Local business to host first car audio competition

Monday, August 16, 2010

The Bourbon County Fairgrounds will play host to a unique competition Saturday as car stereos are put to the test.

The local car audio installation company Octave Above will be hosting the first annual Fort Scott Auto Sound Challenge to showcase the car audio industry and to provide some friendly competition between car owners.

Brent Crays, owner of Octave Above and organizer of the event, said he has a lot of experience in competitions such as this and he felt it is the right time, after three years in business in Fort Scott, to start a local competition.

"It's something that I used to do all the time when I was at another stereo shop in Emporia," he said. "It's a fun time for the community and the people who like to compete."

Crays said that he anticipates between 30 and 70 competitors to attend and compete in two categories, sound pressure level and overall sound quality. He said that competitors will be coming from the local area as well as out of town and out of state. At stake during the competition will be trophies for the winners and the all-important bragging rights.

Hosting the event in Fort Scott, Crays said was important because the reason for the competition was, "for the local people that have systems in their cars to have the ability to either have them tested out or have them judged to see where they stand."

Having been in the business for more than 30 years, Crays said that anyone who has had a car audio system installed at Octave Above has just as good a chance at getting high marks from the judges as anyone else.

In addition to providing a competition, Crays said he hopes to get the community involved and show the community that car audio is much more than just making it loud. He said that the judges also look at the craftsmanship of the installation and whether or not the equipment looks like it is part of the car. He added, that most of the car stereo systems when dialed down a bit can sound as good, if not better, than many home entertainment systems.

"There are people in the community that are not appreciative of the boom-boom-boom that goes down the street, and I understand that," he said. "That's not everything that car stereo is about ... I want them to be able to see the craftsmanship and the pride that these people have.

Registration is set to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday and the competition will begin at 2 p.m. Crays said that the competition is likely to end between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Those who would like to register prior to Saturday may register at Octave Above, 802 E. Wall St., between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Friday. Registration for the competition will be $15. Admission to the event is free and open to the public.