Godfather of Car Audio Returns

A dealer who opened one of the first car audio shops back in 1968 and who helped test and develop some of the early car audio products, Rich Inferrera, is launching a car audio laboratory.

At the laboratory called Exotic Audio Labs in Maricopa, AZ, Inferrera will test and review car audio products for suppliers, car makers, magazines and other clients.

The first products to be reviewed will likely be Focal speakers and JL Audio amplifiers.

Inferrera ran Rich’s Car Tunes, in Watertown, MA for 42 years before closing the shop 3 years ago.   Reportedly Andy Oxenhorn, now president of JL Audio gave him the moniker “Godfather of Car Audio” as he helped take home audio products back in the 1960s and early ‘70s and convert them to fit and work in the car.

Over the years Inferrera built car audio systems of all types including one worth just shy of $1/2 million.  His installations were featured in hundreds of magazines and he installed systems for musicians from bands including Aerosmith, The Cars, Boston, New Kids on the Block, and other celebrities. He also started the RITOP school to train installers.

During the past 4 months Inferrera hand-constructed a lab about 32 x 12 feet, which can fit a car or truck.  He’s also devising car doors on rollers that have quick release inserts for various speakers so he can sit between the “doors” and listen.

Inferrera said what he always liked best as a retailer is watching the faces of customers who listened to their new sound system.  “When the job was done and tuned, the most exciting part was watching their face listening to it for the first time. That’s what kept me going all those years from the very beginning to the end,” he said.

Exotic Audio Labs has a web site here, which should go live next month. Inferrera may be reached at [email protected].

Source: CEoutlook