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Bluetooth Audio for Hot Rods

  • Story By
    Rob Fortier
bluetooth-audio-classic-car-wireless-audio-solution-09 “Hidden” audio is great, especially for those wanting to retain their car’s factory in-dash stereo equipment (ultimately, not having to cut up a pristine vintage dash). But one of the drawbacks of concealing audio equipment—namely the head unit/controller—is making user access difficult, as the most common place to “conceal” is the glove box. Traditionally, all relative car audio equipment is linked together with a network of wires—lots of wires. Unlike home audio-visual component technology, the wireless age has yet to filter into the world of hot rods…until now, that is. While iPod-integration has been around for quite some time, Bluetooth—more common to new-model vehicles—is not as familiar to the hot rod, custom, classic truck, and muscle car markets. Alan Hickmann, owner/proprietor of the Audio Shoppe in Riverside, CA, has discovered a solution for that missing “wireless” link: Earthquake’s EQ-4000BT four-band equalizer, a Bluetooth-enabled replacement for the “old-fashioned” DIN-style head unit or a more modern, but direct-wired, MP3 controller. Physically the same size as the smallest of iPod control units on the market (including their own EQ-4000 non-Bluetooth unit), little room is required for mounting. And because it’s wirelessly controlled, that mounting location can be anywhere, from the glove box to under the seat. (Since it does feature individual sound adjustment controls, having it fairly within user reach isn’t a bad idea if you're prone to constant “tuning”.) Along with the Bluetooth controller, Alan has the ability to outfit practically any vintage vehicle with a premium sound system—not only without affecting the factory equipment, but without having to majorly modify the vehicle, let alone have a ton of visible equipment. Check out the following install he and The Audio Shoppe crew did on a ’65 Malibu.
The Audio Shoppe
www.audioshoppe.com
bluetooth-audio-classic-car-wireless-audio-solution-01 1. Car audio in the palm of your hand—inside or out of the car. That’s Bluetooth-enabled car audio, the next phase of modern cruising tunes for vintage vehicles—without sacrificing the look/presence of factory stereo equipment—courtesy The Audio Shoppe in Riverside, CA. bluetooth-audio-classic-car-wireless-audio-solution-02 2. Shown here with what appears to be a “plugged-in” iPhone5 (it’s actually connected to the A/C charger, which you’ll see shortly), the Earthquake EQ-4000BT works in conjunction with a BT-compatible Apple device—wirelessly—giving you high-end hidden audio capability for any classic car. bluetooth-audio-classic-car-wireless-audio-solution-04 3. The EQ-4000BT not only operates as a four-channel amplifier, with plenty of fine-tuning options, it allows the user to retain the vehicle’s factory in-dash stereo intact for aesthetic’s sake with its ability to be mounted practically anywhere, like the upper glove box, as shown. bluetooth-audio-classic-car-wireless-audio-solution-03 4. With the OE stereo still residing, doesn’t make much sense to add exposed speakers in the kick panels, does it? The Audio Shoppe avoids that by discretely mounting their coaxial drivers “behind” the stock kick panel air ducts. bluetooth-audio-classic-car-wireless-audio-solution-07 5. As for the subwoofers (more necessary than simply just evil “boom” makers, which any audiophile will attest to), trunk space is barely compromised by using a vertical enclosure immediately behind the rear seat back, with another pair of coaxials mounted directly above in the package tray covered by factory grilles. bluetooth-audio-classic-car-wireless-audio-solution-06 6. Amplifiers are much easier to hide, as they require little user interaction post installation. For the front speakers, beneath the front seat is ideal; the rear units nicely tuck into the inner rear quarter panel wells, onto the back of the sub enclosure, or hanging from below the package tray (depending on size and space). With this being a higher-end system, individual amps were used; for a more basic setup, a single multi-channel power source should suffice. bluetooth-audio-classic-car-wireless-audio-solution-05 7. Connectivity is simply a matter of discovery and pairing of your Apple device with the Earthquake equalizer—then access and play your favorite music as you always have…now, however, through your car’s sound system. bluetooth-audio-classic-car-wireless-audio-solution-08 8. As shown/mentioned earlier, the cord attached to the iPhone is for the A/C charger—the Malibu’s stock, in-dash cigarette lighter. Utilizing this prevents having to install a separate charging port, but more importantly, keeps your device charged up during use.
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