Pioneer Enhances Annual Sound Build-Off Competition

Ten Pioneer Premier Dealers Take on the Challenge to Build the Best Sounding Demo Vehicle.

Long Beach, CA.- Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today announced it will host the third annual Pioneer Sound Build-Off competition at its Mobile Entertainment Road Show event. Ten nationwide Pioneer Premier retailers will compete in Long Beach, Calif., on Saturday, June 13, 2009, to win cash prizes and bragging rights for building the best sounding demo vehicle in the country.

Retailers nationwide were nominated by their Pioneer sales representative based on their installation capabilities and commitment to promoting the car audio industry. Each participant was given approximately eight weeks to build a store demo / competition vehicle around a specific mix of Pioneer Premier branded products. During the event, each vehicle will be evaluated and scored by two official sound quality and installation judges using current International Auto Sound Challenge Association (IASCA) rules. Adding to the excitement, spectators at the event will also be asked to take part in the judging process by voting for their favorite vehicles. The “Viewer’s Choice” votes will be added to the IASCA sound quality and installation results to calculate each participant’s overall score. The top three competing vehicles will be awarded cash prizes and the first place winner will be crowned the 2009 Pioneer Sound Build-Off Champion.

“This year’s Pioneer Sound Build-Off will not only focus on sound quality but will also showcase the art behind car audio installations. It’s the combination of quality Pioneer products and the installer’s craftsmanship that results in the high fidelity in-vehicle listening experience,” said Ted Cardenas, director of marketing for the mobile business group of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “Additionally, we’ve chosen this specific combination of Pioneer Premier branded products to highlight features that the everyday consumer would use regularly such as iPod, Bluetooth and USB.”

New to this year, judges will use an Apple iPod® containing the IASCA Official Sound Quality Reference CD encoded using the Apple Lossless Audio Codec as the media source. Via the USB connection, the lossless audio data is transmitted from the iPod directly to the internal digital-to-analog convertor (DAC) of the Pioneer headunit as a digital bit stream. This demonstrates Pioneer’s ability to utilize the iPod as an integral part of a high sound quality system.

Each participant will receive the following Pioneer Premier products:
• DEH-P710BT (one) - single CD receiver with Full Motion OEL Display, built-in Bluetooth and USB Direct Control for iPod
• PRS-D2200T (four) - 2-channel full-range Class FD amplifier with ICEpower technology
• TS-D720C (two pairs) - 6-1/2-inch component speakers with the revolutionary Basalt Fiber IMX speaker cones
• TS-SW1201S4 (two) - 12-inch shallow mount iB-Flat subwoofers
• GEX-P20HD (one) - HD Radio tuner

Participants are required to install all supplied components, adding no other manufacturer’s audio products to the overall system. Pioneer’s Premier nationwide dealers invited to this year’s competition include Al & Ed’s Autosound, All Star Sound, Car Tunes Stereo Center, Competition Sounds, Jack’s Mobile Electronics, Kartunes, Newport Autosound, Paradyme, The Specialist and Sound Waves, Inc.