house of boom

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Text by Dave Pankew // Photos by Fred
Lynch
HOUSE OF BOOM
4 ohms
configured front stage in stesreo
SE
00
42
dio
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c
Ar
an
is
p
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dge to
r
bri
ste
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and the rear output
ers
ak
spe
ent
tm
par
com
s
ver
dri
ge
sta
for the front
is single amplifier setup was
Th
.
nk
tru
the
in
ers
oof
bw
Su
c
Ar
2
the dual 8-inch 8D
plicity and ease of installation.
sim
its
for
n
tio
lica
app
s
thi
for
l
tica
cri
the
The headunit is a pure audiophile unit, as
t put forth by Karabinis amounted
effor
The
r
bette
capa
is
ing
MP3
no
noth
with
f you’re like me
McIntosh MX406 plays CDs
and an untold amount of funds.
years
two
to
no
mere
are
the
at
There
.
balk
than the real thing
bilities. Any true audiophile will
aThe creative installers at Car Audio Innov
has no
substitutes for authenticity, as copies
mention of compressed music. This deck
ville, CA were entrusted to build
Rose
in
tions
ation
n
innov
Deno
of
only
spirit
with
the
and knockoffs often wreck
equals and resides in a class
r audio install which was designed to
cleve
this
the
the
to
h
s
rneat
come
it
Unde
ty.
when
and compeition. However,
and Nakamichi for sound fideli
her the very best audio components
toget
bring
r
pexce
powe
an
tosh
make
McIn
to
legendary AC Cobra, I have
single DIN unit is the trademark
rials around. Since the factory Five
mate
and
s
ing
need
that
outgo
e
The
.
shap
ss
glow
tion, as it’s a classic, agele
meter with the familiar blue
o
Cobra did not have any provision for a stere
r
XEQ
to be prolonged. Demitrios Karabinis owne
signals are processed with an Arc Audio
of the vehicle, a compact center
part
be
to
add
to
some
ed
to
ed
want
CA
head
of Arc Audio in Modesto,
7-band EQ with line driver
and
console was custom fabricated from MDF
nd
essive
something with a classic feel to his impr
serious Arc Audio gear. The Arc Audio 7-ba
The highly functional U-shaped
filler.
body
to
n
Five
ry
catio
Facto
appli
at
this
rts
for
fleet and contacted the expe
parametric EQ was chosen
fits snugly between the bottom of
ole
cons
a
s
know
the
of
Five
ry
use
Facto
beca
a.
build him a custom Cobr
for multiple purposes. First,
the transmission
rming the dashboard and on top of
unit,
thing or two about making a dazzling perfo
low voltage output of the McIntosh head
lessly. Openings were cut for both
seam
el
tunn
with
iar
level
famil
l
t
signa
aren’
the
Cobra replica, but what they
the XEQ was used to boost
mbly
the head unit and the meter unit. The asse
so
al
is how to accommodate an audio system,
into the amplifier as well as offer a minim
wrapped in matching vinyl to blend
then
was
and
best
that
the
all
ct
give
to
corre
m
to
Karabinis did what it took
amount of tuning of the syste
y with the dash and the carpet.
lessl
seem
after.
ht
build the dream car he soug
I
118
PERFORMANCE AUTO & SOUND – WWW.PASMAG.COM
Cobra.
integration to the limited acoustics in the
r
enge
pass
the
to
ted
moun
The equalizer was
out
and
up
y
neatl
d
tucke
underside dash area
but does
of sight, which still allows ease-of-use
g.’
drivin
ted
‘spiri
g
durin
not get in the way
way,
the
of
out
ssing
proce
With the signal
ion
ificat
ampl
the
to
head
the tuned signals
stage, an area where Arc excels. The masd
ter amp is an Arc Audio 4200SE configure
rs
drive
stage
front
the
for
in stereo 4 ohms
ts
compartment speakers and the rear outpu
the
in
s
oofer
Subw
Arc
h
8-inc
bridge to the dual
al
critic
was
setup
ifier
ampl
trunk. This single
ease
for this application for its simplicity and
amp
e
singl
this
ing
runn
by
of installation. Also
g,
wirin
of
nt
amou
the
ces
configuration, it redu
systhe
ll
insta
to
es
ssori
acce
labor and overall
ht. The
tem into the vehicle, not to mention weig
the
of
Arc 4200SE was installed in the trunk
off
built
m
vehicle using an offset support syste
s
ation
the side sub enclosure. Car Audio Innov
side
l
made the custom rack from twin meta
sure
bridges attached to the sides of the enclo
The
.
ware
and bolted up with all stainless hard
ved
remo
application allowed the amplifier to be
Halon
easily and open access to the Cobra’s
trunk
bottle located in the forward area of the
itself
sure
cavity above the rear axle. The enclo
Audio
is a true work of art. Housing twin Arc
of
8D2 8-inch subs the physical limitations
bass
ed
space left few options to get the desir
without sacrificing the entire trunk.
“Considering that the trunk had such
rials
detailed assembly and overall use of mate
, it
such as stainless and polished aluminum
feel
and
look
this
that
rtant
was extremely impo
macco
“To
binis
Kara
its
was left intact.” Adm
ted
plish this, the subwoofers were incorpora
by
area
trunk
the
of
ies
into the rear side cavit
a
make
to
glass
fiber
of
s
using multiple layer
then
and
le
vehic
the
of
mold of the outer shell
he
wood rings were cut and set in place,”
Polywith
d
coate
then
added. The fabric was
side
back
the
on
ed
layer
ester resin and then
ing.
matt
glass
fiber
2oz
of
s
with additional layer
enclo
both
d
seale
s
ation
Then Car Audio Innov
ed,
sand
sub),
per
feet
cubic
sures (totaling .40
hing
primed and then covered them with matc
e
them
ior
inter
the
nied
vinyl that accompa
ts,
of the rest of the vehicle.For componen
ker
spea
ian
dinav
Scan
Karabinis turned to
WWW.PASMAG.COM – PERFORMANCE AUTO & SOUND
119
mad cobra
0L V8
Ford’s legendary 5.ie
d
fin
ll
u’
yo
,
od
ho
e
th
r
Unde
Racing good s all
rd
Fo
e
m
so
ith
w
g
on
al
t
is
powerplan
g in at just 1,975 lbs.g th
in
gh
ei
W
n.
tio
ac
r
fo
y
ot
ad
re
lls away, leavin hers
pu
ly
ss
le
rt
fo
ef
er
st
ad
ro
quick
in its dust.
d to the door. The net result
vinyl, installed and secure
io
Aud
Dyn
erb
The sup
y better than anything Fac
manufacturers Dyn Audio.
Karabinis boasts is not onl
ng
alo
and
ge
s
ran
eed
the mid
ted, but easily exc
MW170s were selected for
tory Five could have attemp
Audio MW130
Dyn
the
g
win
allo
offer as well.
ver
ld
sso
cou
with a cro
quality any OEMs
r highs. Again this the
clea
l
sta
cry
the
e
was lit up with a pair of
duc
tem
pro
sys
to
tweeters
The high end sound
damo
om
acc
no
de
ra ma
in the trunk to compliment
performance based kit Cob
twin Bat Cap 400s mounted
s
itie
cav
row
nar
h
suc
. With
er the hood. The importance
tions for any audio system
the main Bat Cap 2000 und
ld
bui
to
m
roo
no
s
there wa
ted to Dynamat’s finest
in the floor foot well area
of sound deadening was trus
s
wa
tion
loca
t
bes
t
The nex
zes trusted Stinger products
in kick panel enclosures.
products and the install utili
des
insi
the
on
losures
ribution needs. Power is
to do modular housing enc
for all of the wiring and dist
on
rs
doo
t
igh
twe
ligh
r 1600 alternator.
of the door panels. Since the
provided with a Powermaste
rglass with some basic
fibe
%
100
tem now in place, this
are
sys
kit
ng
ndi
Five
Factory
With a ground pou
e.
ativ
cre
get
to
e
hav
would
performer is guaranteed
metal reinforcement they
already solid 5.0L powered
to
ch
atta
to
ce
pla
a
pods
at just 1,975 lbs. this
The first step in giving the
to turn heads. Weighing in
the
of
t
oun
am
ant
signific
pulls away, leaving others
the door was to remove a
quick roadster effortlessly
y
onl
ving
lea
el
pan
r
doo
ra is certainly ready to
paint from the inside of the
in its dust. This classic Cob
a
are
ired
des
the
of
side
see Karabinis cranking
a 3-inch ring around the out
rumble, as we can’t wait to
F
MD
of
ps
stri
d
expose
n the streets in sunny
intact. With raw fiberglass
up the tunes and tearing dow
y
bod
e
som
h
wit
n
r. The
were fiberglassed to the doo
California!
s covered in matching
wa
pod
the
g
din
san
filler and
AUDIO ASSAULT
d parametric
The Arc Audio 7-ban
s application
thi
for
EQ was chosen
es. First,
for multiple purposvo
ge output
because of the lowad lta
it the XEQ
un
he
h
of the McIntos
signal level
was used to boost thewe
as offer
as
into the amplifier tunlling of the
of
nt
ou
am
a minimal
st integration
system to give the becs
in the Cobra.
sti
ou
to the limited ac
120
PERFORMANCE AUTO & SOUND – WWW.PASMAG.COM
THE ESSENTIALS
WESTSIDE CONNECT
Owner:
Dimitrios Karabinis
Location:
Modest, CA
Vehicle:
ra
2006 Factory Five Cob
E
NC
ENGINE & PERFORMA
s
Ford Racing 190/160 cam
K&N Typhoon intake
MSD Billet distributor
MSD coil pack
MSD wires
EXTERIOR
e body kit
Ait Racing k1 10 piece wid been
**front and rear bumper has
customized**
APR Front splitter
APR Rear spliter
Ait Racing CF Vented hood cated to
Custom Sparco gas cap relo
finish off flare
dows
Molded One piece rear win
Rotora dry CF wing
ES
WHEELS, TIRES, BRAK
with
Team Three alloy wheels s
BFGoodrich CompT/A tire
(f) 17x9-inch with 245/40R17
R17
(r) 17x10-inch with 275/35
AUDIO / MULTIMEDIA
ovations
Install by Car Audio Inncd
player
McIntosh MX406 am/fm/ meter
McIntosh MPM4000 power
Arc Audio XEQ 7-band EQ amp
Arc Audio 4200SE 4-channelx2
Arc Audio 8D2 8-inch subsents
Dynaudio MW170 compons
Dynaudio MW130 tweeter
BatCap 400 battery x2
Stinger wiring and fusing
Power Master 160 amp
Dynamat
000
PERFORMANCE AUTO & SOUND – WWW.PASMAG.COM
WWW.PASMAG.COM – PERFORMANCE AUTO & SOUND
000