Sound Choices
G len English, the store manager of Joplin, Mo.-based 4 State Trucks, home of the Chrome Shop Mafia, says sound sys-tem upgrades rank about 5 or 6 on the `Top 10' most popular upgrades truck owners make these days. Even local car audio shops are finding upgrading sound systems for truckers a growing part of their market. Empress Car Audio & Marine in Gulfport, Miss., for example, is seeing more and more local owner-operators dropping by to have older head units replaced with more full-featured models that provide satellite radio and interface with iPods, USB and Bluetooth. It's not unusual for us to see a truck owner come in and drop $800 to $1,500 on a new system, says manager Michael Taylor. For trucking audiophiles who want to step to the next level with higher-end speakers, an amp and sub-woofers, the wal-let gets tapped a little deeper. Custom installers say mid-level systems begin in the $2,000-3,000 range. The performance of mid-priced audio systems rival the best factory systems found in today's upscale pickups and SUVs, where 400-500-watt out-puts are the norm. Such power and fidelity brings the driver to Sound Choices A good sound system can make time out on the road more pleasant. A good sound system instal-lation can be hidden in plain sight, as is the case with this one in Ron Kelsey's customized Pete. The audio components are stacked in the closet, which has an outside access door. Sam Holder / T m T buyer's guide: audio bruce smith A true audiophile who wants the very best entertainment money can buy should be prepared to drop at least $5,000 to get started in the right direction and upwards of $15,000 to have a system that vibrates cars in adjacent lanes and requires OSHA-approved ear protection when the volume is cranked up. max H eine may 2009 34 TrucKers News