Why Car Owners Should Put Their Original Fit Speakers In The Bin!
This striking image above was created by talented photographer, Michael Prior. It arose from a conversation I had one day with FOUR co-founder; Brian Parton on the state of standard fit speakers. Our discussion quickly developed into the area of so-called dealer upgrades. These often cost thousands and promise to deliver unrivalled audio quality. Many of them carry big brand names from the world of home audio. However, the speakers themselves are hardly ever the same as those used in the products that made these brands famous. In any case, such brands spend as much time and maybe more on the development of enclosures and crossover networks for their products and not just the drivers themselves.
We collected some of the speakers featured in our cover shot from the scrap bins of car audio specialists. We intended to use these to illustrate the absolute gulf between standard fit speakers and good aftermarket products. This we did to great effect over many shows. We often left proud car owners gobsmacked at the difference in construction between the upgrades they had spent big money on and speakers from Audison, Hertz etc. The effect was completed when we sat these same people in our demonstration vehicles and showed them what they could get for sometimes less than half the cost of their dealer upgrade.
Back to the image. During the preparation of issue IV of the magazine, Brian and I spoke about the impact of building a heap of OEM speakers and placing a pair of nice looking aftermarket speakers on top for contrast. Michael Prior did the rest! The resulting front cover and article were made to look very special by his gorgeous lighting and high-end approach.
I recently received a press release from an American automotive PR company. The release proudly announced that by 2022 the average pair of OEM automotive speakers would rise dramatically to $7 a pair! Well, no wonder they sound so bad. The sad fact is that many of the speakers you may be able to identify in our shit mountain are from upgrades in BMW’s, Range Rovers and Bentleys!
As a representative of an aftermarket industry that strives for good quality, we often find ourselves falsely accused of profiteering. The accusation cuts deep as the double whammy of poor quality product sold at over-blown prices by car manufacturers means that our potential customers think they already have the best they can have. Alternatively, they are so disillusioned at the performance of their very expensive car dealer upgrade, car owners choose not to upgrade but just write their cars off as not a good place to listen to music.
Fortunately, there are just enough music loving car owners who are determined that they can have better sound to keep the aftermarket interesting for the dedicated few who operate within it.
Specialist installers as well as vocal distributors such as FOUR UK bang the aftermarket drum very loud. In our case, we give voice to those brave souls who have taken the plunge by giving them a platform on which to share their experiences. Every single car owner we speak to about their aftermarket upgrade is delighted with the results and can’t believe what they have put up with over the years.
If you are an audio upgrade sceptic, we would urge you to visit your local FOUR Master for a demonstration of what you could have! https://www.fourmasterscaraudio.co.uk/four-masters
Content Provided By:
