Our friends at Manawatu Sound HUB (the installer) and Richard Hart (the owner) have built us a magnificent and truly exceptional car… It’s a 2014 Holden Commodore VF with a remarkable audio system—all MTX—that’s so powerful, its owner doesn’t even want to go home anymore... He sleeps in his car with the music on 😂. FYI, Holden is the brand used by GM for its cars built in Australia.

Going with two RFL amplifiers is no trivial choice. And from that detail alone, it’s clear that this talented team isn’t new to the game. It’s even a mark of recognition among car audio enthusiasts. In a high-end audio system, you need enough power to maintain control, go fast, and make everything work as intended. Think of it like a car engine—a bigger engine is always better...

So the team at Manawatu Sound HUB and Richard Hart used an RFL4001D for the bass, connected to four TX612 subwoofers configured as sealed enclosures. They didn’t push anything to the limit; the amp is running at 2Ω even though it supports 1Ω. But at 2Ω, the amp’s damping factor doubles… it hits much harder, it’s more precise, and the amp still has plenty of headroom. It’s a very clever setup. Precision, speed, musical quality, listening comfort—it’s all there; nothing is missing. Plus, the subwoofer layout in the trunk is brilliant. The four subs are mounted upside down with the magnets visible. It looks way better than having the cones facing out… 🙃

For the speakers in the cabin, they used two pairs of TX665S (voted “Speaker of the Year” by Car&Hifi, beating out a very long list of other models from other brands...) connected to an RFL4120. With its power, its high-quality components, and its solid build quality, it easily drives the TX665S with smoothness and musicality. The midrange is sublime, the attack is impressive, and the clarity is perfect. It’s fast and sounds great, always with plenty of headroom. Nothing is ever pushed to the limit...

For outdoor listening, you can switch off the RFL4120 and switch to a TX480D, which powers a pair of RTX654 and their RTX2BTs tweeters. They’re all installed in the trunk. As soon as you lift the trunk lid, the speakers are in the perfect listening position. The amp/speaker pairing is, once again, very clever. It sounds loud, it sounds clear, it carries far, and on top of that, the balance with the four TX612 subs is perfect when the trunk is open... A true work of art...

This Holden Commodore is certainly one of MTX’s finest installations in the world… Huge congratulations and a big thank you to the team at Manawatu Sound HUB and their client Richard Hart. It’s a masterful installation.