(Lincoln, NE) 11/23/21 – Emotions are running high as Robidoux Distributing’s 12volt Division celebrates their 1-Year Anniversary. The fast-growing distributor, out of Lincoln NE, has been turning heads with 12volt dealers in the MINK States offering their incredible sales and service.
ROBIDOUX Distributing 12volt Division opened its doors in November of 2021 located in the company’s brand new 37,000 Square Ft facility in Lincoln, NE. With a focus on local dealers, ROBIDOUX’s business plan is to be loyal to selective 12volt brands while over servicing its dealers and building personal relationships.
This screenshot greets dealers logging onto the Robidoux website.
Dealers such as Sound Works in Norfolk, NE have been taking notice. “The guys over at Robidoux do a great job,” tells shop owner Jonathon Schahrer. “ I was originally a little leery about starting an account with a new distributor but over the past year these guys have been super helpful and ship out products quickly.”
“We are no stranger to the distribution business” explains ROBIDOUX owner Jamie Robidoux.“ My family has been in business for over 40 years and customer service has always been our#1 priority. Our goal here is to become a welcoming local 12volt distributor that our retailers in the Midwest can count on. We are now extremely excited to offer our brand-new DEALER ORDER ENTRY PORTAL! Our marketing staff had been painstakingly working on this for nearly a year now and I think our dealers will be BLOWN AWAY with the results. Dealers can contact us here in the office to get an invite to the site which is password protected.” https://robidouxincdistributing.com/
The Robidoux warehouse in Lincoln NE is well stocked. Rock-N-Rev’s Jeff Budin (L) and owner Jamie Robidoux flank Max Mayer who is working to drive 12volt sales for the company.
Robidoux has also been aggressively adding new vendors to their already solid 12volt line up. With OEM integration on the up-rise, Robidoux is excited to announce the addition of WAVTECH processors and accessories. WAVTECH National Sales Manager Gus Olmos had this to say. “Whenever you add new distribution, it can be a challenge finding a partner that shares your values, especially when you are an independent specialty brand. We feel very fortunate that Robidoux has the same customer first philosophy that has made Wāvtech a success. We are excited to build this partnership and expand our business in the MINK States.”
Robidoux recently added the Wavtech brand and Jeff Budin is shown conducting a training session with Jamie Robidoux (R) and Max Mayer.
Robidoux’s territory covers the states of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Southern Illinois.
Jeff Budin, Rock-N-Rev Sales, supplied this article.
For more on how to become a dealer and get information on all the product lines Robidoux offers contact customerservice@robidouxinc.com.
PHOENIX AZ (11.23.21) Across the marketplace supply issues seem to be everywhere.
There is good news at Cicada Audio in Phoenix AZ. “It’s been a crazy month with containers coming into the warehouse. We definitely have a lot going on over here at Cicada Audio” company Founder Larry Frederick stated.
Frederick with a new shipment that shows less than 1/3 of the inventory in the warehouse. He is dressed in the official Cicada Audio uniform…..Tommy Bahama shirt, shorts and sandals.
Continuing Frederick offered “Working on growing my dealer base, training everyone I talk to (chatty Cathy I am!!) and getting my product out to the bike audio guys who REALLY get what is going on out there. I started Cicada Audio to build REAL “Rider Systems” …not super crazy 4 -10 inch woofers in the bags and 8 more drivers for mid and highs with 6,000 watts on the bike. BUT…REAL rider systems that sound great and easy to install….But these guys want MORE!!!”.
Frederick holds a new CM Series NEO mid-bass driver with 2” voice coil to handle power.
To that end Frederick concluded “So I am working as hard as I can to get the kind of product THEY want, but…. my way. Super reliable, easy install (as easy as 10 inch woofers can be on a bike!!) and repeatable. Bigger, meaner amplifiers and more. If anyone looks at what Cicada Audio has done so far, this has all been done in less than a year!!! Over 40 products are already in production and another 8 to10 are in design or tooling. Lots going on for sure!!! More surprises are coming.”
Steady shipments of pallets arrive at the Cicada Audio warehouse in Phoenix.
OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 23, 2021 – Pandora is celebrating the season with more holiday stations than ever before! Pandora’s dozens of festive stations — more than 60 this year — span genres, decades and moods, ensuring all listeners will find something to soundtrack all of their holiday happenings — from Thanksgiving to Hanukkah to Christmas to Kwanzaa.
Pandora has invited Kelly Clarkson, Rob Thomas, Pentatonix and more to share their favorite holiday songs and traditions in exclusive Artist Takeover Modes on Today’s Christmas, Hipster Holidays, Holiday Hits, and Today’s Gospel Hits. Pandora’s Country Christmas station has gathered holiday stories and songs from Tim McGraw, Brett Eldridge, Darius Rucker, Lady A, Mickey Guyton, Josh Turner, and others for a very special Mode called The Pop Up: A Country Holiday. These guest DJ-style Modes will appear throughout November and December and offer a glimpse into how these artists are celebrating this year.
Pandora’s new holiday stations include three that have been curated by its listeners. Holiday Thumb 100 (made up of songs from all eras), Holiday Thumb 100: Traditional (featuring pre-1980 tracks), and Holiday Thumb 100: Modern (comprised of songs 1980-present) are programmed with the 100 songs that have earned the most thumbs ups from Pandora listeners. Pandora curators also pick their ultimate holiday tunes on the brand new Handpicked 100: Merry Shuffle station.
Heavy metal fans have a brand new station to rock out to this holiday season. Yuletide Slay Ride features the best festive metal and hard rock. With tracks from Alice Cooper, AC/DC, Lemmy, Twisted Sister, Skid Row, Girlschool, GWAR and dozens of others, this station rocks the holidays hard.Kwanzaa Celebration also makes its official debut as a station this year. And, Pandora listeners can travel back in time with 2000s Christmas, 90s Christmas (new this year), 80s Christmas, and 70s Christmas (new this year) stations.
Pandora’s flagship Christmas station has added more Modes this year, allowing listeners to fine-tune the station to hear even more of what they want at the moment. These Modes can be selected while listening to Christmas Radio on the Pandora app: Holiday Top Thumb 100 (also its own station), Acoustic Holiday, Christmas Present, Christmas Past, Grandma’s Favorites, Peaceful Instrumentals, Mistletoe Duets, and Christmas Ensemble.
CONWAY AR (11.22.21) Audio Innovations is a staple on the 12volt scene in Conway AR which is about 30 miles northwest of Little Rock. Owner Jim Rogers recently made the decision to do a major upgrade of the company’s showroom.
Sony Car Audio’s Richard Wong (L) and Jim Rogers behind the new sales counter.
“My thought was to get everything done before the 2021 Holiday Season. We noticed work by 5 Axis Innovations and put a plan in place with Jody Culbertson. When completed that led to our Grand Reopening, November 19th and 20th, the weekend before Thanksgiving and Black Friday. To add to the event the Sony Demo Toyota Tundra had an opening that weekend and Richard Wong traveled from Dallas to have the amazing Tundra out front of our store for the 2 days” Rogers related.
Early Friday morning the Richard Wong had the Sony demo Tundra was in place.
The Audio Innovations showroom includes a new sales counter, display board plus product category displays mounted on the walls. LED lighting and backlighted signage adds to the overall look in the showroom with new flooring.
“The Audio Innovations showroom is amazing. One of the very best I have seen traveling the territory and US” Richard Wong, Sony Car Audio Field Support Manager, related. As soon as I arrived at the store in Conway, and walked into the store, my eyes opened wide and I thought WOW!”
Customers lined up for chance to check out the system in the Sony demo Tundra.
During the 2-Day event the Sony Toyota Tundra was parked outside drawing attention to the event. In addition, many consumers in Conway had the opportunity to experience the very best with Sony ES Mobile installed in the Tundra. The Sony XAV-9500ES, in the Tundra dash, was awarded the Best New Mobile Electronics product at the recent SEMA Show.
Jim Rogers with a customer checking out the Sony ES products.
“During the event at least 3 dozen people sat in the Tundra and all said it was the most amazing system they had ever experienced in a vehicle. The feature set on the Sony XAV-9500ES left them shaking their heads as most had no idea of all the in-vehicle options other that music” Wong added.
The Remote Start, Security & Smartphone Control products are spotlight in this custom 5 Axis wall display.
“The remodel of the Audio Innovations showroom will certainly create WOW factor when Jim’s customers enter the store. They will immediately recognize his commitment to delivering the best in in-vehicle entertainment” Culbertson stated to the 12volt News.
Freestanding displays highlight products and accessories.
Rogers concluded “Our Grand Reopening turned out very well. We had old and new customers in the store. They all commented about the great sound in the Sony demo. Old customers had great things to say about the showroom remodel. Our Audio Innovations 2-Day Grand Remodeling event definitely created a buzz in and around Conway.”
For more see audioinnovations-ark.com or visit audio_innovations_conway on Instagram
YORKVILLE IL (11.22.21) The remote starter season 2021 is definitely here as temperatures have dropped and snow flurries are in the air. With that backdrop Midwest Sales Groups has been named the Magnadyne rep firm for the states of Illinois and Wisconsin.
“The Magnadyne Team is proud to announce the appointment of Midwest Sales Group in the Illinois and Wisconsin Territories. I am honored to be able to partner with Max Fahlmark and Mara Bommelman in bringing our New Carbine and Silencer Plus remote starts and security solutions to our established retailers and distribution partners” Armando Parra, National Sales Manager, stated.
“The Carbine 76CSR and 66CSR models are grabbing attention when we make dealer sales calls” Max Fahlmark
“We are excited to have the Magnadyne brand on our rep firm’s line card. As all of this was coming together we did some homework and laid the groundwork with a number of dealers in our 2 states. Now that all is official we have hit the road and finalized all with several dealer” Max Fahlmark related.
Supply chain shortfalls have affected virtually every category of the 12volt industry. Continuing Fahlmark offered “We are seeing no shortages of product with the Carbine orders we have submitted and thus are expecting a strong remote starter season with Magnadyne.”
For more see magnadyneus.com Email max@midwestsalesgrp.com or contact 630 553 7895
11-22-2021 – Retro Manufacturing is proud to announce its Redondo Radio has won Best New Accessory Item at the ARMO Hot Product Showcase this past April. The RetroSound® Redondo was modeled after classic vehicles that had separate display and push-button assemblies in the dash. The Redondo is available in two configurations: The classic two-shaft design with period-correct knobs and bezels for vintage Ford, Mopar, and Volkswagen vehicles, or with Mopar style thumb rollers in place of control shafts for classic Mopar restorations. The RetroSound® InfiniMount™ Brackets allow for the display, push-buttons, controls, and Radio Motor to be adjusted during installation to recreate a factory look.
The Redondo is compatible with all RetroSound® Radio Motors giving classic car fans all the features of a modern car stereo. Available features include built-in Bluetooth® for hands-free calls and audio streaming, Made for iPod®/iPhone® compatibility, USB inputs for flash drives and media devices, and non-volatile memory. A 32,000 color digital display gives users the option to customize the display color to match their gauges and browse through media by artist, song title, or album. The Redondo has a selectable AM/FM Tuner allowing the user to select between USA, EUR, AUS, JAP, and RUS turner frequencies with 30 pre-sets to store favorite stations. A powerful 300-watt built-in amplifier provides plenty of power over 4 channels along with RCA pre-outs and a subwoofer output for customers looking to expand their audio system further. The Redondo is available with SiriusXM®, connecting directly to an SXV300V1 Connect Vehicle Tuner (sold separately) without the need for special adapters or cables. The SXV300V1 tuner adds SiriusXM® broadcasts to your RetroSound radio with artist, channel, and song information shown directly on the radios display. The Redondo is also available with HD Radio technology and DAB+ for superior radio reception.
SHREVEPORT LA (11.20.21) WTF…Win This Friday. VapeNAudio won the DS18 prize on the 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel on Friday morning, November 19th.
The 12volt Spin-to-Win Wheel was created to bring an element of fun to the 12volt industry. Ten months ago we celebrated the 2nd Anniversary of the weekly 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel.
The 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel rolled for 154th time on Friday morning November 19th. The Wheel landed on the DS18 space. The VapeNAudio slip was drawn from the jar and an Instagram post of the winning slip was posted.
We reached out and heard back from Jason Brown at VapeNAudio in Clovis CA. He was happy to hear the news and looks forward to receiving the DS18 prize.
Spinning out a winner each Friday, a lucky 12volt retailer can win a cool prize and top brands receive visibility across the marketplace.
12volt brands with a space on the 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel include Kicker, NavAtlas, SiriusXM, Silencer, PowerBass, CRUX, DS18, SoundStream, JBL, Kenwood, Power Acoustik, JVC and Magnadyne. 12volt News $100. cash awards have spaces on the 12volt Spin-To-Wheel for a winning 12volt retailer.
Past winners of the 12volt Spin-To-Win include…Stereo & Video Center-Tyler TX, The Outlaw Garage-Franklin TN, Exotic Sounds-West Palm Beach FL, Endless Possibilities-Aurora IL., Go Auto Sound in Union City NJ, Al&Ed’s South Bay CA, No Limitz Car Audio in Upland CA, Neil’s Specialty-Eureka CA, Sturgess Customs-Lexington SC, Audio By Art-San Antonio TX, SMS Car Audio in Marreo LA and Sweet Wheelz in Mississauga Ontario Canada, Cartronics in Biscayne FL, The CarAudio Shop in St Louis MO, Exotic Sounds in West Palm Beach FL, High North Customs in Grand Prairie Alberta Canada and AMS Audio in Bakersfield CA, Team QRT in Abbeyville LA and California Sound in Fontana CA and Jackie Cooper Electronics, Oklahoma City OK, MARS Audio-Orlando FL, All American Audio in Nutley NJ, Proline Car Stereo in Brooklyn NY, Custom Shop Miami, Tunes and Tint in Lakeland FL, Mobile Concepts Inc in Mokena IL, Seismic Auto Sound in Concord CA, Brooklyn Car Audio in Brooklyn NY, Audio Solutions in Florence MS, Enhanced Customs in Largo FL, Rayco Auto Clinic, Audio Design in San Jose CA, Go Bass Mode in Florida, Avenue Sound in Freeport NY, Audio Plus in Riverview FL, Stereo Zone in Whittier CA, In-Phase Car Audio in Omaha NE, AutoLife Group, N&H Electronics, SK Customs, Land & Sea, The Audio One, NC Custom Shop,Tint World Orlando, Ricky Smith’s Audio, VIP Custom Woks, Mobile Audio Concepts, Audio Lad, Sound Sensations, Dave’s Stereo, Stereo Design, Badlands Customs, Custom Audio-Erie PA, Voltz Autosports-Bridgeport CT, Infinity Sound and Security-Kissimmee, Autosport Plus-Canton OH, Stereo City Pros in Carmichael CA, Devine Concepts in Naples FL, The Sound Shop in Indian Trail NC, Extreme Performance Audio in Fresno CA, Audio Depot in Arlington TX, Audio Security in Houston TX, Earmark Car Audio and Marine in Lewisville TX, Audio Jam in Bear DE, Stereo City Ontario, Ontario CA, Audio By Art, San Antonio TX, Code Zero Customs in Tulsa OK, Ken’s Car Tunes in Mobile AL, Soundz Plus in Naperville IL, Markland Designs in Lithonia GA, Electronics Plus in Salinas CA, Xtreme Autosports in Santa Clarita CA, Superior Audio Sounds in San Angelo TX and Model Electronics in Ramsey NJ, Texas Dreamz Customs in Spring TX, Wired Electronics in Linden NJ and Intense Car Audio in OKC, OK, Underground Auto in Sarasota FL, Car Toys Tulsa in Tulsa OK, Real Audio in Erie PA, Go Autosound in Union NJ, DFM Stereo in Ukiah CA, Impact Tint and Audio in Tyler TX, Mobile Sound Systems in Arlington TX, Redline Audio and Performance In Spindale NC, Car Audio Land in San Diego CA, Audio X Custom Car Audio in Florence AL, River Oaks Car Stereo in Houston TX, American Radio Orlando in Sanford FL, Illustrious Customs in Woodbridge VA, Remote Start Pros in Lawrence MA, HiPro Audio in Victoria TX, AudioPlanetNY in Huntington Station NY, Endless Possibilities in Aurora IL, Audio Finesse in Santa Monica, Drive Customs in San Luis Obispo CA, Custom Works, Noblesville IN, AtoZ Detail in West Haven CT, Cars 843 in Charleston SC, CarTunes Atlanta in Atlanta GA, Mobile Concepts in Garwood NJ, Duke’s Car Stereo in Flint MI, Infinity Auto Sound, King Car Audio in Norwalk CT, PopTronics in Baltimore MD, Sanford Sound in Sanford ME, Angelvip2474 in Draper UT, Dynamic Car Audio in Baltimore MD, Hi-Pro Audio in Victoria TX, Car Stereo Max in Houston, Pro Audio Center in Richland MS, Rhodes Off-Roads in Farmington MO, Model Electronics in Ramsey NJ, Class A Sounds in Athens OH. Just Audio Video in North Providence RI, CT_Custom in Philadelphia, Audio Solutions in Florence MS and The Audio Shop RC in Rapid City SD, DG Motorsportz in High Point NC, ST Mobile in Texarkana TX, AR Custom OC in Orange CA, Temecula Mobile Sound in Temecula CA, Unique Auto Sound in Lindenhurst NY, D’s Garage in Corona CA and DS2 Mobile Solutionz in Tomball TX, C G Car Audio in Kissimmee FL, California Audio in West Valley City UT and The Action Audio Store in Wethersfield CT, Eclipse Car Audio in Vancouver WA, Electronics Depot Car Audio in Altamonte Springs FL. Car Audio Garage in Pearland TX, Pinnacle Autosound in Lake City FL, J H Audio in Bowling Green VA, The Car Audio Shop StL in High Ridge MO, Anthonys Car Stereo in North Highlands CA, Flynn Audio in Middleton WI, Living Loud Car Audio in Pelham AL, Trail Star Audio in Minnesota, On The Spot Audio in Pennsauken NJ, Animated Car Audio in Essex MD, West Coast Car Audio in Citrus Heights CA, Modified Auto Sound in East Alton IL and Star Car Audio in Hermiston OR. Congratulations to all.
WTF… Where’s the Fun. On the next spin of the 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel… on Friday, November 26th.
MESA, AZ (11.19.2021) – MSC is proud to announce the completion of the latest session of its “Fit it, Tune it, Turn it” training classes held November 13th-14th 2021 in sunny Mesa Arizona. With 8 sold out sessions held between July and November of this year, MSC gathered over 60 different specialty mobile electronics retail partners from across the United Sates at their Training Lab in Mesa, Arizona. Canadian dealer partners were hosted at the MSC facility in Calgary, Alberta Canada.
The MSC facility offers space for hands-on vehicle work as well as traditional classroom training.
Larry Penn of MSC launched the weekend with a cultural overview of the MSC brand and that of their manufacturing partners they represent in North America including BLAM, Brax, Helix, Match and Stinger Radar. A considerable amount of the program was spent covering retail concepts and sales development ideas. “As partners, we have to understand the changing landscape of the retail environment and how we can assist our dealers to ensure their continued success” commented Larry Penn. This discussion lead into the Systems by MSC brand presentation and what the benefit of this partnership brings to specialist independents.
“Understanding how a modern OEM infotainment system functions is a key part of our training” said Jason Digos of MSC. Hands on sessions included real-world demonstrations of electrical signal measurements using Audiotec Fischer’s DSP products and their highly intuitive DSP PC Tools software. This included how to use the ISA (Input Signal Analyzer) function of the platform to easily establish the existence of all pass filters, time alignment, equalization and other signal processing happening to the audio signals in many of today’s modern vehicles. After getting a firm understanding on the importance of OEM signal analysis and how to use that information to establish the system design, DSP tuning became the next focus. Lead by Chris Van Ry, MSC covered an in-depth software run through before presenting MSC’s Tuning for Profit tuning method. This scalable concept was built around the Audiotec Fischer DSP products and is used every day in MSC’s retail facility in Calgary, Alberta. MSC’s process allows dealers of all experience levels to quickly, predictably and repeatably tune cars to a point that will provide an amazing listening experience to their client. “We wanted to have all of the players in our partner’s stores to be able to understand the tuning process and be able to implement this process,” said Chris.
The educational elements are always important, but MSC and the crew made sure to include some socializing and fun along the way as well, with unique dining experiences, live music, and great networking.
MSC will soon be announcing upcoming dates for classes starting in 2022. Be sure to register early as these are “limited seating” engagements. Also plan to visit the MSC booth at the MasterTech Expo March 6th- 9th 2022. Watch for details on all the exciting things planned for this event!
HENDERSON, NV (11.19.2021) – The RPOD6 has been re-designed to have a slimmer mounting depth of just 2.44” and accepts the same 6.5” speakers as before. With the new slimmer profile, the RPOD6A can be mounted in a variety of new locations to add speakers to any classic car that didn’t originally come with an audio system without the need to cut or modify the interior.
RetroPods are built with a rugged ABS plastic that can either be painted, wrapped in vinyl, or carpeted to match a vehicle’s interior for a fully customized look. The angled design directs sound towards the listener for better stereo imaging and an enjoyable listening experience. The RPOD6A accepts a 6.5” speaker and is available with RetroSound’s S-62 Stereo Speakers or their Premium R-652N Stereo Speakers.
LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ (11.19.2021) – The 2021 Sand – Water – RV Expo in Lake Havasu City AZ, is a mecca for outdoor motorsports enthusiasts of off-roading, RVing, boating camping, fishing and hunting. Lake Havasu City has the highest per capita UTV ownership of any city in the United States.
Lorin Morrell taking a spin on Lake Havasu.
KICKER will be on site with Maddog Media. “We will be in booth Q with longtime KICKER Gatorwraps and Livin’ Loud with the RZR. This event did not happen in 2020 due to COVID 19 and everyone is so excited about the event this weekend, November 19th and 20th. There is no show on Sunday” Lorin Morrell Maddog Media stated.
The Sand – Water – RV Expo captures the spirit and passion of these complementary markets, providing motivated consumers the opportunity to browse, compare and shop for the latest and greatest in offroad vehicles, trucks, sand rails, ATVs, UTVs, 4 x 4s, buggies, motorcycles, electric vehicles, RVs, toy haulers, travel trailers, boats, pontoons, personal watercraft, kayaks, paddleboards, bicycles, camping gear, fishing tackle, and all related accessory products and services. Be sure and check-out our “special attractions” page for all the highlights. The title sponsor of the 2021 Expo is Sunshine RV in Lake Havasu.
SHOW HOURS: (rain or shine) Friday — 11am – 5pm Saturday — 9am – 5pm closed Sunday
TICKET HOLDERS & EXHIBITORS/VENDORS: please be advised that drone flying is prohibited everywhere over State Park property.
12VoltNews.com 