Testing for resonance before a competition. Advanced enclosure designs and state-of-the-art subs combine to generate record-shattering SPLs. "The Terminator," Harris' award-winning system circa-1986.

Q: What's the key to getting the most out of a system?

A: I always say it's 50% science and 50% art, but there's really just a lot of experimentation to it. On a basic level you want to make the interior of the car as small as possible, since the less air you have in there the more sound pressure you'll be able to get. Then you want the car to be rigid to keep vibration down and bottle the sound inside; any sound outside of the vehicle is wasted energy that's not helping your SPL. And working with an SPL meter to find the resonant frequency of the vehicle is important too. "You need power to make power," so make sure you have a strong electrical systems and speakers that can handle it without blowing up.

Q: Do you think we've reached the top as far as volume goes?

A: I don't think we're there yet, but the pace of increase has definitely started slowing down the last few years. When you start getting up to 170 dB every tenth of a decibel increase is really difficult to achieve, so it's gotten to be much closer between systems.

Q: How have the competitions and your work with Rockford Fosgate helped the car audio industry?

A: The shows have helped create an interest in car stereo and, in a lot of ways, really helped build up the car stereo aftermarket. By working with these companies (Orion, Rockford) while we were out getting our hands dirty and being involved at the ground level, we could see what the customers wanted and needed from their gear. We took that information back to our companies and helped them design better products to meet those needs and push the limits of car audio. The result were new products that ultimately benefited everyone. Consumers got products that were better engineered and competitors got the equipment to do what they needed.

Q: Tell me about the Terminator. Will you ever compete with it again?

A: I haven't competed with that car for 18 years, but I do still show it sometimes. It's pretty famous and it's still one of the biggest car audio systems in the world. It's a 1960 Cadillac hearse with a system that I built in 1984; nearly 6,000 watts of power, 24 inch speakers, an Apple computer to monitor the amp temperature, and an interior modeled after the cockpit of a jet. I do still crank it up sometimes, and it still rumbles.