works out like that. With so many SQ vehicles registered, hopefully the the Pavilion will be packed.


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## lowcel

leoleal86 said:


> 29 days for finals
> Greetings from Monterrey, México
> 
> 
> Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk


Do you have any pics of your install? I have heard that it looks amazing.


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## lowcel

I'll be there.

MECA
Street SQ
Street Install
RTA

IASCA
Novice SQ
Novice Install

Plus IASCA TKE Novice SQ and Novice Install.


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## captainobvious

cmusic said:


> I'll send you a PM Friday evening about meeting up.
> 
> The Pavilion area is where Steve Stern has held many USACi and MECA competitions. There will be plenty of space for competitors. I just hope that SPL is going to be in the Broadbent Arena just outside of the Pavilion area. I've been to several shows in the Pavilion area where SQ and SPL were together, and by the end of the day the fumes from the SPL competitor's vehicles was pretty toxic.


My understanding is that they will be separate- SPL in Broadbent and SQ in Pavilion.


-Steve


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## lowcel

captainobvious said:


> My understanding is that they will be separate- SPL in Broadbent and SQ in Pavilion.
> 
> 
> -Steve


That is what I've heard as well. Not sure about the locations, but two different buildings.


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## benny z

pocket5s said:


> Not many manufacturers show up at finals anymore. Certainly not like in the old days when they would bring out their show cars and all that. They save those for CES and such.


not a manufacturer, but i heard SQOLOGY will be representing at the event.

https://www.facebook.com/sqology/


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## lowcel

benny z said:


> not a manufacturer, but i heard SQOLOGY will be representing at the event.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/sqology/


If they aren't too worn out from driving.


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## SoundQ SVT

captainobvious said:


> I'm always up for hearing someone else's demo/mix. Swing by and introduce yourself and get a demo in the car. Mine is a red 2013 Mazdaspeed 3.
> 
> 
> -Steve


I need to listen to your car as well. I think I have missed it in the past.


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## SoundQ SVT

cmusic said:


> I should be there on Saturday as a spectator. I've competed in 7 IASCA Finals but I have not been to one since 2004. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, making new ones, and listening to a lot of systems.
> 
> I've made my own demo CD with tracks that are very demanding, revealing, and that I know every nuance of. I'll have extra free copies of my Demo CD if anyone wants one.


Hey Chuck, definitely stop by. It's been a while.


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## leoleal86

lowcel said:


> Do you have any pics of your install? I have heard that it looks amazing.




I have only 2 post they dont ley me submit pics yet But my car is open for Demo in the Finals if you want, see you in Kentucky 


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## lowcel

leoleal86 said:


> I have only 2 post they dont ley me submit pics yet But my car is open for Demo in the Finals if you want, see you in Kentucky
> 
> 
> Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk


Thanks, I'll be there. We are in the same install class but different SQ classes. I look forward to seeing it and hearing it. I'll be in the white 4Runner.


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## SkizeR

hotel booked. see you guys there!


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## captainobvious

SoundQ SVT said:


> I need to listen to your car as well. I think I have missed it in the past.


Same here Bob. 



-Steve


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## captainobvious

leoleal86 said:


> I have only 2 post they dont ley me submit pics yet But my car is open for Demo in the Finals if you want, see you in Kentucky
> 
> 
> Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk



I got a few pics last year at finals. Beautiful install indeed. 











Also, here is my slideshow of pics from last year.

Finals 2015 Hunstville AL Slideshow by soesnake | Photobucket





-Steve
.


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## lowcel

captainobvious said:


> I got a few pics last year at finals. Beautiful install indeed.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, here is my slideshow of pics from last year.
> 
> Finals 2015 Hunstville AL Slideshow by soesnake | Photobucket
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -Steve
> .


Wow! That is beautiful.


----------



## AccordUno

I'm going to throw this out there, I'm gonna be in need of a second set of ears (or more) to go over my car. I believe I have tried everything possible (well within my ability) to get this car dialed in. Really just need a few people opinions on what they think (good or bad).. I'm in the master class so more than likely I won't get judged till Sunday (Hoping)..

I'm driving the lowered Black VW Passat Wagon on semi hand polished Audi S4 wheel (they aren't done yet and don't was to plastidip them like dumbass PO did)


----------



## BlackHHR

AccordUno said:


> I'm going to throw this out there, I'm gonna be in need of a second set of ears (or more) to go over my car. I believe I have tried everything possible (well within my ability) to get this car dialed in. Really just need a few people opinions on what they think (good or bad).. I'm in the master class so more than likely I won't get judged till Sunday (Hoping)..
> 
> I'm driving the lowered Black VW Passat Wagon on semi hand polished Audi S4 wheel (they aren't done yet and don't was to plastidip them like dumbass PO did)


A pair of head phones is your best friend. They will tell on your tune quickly.


----------



## JayinMI

AccordUno said:


> I'm driving the lowered Black VW Passat Wagon on semi hand polished Audi S4 wheel (they aren't done yet and *don't was to plastidip them like dumbass PO did)*


Hey! LOL...I just finished Plastidipping my wheels. Of course, I only did it because 3 of the 4 have lost battles with local drive thrus. 

They all pretty much looked like this:



They look much better now. New wheels aren't in the budget for this car for a while.

After:



Jay


----------



## JayinMI

Also, that red Audi was one of my faves from last year!

Jay


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## AccordUno

Jay,the previous owner did some stupid **** paint, plastidip and then paint again before removing the plastidip.. there's only one wheel that looks stock..


----------



## #1BigMike

Cant wait to see everyone there. First season competing and very first time going to finals! I am pumped for sure. Safe travels for everyone.


----------



## SoundQ SVT

Just making sure this gets shared.... Travis Chin (Head SQ judge for IASCA) posted the following on the IASCA SQ Facebook page....



> ‎Travis Chin‎ to IASCA Sound Quality
> 
> I'm working on a schedule for SQ at INAC this weekend. We will be judging each class at a time. All I can say now is everyone should be ready to go at 9AM Saturday. As it looks now, every class is starting Saturday morning - it just depends if you're doing the 3x or INAC (or both). I should have a finalized schedule at the 8:30AM meeting Saturday morning.
> 
> Just a recap from page 3 of the roll in letter:
> 
> IASCA and MECA SQ Judges will be ready to start at the designated times; you must be present and ready to be judged by the start times. The show is on a very tight time schedule to complete all judging, so it is very important that you are with your vehicle when the judge arrives, or you have your vehicle in the lanes ready to compete. If no one is present at the vehicle when a judge arrives to evaluate it, they will wait 5 minutes, at which time a warning will be issued by the judge to be present upon their return. If no one is present on the second visit, a score of zero (0) will be given and the vehicle will not be evaluated.
> 
> If anyone doing IQC can do it Friday, let me know ASAP.
> 
> Now go tell all your INAC SQ friends about this post! If you tell me you didn't know about this, then you have no friends!


----------



## AccordUno

I didn't get judged till sunday afternoon at sbn. no worries.. (walks out to the car to retune and clean up the car)


----------



## lowcel

SoundQ SVT said:


> Just making sure this gets shared.... Travis Chin (Head SQ judge for IASCA) posted the following on the IASCA SQ Facebook page....


I volunteered to be judged for install on Friday. It's going to be a busy weekend, I'm all for getting a little bit out of the way.


----------



## pocket5s

AccordUno said:


> I didn't get judged till sunday afternoon at sbn. no worries.. (walks out to the car to retune and clean up the car)


IIRC you are in masters correct? normally that class is one of the last to be judged, as meca almost always starts at stock and goes up.

however...

This year at finals they are having two sets of judges, 3 for the lower classes and 3 for the upper classes. While I wouldn't bank on it, it is entirely possible to get judged saturday afternoon/evening, leaving sunday for 2 seat, install, etc. 

Just something to keep in mind.


----------



## AccordUno

Wishful thinking on my part.. I'll be there by 1 or 2pm. clean up car, listen, and park it.. then go to hotel and relax or not..


----------



## BlackHHR

Loaded up....


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## benny z

BlackHHR said:


> Loaded up....




You were missed last night. 'Twas jus me n Klif, alone in a camper.


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## benny z

#SQOLOGY in the house


----------



## Mic10is

Results?


----------



## SkizeR

From what I heard, Rob Bess took first in modex with Kirk's old car, Matt hall got second. Ben Zimmerman got 4th. Not sure who got third. Big Mike got second in extreme. Bill (probillygun) got second in I think mid street where geoff Schneider got 3rd after I did a 10 minute parking lot tune at midnight the day before lol. Not sure who got first.. Bruce miller got first in rta, and did well in his class in install and street. First places maybe? That's all I know as of right now

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## SkizeR

Oh, and Scott Welch took home the cup. I missed a demo of his car by ten minutes unfortunately

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## papasin

Mic10is said:


> Results?



MECA awards were live streamed via FB by MECA CA.

https://www.facebook.com/mecacalifornia/videos/1308988162446199/


----------



## Babs

SkizeR said:


> ..Rob Bess took first in modex with Kirk's old car


That Acura was my last demo before I had to head out. This doe not surprise me. I don't have the vocabulary to describe that car. Yeah it was pretty decent.


----------



## SkizeR

Babs said:


> That Acura was my last demo before I had to head out. This doe not surprise me. I don't have the vocabulary to describe that car. Yeah it was pretty decent.


still cant believe i didnt know you were there. i got a ton of demos. wish i got a few more. i missed getting one in scott welches car by about 10 mins after he packed everything up. didnt get to hear the audionutz wagon, john kisers audi, mark eldridges car since he had to leave early, brian mitchels volt, josiahs infiniti, steves mazda.. and a few more. but i still must have demo'd 20 cars or so. my favorites were the acura, robert corwins lexus which was very similar, big mikes beetle, and matt halls mercedes. there was not one car there that i didnt enjoy listening to though. they were all very good sounding cars. leoleal86's red audi also sounded very good. southside's truck was crazy. had some 7" dynaudio tweeters (yes, you read that right) in it that ive never seen before. bowdowns ford is always a good listen. bruce miller should be very proud of his car and achievements considering its his first year competing. Greg mernards hhr.. holy ****in moly that install. and it sounded great too. Probillygun's FJ was a great sounding car that had some improvements from the last time i heard it. anthony davis had a beautiful install that was done by dwayne blackwood, who also build the HHR as well as like 5 other cars that were there. Phil's sinfoni setup (i forget what kind of car) sounded good. me and him definitely have the same taste in how we like our cars sounding... so many more to list. it was just an amazing time. Tam, thank you again!

PS, ill have an album of 300+ images shortly


----------



## Babs

SkizeR said:


> still cant believe i didnt know you were there. i got a ton of demos. wish i got a few more. i missed getting one in scott welches car by about 10 mins after he packed everything up. didnt get to hear the audionutz wagon, john kisers audi, mark eldridges car since he had to leave early, brian mitchels volt, josiahs infiniti, steves mazda.. and a few more. but i still must have demo'd 20 cars or so. my favorites were the acura, robert corwins lexus which was very similar, big mikes beetle, and matt halls mercedes. there was not one car there that i didnt enjoy listening to though. they were all very good sounding cars. leoleal86's red audi also sounded very good. southside's truck was crazy. had some 7" dynaudio tweeters (yes, you read that right) in it that ive never seen before. bowdowns ford is always a good listen. bruce miller should be very proud of his car and achievements considering its his first year competing. Greg mernards hhr.. holy ****in moly that install. and it sounded great too. Probillygun's FJ was a great sounding car that had some improvements from the last time i heard it. anthony davis had a beautiful install that was done by dwayne blackwood, who also build the HHR as well as like 5 other cars that were there. Phil's sinfoni setup (i forget what kind of car) sounded good. me and him definitely have the same taste in how we like our cars sounding... so many more to list. it was just an amazing time. Tam, thank you again!
> 
> PS, ill have an album of 300+ images shortly


I know right? I probably walked by you a dozen times. Someone mentioned you were there.

Yeah no doubt I heard about 1/5 of the cars I wanted to. I owe Bill (FJ) big time for grabbing me by the shirt collar figuratively and waltzing me over to introduce me to Rob and tell him I needed to hear the Acura. That was a sonic revelation. 

I was a holding myself back a bit with folks I didn't know, as a first-timer at any comp event, as I know it's serious business at this event. But the folks I met were awesome. See yeah I recognize a bunch of those names, that I'm mad now I hadn't associated with the car. I had probably carried on many a conversation here or there online with them, but didn't know them to approach them and say howdy.


----------



## Innovative:Cory

MECA results are up....

MECA Events


----------



## cmusic

I was there on Saturday until about 5:45pm. I had 40 of my demo CDs to give out but only gave out about half of them. I did get to listen to several systems and all sounded great in different ways and all very worthy of competing for a national championship in their classes. I enjoyed meeting some of the people here on DIY face to face for the first time. I also enjoyed talking to some of the old time competitors and judges that are still going. Most of them remembered me and my friend John Smith at first sight even if we hadn't competed in 12 years. All of the old timers were asking for John and I to get back in the lanes. My wife has already said no to competing again, but John seems to have gotten the competition bug again. 

Overall I think the level of competition has gone up because I did not listen to a bad system at all. Back in the day there were usually a few systems that the owners did not know what they were doing. That's not the case now. With the internet more people are sharing their techniques on how to make a great sounding system, and that is showing up in competition. I thank each and every one that let me listen to their system to take a close look at the install.


----------



## AccordUno

Congrats to all the winners and too everyone that went. Master class was deep, I got to here a few of the cars and somewhat shocked on the results, but that's how it is sometimes..

Chuck I saw you walking around. Nice to meet you SkizeR.. I had a few issues all weekend, of course the important one I resolved after getting all 3 judges.. Really don't think it would have mattered. 

Steve's S10 Blazer is was really nice, The Titan truck was nice, the Grey Mazda3 was hella nice.. 

The one thing I need to work on is the stigma that cars running Beyma speakers are loud and obnoxious.. (mine ain't that)..


----------



## chefhow

AccordUno said:


> The one thing I need to work on is the stigma that cars running Beyma speakers are loud and obnoxious.. (mine ain't that)..


Don't tell them what you have and you won't have that problem


----------



## SkizeR

chefhow said:


> Don't tell them what you have and you won't have that problem


its a little hard when his car has beyma stickers and the "hershey kiss" tweeters right in the sails and is on their team. Did you make it up there?


----------



## AccordUno

Everything was covered up minus the tweeter (I guess that banner didn't help)..


----------



## JayinMI

AccordUno said:


> Congrats to all the winners and too everyone that went. Master class was deep, I got to here a few of the cars and somewhat shocked on the results, but that's how it is sometimes..
> 
> Chuck I saw you walking around. Nice to meet you SkizeR.. I had a few issues all weekend, of course the important one I resolved after getting all 3 judges.. Really don't think it would have mattered.
> 
> Steve's S10 Blazer is was really nice, The Titan truck was nice, the Grey Mazda3 was hella nice..
> 
> The one thing I need to work on is the stigma that cars running Beyma speakers are loud and obnoxious.. (mine ain't that)..


Dude! I walked past your car (I think) several times, and even took pics of the amp rack. I was well into Indiana when I put 2 and 2 together on which car was yours. Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you! I was trying to leave around 3-4, and didn't get on the road until 5:30.

Jay


----------



## chefhow

SkizeR said:


> its a little hard when his car has beyma stickers and the "hershey kiss" tweeters right in the sails and is on their team. Did you make it up there?


I did not this year, had plans that took precedence over Finals, but taking stickers off a car and removing a banner and a logo off a grill can go a long way in not swaying a judge in a certain direction. 
Not sure what they "Hershey Kiss" tweeters are.


----------



## AccordUno

The SQL60 aka Hersey Kisses tweeter (Steve Cooked labeled them that). If you look at the midrange/tweet post you will see my upper front stage. Pretty nice tweeter and not it's not in your face loud.. 

Jay, it's all good. I saw your car outside during the day, maybe another day. I'm not done, no matter what I did at finals..


----------



## Babs

JayinMI said:


> Dude! I walked past your car (I think) several times, and even took pics of the amp rack. I was well into Indiana when I put 2 and 2 together on which car was yours. Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet you! I was trying to leave around 3-4, and didn't get on the road until 5:30.
> 
> Jay


I think next time I'll have a T-shirt made up that says:

Babs here
Say hi and lemme know who you are

Better yet, I'll put a picture of Kaiser (dog) and name on the car in a lane next time maybe?
That'll depend on how long my wife lets my leash be, and how the tuning skills progress.


----------



## BlackHHR

Babs , it was kind of hard to miss you once you told me who you were. 

Enjoyed hanging out with all of you guys. 

Nick is was also nice meeting you.


----------



## Babs

BlackHHR said:


> Babs , it was kind of hard to miss you once you told me who you were.


You know it! Plus that indoor arena lighting shining off my perdy dome ya know. Can't miss it. 

Was great to finally meet you Sir. The HHR is a work of art visually and musically especially. Sounded spectacular! And I appreciate the knowledge sharing. These events are always like a huge boost in the learning curve.


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## SkizeR

BlackHHR said:


> Babs , it was kind of hard to miss you once you told me who you were.
> 
> Enjoyed hanging out with all of you guys.
> 
> Nick is was also nice meeting you.


right back at ya, and the rest of the hybrid team. you guys are all great. and i agree with scott. the HHR is awesome


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## benny z

cmusic - pleasure meeting you and thank you very much for the disc!

SkizeR - pleasure meeting you also. I wanna see a selfie in that new shirt! 

Babs - also nice meeting you! Hope to see you again.

Everyone else - it was nice catching up. I wish I had more time to spend at the event...had to bolt out of there Sunday morning to high tail it home for my anniversary. ...and Saturday was unfortunately spent waiting around near the car for judges. 

Correction to a post I saw earlier...I did not have a podium placement in MECA Modex. I did manage to take 2nd in the IASCA 3x and 3rd in IASCA INAC, amateur class. 

Fantastic event despite the chaos. Can't wait til next season! See you turkeys then!


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## Babs

Thanks for a spectacular demo Benny! Car sounded outrageously good Sir. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lowcel

SkizeR said:


> From what I heard, Rob Bess took first in modex with Kirk's old car, Matt hall got second. Ben Zimmerman got 4th. Not sure who got third. Big Mike got second in extreme. Bill (probillygun) got second in I think mid street where geoff Schneider got 3rd after I did a 10 minute parking lot tune at midnight the day before lol. Not sure who got first.. *Bruce miller got first in rta, and did well in his class in install and street. First places maybe? *That's all I know as of right now
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


Thanks. I ended up getting:

MECA
RTA - 1st
Street SQ - 1st
Street Install - 3rd

IASCA TKE
Novice SQC - 1st
Novice IQC - 1st

IASCA INAC
Novice SQC - 1st after tonality tie breaker
Novice IQC - 1st


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## KP

Glad you all enjoyed the car. It was originally built with extreme over-kill is all areas. Rob has done a great job improving it over the last 4 months. With better music (Hi Res) the future is only brighter for us all. It is amazing what a car can sound like these days!


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## SoundQ SVT

cmusic said:


> I was there on Saturday until about 5:45pm. I had 40 of my demo CDs to give out but only gave out about half of them. I did get to listen to several systems and all sounded great in different ways and all very worthy of competing for a national championship in their classes. I enjoyed meeting some of the people here on DIY face to face for the first time. I also enjoyed talking to some of the old time competitors and judges that are still going. Most of them remembered me and my friend John Smith at first sight even if we hadn't competed in 12 years. All of the old timers were asking for John and I to get back in the lanes. My wife has already said no to competing again, but John seems to have gotten the competition bug again.
> 
> Overall I think the level of competition has gone up because I did not listen to a bad system at all. Back in the day there were usually a few systems that the owners did not know what they were doing. That's not the case now. With the internet more people are sharing their techniques on how to make a great sounding system, and that is showing up in competition. I thank each and every one that let me listen to their system to take a close look at the install.


Chuck, it was great to see you and John again. You both left before taking a listen to the Contour though. :-( Can't wait to see John (and you) back in the lanes again.


----------



## Babs

SkizeR said:


> ...after I did a 10 minute parking lot tune at midnight the day before lol.



No kidding!? Saturday night he had me in it demo'ing at 1am. 

Geoff's new nickname I dub thee the Midnight Madman.  Sounded really good. Nice solid image. Did really good getting that sub up too. Is a fun system. 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SkizeR

Babs said:


> No kidding!? Saturday night he had me in it demo'ing at 1am.
> 
> Geoff's new nickname I dub thee the Midnight Madman.  Sounded really good. Nice solid image. Did really good getting that sub up too. Is a fun system.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Wait.. that was you?! Did you not see/recognize me? The only person there who looks like he's under 30 years old lol

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## benny z

Easy there you little ****!


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## #1BigMike

benny z said:


> Easy there you little ****!


Lmao....


----------



## PPI_GUY

Chuck (cmusic) was great to meet you and thanks for the demo disc. Already been enjoying it. 
So many beautiful installs and nice variety of gear to admire. I didn't know anyone but, did get to talk to a few people and came away with plenty of inspiration. 
Congrats to all the winners and a 'thank you' to all who brought their rides.


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## SkizeR

benny z said:


> Easy there you little ****!


you mad cause you look old? lol


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## benny z

#1BigMike said:


> Lmao....




Dude! It was really nice meeting you!!! Hope to see you next season. Frequently.


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## leoleal86

Well I really have fun this Finals Steve Weigner thanks for the demo I really likes your car, Ben Z i didnt have time for listen your car I hope so the next year let me hear it, see you guys the next year the Audi returns next season with some changes 

Leo Leal.


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk


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## SouthSyde

Well, woke up this morning and was like ****, I need to go to the hall judging is early LOL 

Anyways, it was a very fun finals, met alot of old friends and met a lot of new people as well. It was my pleasure to finally put faces to internet names...  It was a great time!

Cmusic - Chuck I shouldve got 2 discs from you, i ended up scratching the hell out of the one I got.. And you only gave out 20 of em??? 

People who know me knows I am a demoholic... Love to hand out eargazms hehe To the point where sat evening my mcintosh mx5000 froze up from playing all day lol But that was ok, let it have an hour rest and it was good to go again!

It was kinda weird having you there Kirk and not competing lol 

Overall there were alot of good cars and some that were bad and some that gave me **** tunes... 

Two that stood out to me however was Steves blazer and Matt Halls Benz... Man those two sounded good!


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## cmusic

SouthSyde said:


> Cmusic - Chuck I shouldve got 2 discs from you, i ended up scratching the hell out of the one I got.. And you only gave out 20 of em???
> 
> 
> 
> Overall there were alot of good cars and some that were bad and some that gave me **** tunes...
> 
> Two that stood out to me however was Steves blazer and Matt Halls Benz... Man those two sounded good!


PM or email me your address and I will mail you a new disk. My email is cmusic at foothills dot net. 

Back in the day some competitors would have a crap tune setting to let other people listen to their system just to not let people know how good or how bad their sound actually was. When the judges rolled around, the good tune setting was put in. When trophy time came around everyone would wonder how a crap sounding system won a trophy. 

Did not get to hear the Benz, but Steve's Head's blazer was awesome! Was it the blazer or his old Dodge car that got 8th in MECA's Master class? If it was the blazer, then the judges definitely have a different perspective on SQ than I do.


----------



## SouthSyde

cmusic said:


> PM or email me your address and I will mail you a new disk. My email is cmusic at foothills dot net.
> 
> Back in the day some competitors would have a crap tune setting to let other people listen to their system just to not let people know how good or how bad their sound actually was. When the judges rolled around, the good tune setting was put in. When trophy time came around everyone would wonder how a crap sounding system won a trophy.
> 
> Did not get to hear the Benz, but Steve's Head's blazer was awesome! Was it the blazer or his old Dodge car that got 8th in MECA's Master class? If it was the blazer, then the judges definitely have a different perspective on SQ than I do.


Thanks Chuck! I was the other audionutz there with the white Titan.. 

It was the blazer that placed 7th in Meca masters.. 

And it was your friend that witnessed my mx5000 not working lol


----------



## audionutz

cmusic said:


> PM or email me your address and I will mail you a new disk. My email is cmusic at foothills dot net.
> 
> Back in the day some competitors would have a crap tune setting to let other people listen to their system just to not let people know how good or how bad their sound actually was. When the judges rolled around, the good tune setting was put in. When trophy time came around everyone would wonder how a crap sounding system won a trophy.
> 
> Did not get to hear the Benz, but Steve's Head's blazer was awesome! Was it the blazer or his old Dodge car that got 8th in MECA's Master class? If it was the blazer, then the judges definitely have a different perspective on SQ than I do.



Well said, Chuck :surprised: and yes it WAS the blazer...
as always, will try again next year and keep on tweakin


----------



## thehatedguy

Well Steve, I was asked to judge the show but couldn't make it due to a family commitment. Knowing you, I bet that I would have dug it.

Maybe next year?


----------



## pocket5s

The blazer and Matt Halls Benz were my top two cars that I listened to. Steve was kind enough to let me hear all three of his in a row (thanks!). The aspen was damn cool and I would love to that setup in a weekend cruiser like that. It still sounded better than most of the cars I heard. 

As for masters, how Steve, Brian Mitchell and Mark Eldridge all finished out of the top 5 is a total shock for many. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Babs

SouthSyde said:


> Thanks Chuck! I was the other audionutz there with the white Titan..


Dang I got started to head over to try to get a listen to that Titan more than once and got derailed. Everyone was saying your Titan is off the chart.


----------



## audionutz

That'd be very cool J...been a while since we got to mingle  And i think I definitely have that "warm n dynamic" that you crave.

Thanks Robert. You know, its impressions like that from peers I respect that mean more to me than any trophy does....I appreciate it immensely.



And BTW before I forget, was SUPER COOL to see you Chuck as well as John, not to mention Uncle Larry, Jose, The Godfather, ....all the old school guys that have been on hiatus. Trying to motivate Larry to resurrect SVR for next year.


----------



## SouthSyde

thehatedguy said:


> Well Steve, I was asked to judge the show but couldn't make it due to a family commitment. Knowing you, I bet that I would have dug it.
> 
> Maybe next year?


Judge what J?



Babs said:


> Dang I got started to head over to try to get a listen to that Titan more than once and got derailed. Everyone was saying your Titan is off the chart.


Squirrel?!?!? 

Thanks man!


----------



## benny z

leoleal86 said:


> Ben Z i didnt have time for listen your car I hope so the next year let me hear it


absolutely!

i really enjoyed the demo in your audi! fantastic car all around...not just the audio, but the car is a true head turner. ...and i'll bet it's fun to drive! i have a soft spot for hatchbacks and for german cars...your car is both...and sounds wonderful. that's one i'd be happy to drive.

see you next year.


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## thehatedguy

Was asked to judge MECA, but promised my mom that I would go to her family's reunion. Felt like I needed to do that over the show b/c my folks have less ahead than they do behind them now.


----------



## BowDown

thehatedguy said:


> Was asked to judge MECA, but promised my mom that I would go to her family's reunion. Felt like I needed to do that over the show b/c my folks have less ahead than they do behind them now.


Family first man. Always.


----------



## imjustjason

It was good to meet some new faces to go with the names and catch up with some old faces.

Most interesting sounding thing I heard all weekend was Steve Head's trailer bumping out some old school beats.


----------



## thehatedguy

Was hard...haven't seen some of these guys in person in maybe a decade or more. But there will be more shows.

And who says Beyma is crap? I would rock a set of TPL150s and 8 or 10G40s in a heartbeat.


----------



## truckguy

Were there any horn cars at this event or is that a thing of the past?


----------



## pocket5s

truckguy said:


> Were there any horn cars at this event or is that a thing of the past?




There was one that I saw. Old school build with old equipment (PG amps, old rane 30band eqs). Several old kicker 15's. It was a crewcab size chevy truck as I recall


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## captainobvious

leoleal86 said:


> Well I really have fun this Finals Steve Weigner thanks for the demo I really likes your car, Ben Z i didnt have time for listen your car I hope so the next year let me hear it, see you guys the next year the Audi returns next season with some changes
> 
> Leo Leal.
> 
> 
> Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk



Leo your car was excellent. Thank you for the demo and I hope to see you again next year!


-Steve


----------



## Babs

thehatedguy said:


> Was hard...haven't seen some of these guys in person in maybe a decade or more. But there will be more shows.
> 
> And who says Beyma is crap? I would rock a set of TPL150s and 8 or 10G40s in a heartbeat.


Never made it over to the beyma booth.. Did get a long nickel tour inside the new Linear Power amps, talking shop (manufacturing, sourcing etc) with those fellows. I'm liking what they're doing. Clean signal path, as much of the actual amp components as possible sourced or assembled in the U.S., small lean team of folks, sure enough production in OK and Mississippi, and they sound pretty stellar I think. I have a soft spot also in heart for small business anyway, and the opportunity for the head guy himself to go through every component in the product.


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## captainobvious

cmusic said:


> I was there on Saturday until about 5:45pm. I had 40 of my demo CDs to give out but only gave out about half of them. I did get to listen to several systems and all sounded great in different ways and all very worthy of competing for a national championship in their classes. I enjoyed meeting some of the people here on DIY face to face for the first time. I also enjoyed talking to some of the old time competitors and judges that are still going. Most of them remembered me and my friend John Smith at first sight even if we hadn't competed in 12 years. All of the old timers were asking for John and I to get back in the lanes. My wife has already said no to competing again, but John seems to have gotten the competition bug again.
> 
> Overall I think the level of competition has gone up because I did not listen to a bad system at all. Back in the day there were usually a few systems that the owners did not know what they were doing. That's not the case now. With the internet more people are sharing their techniques on how to make a great sounding system, and that is showing up in competition. I thank each and every one that let me listen to their system to take a close look at the install.



It was nice to meet you. Thanks for stopping by to introduce yourself, demo my little red mazda and thanks for the mix cd!


-Steve


----------



## captainobvious

SouthSyde said:


> and some that gave me **** tunes...



:laugh::laugh:


I'll try harder next time.


----------



## captainobvious

SouthSyde said:


> Thanks Chuck! I was the other audionutz there with the white Titan..
> 
> It was *the blazer* that placed 7th in Meca masters..
> 
> And it was your friend that witnessed my mx5000 not working lol



Yeah my buddy said it was hands down the best car there. And that was including the TL and Matt Halls cars which were outstanding. Unfortunatelt we ran out of time at the end of the night before awards and I didn't get to hear it. Bummer


----------



## captainobvious

pocket5s said:


> As for masters, how Steve, Brian Mitchell and Mark Eldridge all finished out of the top 5 is a total shock for many.


Include me in that list of "many" 


BTW- I really enjoyed your car. I'm glad I finally got a chance to listen to it. It was a lot of fun and very lively. Great job!


----------



## captainobvious

By the way, Steve H- This was my first time meeting you and getting to sample your car(s). You were all about getting people in the cars and hearing them all weekend and I'm sure you were pretty burned out by the end from juggling 3 vehicles with all of that. I appreciate the demo's I got in 2 of your vehicles (never ended up getting to the blazer unfortunately as I heard it was amazing) and hope to see you out again next year. 
Let me know what you think of that drum cd I gave you once you hear it in the Blazer. If it sounds great in my car so it's probably RIDICULOUS in that thing.


Cheers


-Steve Weigner


----------



## ErinH

Steve Head, I keep hearing great things about that Blazer of yours from my friends who were there. I hope I can get some seat time in it next year!

Congrats to all of you guys who placed... and to those of you who didn't, I wouldn't sweat it. Looking at the scores, it seems all the classes were really stacked with only a few guys really scoring far above the pack. Seems to confirm the trend I've heard myself the past few years: the systems just keep getting better and better and the window between 'amateur' and 'pro' is closing more and more every year. That says a lot about our community... how we all are willing to help anyone out regardless of experience level, class, competition, etc. I hear stories about "the good ol' days" and how people back then weren't willing to give demos and how locked down cars were. Safe to say we as a community are very far beyond that now.


----------



## thehatedguy

Fazza, get Larry to do SVR and maybe we can bully Joe into doing ESN again too so we can have some big shows again.


----------



## AccordUno

SouthSyde - dude that was your titan? Damn. We needs to talk about it, I need info on that electric shifting.. Funny, is that you came to see if I was still in it.. I got an 06, so I might have to consult with you, no on the dash build but on some other stuff.. I think you fit right in with the AudioNutzz ccrew from years past.. 

Jason, man, it would have been a blast if you would have gone.. 

Steve, SVR? Where do I sign up? I believe Chuck said it the best, "If it was the blazer, then the judges definitely have a different perspective on SQ than I do." I'm not sure what you mean by "Warm n Dynamic", hopefully it's music.. Now about that picture with Keith, sorry won't share..


Steve - CaptObvious- man, I actually took picture of your car and didn't even say hi, my bad.. Next time for sure.

Well, when is the next show?


----------



## SoundQ SVT

I'll be honest and say I listened to Steve's blazer and Plymouth, and enjoyed the Plymouth more. Not to say the Blazer was bad... far from it... I just enjoyed the car more. I have always liked the sound from Steve's vehicles though.


----------



## SkizeR

captainobvious said:


> Leo your car was excellent. Thank you for the demo and I hope to see you again next year!
> 
> 
> -Steve


i agree with this. surprised it didnt score higher. it was a pleasure to meet you and i have some photos of your car i need to post later, along with a ton of other cars


----------



## thehatedguy

If any were anything like the Civic was when it was last out...had to have been something impressive to hear.

But yeah, I've always liked Steve's vehicles too.



SoundQ SVT said:


> I'll be honest and say I listened to Steve's blazer and Plymouth, and enjoyed the Plymouth more. Not to say the Blazer was bad... far from it... I just enjoyed the car more. I have always liked the sound from Steve's vehicles though.


----------



## Babs

leoleal86 said:


> Well I really have fun this Finals Steve Weigner thanks for the demo I really likes your car, Ben Z i didnt have time for listen your car I hope so the next year let me hear it, see you guys the next year the Audi returns next season with some changes
> 
> Leo Leal.
> 
> 
> Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk





captainobvious said:


> Leo your car was excellent. Thank you for the demo and I hope to see you again next year!
> 
> 
> -Steve


I totally agree with Steve's assessment. It's the little red Audi that can really boogie. That car fired me up, even at 7am in the morning. Really enjoyed that demo thank you Sir.


----------



## leoleal86

Babs said:


> I totally agree with Steve's assessment. It's the little red Audi that can really boogie. That car fired me up, even at 7am in the morning. Really enjoyed that demo thank you Sir.




Next season i will be do some changes in my setup so my car there be open for demo again 
Thanks Sir 


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk


----------



## #1BigMike

Damn I really wish I would heard Steve's Blazer now.  Maybe next year!!! However, Matt's Benz was fantastic. Thanks for sticking around Matt and giving me a demo. 

There were so many cool cars and people at this event. Is spring Break anything like finals?


----------



## pocket5s

#1BigMike said:


> Damn I really wish I would heard Steve's Blazer now.  Maybe next year!!! However, Matt's Benz was fantastic. Thanks for sticking around Matt and giving me a demo.
> 
> There were so many cool cars and people at this event. Is spring Break anything like finals?


If the past couple years' turnouts are any indication, not really. The show Chris Pate puts on in June in College Station is probably the next biggest. This year had 30-something top cars from all over show up.


----------



## goodstuff

pocket5s said:


> There was one that I saw. Old school build with old equipment (PG amps, old rane 30band eqs). Several old kicker 15's. It was a crewcab size chevy truck as I recall
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Pretty sure that was John Harabik (probably misspelled his last name.)


----------



## bigbubba

Soooo.......did anyone take any pictures?


----------



## BlackHHR

bigbubba said:


> Soooo.......did anyone take any pictures?



Yes, 100`s of them !


----------



## bigbubba

Ok, I guess I asked for that. Does anyone have pictures they care to share with those unfortunate enough not to be at the show?


----------



## SkizeR

bigbubba said:


> Soooo.......did anyone take any pictures?


i have about 400 im still sifting through and editing


----------



## BlackHHR

Ok, this would be the way the weekend started off. Friday morning @ 4.00 am .

John Marsh , Dwyane Blackwood , Bill Pleasent , and Greg Menard.

Trailer queens making their way from Cumming Ga to Louie Ville KY 

This photo run is more about the good people then the cars that made the journey to finals. 











Seven Hours later


----------



## BlackHHR

Ok, cars and some more good humans!!


----------



## BlackHHR




----------



## BlackHHR




----------



## BlackHHR

John Marsh


----------



## Babs

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Babs

https://vimeo.com/187916114



















































Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## benny z

Good pics guys!


----------



## BlackHHR

Team Hybrids and Team Brax USA 










Benny ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ !!













Need I add a name !! 











Bram passing the torch !!


----------



## Babs

And gotta have at least one good shot that I can't take credit for of Bruce's yota. Outstanding photog skills Jay! Really captured the moment. 










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bigbubba

Great pics! Looks like it was a awesome turn out. Hope to be back at the next one.


----------



## JayinMI

SouthSyde said:


> Thanks Chuck! I was the other audionutz there with the white Titan..
> 
> It was the blazer that placed 7th in Meca masters..
> 
> And it was your friend that witnessed my mx5000 not working lol


Glad I got to listen to it before that. Would love to see it with the tablet in place. Awesome install and sounded amazing. I can only hope for stage depth like that. Do you still have the Acura?



audionutz said:


> Well said, Chuck :surprised: and yes it WAS the blazer...
> as always, will try again next year and keep on tweakin


Was cool to put a name with a face, Steve. The Aspen sounded amazing as well. Didn't get a chance to get in the Blazer. I still need to find that Alanis Morisette acoustic track.

Turns out a lot of people were there and I missed meeting many of them.
We should all wear nametags or something. lol

Jay


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## JayinMI

leoleal86 said:


> Next season i will be do some changes in my setup so my car there be open for demo again
> Thanks Sir
> 
> 
> Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk


Your Audi was one of my favorite installs from both last year and this year. Never got a chance to listen to it, but I'll make it a point next year.

I love the way it looks and the equipment.

Great job!

Jay


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## JayinMI

Babs said:


> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Oh, that's what the brunette looked like _from the front_. lol

Jay


----------



## lsm

truckguy said:


> Were there any horn cars at this event or is that a thing of the past?


I wouldn't say horns are dead but they've been laying dormant for a few years while Eric Stevens builds up his new company "Stevens Audio". I am running his horns in my car, but I didn't make it to finals unfortunately...


----------



## SkizeR

heres a quick album from my sd card dump of the weekend. for some reason, imgur rearanges the images so pics are all out of order. i also have a feeling that it didnt upload all of them. why cant there be one photo hosting website that isnt buggy :/

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet


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## JayinMI

I'll try to dump a bunch this weekend, but I've been posting them on my Instagram account lately. @jay.mcgraw

I've probably had several hundred likes and picked up 60 or so followers since Saturday. lol

BlackHHR, Thanks for getting pics of that sick blue Buick. I thought I took a bunch of pics of it, but can't find some of them now. I saw it last year and was amazed. Still love it.

Jay


----------



## OldNewb

Wow. Simply amazing installs. I have to step my game up. This is truly inspirational.


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## SouthSyde

captainobvious said:


> :laugh::laugh:
> 
> 
> I'll try harder next time.


:laugh::laugh:

I was just kidding Steve.. You a good dude!

I was actually speaking of another car I heard... IT was quite bad, and when I heard where it placed, my jaws dropped!!


----------



## Melodic Acoustic

audionutz said:


> Well said, Chuck :surprised: and yes it WAS the blazer...
> as always, will try again next year and keep on tweakin


This blazer is for the lack of better words Amazing, the most life like and life sized car audio presentation i have ever experienced. I too am at a lost at how this amazing system didn't make top five. 

This is not to say that the others systems in the class wasn't good, as they where, but the Blazer is something special.

Matt's Benz was outstanding also. The all Sinfoni call is great also, can't remember is man, super nice guy. 

There where some of the most amazing sounding system on the planet there and with installs to match. I say great job to everyone that was there.


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## SkizeR

Melodic Acoustic said:


> This blazer is for the lack of better words Amazing, the most life like and life sized car audio presentation i have ever experienced. I too am at a lost at how this amazing system didn't make top five.
> 
> This is not to say that the others systems in the class wasn't good, as they where, but the Blazer is something special.
> 
> Matt's Benz was outstanding also. The all Sinfoni call is great also, can't remember is man, super nice guy.
> 
> There where some of the most amazing sounding system on the planet there and with installs to match. I say great job to everyone that was there.


the sinfoni car belongs to phill gibbs


----------



## lowcel

Babs said:


> And gotta have at least one good shot that I can't take credit for of Bruce's yota. Outstanding photog skills Jay! Really captured the moment.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


By far the best my 4Runner has ever looked.


----------



## probillygun

Babs said:


> And gotta have at least one good shot that I can't take credit for of Bruce's yota. Outstanding photog skills Jay! Really captured the moment.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I get the credit for that pic of the Alpha girls Scott. Bruce's pic came out a little phuzzy, but I have a very steady hand for photo ops like this


----------



## probillygun

BlackHHR said:


> Team Hybrids and Team Brax USA
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Benny ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ !!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Need I add a name !!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bram passing the torch !!


Great pics Greg! and I had a blast hangin' with you bro!


----------



## probillygun

SkizeR said:


> the sinfoni car belongs to phill gibbs


Glad you got to hear Steve Head's blazer Nick. For me it was the most moving and emotional sound demo experience I ever had in a vehicle. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears when he played Enya and then he really cranked the volume for Earth wind and fire! I told him after hearing his blazer, it makes me realize I need to go home and tune my home system! Yes. Its that good!


----------



## SkizeR

probillygun said:


> Glad you got to hear Steve Head's blazer Nick. For me it was the most moving and emotional sound demo experience I ever had in a vehicle. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears when he played Enya and then he really cranked the volume for Earth wind and fire! I told him after hearing his blazer, it makes me realize I need to go home and tune my home system! Yes. Its that good!


is that the audionutz one? if so, i didnt get to hear it :/


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## probillygun

SkizeR said:


> is that the audionutz one? if so, i didnt get to hear it :/


not sure about Audio nutz...it was the Blazer Steve Head had there, along with his 2 other vehicles; Aspen and dodge truck. All 3 were in stalls together.

Steve Head used to own a shop but now does this on his own I was told.


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## bbfoto

Wow! Seems like it was an amazing show this year. Massive turnout. Looks like most classes were STACKED, and all at a high level.

Thanks to everyone that posted up the great photos, and Congrats to everyone here that came away with 'da goods!


----------



## claydo

probillygun said:


> Glad you got to hear Steve Head's blazer Nick. For me it was the most moving and emotional sound demo experience I ever had in a vehicle. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears when he played Enya and then he really cranked the volume for Earth wind and fire! I told him after hearing his blazer, it makes me realize I need to go home and tune my home system! Yes. Its that good!


Damn Bill, that little snippet right there makes me wanna seek this thing out and hear it! Glad yall had fun, hate I couldn't make the trip........oh, and congrats to all the competitors for what looks like an excellent show!


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## chefhow

The Blazer is probably one of the top 3-4 vehicle systems I have EVERY heard. If you ever get a chance to listen do so, its simply spectacular.


----------



## audionutz

Wow, I appreciate all the kind comments guys. They are the trophy I was after 

It breaks my heart the judging staff didnt recognize what we were able to accomplish with this vehicle. Im not saying its the best system ever, merely that for me, this is my best effort to date and far exceeds any previous system I have built or competed with. It is a soundstage unlike anything I've ever heard in a car, and in fact, doesnt sound like a car at all, it sounds like the actual performance. And this is by design, part of the reason it has taken almost 5 years total to complete.

I apologize to those who could not get in there for a demo. I was in a judging holding pattern for quite some time...but it was built to demo, so please when you see the thing at shows, please find me and I will make certain that anyone wanting an audition will get one 

Of course, I want to mention this vehicle could not have been possible without assistance, and to those who helped me I say THANK YOU GUYS!!!!
Russ at Octave
Effin Bob
Scott and Sean at Soundz Krazy
My Florida Nutz crew
Southsyde
and Arc Audio for being a perpetually superb supporting sponsor


Thanks again for the great comments, they make all that I do validated and fulfilling!

And yes, Steve Head and audionutz are one in the same FYI....that was my prior shop name, and has been my screen name since 1998


----------



## thehatedguy

Fazza, I need to bend your ear about a few things...mind if I send you a PM or something sir?


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## audionutz

please do !!!!


----------



## ErinH

Steve, I heard a lot of feedback over the weekend about how great your car was so when I saw yours and Eldridge's didn't podium in MECA I was very surprised. That said, you have been at this long enough to know that the most fun cars don't always win so I think you have a very good attitude about using the feedback from your brethren as 'trophy' enough. In that regard, congrats on your excellent work! I hope to hear it someday soon myself.

'til then, take care!


----------



## cmusic

One thing about competing and some of the big name guys at finals not doing well in their classes. The judging parameters mostly rely on technical aspects of the system; how wide is the soundstage, where is the stage height, are all the frequency ranges balanced, is there any noise or distortion, and the like. There have been many systems that sounded not very good that have won world championships. Those systems usually met all of the technical judging criteria well, but overall was not very enjoyable to listen to.

What is not judged is the emotional part of the system. Does it sound real? Can I close my eyes and forget I am listening to a car audio system? Does it sound like a real live performance? Does it put a smile on my face? Steve Head's blazer was the best system I heard at Finals this year and he finished 8th in his MECA class. Does it have a perfectly focused center image the size of a head of a pin? No, but it sounds real, like the musician in right there live in front of you. I could close my eyes and forget I was listening to a car audio system. The blazer put a smile on my face and made me tap my foot. The best systems let me forget I am in a car or truck, and that is what the blazer did.

Systems like Steve’s Blazer, Mark’s 4-Runner, Scott’s white 240 SX, Wilson Adcock’s Reaper I, and a small handful of others are systems that go beyond what can be judged. I last listened to Scott’s white 240SX in 2001, and I can remember exactly how it sounded today, 15 years later. I can remember exactly how each one listed above sounded when I listened to them last. Incredible and great sounding systems last in your memory. Steve’s Blazer is now in that group. Heck I can even remember how Steve’s green Civic sounded with the Scan/Audison and the DLS equipment. (It sounded better with the Scan/Audison setup.) 

A great system does not necessarily mean it wins competitions. A great system goes above what is subjective to judging. I'm not saying that the MECA judges screwed over some of the best systems (Believe me MECA has some awesome, honest, and experienced people in their management and judging staff!), but what they were judging on was different to what the old time competitors that competed mostly in IASCA had in their systems. The more you compete, the tendencies of certain judges become more apparent. You start to know what the judges like, which may be different from what you like or another organization likes. That gives the more loyal competitors in each organization an advantage. Your perspective on sound quality may be different, which may lose you the competition, but does not make your system any less spectacular. 

Just my thoughts,
Chuck Music


----------



## thehatedguy

I'll never forget listening to Pink Floyd in the white 240...and the Civic while always good, that last build with the stock dash...I literally got goosebumps when I judged it. And if the new vehicle is better than that...wow.

But right on point as usual Mr. Music.


----------



## pocket5s

cmusic said:


> One thing about competing and some of the big name guys at finals not doing well in their classes. The judging parameters mostly rely on technical aspects of the system; how wide is the soundstage, where is the stage height, are all the frequency ranges balanced, is there any noise or distortion, and the like. There have been many systems that sounded not very good that have won world championships. Those systems usually met all of the technical judging criteria well, but overall was not very enjoyable to listen to.


I would disagree a bit on the "mostly rely on technical" comment. almost all comps I've attended have been won or lost on tonality, not technical merits. Most vehicles today are so close technically that there is little to be gained there. It takes a setup like Mark's NASCAR to go above and beyond, and even then, the scoresheets don't have enough room to recognize what it can do in staging. 

meca in particular doesn't leave a lot of room in the staging and imaging portions. The difference between mediocre stage and a really good one may only end up being a point or two on the scoresheet overall, split amongst quarter points here and there across the sections. The three best staging cars I've ever heard are Mark's nascar (hands down the biggest stage in a vehicle), Steve Head's blazer (MUCH better at finals that when I heard it at College Station. Excellent depth IMO) and Steve Cook's avalanche (distance to stage was 2nd only to Mark's). 

On my demo disc I have a positional track and in almost every car I got to play it in at finals I heard the same problems, yet they all generally do well in those scores. The only thing I can attribute to that is the music selections don't highlight those issues. IASCA added a positional track to their new CD, but sadly it is flawed :/

However, going from say a 7 to an 8, or a 7.5 to an 8.5 in each tonality section is not easy and that is usually where the biggest jumps in points can be had. Again, just from what I've seen from my own scores and comparing to others scoresheets over the last couple years.

I do agree about the "how does it make you feel" aspect. meca has a "realism" category, but that isn't quite the same. There are many vehicles that are technically well done but are not exactly fun to listen to. They don't 'move' you.


----------



## ErinH

I want to interject really quickly here and make sure that those who won don't think that I (and I assume you other guys) were saying their cars weren't "fun". My point was more in the vein that a "fun" car doesn't always equate to a win - where a win is the car that is presumably more technically accurate. But that in no way means that a win doesn't equate to a "fun" car.

I just want to make sure that's absolutely clear at least from my viewpoint.


----------



## pocket5s

I second that ^^. The two are not mutually exclusive (technical and fun), but one doesn't not always mean the other


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## benny z

i just wish i got to hear more cars this weekend. i was only there saturday and the whole day was spent waiting around for judges. i snuck in to listen to 4 cars quick sunday morning before heading out...wish i could have stayed and listened all day sunday. saturday was chaos!


----------



## AccordUno

I will say this since I took 9th behind Steve and Mark, my car is not 5 pts or 7 pts behind either one (it's further back), I know that for a fact. Judges must have been looking for something different and I'm hoping to figure it out soon for next year.. 

There we lots of Fun cars at finals this year I heard 3 of them and two that I didn't but knew they would be top notch (Rob's TL and Matt's Benz). 

Either way I got my work cutout for next year.. Great times and glad to be back in the lanes with some old friends..


----------



## bbfoto

pocket5s said:


> I would disagree a bit on the "mostly rely on technical" comment. almost all comps I've attended have been won or lost on tonality, not technical merits. Most vehicles today are so close technically that there is little to be gained there. It takes a setup like Mark's NASCAR to go above and beyond, and even then, the scoresheets don't have enough room to recognize what it can do in staging.
> 
> meca in particular doesn't leave a lot of room in the staging and imaging portions. The difference between mediocre stage and a really good one may only end up being a point or two on the scoresheet overall, split amongst quarter points here and there across the sections. The three best staging cars I've ever heard are Mark's nascar (hands down the biggest stage in a vehicle), Steve Head's blazer (MUCH better at finals that when I heard it at College Station. Excellent depth IMO) and Steve Cook's avalanche (distance to stage was 2nd only to Mark's).
> 
> On my demo disc I have a positional track and in almost every car I got to play it in at finals I heard the same problems, yet they all generally do well in those scores. The only thing I can attribute to that is the music selections don't highlight those issues. IASCA added a positional track to their new CD, but sadly it is flawed :/
> 
> However, going from say a 7 to an 8, or a 7.5 to an 8.5 in each tonality section is not easy and that is usually where the biggest jumps in points can be had. Again, just from what I've seen from my own scores and comparing to others scoresheets over the last couple years.
> 
> I do agree about the "how does it make you feel" aspect. meca has a "realism" category, but that isn't quite the same. There are many vehicles that are technically well done but are not exactly fun to listen to. They don't 'move' you.


Chuck (cmusic) and Robert,

Great insights on competition (which I know absolutely nothing about) and how the different aspects of the music and test tracks are judged!

Even though I do not compete, I have for many years utilized a lot of the tracks on the various SQ organization's Competition CDs to help tune and setup my installs.

To Robert or anyone else "in the know"...

I just received the new IASCA Competition CD. For selfish reasons, but also for the benefit of everyone here, can you comment on how the "Positional" track on the new IASCA CD is flawed? And what Track are you using on your personal Demo CD for this?

Great discussion here, and I'm really amazed at how many great SQ cars there are!

And as a side note, I feel that it would be _really_ boring if everyone's system or vehicle sounded the same! Variety is the spice of life...and music!

Side Note #2: Regarding Judging Tonality. In some ways it seems that this is a strange category to judge as a tie breaker. Tonality is obviously a very subjective aspect, and can be widely different based on each individual's tastes and experience. Yes, I realize that you have a Consistent Reference by using the specific tracks on the Competition Disc, but do you know if that recording is true to the actual live source when it was recorded? For instance, one judge may have played or experienced a Baritone Saxophone in a live, intimate setting, or perhaps a Stradivarius Violin, or full Orchestra, etc. He or she may feel that a particular vehicle/system was way off, or spot on, depending on their personal experience. Just my .02


----------



## pocket5s

bbfoto said:


> To Robert or anyone else "in the know"...
> 
> I just received the new IASCA Competition CD. For selfish reasons, but also for the benefit of everyone here, can you comment on how the "Positional" track on the new IASCA CD is flawed? And what Track are you using on your personal Demo CD for this?


The center is just right of center and left center is skewed a bit to the right. The judges heard this on Saturday and a friend measurably verified it via a software tool.

I use two types of tracks. One set is off the EMMA (european comp org) cd and another set of custom tracks that is just a male vocal speaking. Unlike the iasca track which is a single track speaking in the 5 positions, the ones I have are individual which for me is more useful. Sometimes I'll just use the center or switch between left and right when checking amplitude balance or tonal balance.


----------



## BlackHHR

pocket5s said:


> The center is just right of center and left center is skewed a bit to the right. The judges heard this on Saturday and a friend measurably verified it via a software tool.
> 
> I use two types of tracks. One set is off the EMMA (european comp org) cd and another set of custom tracks that is just a male vocal speaking. Unlike the iasca track which is a single track speaking in the 5 positions, the ones I have are individual which for me is more useful. Sometimes I'll just use the center or switch between left and right when checking amplitude balance or tonal balance.


You are correct.


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## Babs

pocket5s said:


> The center is just right of center and left center is skewed a bit to the right. The judges heard this on Saturday and a friend measurably verified it via a software tool.
> 
> I use two types of tracks. One set is off the EMMA (european comp org) cd and another set of custom tracks that is just a male vocal speaking. Unlike the iasca track which is a single track speaking in the 5 positions, the ones I have are individual which for me is more useful. Sometimes I'll just use the center or switch between left and right when checking amplitude balance or tonal balance.





BlackHHR said:


> You are correct.


Yep after Greg your mentioning to me EMMA disks, I need to acquire some of these for reference material.. While Natalie Merchant and Crash Test Dummies are pretty dang nice, it's time for variety, including stage depth/width/height evaluation.


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## imjustjason

pocket5s said:


> The center is just right of center and left center is skewed a bit to the right. The judges heard this on Saturday and a friend measurably verified it via a software tool.


Oh yeah, we spent 30-45 mins Saturday FTFO about our center being off to the right. Luckily, I have some really old test cd's that have a true center image test. Though, I was still uncertain there for a little bit. :laugh:


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## audiophile25

That was one long weekend, but man I had a great time. I got to hear some incredible sounding cars, and see some amazing installs. Thank you to everyone that listened to my jalopy and gave me some feedback. I feel incredibly lucky to have placed as well as I did. Can't wait to see everyone again next season!


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## High Resolution Audio

pocket5s said:


> The center is just right of center and left center is skewed a bit to the right. The judges heard this on Saturday and a friend measurably verified it via a software tool.
> 
> I use two types of tracks. One set is off the EMMA (european comp org) cd and another set of custom tracks that is just a male vocal speaking. Unlike the iasca track which is a single track speaking in the 5 positions, the ones I have are individual which for me is more useful. Sometimes I'll just use the center or switch between left and right when checking amplitude balance or tonal balance.


I would like to comment on the new IASCA CD. My system is different than most because I have a CENTER LISTENING seat and my listening position is equidistant from all drivers. 

I listened to the entire CD except for linearity and noise floor tracks. 

Here are my observations:

1. The recordings are much bigger than the old CD ( meaning the sound stage is insanely wide and insanely deep compared to the old CD )

2. The imaging is 100% perfect on the positional track. Left is dead left, center is exact center, right is dead right......... but most importantly left of center is exactly 1/2 way between center and left and right of center is exactly 1/2 way between center and right. 

With the old CD, the positioning track was off as the left side was crowded and the right side was spread out. Very strange.


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## pocket5s

As mentioned in the other thread, it is not the vehicle. The track is flawed and was verified in software that it is flawed. 

Sorry, but you're wrong. 


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## JayinMI

audiophile25 said:


> That was one long weekend, but man I had a great time. I got to hear some incredible sounding cars, and see some amazing installs. Thank you to everyone that listened to my jalopy and gave me some feedback. I feel incredibly lucky to have placed as well as I did. Can't wait to see everyone again next season!


Which one was yours? Wonder if I listened to it.

Jay


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## lowcel

audiophile25 said:


> That was one long weekend, but man I had a great time. I got to hear some incredible sounding cars, and see some amazing installs. Thank you to everyone that listened to my jalopy and gave me some feedback. I feel incredibly lucky to have placed as well as I did. Can't wait to see everyone again next season!


It was a long weekend but I had a blast. I always enjoy listening to your jalopy. I can't wait to see what you bring next year.


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## audiophile25

JayinMI said:


> Which one was yours? Wonder if I listened to it.
> 
> Jay


My car was the White Mazda Protege 5 that had a ST6 and Audible Physics sticker on the back glass. It was parked in the corner directly beside Mike Maddy's truck and pretty close to Rob Bess Acura.


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## audiophile25

lowcel said:


> It was a long weekend but I had a blast. I always enjoy listening to your jalopy. I can't wait to see what you bring next year.


Thank you Bruce, you are far too kind. I have an entirely different vehicle to build for next season. Hopefully we have a mild winter!


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## JayinMI

audiophile25 said:


> My car was the White Mazda Protege 5 that had a ST6 and Audible Physics sticker on the back glass. It was parked in the corner directly beside Mike Maddy's truck and pretty close to Rob Bess Acura.


Ah, OK. I got to demo it. I really liked the tune you had on it. I could live with that on a daily basis. I always dug these cars. I asked you about the rattle in the passenger door because I wasn't sure if it was the car or the track I was listening to. 

Thanks for letting me get some seat time.

Jay


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## Babs

Makes me think it might be cool to have some sort of database of folks if they wanted to share. Username, face and actual name if they were ok with that, car, build log, etc etc. I've talked to the same persons here and Facebook and not realize they're one and the same, and undoubtedly walked right by them at Finals. 


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## JayinMI

Not a bad idea. I was on my way home when AccordUno hit me up on IG. I didn't realize it was him until a couple days later when I found a picture I took of his car.

Even having DIYMA T shirts would be a good option, because if you saw someone at a show, you'd probably ask them who they were. No personal info needs to be posted on the Interwebz. (Same could go for Car Audio Junkies...but I already have one of their shirts. lol)

Jay


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## SouthSyde

Name tags with Screen Names...


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## bigbubba

I remember several of us at Huntsville Finals wrote our DIYMA screen names on the entry sheets we left on the windshields. Name tags would be a good idea for the next show.


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## probillygun

claydo said:


> Damn Bill, that little snippet right there makes me wanna seek this thing out and hear it! Glad yall had fun, hate I couldn't make the trip........oh, and congrats to all the competitors for what looks like an excellent show!


Clay, It's definitely worth your time to seek out this blazer and get some demo time in it! I'll never forget it. Ever.


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## claydo

probillygun said:


> Clay, It's definitely worth your time to seek out this blazer and get some demo time in it! I'll never forget it. Ever.


Noice! Any info on his setup? From the rave reviews I'm assuming a full dash build maybe? Really wish I had more time, and desire to travel to get involved with the competition scene.....but I dont, lol. Closest shows are 3 and 7 hours away.......I'd love to see some pics of what he's got going on in this thing.......


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## pocket5s

Full dash build 


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## jtaudioacc

pocket5s said:


> Full dash build
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


looks like that car is happy to see you.


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## bbfoto

pocket5s said:


> Full dash build


Thanks for the pic of Steve's Blazer. He always does it right.  And thanks for answering my questions regarding the new IASCA CD. I'll check out those tracks on my studio monitors and headphones when I get a chance.


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## bigbubba

Are there any more pics of this blazer? I heard a lot about it but looking at all the pics already posted it's hard to tell what interior pics go with what cars.


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## pocket5s

There is a pic of the back of the blazer. It wasn't quite complete when that was taken. 









Another interior shot


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## bigbubba

Ah....Interesting. I heard it had some IDW 15's. Hope to see it finished next season. Thanks for the pics.


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## pocket5s

The unfinished bit was at the Aggieland show in College Station, tx. It was finished up by finals. Looks good, considering it's old school tweed interior 


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## captainobvious

Thanks for sharing the pics


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## PPI_GUY

Guys, I know this is a semi-older thread but, was clearing some stuff off an old phone and found the photos below. Forgot they were on there. Sorry for the poor quality.


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## captainobvious

Thanks for the pics. Was a fun time again at finals. Looking forward to the 2017 season.


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## cmusic

A friend of mine said unified finals might be back in Louisville again this year? Any truth to this rumor? 

The first finals I went to was the 1996 IASCA finals in Greenville, NC. It was at that time (and still may be) the biggest IASCA finals ever held. Over 200 SQ vehicles and about 17,000 spectators were there IIRC. It was such a success that the 1997 IASCA finals were held there for a second time.

When I was there in Louisville last October, MECA President Steve Stern was talking about the wonderful facilities at the Fairgrounds. I asked him if they were looking at coming back to Louisville for 2017. He said something like "Hopefully, but usually most places don't want us back." Steve used to run a USACi and (then) MECA show during the Carl Casper Auto Show in the same Louisville Fairgrounds hall for years. The first MECA show ever held was in the same hall that the SQ judging was done in last year. The show was shut down because of the noise and vehicle fumes from un-professional (new) competitors that had no respect for the competition and kept their vehicles booming and running while parked indoors. However last year I so no competitor being out of line. Maybe where this was finals the competitors had more respect for the show, the location, and their fellow competitors.


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## benny z

Yes, already announced it will be back again at the same location Oct 14-15


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## PPI_GUY

cmusic said:


> When I was there in Louisville last October, MECA President Steve Stern was talking about the wonderful facilities at the Fairgrounds. I asked him if they were looking at coming back to Louisville for 2017. He said something like "Hopefully, but usually most places don't want us back." Steve used to run a USACi and (then) MECA show during the Carl Casper Auto Show in the same Louisville Fairgrounds hall for years. The first MECA show ever held was in the same hall that the SQ judging was done in last year. The show was shut down because of the noise and vehicle fumes from un-professional (new) competitors that had no respect for the competition and kept their vehicles booming and running while parked indoors. However last year I so no competitor being out of line. Maybe where this was finals the competitors had more respect for the show, the location, and their fellow competitors.


Still enjoying your demo disc you gave out at the Finals. Thanks again for that. My friends and I used to attend the USACi events at Carl Casper and I remember that first show you are talking about. It was a mess and honestly spectators bailed because of the exact reasons you mentioned. 
However, I thought the 2016 event was very well run and what a super nice guy Steve is. Didn't really hear any complaints from anyone so, I would imagine the Fairgrounds would be happy to have the event back. Hopefully more spectators turn out this time around.


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## captainobvious

Steve (and Moe) also weren't taking any guff this year. They said repeatedly that violators will be KICKED OUT. I think for the most part it was good. There were times when people were bumping their bass systems in the back end of the hall and pissing people off, but overall it went pretty smoothly I think.


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