Ferarri and Volkswagen Double Bubble

Behind the Gates

Ferrari and Volkswagen Double Bubble

Pulling up to a pair of electric gates protecting a fabulous property in a rural setting is always a thrill. However, this feeling was trumped once the gates opened to reveal a collection of impressive cars. We got to listen to two of them.

We had been invited to Laurie Mead's home to see two of his vehicles and listen to their Western Car Radio-installed audio upgrades. Laurie is a builder and, from the looks of things, a mighty successful one.

Even speaking with him briefly, you get the impression of a driven personality with boundless energy and a zest for life. Laurie has left the world of general builders to anyone who needs one to look after his portfolio of properties around the Bristol area. He lives in his beautiful house with his wife, two grown-up children, and dog, Charlie. He tells me that his dad played in local bands while he was growing up. He was a music enthusiast with a hi-fi system, so there was always music in the house, which informed much of Laurie’s musical taste. As a result, Laurie loves a classic rock song from the 80s or 90s, amongst other popular music.

We had been invited to look at a VW Caddy that sat resplendent close to a blinding Ferrari F8 with a dazzling custom paint job and sat on carbon fibre wheels. The cars look simply stunning. Laurie told me the story behind the Ferrari. He had gone out to look for a Porsche but happened to call into a Ferrari dealership across the road and was smitten at first sight with the F8, although not the one he finally bought.

Although this looks like an impulse purchase, Laurie does not operate in this way, and it took some weeks of research before he finally committed. Laurie has always liked nice cars. In his garage is a classic RS 2000, one of his first cars. Elsewhere on his driveway is a Mercedes he purchased as a treat once his business took off and began rewarding him. At that time, Laurie explained that Mercedes was a prestigious mark, and owning one sent a clear message of success. These days, according to Laurie, with the advent of PCP and Mercedes needing to appeal to a broader market, he feels the brand does not carry quite as much clout.

From an early age, Laurie has taken his cars to Western Car Radio, a local car audio specialist. Their wealth of experience and knowledge is exactly what you need to improve a car’s sound. They know what fits and how to achieve the sound their customers require.

These days, Laurie admits to simply delivering his new vehicles to them and trusting them to come up trumps. He does not stipulate a budget, and they already have intimate knowledge of the sound he is looking for.

I mentioned at the beginning that we were at Laurie’s to see two vehicles; as well as the F8, there is a shiny VW Caddy. Laurie describes this as his works van. I have seen many builder’s vans, and I have to say this is not at all typical. The front cabin is isolated from the rear load space. I didn’t get to look in the back, and it could be full of buckets, bags of sand and trowels etc., but somehow, I doubt it.

The point is all equipment is built into the front of the vehicle, so I did not need to do anything other than connect my phone and stream away. There is a Prima system in this vehicle. These are very familiar to me. A pair of Prima APK 165 component speakers up front and an APBX 10 DS subwoofer under the passenger seat run by an Audison SR 5.600 amplifier provide plenty of sound for this space. The system presented a wide sound stage and handled the dynamic drumming on Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” perfectly. Listen out for the low Tom; it contains some very low overtones, which add a lot of drama to the piece.

In contrast, I listened to Nine Inch Nails “Satellite”. This is a busy track; once again, the system delivered a very dynamic performance! I think I would be taking the long way to work in this car.

While finishing up my testing of the Caddy system, I suddenly noticed that the previously beautifully balanced sub-bass had gone missing. It took me a few seconds to realise this was because Laurie had fired up the Ferrari. Its low exhaust note cancelled the bass from the Caddy system. I had heard enough in the Caddy to conclude that this is a great-sounding system and well set up, and I was intrigued to listen to the Ferrari.

As you would expect, the Ferrari's system is of a higher specification. The speakers are Hertz Mille Legend ML 1650.3, 6.5” woofers and ML 280.3 tweeters. An 8” subwoofer-loaded Hertz Mille MPBX 250 is installed between the seats. The system is driven actively by an Audison Forza AF M 5.11 bit amplifier. The subwoofer is 2 ohms and provides loads of bass from the 600 watts available from the amplifier.

Laurie wanted me to listen to a Lenny Kravitz track, “Fly Away,” as he felt that this presented a slight weakness in the midrange. He thought that the woofers were on the edge of distortion. My impression of the system was different; I felt that the mid-bass was a little subdued and the tweeters a little high, although Laurie had told me he liked his tweeters set high, and these subjective characteristics are very much in the ear of the beholder. It sounded almost like the crossover point for the tweeters was not fully exploiting their incredible range to me. I do not know this for sure; it was just an impression and could have resulted from the source or version of the track I was listening to.

In any case, the Forza amplifier has endless adjustments available to an installer to make any tweaks and corrections. Overall, the sound was far more detailed and dynamic than the system in the Caddy. A DRC remote controller fitted to the bottom of the steering wheel cowl had been temporarily disconnected at the time of our meeting, and the sub was set a little high for my tastes. I know Laurie likes big bass, and given the Ferrari’s engine note I experienced while inside the Caddy, I am sure this would not be a problem when the car is in motion.

I also auditioned “Stop Crying Your Heart Out,” recorded by Anoushka Shankar and the BBC Concert Orchestra, featuring many guest stars sharing vocals, for Children in Need. This stirring rendition of the Oasis tune is designed to tug at the heartstrings, and it does this due in part to the fantastic production and, of course, the enormous collective talent of the BBC Concert Orchestra. Once again, I felt the high-end was a little harsh for my old ears, but everything else was perfectly balanced, and the overall emotion behind the song and performance was reproduced exquisitely.

I am very grateful to installers like Western Car Radio and customers like Laurie. The total sound transformation they manage from standard audio to sublime Hi-fi reflects the talents available to this industry.

More people should consider audio upgrades, as listening to Hi-fi in the car is the most fun you can have on your daily commute or when touring.

Contact Western Car Radio: 0117 926 4613