SEATTLE, WA (05.26.26) – 5150 Audio is a very proactive retailer based in Kenai AK. Owner Dave Parrott understands the value of connecting across the industry and made his plans early to attend the Pacific Northwest Expo. On Sunday Dave flew to the US and connected with Dave Gates and the Falcon Sales and Marketing team as they prepared everything to head to Seattle for the event with Monday set up.

Falcon Sales and Marketing had a booth on the event floor and spotlighted a number of their brands. There at the event Dave worked closely with Kam Frisbee and Falcon as a key product source for his company shipping products from the US to his store in Alaska. Some times that requires shipping products across the water. A full pallet could cost a grand!

“Falcon is a great partner. This was the first time that I attended this event. I spent time connecting with brands on the show floor and seeing new products, attending trainings plus connecting with other retailers across the industry” Parrott commented.

The 12volt Central Studios staff connected with Dave once he got back to his store. Dave related attending the event in Seattle turned out very very well. He checked off everything on his list plus more.

“Having an opportunity to spend time with exhibitors and check out their new products and programs worked out very well Also catching up with Joseph Norton was a really great surprise. He came to our store last year. He is now working with
Focal and I attended his training session” Parrott added.

Business is strong at 5150 Audio. Open for just over 2 years 5150 Audio is already known within a 100 mile range as the place for mobile aftermarket products and custom installation…pickup trucks are hot. 5150 Audio also participates in consumer events in the area like REV Alaska. REV Alaska is in Wasilla which is 200 miles from the store. At the event the 5150 Audio team made sales and booked installs at their store.

It is terrific to see proactive 12volt retailers driving business in their communities. 5150 Audio is ‘Driving Sound To The Next Level’ in Alaska. Stay tuned for more!

For more see 5150audio.com

SHREVEPORT, LA (05.26.2026) – Memorial Day is the Federal Holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

The exact origins are uncertain, but it came out of Civil War traditions of decorating the graves of soldiers with flowers. Many cities and individuals claimed to have been the first to celebrate the event. In 1868 General John A Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic called for a Decoration Day, which was widely celebrated. By 1890 every Northern state had adopted it as a Holiday. The World Wars turned it into a generalized day of remembrance, instead of just for the Civil War. In 1971, Congress standardized the holiday as Memorial Day and changed its observance.

This Holiday is observed on the last Monday in May. Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial beginning of the Summer in the United States.

We trust all across the 12volt industry who have lost a loved one in conflict will remember those lost on this Memorial Day 2026.

STILLWATER, OK (05.22.26) – The KICKER SQ@HQ was back and KICKER welcomed the return of the SQ Competition and Car Show 2026. Attendees experienced some of the best sounding cars around, had an opportunity to explore the KICKER Museum and enjoyed great food from local food trucks… All in one place.

The second annual SQ competition got underway on Sunday, May 17 as competitors put their builds to the test in judged SQ events hosted in partnership with IASCA, MASQ, EMMA and MCA. Spectators and cars were welcomed with free admission. Attendees heard some of the cleanest systems around and spent a great day with fellow Car Audio enthusiast right at the KICKER HQ in Stillwater OK. During the competitions SPL demos were at the top of the hour for five minutes.

“After the success of our first SQ@HQ last year we realized partnering with Sound Competition organizations makes sense for KICKER and the 12volt industry as a whole. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved” KICKER Brand Promoter Ernie Ficklin commented. “Adding, this years event proved that to be true.”

Peter Ashby, East Coast Brand Ambassador for KICKER, rolled his #Nemesis custom-build Award wining Toyota Supra and ground-shaking custom-built LITENLOUD Toyota LiteAce into the event from North Carolina. “The KICKER SQ@HQ is such an amazing event to bring car audio and enthusiasts together and connect with everyday consumers. Everyone on site, including Steve Irby, were amazed with our builds. We had the same reaction at the Shiflet Dickson Distributor show” Ashby stated.

Travis Chin, IASCA President, returned again this year, and was so pleased to see the high level of competitors in the lanes. Travis related he saw several old time competitors who were returning to compete again.   

“Team SQ KICKER made its debut the this year’s SQ@HQ and brought home some hardware to prove it. We congratulate Brandon Laielli, Scott Williams, Jacob Luckey, Joe Hobart and John Myers” Ernie Ficklin added.

Stay tuned for more from SQ@HQ.

More @kicker.com.

HUNTINGTON BEACH CA (05.21.26) – On Sunday, May 17, NAV-TV Zen Audio the product training and Amp launch was hosted by Automotive Entertainment HB and Paragon Sales and Marketing. The free product training certification touched on all the new NAV-TV products.

Ken Ward delivered the majority of the content with Fraser Ryan emphasizing details and differences in the new Zen Audio products.

Wayne Smedile, Paragon Sales and Marketing, was very pleased that everyone in the audience was engaged throughout the presentation. Bikes today continue to be a strong category and the new NAV-TV ’25 Hardy interface it certainly a popular upgrade.

JT Torres, Automotive Entertainment HB, commented following the training event “To say the training was awesome and informative would be an understatement. We offer a huge thank you to Ken and Fraser for sharing so much knowledge during the tuning training. The level of technical information exchanged throughout the event was incredible. We’re grateful for the opportunity to host events like this and bring the industry together in a professional learning environment.”

Continuing “It wouldn’t be one of our trainings without giveaways. In this case we even give away gave away a couple of Zen Audio interfaces.

“We think Ken and Fraser, along withJT and his team for working with us to make this presentation a resounding success” Wayne Schmiedl concluded.

For more email wayne@paragonsalesreps.com

DALLAS, TX (05.20.26) – The SSR Distributors show rolled into Dallas on Sunday, May 17th from 10 AM to 5 PM. Attendees were able to check out a car show, spend time with over 40 vendors in their booths, attend trainings, and take advantage of many show specials. They also took the opportunity to register and win raffle prizes and giveaways. This was a family-friendly event and many families attended and enjoyed an incredible meal provided by Nico’s Cocina, featuring chicken fajita and beef fajita tacos, rice and beans, chips and salsa, and iced tea. The food service was seamless throughout the day, allowing attendees to quickly grab a plate and get right back to networking and enjoying the event.

Tracy Farr, SSR VP Sales and Operations, stated, “We had factory staff members travel from both the East Coast and the West Coast to spend time with dealers and present their products here in our Dallas location. We definitely had a lot of excitement throughout our 25,000 square-foot facility in Dallas, and attendees had an opportunity to check out demo vehicles outside while networking and enjoying the outstanding food provided by Nico’s Cocina.”

Continuing, Farr offered, “Attendance this year was very strong, especially considering the challenges with current tariff pricing and inventory supply. It was definitely encouraging to see such a great turnout. Again this year, our trainings continued to improve. The credit goes to our incredible manufacturers and rep partners as they continue to go above and beyond for us. Their support is something that we never take for granted, and we truly couldn’t do it without them.”

Farr also added, “I want to personally recognize our SSR staff for the tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes work that went into making this event such a success for our dealers. Events like this do not happen overnight, and their dedication, preparation, teamwork, and attention to detail absolutely do not go unnoticed. I’m extremely proud of what our team accomplished together.”

“We’re also incredibly grateful to our dealers, both large and small, for their continued loyalty and energy. We genuinely love and appreciate every one of them” Farr concluded.

Visit ssrdistributors.com for more.

ISLE OF WIGHT, ENGLAND (05.19.26) – The Isle of Wight is a beautiful picturesque small island off the South Coast of England. Thousands of car audio enthusiasts from all over the mainland take the ferry for the one hour ride from Southampton each summer to attend the Isle of Wight Takeover. The Isle Of Wight Takeover 2026 took place on Sunday, May 17th.

The event was bigger this year than passed and they said attendance was up. They guess 8 to 10,000 people and the cars on site had to be between 800 and 1000. The Show cars came from everywhere and also had to be ferried across the bay to the island. Sales were amazing and Safe and Sounds Essex business grew substantially this year. The majority of the items sold were PowerBass products. Lee Glover and six members of Safe and Sound Essex staff were on hand doing live on site installs. Carl Huntington and Erik Harbour helped with sales in the stand.

The Safe and Sound Essex crew outfitted Ford OE Direct Fit speakers one after another all day long as they were doing installs in the booth. Other PowerBass products such as the BP-US62 under seat sub and loaded enclosures added to the sales total. Sales were flying out the door from the start of the show nonstop and the PowerBass and Image Dynamics equipped show cars were a huge hit” HARBOUR added.

Call Huntington and the great dealers like Safe and Sound oEssex have done an amazing job with the PowerBass line across the UK. We love seeing our super dealers getting out to events and helping their customers get great sounding Car Audio. We are always happy to be invited by our PowerBass partner Lee Glover along with the Isle of Wight event staff for this year’s great takeover show” Harbour, VP of Product Development and Global Marketing added.

The event staff put on an excellent show, hospitable and well organize, which made it fun for everyone in attendance. All are looking for 2027.

For more see 12votnews.com.

SHREVEPORT LA (05.18.26) – The 12volt industry is’ Cranking it up in May’ and the 12voltBeat staff is staying super busy for sure!

This past week PowerBass has been across the pond working the Isle of Wright annual event off the coast of Southern England. Thousands of Car Audio enthusiast attend and the Safe and Sound Essex team has a major presence at the event along with Erik Harbour supporting Safe and Sound Essex.

KICKER is very busy as always with Lorin Morrell working the American Flat Track at Budd’s Creek in Mechanicsville MD. Also, Kicker is hosting the second annual SQ@HQ event on Sunday at their headquarters in Stillwater OK following the Saturday Car Show.

The 2026 SSR Distributors 5th Annual Show Dallas kicked off on Saturday with the set up, followed by dinner that evening. Sunday the sales floor was was busy with exhibitors showing their latest products to a packed house of area dealers. Outside there were many demo vehicles and activities for families attending the SSR Show.

Preparations were underway for the PNWCEE 2026 in Seattle that runs from the 18th through the 20th with a very active schedule for the three days.

The 12volt Central Studios makes it easy for exhibitors and 12volt industry members to showcase their activities and extend the ROI from the events. With that smartphone in everyone’s pocket all it takes is snapping an image, txting the image with a few words to 318-469-2526 and Presto. You can be in the 12volt Central Studios post across the 12volt Industry.

Stay tuned for more from the events spotlighted above in the following days this week.

See 12voltnews.com for more.

Brand to Showcase New Premium Mobile and Marine Audio Lines; PREACT™ Training Scheduled

OXNARD, CA (05.19.26) — Modus is proud to announce it will exhibit at the 2026 Pacific NW Mobile Electronics Expo (PNWCEE), held May 18–20 in Seattle at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Seattle Airport–Southcenter.

“As our new product lines roll out nationwide, PNWCEE gives us a high-impact way to connect with Pacific Northwest partners and put Modus innovation in their hands,” said Matthew Delgado, Director of Sales at DSP Solutions.

PNWCEE has established itself as a cornerstone event for the Pacific Northwest mobile electronics community, bringing together retailers, manufacturers, and dealers for new product showcases, hands-on demonstrations, and in-person training. With strong regional demand across both 12-volt and marine, the show offers an ideal environment for industry professionals to see what’s next and build relationships that drive the season ahead.

Modus Training Session (PNWCEE)

Modus will also host a training session designed for installers and sales professionals, featuring PREACT™ Current Averaging Technology: a patented approach to managing amplifier current for improved power efficiency, consistency, and real-world performance. The class will explain how PREACT adapts to varying vehicle electrical conditions, maintains stable output under load, and differs from traditional amplifier designs. Attendees will also explore real-world EV applications through a discussion of Tesla Cybertruck and Tesla Model X system examples, highlighting how PREACT enables high-performance audio in platforms with limited or sensitive electrical systems.

Training details:

Topic: MODUS Car Audio featuring PREACT™ Current Averaging Technology

Trainer: Jason Digos

When: May 19, 2026 | 5:05 PM – 6:00 PM

For more information about Modus products and partnership opportunities, request more information on the web at www.modusglobal.com .

ESSEX, UK (05.14.26) – Erik Harbour traveled to the UK on Sunday May 10th for a busy working with Safe and Sound Essex and to cap the week at the Isle of Wight Takeover 2026.

Safe and Sound Essex hosted a PowerBase dealer training event on Monday night at their location for dealers around the UK. It was a night of education and fun with Pizza, PowerBass and Pints…the 3 Ps.

At the event Safe and Sound Essex introduced Image Dynamics into the UK market as a new brand offering and everyone was very excited to get it going with both brands at their respective retail and installation locations.

“It’s always a treat to be in the UK. A big thanks to all for the support and hard work from Safe and Sound Essex and the Team. Carl Huntington at Nuts and Volts/PowerBassUK. We truly appreciate all of the dealers who made the drive out to be in attendance at the Safe and Sound Essex training. The training event was terrific as all attendees were so engaged” Harbour,
PowerBass VP, related.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, there was more activity loading and on the road with sales staff in private meetings and then with Carl Huntington for more meetings.

Stay tuned fo more as the week caps at the Isle of Wight Takeover 2026.

Brand to Showcase New Premium Mobile and Marine Audio Lines; PREACT™ Training Scheduled

Oxnard, Calif., May 16, 2026 — Modus is proud to announce it will exhibit at the 2026 Pacific NW Mobile Electronics Expo (PNWCEE), held May 18–20 in Seattle at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Seattle Airport–Southcenter.

“As our new product lines roll out nationwide, PNWCEE gives us a high-impact way to connect with Pacific Northwest partners and put Modus innovation in their hands,” said Matthew Delgado, Director of Sales at DSP Solutions.

PNWCEE has established itself as a cornerstone event for the Pacific Northwest mobile electronics community, bringing together retailers, manufacturers, and dealers for new product showcases, hands-on demonstrations, and in-person training. With strong regional demand across both 12-volt and marine, the show offers an ideal environment for industry professionals to see what’s next and build relationships that drive the season ahead.

Modus Training Session (PNWCEE)

Modus will also host a training session designed for installers and sales professionals, featuring PREACT™ Current Averaging Technology: a patented approach to managing amplifier current for improved power efficiency, consistency, and real-world performance. The class will explain how PREACT adapts to varying vehicle electrical conditions, maintains stable output under load, and differs from traditional amplifier designs. Attendees will also explore real-world EV applications through a discussion of Tesla Cybertruck and Tesla Model X system examples, highlighting how PREACT enables high-performance audio in platforms with limited or sensitive electrical systems.

Training details:

Topic: MODUS Car Audio featuring PREACT™ Current Averaging Technology

Trainer: Jason Digos

When: May 19, 2026 | 5:05 PM – 6:00 PM

For more information about Modus products and partnership opportunities, request more information on the web at www.modusglobal.com .