Custom Dodge Dakota Has Some Serious Bite

SoundDomain member 00RedRT has owned this red Dodge Dakota RT for six years and after saving and buying components to build his ideal audio system, finally bit the bullet and sent the car down to Jeff Smith and James Stanton of Sound Sensations to put all the pieces together in one of the most impressive builds I've seen yet. His weapons of choice include a complete Alpine multimedia/F#1 system, Dynaudio three-way speaker system, and JL Audio amps and subs, wrapped into a red snake skin wrapped custom center console, amp rack, and sub enclosure. Red and black leather wrapped Viper seats at the perfect sport touch to this mean street machine. However, words truly can't express how impressive this build is, so you'll just have to  check out the pics for  yourself!

Alpine's New KCE-350BT Now Shipping

A couple of weeks ago, TeamSoundDomain's Robert Petty gave us a hands-on review of the Alpine KCE-300BT, a handy add-on Bluetooth module that turns your Alpine source unit into a hands-free cellphone kit. Well, the good just got better as Alpine has announced the release a newer version, the KCE-350BT.

The 350BT displays caller ID info on the radio's LCD or screen, and offers access to missed calls, dialed calls, and received calls, as well as access to phone book information and voice dialing for compatible phones. The conversation is broadcasted through your car's speakers, and the included echo-canceling microphone provides crystal clear conversations while on the go. If you want to check one of these out and find out if your phone is compatible, hop down to your local Alpine dealer for a demo. They've got all the answers!

For more details on this little gem, follow the jump for Alpine's full press release.

30 Years of Alpine: Party On Alpine, Party On

"Alpine" is pretty much synonymous with "car audio", and for good reason: they are one of the oldest and most respected brands in the car audio industry, and this year marks their 30th Anniversary! Many of us remember the Lamborghini marketing, the market-leading CVA-1000 flip-out video screen, the sound quality standard setting 7909, and the most recent SQ standard, the F#1 systems, but these are only the tip of the iceberg for Alpine's accomplishments. They do have quite a few very impressive demo vehicles in their stables as well. But all of this success in the industry is nothing without their fans and loyal consumers, and to show how much they appreciate the three decades of support, Alpine threw together a little invitation-only block party at their HQ in Torrance, California. Customer cars and factory demo vehicles filled the parking lots, live music by bands from Alpine's "Rock the Dash" contest filled the air, and grilled-up goodness from In-N-Out filled attendees bellies.

We've got a few event pics and a full press release on the event after the jump!

Hands-On: Alpine IVA-W505

SoundDomain member Erin "bikinpunk" Hardison picked up an Alpine IVA-W505 and decided to document the unboxing and provided a pictorial walk-through of some of the different menus and screens. If you've considered picking up one of these multimedia powerhouses, click through to the forum to check out everything from the basic CD and DVD controls to the USB input interface and sound-shaping controls.

Check it out!

Alpine Bluetooth Install & Hands-On

Team SoundDomain member Robert Petty has been building up his toy arsenal again, this time adding an Alpine KCE-300BT Bluetooth adapter to his IVA-W205. But since Robert is an engineer by trade and a gadget geek by hobby, he wanted to take his install a bit beyond what Alpine provides instructions for. Robert's Acura CL-S came equipped with an analog OnStar system (which was made useless after OnStar switched to an all-digital system not too long ago), and he successfully incorporated the factory OnStar microphone in his rearview mirror with the Alpine set-up. Now Robert has a stealthy hands-free solution for his mobile phone and can even stream audio from his cell into his W205.

Check out Roberts hands-on of the KCA-300BT, including screen shots and install progress, in the Head Unit Help forum, and take a peek at his competition SQ CL-S build in the Team SoundDomain forums.