Bring The Boom - RTOTD #826

Day 826

Do you know the one aspect of being in that 17-20 range that I miss? Having a stereo system that could rattle your teeth but not the trunk.

I had one in my Jeep that I spent a shitload of time and energy making sure didn't sound like 99% of the other "teenager with a loud ass car stereo" out there. I mounted the speakers right. I balanced them even better. The insall job was CLEAN, hidden and based on the type of box and speakers that I installed, and the way that Jeeps are built, I didn't get a single bit of that obnoxious license plate rattle that 99% of everyone else ended up with.

You know what I'm talking about. When you're sitting at a red light and some kid in a souped up Honda Civic pulls up next to you and has an exhaust that sounds like a back-firing lawnmower and then all of a sudden, his stereo starts playing and it's so loud that you can FEEL it. And while his choice of music is shit, because 95% of all music made after 2003 is complete garbage and he's 17 so that's all he knows, it wouldn't even be that bad if 1) you could hear the treble. At all. Hell, even if the mid-range gets lost in the shuffle, being able to hear the highs even a bit would be good. and 2) the entire back half of his car didn't sound like someone stuck a coffee can filled with pennies in a paint mixing machine and set it on high. Fuck, even wobble bass wouldn't be intolerable if you weren't concerned that his bumper might fall off and cause an accident if he somehow ends up in front of you. And he will, because even if it's bumper to bumper traffic, he's going to put his foot on the floor as soon as the light turns green so that he can show how fast his car is. And to justify that spoiler that's taller than the roof of his car on a front wheel drive car.

See, that's the downside of putting in a stereo system. Asshats like that that give car audio enthusiasts, or music enthusiasts that happen to spend a lot of time in their car, a bad name. They make people that put time and energy into putting together an exceptional sounding, rattle-free stereo system look like assholes too. Granted, most of us are. We're non-consensually shoving our music preferences on your ears at every red light, on every street, every highway, and every heavy stream of stop & go traffic. We're dicks like that. We make talking on your cellphone while driving difficult. But I prefer to look at it like we're doing a public service and a health service all at once. First, you shouldn't be talking on the phone will driving anyway. That radio car commercial lady that's always  talking to some guy named Larry, who'se stuck in a ditch is, constantly telling us that. And second, we're saving you from brain cancer. We're helpful like that.

Granted, the policeman sometimes doesn't see it that way, but fuck him. People with loud stereos are providing a vital community service.

I miss that. I mean, I don't mind the more "normal" stock stereos from cars today. The quality of the stock stuff is a million times better than it was in the late 90's, but it's still not the same. You get much above 50% volume and the stock stereos start to crackle and pop because they just can't handle the type of power that aftermarket equipment can. I had 2 high-end 10" subwoofers each getting 130 watts from an qaulity amp, a decent set of mid-range components, and some great mid-highs and highs in the front. I even still have the 3-way plate speakers that I had in my dashboard. It was balanced in a way that could make you feel like you were having a heart attack from the bass fucking with your heartrate, but you could still clearly hear the high-end and mid range in a way that most people never expected when they first sat down in the car. The distortion was virtually non-existent and it scared deer away from a mile in every direction. It was fucking awesome.

And as I said, I miss that. I think I need to do that again. I want that rolling disturbing the peace violation back. Because while "racecar" is certainly a worthwhile objective, so is being able to listen to some sick music while annoying the general public and being the envy of 17 year old kids with a 1996 Buick Skylark everywhere.

Or maybe I just want something that sounds better than stock. Mostly because I'm like half deaf at this point and want to get myself the rest of the way there. That way I have an excuse when I just entirely ignore 95% of the conversations that people try to have with me unless it involves a girl taking off her clothes.