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CSD News

Lessons Learned

Posted by csdadmin

I’ve had my A4 for a year now… Put 20k miles on it, spent over 630 hours behind the wheel, and spent darn near every minute of it listening to music. There aren’t many mods you can do to a car that make it more enjoyable to drive more of the time than a killer audio system.

500 Horsepower makes a car really fun to drive. But let’s face it, the speed limit is at max 65 mph around here. Big horsepower numbers aren’t very beneficial outside a racetrack. It’s fun to brag about, but unless you really enjoy getting pulled over a lot, you really can’t use it.

Big wheels; chrome, brushed aluminum or painted some crazy color, make your ride outstanding to look at. They make you look really cool when posting shots of your car on Facebook or your favorite forum. But you can’t see them when you drive.

Lowered suspension, air bags etc are cool until you try to leave a parking lot or go over a speed bump. They increase your cool factor but usually make the car worse to drive.

Great sound may not look cool in an instagram photo or may not turn heads as you drive by, but it absolutely makes your vehicle much more more enjoyable, more of the time for YOU.

CSD Audio featured on “Flip Men”

Posted by csdadmin

Spike TV’s new reality TV show, “Flip Men,” is filmed right here in Utah. On their season finale, Mike & Doug purchase a 14,000 sq ft mansion in Holladay. This house received a total makeover, including a CSD Home Theater & Sports Bar.

CSD Audio was chosen to get this beautiful home’s audio & video to match the quality of its new interior.

A theater on the main floor was the control center of the home. Audio from the Pioneer Elite receiver was fed throughout the home including in-ceiling speakers located in the great room, kitchen, dance studio, indoor basketball court & out by the newly restored pool. 7 channel surround sound with 4 12″ in wall subwoofers provides the sound track to the blu ray playing on the 120″ screen.

Downstairs, we designed this Sports Bar to be the party center of the home. 3 Panasonic Plasma HDTVs (a 60 inch and two 50’s) were mounted side by side on the wall to make sure the guests in the home never miss a second of their favorite teams’ game!

Watch the full episode here!

Custom dash bezel for 1996 – 2008 A4 & S4

Posted by csdadmin

There are many manufacturers that make ‘dash kits’ for B5, B6 & B7 Audi A4 & S4. These plastic kits do a good job of holding your aftermarket head unit, but don’t match the quality fit & finish of the rest of your Audi interior. CSD Audio can build you a 1 off custom dash piece that fits your radio opening perfectly, matches the factory texture & color and gives you a cleaner, more polished looking installation worthy of this fine German Automobile. For 02-08 A4/S4, we will even retain the chrome accent piece from the stock stereo to further enhance a custom OEM appearance.

CSD Audi v3 – Powered By Focal, Mosconi

Posted by csdadmin

If you love music, you need to hear this car. Even if you’re not in the market for new equipment, even if you like to shop somewhere else, the audio system in this car will open your eyes to what’s truly possible in bringing high fidelity audio to an automotive environment. Schedule a time to stop by and take a no obligation listen to this system… you’ll be glad you did! Call travis @ 801.960.2999 or contact me via email to set up a private listening session.

The system delivers stunningly realistic sound through Focal Utopia Be no. 7 component speakers in the front doors & a-pillars, a JL Audio 13″ Shallow subwoofer flush mounted in the rear quarter panel and is powered by three Italian built Mosconi amplifiers installed in the floor.

The goal of this system was to create a listening environment that would re-create the feeling of listening to a great 2-channel music system in your home. Along with great sound, I needed to retain this wagon’s ability to haul cargo to my home theater job sites or take my dog to the park. I also really like the cosmetics and feel of the factory Audi interior and wanted to make the new system blend in as much as possible. This system accomplished all of these goals and performs better than even I had hoped. But, you don’t have to take my word for it. Come take a listen today!

Rockin’ Rock Crawler

Posted by csdadmin

Misty loves her music. We loaded this Jeep up with all the latest and loudest components from Pioneer. The control center of this system is Pioneer’s AVH-P6300BT with built in DVD, iPod Video playback, Ap Mode and Bluetooth hands free phone, GEX-P920XM module, and ND-BC4 back-up camera. Under the rear seat, we stashed two Pioneer amplifiers, the GM-D7500M pushes two JL Audio 10″ W3v3 subs and GM-D9500F to power the D-Series 5-1/4″ components in the front and coaxials in the sound bar above. This jeep is the complete package and absolutely rocks!

CSD Audio – Back to its roots

Posted by csdadmin

A lot of people ask me… “What does CSD stand for?”
Originally I started out as Custom Speaker Designs. I designed and built tons of crazy loud subwoofer enclosures, and other custom speaker cabinets. I changed the name to CSD Audio when i started to offer a full line of home theater & car audio electronics and installation services.

This project I just completed took me back to the old days… when people really wanted it LOUD! Starting with loudspeaker performance modeling software, I get with the customer, discuss his or her musical tastes and goals, and begin to design a speaker system to match. Every custom design I create is one-off for that particular person and boy this thing got busy! If you’ve never heard Rick Astle’s “Never Gonna Give You Up’ at 145 decibels… you haven’t lived!

A Tale of two 3’s

Posted by csdadmin

I enjoy projects like this when they come along. Mike was looking to make a substantial improvement to the Bose system in his Speed3, but uses his car to haul things for his business, and couldn’t give up any trunk space. I built him a custom fiberglass woofer enclosure INSIDE his spare tire which housed one of Pioneer’s Shallow 12″ woofers. We also added a bass knob in the dash to allow him to fine-tune the music to his exact tastes on the go. Mike now has a car that sounds awesome, retains 100% of the cargo room and still has easy access to his spare tire.

***UPDATE***
This is the great part about designing a system from the ground up for each customer. Mike’s buddy loved this system so much, he wanted one of his own. The design goal was simple… “Make it louder than Mike’s!” Cool. Cargo space was just as important to Blaine so we stuck with Pioneer’s shallow 12″ subwoofer, only doubling the quantity and designing a custom vented enclosure to wring every ounce of performance out of this system. Even with 2 woofers and the custom box, we only lost 4″ of cargo room in the rear. The box also has a Speakon quick disconnect system so the box can be quickly and safely removed to free up the rest of the hatch for hauling stuff.

Focal Speakers, Mosconi Amplifiers – Now @ CSD

Posted by csdadmin

That’s right folks! Focal makes what is considered to be among the finest loudspeakers on the market today. Their Utopia line is the benchmark by what most other high-end speaker systems are judged. And they’re now available at CSD Audio along with the full line of speakers and amplifiers from this French manufacturer.

From MobileElectronics.com:
“I’ll begin by stating that the ‘Kit No.7 3-Way Active’ set with 3-inch midrange drivers was probably the best – as in most impressively natural, accurate and articulate – sounding speaker set I’ve come across”

You’ll be able to audition these very speakers soon in the CSD Audi – Stay tuned for details on that one.

Check out their full lineup here:
www.focal-america.com
More info coming soon on these beautiful Italian amplifiers…
mosconi-system.it

Travis Pendley Named as Top 100 Installer in USA

Posted by csdadmin

May 13, 2011 – Torrance, CA – Travis Pendley, a mobile electronics installation professional at CSD Audio in Sandy, UT, has been named to Mobile Electronics Magazine’s Top 100 Installers list for 2010 – 2011. The Top 100 list is compiled each year from nominations by factory and independent sales and customer service representatives from the mobile electronics industry.

“The magazine’s job is to highlight the best examples of businesspeople and installation professionals in our industry, in order to create the standard that thriving specialist retailers and installers should aspire to,” said Solomon Daniels, editor-in-chief of Mobile Electronics. “The Top 50 Retailers and Top 100 Installers lists reflect those who work hard to represent the best our industry can offer. They have been recognized by their peers with this award and we are proud of them”

View the full press release

More Press for CSD – 12voltnews.com

Posted by csdadmin

Posting over 50 quality installation images on Pioneer’s FitFoto Website, CSD Audio was chosen by 12voltnews.com as this week’s FitFoto Friday winner. The Article shows off work I’ve done for 3 good customers of mine; Alex, Scott & JR.

Pioneer has some of the best sounding and best performing gear at any price point, from Stage 1 to their top end Stage 4 which I hope to be offering through my shop very soon.

CSD Audio has been able to develop a solid partnership with Pioneer and is grateful for all the support they’ve given through the years including two Sound Build-Offs, The International Consumer Electronics Show, and the Outfit My Store contest.

Read the full FitFoto Friday article here!

CSD Audio – Among the best in the USA

Posted by csdadmin

CSD Audio has been nominated as one of the Top 50 Car Audio retailers in the USA! In addition, Travis Pendley, Owner of CSD Audio has made the list of the Top 100 Installers in the country. The nominations were made by Mobile Electronics professionals; distributors, manufacturer sales reps and industry insiders who understand the value of service & expertise.

At CSD Audio, I truly believe bigger isn’t always (or often) better. My customers have experienced the benefit of the personalized service received here and the Mobile Electronics industry across the country is taking notice. Call Travis @ 801.960.2999 to see what CSD Audio is all about!

Mobile E Top 50

Torrance, CA – April 28, 2011 – CSD Audio in Salt Lake City, UT has been selected as one of the nation’s top mobile electronics retailers by Mobile Electronics magazine, a prominent trade publication serving the mobile electronics industry. The list of the Top 50 is published in the magazine and announced previously on the magazine’s twice-weekly e-newsletter and on its website.

“Specialty retailers have to consistently overcome a variety of obstacles, from large chain stores and local competitors, to the internet and the ever-looming challenge of OEM integration,” says Solomon Daniels, editor of Mobile Electronics magazine. “Yet, the retailers of the Top 50 continue to innovate in their businesses and stay on top of the changes, while at the same time, putting the needs of their customers first.”

Once per year, Mobile Electronics polls the direct sales personnel of the vendors that service retailers – in addition to independent sales representatives that service vendors on behalf or retailers – on which retailers excel in their field. Retailers who make the list receive industry recognition through the magazine and a wall certificate to share with their customers.

“We ask sales reps because they are the people who know the retailers best in terms of how they manage sales, take are of customers and interact with their respective communities,” Daniels added. “The reps visit their stores and interact with the owners and staff one-on-one.”

In addition to the recognition, each retailer qualifies for the coveted Retailer of the Year award, Given out by the magazine.