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Sony Ad

Custom Car Audio of the Future: Fire the Lasers!

October 2, 2020 By Dave MacKinnon

Custom Car Audio

The latest generation of high-end custom car audio installations look as good as, or better than, what comes off the showroom floor. You might be surprised to know that these amazing technicians use computer-controlled multi-axis routers and even lasers to create solutions that look stunning. In many cases, it’s difficult to tell which parts came from the factory and what’s been constructed specifically for your vehicle.

Custom Car Audio in 2020

We all evolve as we grow older. Our interests flow from playing with Lego blocks to sports and to cars. Our taste in music often changes as we age. For custom audio system installations, the industry has evolved from carpet and tweed to painted fiberglass, vinyl-wrapping, multi-layered installations with acrylic and now, high-tech plastics cut with lasers and CNC routers. Who would have thought that technicians would need to be graphic designers and programmers? Nevertheless, the results are often mind-blowing.



We reached out to our friends and peers. We asked them to share some of the projects they have created using CNC lasers. The results are truly magnificent and may give you some ideas for your next upgrade or accessory installation.

Custom Car Audio
Our friend Chris Rogers is building a custom information display in the dash of his Nissan Skyline. Based on his drawings, Jim Rogers at Audio Innovations in Conway, Arkansas, used their laser to cut the mounting panel for the LCD screen.
Custom Car Audio
Christopher McNulty, formerly of Driven Mobile Electronics, now at Kingpin Car Audio in Las Vegas, added the Maserati logo to a dash panel to make this Pioneer multimedia receiver look right at home.
Custom Car Audio
Matt Vowell and the fantastic team at Mobile Toys in College Station, Texas, created a custom control knob and mounting solution for a Mosconi RC Mini DSP remote control for a client’s vehicle. The new knob matches the factory-installed radio perfectly.
Custom Car Audio
Mathew Kim from Car Toys in Tigard, Oregon, created a mounting solution for a Helix Director DSP controller in what used to be the sunglass holder in this vehicle’s overhead console.
Custom Car Audio
CNC lasers are perfect for adding labels to control panels. Justin Marks from Titan Motoring shared this switch panel he made for a Sprinter rental company in Nashville, Tennessee.
Custom Car Audio
Brian Mitchell from Liquid Trends in Modesto, California, used their shop laser to add logos to a piece of suede that surrounds the ARC Audio subwoofer in his Chevy Volt. Carefully placed LED lighting makes the logos stand out.
Custom Car Audio
Mobile Solutions of Calgary created a custom trim panel in the center console of this Aston Martin DBS Superleggera to mount the Strip control panel from a Stinger Laser radar detection and countermeasure system.
Custom Car Audio
The team at Extreme Audio in Mechanicsville, Virginia, put their laser to work in early 2020 to create hundreds of face shields to help protect frontline workers from the spread of COVID-19.
Custom Car Audio
Sometimes it’s the small things that count. Mobile Solutions of Calgary used their shop laser to create acrylic mounting adapters for a set of BLAM tweeters. The mounts allow the tweeters to fit directly into the factory locations with no modifications to the vehicle.
Custom Car Audio
The center support post in this subwoofer enclosure was cut from different materials using a CNC laser. Liquid Trends in Modesto added the LED lighting to make the ARC Audio Black Series subwoofer stand out.
Custom Car Audio
Speed of Sound Technologies in Milford, Connecticut, created a custom accent panel for the overhead lighting fixture in this Mercedes-Benz Sprinter that they converted into a mobile office.
Custom Car Audio
The crew at Musicar Northwest in Portland, Oregon, used their laser to add the Bentley logo to the trim panel on this custom subwoofer solution.
Custom Car Audio
John Brettle from Cartunes Atlanta in Georgia used his laser to create this center console mount for an Escort radar detector controller and a JL Audio DRC-205 remote.
Custom Car Audio
Dave Koz and the team at Signature Audio in Scottsdale, Arizona, made this amazing Cadillac V-Series accent piece on the amp rack you can see in our lead-in image.
Custom Car Audio
Marketing your brand is a vital part of having a successful business. Taylor Pearson from HiFi Mobile Audio in Roanoke, Texas, created this acrylic license plate frame using their CNC laser.
Custom Car Audio
The Mesh Man, based in Atlanta, offers custom badges so that fabricators can personalize their work. This badge was one of many created for Master Fabricator Shon Besharah of Ottawa, Ontario.
Custom Car Audio
The beauty of cutting with a laser is its precision. The trim piece in front of the JL Audio subwoofer in this Mercedes was created by John Brettle from Cartunes Atlanta.
Custom Car Audio
JT Torres from Automotive Entertainment Huntington Beach in California added a stunning accent panel between the JL Audio subwoofers in the back of this Tesla.
Custom Car Audio
Alan Lindgren from Speed of Sound in Memphis, Tennessee, created a custom switch panel in the center console of this Mustang for one of his clients.
Custom Car Audio
The trim and frame for this dash speaker pod created by Apicella Auto Sound in Stony Point, New York, were cut using a laser.
Custom Car Audio
Stereo West Autotoys in Omaha, Nebraska, used their laser to add some personalization to this installation in a client’s Ford F-150 pickup truck.
Custom Car Audio
The team at Mobile Solutions of Calgary worked with some of their partners from their distribution company to create an amazing installation in this Volkswagen Rabbit. The multi-component speaker trim panel you see here is just part of the amazing project.
Custom Car Audio
A few carefully planned, laser-cut trim panels can transform a clean subwoofer upgrade into something extraordinary. More fine work from the team at Titan Motoring in Nashville.
Custom Car Audio
Absolute Electronics in Rockville, Maryland, made extensive use of their CNC laser to accent this bespoke Honda Accord trunk installation.
Custom Car Audio
Custom doesn’t have to stand out. This kick panel speaker grille by Titan Motoring looks like something that would have rolled right off the vehicle assembly line.
Custom Car Audio
The ultimate compliment for a custom car audio installer is to say that his work looks like something that came with the vehicle. T.J. Carlson at Musicar Northwest created a set of tweeter pods for his Subaru Impreza using their shop laser, metal mesh and his experience as a world-class craftsman.

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Filed Under: ARTICLES, Car Audio Tagged With: CNC Routers, Custom Fabrication, Lasers

About Dave MacKinnon

Dave has worked in the mobile electronics industry since 1988 in almost every capacity, including roles as a Retail Salesperson, Installer, Sales Representative, Technical Trainer, and Product Development Manager for some of the largest car audio companies in the world. Dave started his writing career in 2000 as the Technical Editor of a Toronto-based car audio magazine and has reviewed more than 450 products. Formally trained as an Electronics Technician, Dave is considered an industry expert when it comes to explaining how mobile audio components work and has crafted thousands of articles to share that knowledge. He’s currently the Head Writer for 1sixty8 media and the Editor-in-Chief at BestCarAudio.com

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