We all know that 2020 was a rough year for motorsports and the custom car industry. Whether it was losing races that were scheduled, racing in front of no fans, the cancellation of car shows and audio soundoffs, it just wasn’t pleasant. It appears that 2021 is the year of the comeback for us all, and the car audio world is no different.

Over the weekend I traveled up to Knoxville for my first chance at checking out the XS Power show and open house. I also was able to convince one of my drag racing friends Jason Young to tag along to his first show experience.

For those of you that don’t know, XS Power has been a leader in the aftermarket world for more than 15 years now. They specialize in batteries and power banks for a multitude of applications. You will see them everywhere from drag racing, street rods, daily drivers, show cars, and especially the car audio world. I spoke with the reps at XS Power while I was covering Lights Out this year, and I am amazed at how the continue to come up with new products, and how small the products have become.

For a little background, I personally competed in my first car audio competition way back in 1996. At the time I was running four JL Audio 12W1’s with a Soundstream Class A6.0 in a sealed box. This was in the back of my 1990 Ford Probe. The loudest I managed was a whopping 133db before popping two speakers. The times have certainly changed though.

In the 90’s you were looking at spending somewhere around $1 a watt for a great amplifier, and that was usually a minimum. Now you can purchase a 3500 watt amplifier for about $500 from a manufacture like DC Audio or Sundown Audio. With places like Down4Sound or your local shop as well. With all that amp draw comes a huge demand for power, and that is exactly where XS excels. As I slowly make my way back into that side of the industry, I’ve realized how a company like XS Power is the absolute foundation of the audio industry.

Going up to Knoxville and checking out not only the XS Power products, but also the great rides that were there competing was a real treat. As was seeing Jason’s face when he was looking at these builds with almost a look of shock on his face when he realized the amount of power it took to do these builds. As we walked around back to watch some of the competitors in numerous categories show off their builds and pump out huge DB numbers, it brought me back to the 90’s immediately.

The first vehicle that we watched compete in the DB drags was a DC Audio outfitted van. I knew this was going to be special when I saw the competitor pull the deck out of the rear of the van and drape the wire harness over the closed door to avoid being in the vehicle during competition. I watched the board and could feel the pressure outside the van, all in a culmination of a 167+ db reading on the board. I know some of you won’t understand how loud that measurement is, so I have dropped some knowledge below to give you an idea of how load the inside of the van was.

Here is a chart from Pulsar Instruments to give you an idea of how loud other items in the world are compared to the car audio system in this van.

Per the chart I listed above, the van was someone between a shotgun blast and a rocket launch. There is a lot more information regarding db levels, exposure, and measurements in the link above as well. Also, if you were wondering, the current db World Record is, and from all the information I can find, it is still Alan Dante at 184.9 db. That means the burp that Alan’s vehicle did is equal to the sound pressure created by a rocket launch.

Honestly, I can’t wait to get to more of these shows and bring you guys coverage of this stuff. If you appreciate craftsmanship and custom cars and trucks, E3xtreme and our sister outlet LLBB will be showing it off to you. A huge thanks to XS Power have hosting such a cool show, and if you are in the market for batteries or power banks, whether it’s 12V, 14V, or 16V, even lithium stuff, check out XS Power!