[ATIpods]

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Hello G Wagon owners and fans! We have some exciting news! Auto Tech Interiors recently purchased a 2011 G55 AMG, only to rebuild it and show it off at SEMA 2014 and CES 2015. It was a great build, which was just photographed as an upcoming PAS Magazine feature!

The G Wagon has potential for an incredible sound system, but during our build, we noticed the front sound stage needed some serious help. After some design work, we made clay models to see if we could improve the audio and we think we came up with a great solution!

The result of our build will be the launch of a new audio pod line starting with the G Wagon. Our kit will include a Left, Center, and Right channel audio pod, all of which are hand made and will dramatically improve your soundstage, without even changing your speakers! The improvement comes from the placement of each speaker, all of which become forward firing, instead of pointing up and into the roofline. The Center channel even has a place wide enough to prop up your iPhone 6+ so you can use it to safely view and use your phone. (Prototypes photographed below were wrapped for CES and SEMA shows - more photos of updated prototypes/final products will be made available shortly)

ATI’s Audio Pod line was founded on the idea of further improving the overall driving experience. We believe all cars deserve a solid sound system, not just one that looks good but one that also delivers full, rich, enveloping sound.

Those interested in purchasing the G Wagon Audio Pods will be pleased to learn we are also putting together a package which pairs our audio pods with Illusion Audio or Focal products, for those that want only the best from their G Wagon!

Our Audio Pods for the G Wagon will not be mass produced but will in fact be handmade and machined.
If you’re interested, please bump or comment on this thread so we can start putting together some concrete pricing information for everyone.

Contact us at [email protected] or follow us @ATIpods on Instagram, Twitter, and/or Facebook for our latest news and updates.

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[ATIpods]

Hello everyone,

As a manufacturer of 12+ years, we value and need input from the community in order to produce a great product. Please provide your comments so we can launch a great product for G Wagon owners!

- Auto Tech Interiors

follow us @ATIpods on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates

 

[AlanMcR]

OK, I'll bite.
Why not just replace the speakers? The new interior is already cramped, the last thing it needs is more clutter.

 

[ATIpods]

OK, I'll bite.
Why not just replace the speakers? The new interior is already cramped, the last thing it needs is more clutter.

Thanks Alan. We are and have been audiophiles for quite some time. When we purchased this vehicle to build for SEMA last year, we noticed right away that the speaker location was not ideal. We've built a number of audiophile systems with our partners at Focal and picked up some knowledge working with them. So we decided that a simple relocation/redirection of the G Wagon speakers would improve sound quality right away. As an owner of this vehicle, our boss really expected a better audio experience from the original setup but was disappointed, which is why we decided to design something to improve it. Pairing our audio pods, which mimic the shape of the indicator lights, with good speakers has created a remarkable experience. We absolutely love driving this around town and enjoying the clear, dimensional soundstage in the cabin. We hope that we'll be able to share this with other G owners and put some smiles of faces.

Thanks again for your input!


Calvin

 

[greynlds]

Since you asked...

I'm not keen on the look of the pods either and it doesn't look like you got a perfect color match with the rest of the dashboard. Also, the pod for the center speaker won't work in newer G's with the nav screen above the center vents.

Without hearing them, I can't comment on how they change the sound.

They may look better in person than in the photos, but I can only go by what I can see.

 

[ATIpods]

Since you asked...

I'm not keen on the look of the pods either and it doesn't look like you got a perfect color match with the rest of the dashboard. Also, the pod for the center speaker won't work in newer G's with the nav screen above the center vents.

Without hearing them, I can't comment on how they change the sound.

They may look better in person than in the photos, but I can only go by what I can see.

Hi Alan. Thanks again for your feedback. We designed these for models prior to the 2012, after Mercedes relocated the GPS.

The pod in the image is actually our prototype which we used at SEMA and also at CES. Therefore, the color is not quite matched. If we do start producing these, they will be computer matched

On a side note, the center channel was covered due to incomplete painting before the shows but if it were exposed, you would see a practical tray on each side of the speaker that could be used to store coins and other small items There is also a slow on each side that is wide enough to stand upright, the current iPhone 6 Plus. We did this because we didn't like the location of the GPS, which we felt was dangerous. Like our owner, he uses his phone as a GPS device and has it on the dash to improve visibility.

I hope this helps. We appreciate the comments.

 

[SandmanG500]

Hi Alan. Thanks again for your feedback. We designed these for models prior to the 2012, after Mercedes relocated the GPS.

The pod in the image is actually our prototype which we used at SEMA and also at CES. Therefore, the color is not quite matched. If we do start producing these, they will be computer matched

On a side note, the center channel was covered due to incomplete painting before the shows but if it were exposed, you would see a practical tray on each side of the speaker that could be used to store coins and other small items There is also a slow on each side that is wide enough to stand upright, the current iPhone 6 Plus. We did this because we didn't like the location of the GPS, which we felt was dangerous. Like our owner, he uses his phone as a GPS device and has it on the dash to improve visibility.

I hope this helps. We appreciate the comments.

It does look way better than those giant boombox people put in the rear cargo......

However, it may just fit the lifestyle of a Hollywood star than us normal people...

 

[ATIpods]

It does look way better than those giant boombox people put in the rear cargo......

However, it may just fit the lifestyle of a Hollywood star than us normal people...

Thanks Sandman! The sound is really incredible. The G was built for amazing sound..just a giant open box inside. We hope some fellow owners will experience what we do every day. The guys at Orca Design, who have been working with us on this project as well as on our 2009 BMW M3, have been supporting us with their exclusive products, Focal and Illusion Audio. Great gear indeed !

 

[ATIpods]

fyi...yes, that's a G55 AMG that we converted to a G63 front bumper. Thanks for the compliments!

I'm surprised there are not more audiophiles out there though. I, myself, have loved the G for a long time but I expected a better audio system for the $100K+ I spent on it.



Calvin
President
Auto-Tech Interiors Inc.

 

[greynlds]

fyi...yes, that's a G55 AMG that we converted to a G63 front bumper. Thanks for the compliments!

I'm surprised there are not more audiophiles out there though. I, myself, have loved the G for a long time but I expected a better audio system for the $100K+ I spent on it.

I've got REALLY nice surround sound and stereo systems (Revel Ultima 2 in the surround system and Focal Electra speakers in the stereo system) at home, but I'm really interested in doing too many mods of this sort to a brand new $100K+ vehicle when the stock system quite honestly isn't all that bad (perhaps they improved the sound system in the last few years).

 

[ATIpods]

Hi Greynlds,

We do business with Focal...great products! I personally just demo'd the Revel Salon 2 for my home. Fantastic! I'll PM you.
I understand your point, maybe the audio did improve over the last couple of years but I can say, with this slight investment in pods (speaker relocation) and a new front soundstage (one pair of components plus a 3" center channel), the audio becomes remarkable! If you ever come down to NJ, we would love to demo the system. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram...we'll be posting the build at the end of the month @ATIpods

Thanks,
Calvin

 

[acmw]

Hello Calvi, where in NJ are you . i am from NJ and am very interested in this set up for my car, and a local audio fabricator actually had the same idea about pods in mind. for pricing comparison please pm me or email me [email protected]

 

[ATIpods]

Hello Calvi, where in NJ are you . i am from NJ and am very interested in this set up for my car, and a local audio fabricator actually had the same idea about pods in mind. for pricing comparison please pm me or email me [email protected]

Thanks. I'll email you.
:wink

 

[Teutone]

Thanks. I'll email you.
:wink

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