I love this country. Our freedoms afforded to us by our forefathers have created a land where you are able to live your dreams. If you have an idea, and the talent to make it happen, most likely you will be successful. Such is the story of Carl Sprague and Custom Autosound. What started as an idea in the mid ’70’s Carl has turned to a passionate business today.
Carl started converting/customizing stereo systems in 1977 with the first modern radio fitted in his ’63 Corvette Split-window Coupe. Today they manufacture audio systems for your classic car, recently building their one millionth unit!
A Family Friendly Environment.
Ryan McDonald showed me around the shop and introduced me to several of the technicians who assemble units specific to year make and model of your vehicle. Custom Autosound is a small company. They are not in the business to get rich quick, but to share their passion and help their employee families prosper. With just over 30 dedicated employees – most having tenure well over 10 years, many with family members working by their side – the atmosphere was one of focus and camaraderie. I was greeted with smiling faces at every turn. For the past 30-odd years they have perfected the craft of bringing modern technology to vintage design.
An American Original.
Carl is the originator of “resto-modding” car stereos. Others have tried to shortcut the process with flawed adjustable shaft designs, which are engineered to wear out soon after the one-year warranty, and cheap ‘knock-off’ parts, to make a quick buck.
With very close attention to detail in design, the faceplate, knobs, and bezels match the look and quality of OE, but the components are all new technology. You can listen to top quality sound, even stereo, through the mono speaker grill in your dash. Their unique Dual Voice Coil Speaker is a single unit with two articulated tweeters to give you rich, deep stereo sound through one speaker. Add their “Back Seat Driver” speaker set-up for some bottom end to your sound with two 8” sub-woofers and a Boss 400 watt amplifier.
While walking through the shop there was a dark little corner where a couple of men in suits and dark glasses were standing around as other men in white jumpers went in and out with fingerprint and retinal identification. This must be where they assemble the Secret Audio systems. I tried to take a couple of photos, but the pics were all blurry.
Note, the above paragraph is pure editorial make-believe.
However, Secret Audio is Custom Autosounds’ proprietary “Stealth Sound Technology”. Secret Audio is a hidden system with a small remote control. The first generation included a flip-down under dash screen where you can view song tracks and controls. The latest version, released this year at SEMA, features an all-in-one hand-held wireless controller with a built in LCD display to replace the flip-down dash mount screen of the previous version. If you are looking into a
I asked Ryan about mixing and matching speakers, and equipment. He made the analogy with engine dynamics. You don’t add a 750cfm carb to a stock cam set-up or big cam with a small carb. To get the most out of your system, they offer advice on the correct unit/speaker/amp set-up for your needs. However, they do not sell to the public. Instead they share dealer information on their website so you can get the product you need at the most convenient location. Take a look at www.Custom-Autosound.com for more information on all their products.