MIRAMAR, Flor., – April 11, 2023 – JL Audio, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio solutions for the mobile, marine and powersports markets, announced the appointment of Heritage Marketing Solutions to its network of sales representatives. Heritage Marketing Solutions will be responsible for promoting and selling JL Audio’s extensive lineup of premium mobile, marine and powersports audio solutions to 12-Volt retailers throughout Illinois and Wisconsin from their base in Itasca, Illinois.
Heritage Marketing Solutions principals Steve Block and Samuel Yoo have extensive experience in 12-Volt sales and marketing, having worked with top-tier audio companies throughout their careers.
“We are pleased to welcome Heritage Marketing Solutions to the JL Audio team,” said J. Todd Wilson Area Sales Director for JL Audio. “Their extensive industry experience and commitment to customer service and satisfaction align perfectly with our values and mission. We are confident that they will help us grow our business in the Illinois-Wisconsin markets, while providing exceptional service and support to our customers.”
Steve Block
“We are thrilled to partner with JL Audio,” said Steve Block, Principal of Heritage Marketing Solutions. “Their commitment to quality and innovation is very well established, and we are excited to help them support their retailer base and grow JL Audio’s business in the Illinois-Wisconsin markets. We look forward to working with our customers to provide them with the best audio solutions available on the market.”
Samuel Yoo
About JL Audio:
Guided by a philosophy that great audio has real value, JL Audio develops innovative products that improve the audio experience on the go, in the home and in the studio. Committed to unique engineering and quality manufacturing, JL Audio operates three U.S. engineering facilities, and builds many of its home, car and marine loudspeaker products at the company’s Miramar, Florida, USA factory, with components sourced from the company’s global supply network. For more information about JL Audio, please visit www.jlaudio.com
Celsus UK, Poole based distributor for high quality audio, electronics and noise & heat control solutions, is thrilled to welcome Matthew Clarkson to their UK sales team in the role of National Accounts Executive. Matthew will report to Pete Gilmore, Celsus Head of Sales, and be responsible for growing sales for the company’s portfolio of market leading brands. Matthew joins Celsus with a proven track record in high ticket sales, a passion for the motor industry and experience with car audio. Matthew will strengthen the company’s position as a service driven, value-add distributor who seek to deliver enjoyment to their customer base and supply chain. Commenting on the appointment Paul Baker, Celsus Managing Director said “We are delighted to bring Matthew on board, his enthusiasm for our industry and professional sales approach makes him a fantastic addition to the Celsus team. His experience with car audio will make him an asset to both our company and our amazing customers”.
Matthew Clarkson added “I am incredibly pleased to start a new chapter in my career with Celsus and to develop my skills and knowledge in an industry I truly love. I look forward to working with Pete, the Celsus team and also the range of customers in the coming months along.”
MIRAMAR, FL (04.07.23) – JL Audio has unveiled its new XDM series of compact amplifiers for the automotive and marine markets. Thanks to marine-grade materials, XDM amplifiers are suitable for installation in boats, cars, trucks, and SUV’s and all models are available immediately at JL Audio authorized dealers.
“Our XD line of car amplifiers and M-series marine amplifiers have been the industry benchmarks for compact amplifiers,” said Brian Power Vice President of U.S. Retail Sales at JL Audio. “The XDM series of amplifiers is a welcome evolution to these product lines, simplifying inventory for our retail partners by working equally well in both car and marine applications.”
XDM series amplifiers are available in a wide range of configurations and power levels, offering incredible versatility for simple and complex system designs. The new XDM amplifiers feature a rugged black powder coated chassis and gasketed control cover, with JL Audio Blue accents.
Quality Sound from Start to Finish
Starting at the source, XDM series amplifiers are equipped with Differential-Balanced Inputs that combat induced cable noise and allow for the use of conventional RCA cables, while delivering many of the benefits of a true balanced connection. XDM amplifiers also feature an exclusive, selectable mode input filter for noise-free performance in boats or cars.
XDM amplifiers feature JL Audio’s high-performance NexD™ switching technology, allowing these compact amplifiers to deliver powerful, audiophile-grade sound quality with very high efficiency and reduced demands from the vehicle or vessel’s charging system and batteries.
XDM amplifiers feature a variety of studio-grade filter options. Each subwoofer amplifier/sub channel features a low-pass filter with a filter range of 50Hz to 500Hz and 12 or 24 dB/octave filter slope options. Full-range amplifiers/channels feature a high-pass filter with a 50Hz to 5KHz filter range, and some also add a bandpass filter option. Both high-pass and bandpass filters offer a 12 dB/octave filter slope. To further dial in the listening experience, XDM amps feature a remote level control port, and can be paired with optional JL Audio HD-RLC and MHD-RLC amplifier remote level controls.
Keeps The Music Playing When Things Get Hot
For those days where tunes need to be cranked at full blast, XDM amplifiers are designed to prevent annoying shut down events. With JL Audio’s exclusive Advanced Rollback Protection technology, should XDM amplifiers approach an unsafe operating temperature, a special circuit lowers peak power output, without changing gain, until the amplifier cools down. Once the amplifier cools down, the circuit restores full peak power output.
To find your nearest JL Audio authorized dealer, click here.
More than 200 top university students met and connected with industry professionals at the recent SEMA Emerging Trends & Technology Network (ETTN)/Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Career Fair, held at the SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California.
The students, who are members of formula and Baja SAE competition teams, are among top prospects who have been challenged to design, fabricate and compete with Formula-style race cars. They had an opportunity to network, get a close-up look at resources available through the SEMA Garage and meet with established companies to discuss potential career opportunities. Students also gained feedback from industry professionals on their engineering and business presentations in advance of the forthcoming SAE competitions.
SEMA-member companies in attendance included Acceler8, Antigravity Batteries, Automotive Testing and Development Services, Battle Motors, California Air Resources Board, Closed Loop Engineering, Denso, Hellwig Products, High Expectations, Moog Aircraft, Motivo, Performance Machine, Rail Propulsion Systems, Redline Detection, Scorpion EV, Steamericas, Toyota and 4 Wheel Parts.
Participating schools included Cal Baptist, Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State University Northridge, Long Beach State, USC, University of San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Merced, Chico State, Loyola Marymount University, Caltech and five high schools.
ETTN and SAE will host a second event on April 29 at the SEMA Garage in Detroit. SEMA-member manufacturers in the area are invited to sign up their companies to participate in the career fair, where they will help students explore career opportunities and inspire them in their career paths.
TORONTO, CANADA (04.06.23) – From Friday, March 24th, through Sunday, March 26th, over 300 mobile enhancement experts from retailers across Canada assembled in Toronto to attend the first-ever CMA Expo dealer training and networking event. The CMA EXPO was a collaborative effort to connect retailers, distributors and leading top Industry trainers. The team at CMA Networks executed the event which showcased booths and training seminars from the leading Canadian 12v distributors which featured over 80 brands, making it a unique offering in the Mobile Electronics Industry.
What made the event unique was the ability for dealers to work with their sales representatives to place booking orders and kick off the 2023 season with some serious momentum and knowledge. The success of the CMA EXPO can be attributed to the unwavering support of Canadian retailers, the tireless efforts of the industry leading trainers, the incredible participation of the exhibiting distributors and their partnering brands. In addition, each company had access to classroom-style training rooms to provide in-person education sessions on product features and applications.
Attendees waiting for the opening bell
Over 80 brands were featured on the event floor.
Frank Spezzano, the President and Executive Producer of CMA Networks, noted, “being able to provide retailers across Canada with an event that was custom-tailored to our country’s unique business model worked perfectly to launch the 2023 season. The support from all the companies and retailers involved was remarkable.. We are honoured to have been chosen to facilitate this distinguished gathering of professionals.
” Ben Woo, Content Director and Webcast Host for CMA Networks added, “I think the appetite for the Canadian 12V industry to get back to the in-person experience that only a live event can deliver was definitely long overdue. There’s still a buzz about the ‘Delivering the Best Car Audio Systems’ and ‘The A to Z of Car Audio Retailer Marketing’ presentations from Friday and Saturday evening.”
Rick De Sclafani showcased his RDV products in expansive Importel Ltd area.
CMA EXPO training sessions were packed.
Hot on the heels of this event’s success, planning is underway for next years CMA EXPO. Information will be available at www.cmaexpo.ca.
CMA Networks would like to send a special thank you to all our exhibiting partners for making the inaugural CMA EXPO a huge success.
STILLWATER, OK (04.05.23) – KICKER Marine Audio brings premium sound to two large powerboating events on Lake Havasu, Arizona–Desert Storm April 19-23 and Super Cat Fest West, April 26-29. The two events take place on back-to-back weekends of boating action to bring performance boat enthusiasts to Lake Havasu City, a boating Mecca for the country’s West Coast.
KICKER Marine Audio again joins the new owners of Desert Storm for this 25th Anniversary event. KICKER is especially visible as presenting sponsor for the annual Street Party on Thursday, April 20. Jim Russell, an event producer for 30 years, co-owned the event with its founder, Jim Nichols, Sr., who several years ago, sold it to his daughter-in-law and son, Christina and Jim Nichols, Jr. After several years under their operation, Russell and Lake Havasu realtor and community leader Steve Tichnor wanted to ensure that the event stayed in Havasu, so they invested in buying it back.
Says Russell, “Thanks to the wonderful long-term sponsorship of KICKER Marine Audio, joining with new title sponsor, Anderson Powersports, we were able to acquire the event and make minor changes, making sure it stays in Lake Havasu. We are boating enthusiasts and this event has a place in the hearts of everyone in Havasu—it deserves to stay here and grow!”
KICKER Marine Audio has traditionally brought its XRV (Xtreme Recreational Vehicle), a travel edition of its famous headquarters’ “Wall of Boom” to Havasu’s Main Street for the “Eye of the Storm” Street Party. KICKER’s Real Marine sound equipment will also be seen on many of the millions of dollars of state-of-the art performance boats that will be displayed from 1-9 PM, including boats like the DCB owned by Rod Voegele of California-based Gatorwraps, also located in Lake Havasu, and the Rinker Flotilla owned by Jeff Cuvelier of Elite Audio of Havasu. Both boaters and businessmen are big KICKER Marine Audio fans as Gatorwraps adds the visuals to many KICKER-equipped customer boats, while Cuvelier has installed KMA products for years.
“Jeff provides an excellent example of what KICKER can bring to the party,” says Jeremy Bale, KICKER Marine Audio brand manager, “His own Rinker boat and his customers can attest to the top-sound quality of KICKER and its excellent performance in the marine environment. We are pleased to add our continued support to this anniversary event.”
Eliminator’s new Speedster with KICKER Marine Audio and Jeff Cuvelier’s Rinker loaded with KICKER gear!
Jake Fraleigh of Eliminator Boats is also planning to bring a new Ferrari Red 27 Speedster with twin Mercury 400 engines loaded with KICKER sound equipment to the event. Fraleigh calls the open-bow boat “a perfect example of the company’s dedication to lifestyle, functionality and performance—both with speed and sound.”
The event is moving this year to Havasu State Park where the white sandy beaches of “Windsor 4” will serve as VIP headquarters. On Friday, April 21, the Parade of Power will travel from Thompson Bay to the Bridgewater Channel, passing under the London Bridge. Then, a Poker Run where Russell says “the waters will boil” with over 100 participants, led by the area’s First Responders and a KICKER Boat, will round out the day and end with a party for all participants.
On Saturday, April 22, the Sugrue’s Shoot Out event will run from 9 AM- 4 PM from the Site Six Launch Ramp. The ¾-mile closed course Shoot Out is being organized by Russ Wallach of RPM Racing Enterprises and promises to be an exciting event with the best fan viewing from the park’s surrounding bluffs. The King and Queen of the Desert top speed title awards will be presented at the party that evening with record breaking speeds expected.
Preceding the performance events on Wednesday, April 19 is the annual Kruisin’ for a Kause as volunteer powerboaters with big engines and big hearts take area residents with special needs on boat rides, culminating in a BBQ lunch with karaoke entertainment at Lake Havasu State Park.
The next weekend, Super Cat Fest West takes the annual Lake of the Ozarks event to Lake Havasu, thanks to event producer Alvin Heathman, joined by sponsor River Dave of River Dave’s Place. This boaters’ event boasts Title Sponsors KICKER Marine Audio, Eliminator Boats, Franko’s DLA-M44, Gatorwraps and Dixxon Flannel, the latter which will show its Dixxon Eliminator 28’ Fundeck, and new Eliminator 27’ Speedster. Other sponsors include Elite Sound; Ilmor Marine who will unveil a new power package; Horizon Motorsports, a local boat dealer sponsoring the Saturday night party; Hamilton Marine Finance; Detail Specialties; and Barrett Custom Marine. Private sponsors will also bring notable boats, like DCB and Mauricio & Angie Vivanco with their DLA-M44 DCB, Kenny Gonzales and his well-known 48 MTI, “Wave Adios” and many other high-performance cats.
Heathman says they are looking to get the town “more involved” as the event draws boats from across the country to explore Lake Havasu, which he sees as a similar boat culture to Lake of the Ozarks, “just with different scenery and smaller—but more concentrated. Lake Havasu is amazing in its own way—there is always something performance going on here—it’s a giant playground and I think it is the perfect setting,” he adds.
Since Heathman found logistics a bit more challenging in Havasu, he engaged a new development, Havasu Riviera Marina, to host the event. The marina has a new dock, boat ramp, well over 100 boat slips and can accommodate the many visiting boats and trailers for a three-day street party with food trucks, vendors and entertainment. “It will be like an offshore racers’ village,” says Heathman. He also plans a two-day fun run on land or water where people can explore on their own, visiting local businesses and bringing back receipts to turn in for poker hands. “It will be more casual—come and go as you please,” he says. The Friday and Saturday night parties include the popular Boom Bandits Entertainment group, along with awards, hot rods and boats—including the KICKER-outfitted “Boom Toon.”
The Saturday fun run and evening party will feature an auction for $5,000 in KICKER Marine Audio sound equipment for Super Cat Fest for Kids. The event benefits the “forgotten kids” of Lake Havasu and will give money directly to local schools for lunch programs that some underprivileged kids’ families cannot afford.
TAMPA, FL (04.05.23) – DOW Technologies, the leading independently owned technology distributor, was recently awarded three Quest for Quality Awards in CE Pro’s 13th annual competition. DOW has received awards in the competition each of the past three years.
CE Pro’s Quest for Quality Awards recognize the services offered by distributors and manufacturers that supply custom integrators. The Awards are open to distributors across the nation with winners determined by votes from CE Pro’s readers. This year, over 18,000 votes were cast in this prestigious competition.
DOW Technologies received the Platinum Award for the Best Customer Service category. This is the second year in a row that DOW received the top prize in the category. DOW was awarded silver in the Best Technical Support and Best Shipping Policies categories.
“I am so proud of the team’s effort to retain the Best Customer Service Platinum award,” stated Eric Friedman, custom integration strategic sales manager. “We put a lot of focus on ensuring our customers have the best experience on every interaction, anywhere from complex system designs to easy product returns.”
“We feel honored to have been recognized in the Quest for Quality awards again, and are thankful for the support of our customers,” added director of sales Drew Fischer. “Awards like this are representative of the strong company culture that puts customers first. Whether it’s our shipping policy that continues to provide customers new benefits, or the way we work with vendors to make returns easy, every employee at DOW is focused on the best customer experience.”
To learn more about DOW Technologies, please visit www.dowtechnologies.com or call 1.800.627.2900. To read more about the CE Pro Quest for Quality Awards 2023, click here.
PALM BEACH, FL (04.03.23) – ZZ2 has announced another great addition to the Lexus ZZPLAY family. The new ITZ-GX-A is compatible with Lexus GX460 with factory navigation from 2014-2021.
The ITZ-GX-A provides a wireless CarPlay and Android Auto solution for most Lexus GX460, fully integrated with the factory touchscreen. The new GX kit allows the customer to use the factory mic, Bluetooth (for phone calls), retaining the factory audio quality during phone calls. It also supports Siri and Google assistant, for voice commands, and it provides a front and rear camera input, USB playback and it allows drivers to mirror their smartphone. With the ITZ-GX-A there is a solution for all Lexus models from 2013-2021.
The ITZ-GX-A is now available and it retails for $850. It comes with our standard ZZ2 warranty of 3 years.
Click above to watch the ITZ-GX-A demo video. For more details please check our website for more details about it.
To know about ZZ2 solutions and also to become an authorized dealer please contact our sales team at 929-220-1212 or email us at sales@zz-2.com.
NEW YORK, NY (04.03.23) – SiriusXM will continue to provide the most comprehensive national audio coverage available for the 2023 Major League Baseball season. Starting with tomorrow’s Opening Day presented by Chevrolet and all through the Postseason, SiriusXM will provide subscribers access to live play-by-play of every game, as well as 24/7 news, talk and expert analysis on the exclusive MLB Network Radio channel.
MLB Network Radio (channel 89) will broadcast live on Opening Day from Nationals Park, where the Washington Nationals will host their National League East rivals, the Atlanta Braves. Former general managers Jim Duquette and Steve Phillips will host live from the ballpark starting at 10:00 am ET. On April 6 at 1:00 pm ET Phillips and Duquette will head to Baltimore for a live broadcast from Camden Yards, where the Orioles will play their home opener against the New York Yankees. MLB Network Radio is available to subscribers nationwide in the cars (channel 89) and on the SXM App: https://siriusxm.us/2Pdwnu6
The SiriusXM podcast Baseball Bar-B-Cast will also be heading out on the road for a special April 8 broadcast from Camden Yards. The podcast’s hosts, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman, will record in front of a live public audience at Section 771 outside of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. With new episodes available three times a week, Baseball Bar-B-Cast gives fans a fun and entertaining perspective on the world of baseball.
Tomorrow’s Opening Day also marks the return of a new season of SiriusXM’s award-winning podcast series Black Diamonds. Hosted by Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president and historian Bob Kendrick, the podcast showcases the history of the Negro Leagues, highlighting the players, people, and events that shaped them. In the premiere episode Kendrick talks to Sony Brand Strategist Ramone Russell about bringing the Negro Leagues to life in this year’s edition of the video game MLB: The Show. Episode two, available the following Thursday, will feature a conversation with Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker about becoming the third Black manager to win a World Series, and more.
Listeners get the most in-depth coverage of the league 365 days a year with MLB Network Radio. MLB Network Radio’s roster of expert hosts includes former GMs Jim Bowden, Jim Duquette and Steve Phillips, former players David Aardsma, Kevin Frandsen, Chris Gimenez, Jensen Lewis, Brad Lidge, CJ Nitkowski, Eduardo Perez, Ricky Romero, Xavier Scruggs, Ryan Spilborghs and Mike Stanton, former manager Kevin Kennedy, national baseball writers Tyler Kepner, Scott Miller and Jon Morosi, as well as Robert Brender, Jenny Cavnar, Mike Ferrin, Dan Graca, Jeff Joyce, Jim Memolo, Grant Paulsen, Ed Randall and Dani Wexelman.
Throughout the season, listeners will hear regular one-on-one interviews with several managers including: Alex Cora (Red Sox), AJ Hinch (Tigers), Bob Melvin (Padres), Rocco Baldelli (Twins), Derek Shelton (Pirates), Terry Francona (Guardians), Mark Kotsay (Athletics), Scott Servais (Mariners), Torey Lovullo (Diamondbacks), Dave Roberts (Dodgers), Bud Black (Rockies), and Brandon Hyde (Orioles).
MLB Network Radio also re-airs Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo’s MLB Network show, High Heat with Christopher Russo presented by Liberty Mutual, every weekday afternoon at 1:00 pm ET as well as simulcasts of additional MLB Network television programming, including the flagship studio show MLB Tonight on weeknights at 6:00 pm ET.
The SXM App offers 30 play-by-play channels dedicated to streaming the official radio broadcasts of every MLB team, giving fans the choice between the home and visiting team announcers for every game, all season long. All 30 MLB play-by-play channels are also available on vehicles equipped with SiriusXM with 360L radios.
For a schedule of games and where to find them on SiriusXM go to SiriusXM.com/Sports.
VACAVILLE, CA (03.31.23) – Aegis Distribution Incorporated (ADi) has announced its agreement with Eton Car-Audio GmbH of Neu-Ulm, Germany, makers of Eton car audio loudspeakers and amplifiers, to become the exclusive distributor of their car audio products in the USA.
“We have been fans of the Eton products since the 90s,” stated Scott Welch, President of ADi, “but they’ve been hard to get in the US. We consider ourselves fortunate to have the opportunity to change that. Eton produces a wide range of top performing speakers from their middle ranges to their esoteric audiophile separates. In addition to speakers, Eton has developed some remarkable compact amplifiers that are both great sounding and bullet proof, making them ideal for the ride-it-like-you-stole-it American consumer.”
“Not only do we get a great lineup out of the gate with Eton,” Welch continued. “But they have products coming during the year that will take both the esoteric speaker category and DSP/Amplifiers up to a new level. So it’s going to be an exciting 2023 for us.”
Eton Audio, founded in 1983, has long since been known for their quality “Made in Germany” car audio products. Their manufacturing standards, combined with over 40 years of loudspeaker development, make for top tier products that you can both see and hear.
ADi, headquartered in Vacaville, California, was formed in 2022 by a group of manufacturers and investors with the goal of bringing high-end car audio products to the Americas, tailored and fine tuned to fit the unique needs of these regions.
For more information or dealer inquiries, please contact ADi at sales@aegisdis.com or by phone at 707.446.6749.
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