The 11 new speakers in the Axxera AXiS Series feature True In-Phase technology to provide the most realis- tic reproduction of music in a car, according to the company. A unique acous- tical design positions the tweeter directly behind the woofer. The tweeter is horn-loaded through the woofer voice coil so the two can work perfectly in phase at all angles. This alignment allows the speakers to produce the most natural, studio-like sound reproduction, regardless of where anyone sits in a vehicle. The tweeters, crossover, and midrange drivers have been developed for the custom specialist market and focus on cap- italizing on the high SPL market trend. Axxera’s 1-inch phenolic
bullet tweeter has a high 106dB efficiency that they claim provides “one of the
cleanest and most efficient models on the market.” Its midrange drivers come in 4-ohm models, as well as dual 4-ohm DVCs (patent pending), for “unlimited” installation options. To complete the line, a 4th-order tweeter crossover features a
24dB/octave roll-off at 4 kHz and built-in tweeter protection. The Axxera-brand Digital Ultra Slim Series amps are only slightly larger than an iPhone, but “they pack a lot of power thanks to their super-efficient design,” according to the com- pany. The amps are Class D Digital and feature an Advanced Surface Mount Device (SMD) circuitry for better current flow and reduced RF and EMF interference. Each amp also has high- level inputs with auto turn-on, low-level inputs (RCA). The company is currently working on products for 2015 under the Axxera Dual brand that will differ in providing a “typically longer—two-year—warranty and higher level of components and material,” Vinson noted. Look for these to show up as the BAK1500 under the Dual brand.
A Direct Fit At Rockford Fosgate in Tempe, Arizona, the news is in
“direct-fit speakers that drop in with minimal difficulty,” said Dan Hunter, product planning manager with the New Product
Development Team. The company’s main focus is products for the BMW line, but recent years have also seen products for Har- ley-Davidson motorcycles. “Over the years, it has often been difficult to put speakers into
BMWs due in part to these being very expensive cars. Consumers don’t always want to fiddle with a pricey vehicle,” said Hunter. “We decided to attack the market with the most chance of suc- cess—that is, the most vehicles. The way BMW does design means you can continue to use the basket size for several years. We could develop three skews, all identical except for how they mount, so it becomes a very simple exercise to fit them to the car.” The newest product is the T3 Direct Fitment speakers. The
Prime R1-2x12 is a dual 12-inch, 400 Watt sealed enclosure that the company says “provides great low-bass response” at an ideal value point. The enclosure is made of durable Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) and covered in resilient high-density carpet. The subwoofer has the company’s anodized aluminum voice coil former for greater power. In the current line, “all plugs and harnesses are identical
to what BMW provides originally, so they literally fit right in,” Hunter said. “The result is high-fidelity sound that lets the con- sumer upgrade the car without compromising the structure of the vehicle—no cutting, splicing, or modifications. This merges the ease of a factory-installed speaker with the performance of an after-market product.” Having added speakers and amplifiers for Harley-Davidson models from 1998–2013 (both two-channel and four-channel versions), the company also has a kit with a harness to offer for owners who “like to do thing themselves, but may not have the audio knowledge.” The PBR is a very small amplifier for motor- cycles that launched in 2011. Hunter noted with pride that “our engineering staff tirelessly works on new technology for speakers,” and added that his compa- ny’s products are designed in the USA and built in Germany, which offers the bonus of reducing costs, since “we’re dealing with the same suppliers that BMW uses, so there’s no learning curve.” New items from Memphis Car Audio in Memphis, Tennes- see, include a 12-volt Bass Reference Woofer that emphasizes efficiency and high bass output, according to Andy Allen, direc- tor of Product and Marketing. “It’s not necessarily designed for sound quality,” Allen said. “It’s designed for those who put a lot of emphasis on extreme high-bass sound at an affordable price.”
Special Applications Another new product from Memphis Car Audio has been
developed in response to interest in special applications. “We have a 6x9 component set coming out, the Power Reference, this summer,” said Allen. “It’s been made for specific Toyota and Dodge pickups, in particular those with oval speakers.” At Alpine Electronics of America, new products are all about
matching customer lifestyles. “The reason my title says what it does is because that is our current direction,” said Restyle Devel- opment Manager Steve Brown. “The reason people buy trucks
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