BAVSOUND, which sells upgrade audio systems exclusively for BMW and Mini, is expanding to bring vehicle specific systems to other high end cars.
It just launched new drop-in audio systems for the Toyota Supra, and will soon be releasing its products for other high end vehicles. It expanded to Mini vehicles about three years ago.
Despite the influx of more competitors in vehicle specific audio systems, (from brands such as Audison, Focal and Diamond), BAVSOUND says its BMW and Mini audio system sales are on the rise. It sells the systems in the neighborhood of $500 – $2,000 directly to consumers as well as through about 50 to 75 car audio select dealers.
“We’re getting more popular. Business has grown tremendously year over year, including this year and we’re expanding. We think this is where the future of car audio is headed. We’re definitely seeing that reflected in our business performance,” said BAVSOUND President Micah Cranman.
“Our long term plan is to take the concept across a wide variety of makes and models,” he continued. “Long term, we will have other makes and models. Our initial focus is likely to be on luxury or enthusiast-oriented brands; brands and vehicles that have similar demographics to BMWs.”
Currently, BAVSOUND offers three systems: The first is its Stage One Speaker Upgrade, a direct fit speaker replacement package for all the speakers in a BMW, Mini, or Toyota Supra (which is based on the BMW Z4 platform). The drop-ins are plug and play installable and they come in about 100 variations to fit different BMW & Mini vehicles going back to the 1996 model year.
The second is its “Ghost Underseat Subwoofer Upgrade” that includes a pair of two 8-inch subwoofers.
The third is its Revenant Amplifier Upgrade. The 1300W amp is made in Germany and it comes with a vehicle specific tuning profile.
Cranman says that BMW and Mini factory speakers are “generally quite poor,” and easy to improve. BAVSOUND speakers improve clarity and detail with less distortion that results in greater perceived loudness and a flatter frequency response at the same dB output. BAVSOUND subwoofers produce double the output as the factory subs and the BAVSOUND amp triples the power output, he said.
Cranman originally ran a separate business selling performance accessories for BMW and then he entered the car audio side. Along with his brother Coby, they began offering full BMW solutions which “wasn’t done at the time,” he said. In over 15 years, BAVSOUND has sold approximately 50,000 systems.
Some consumers install the products themselves and BAVSOUND supplies video installation tutorials and tech support. Consumers get a 100-day in-car product trial with free returns.
Cranman says less than two percent of people return the product because they are unhappy with its performance.
Products are shipped from a fulfillment center in Atlanta. The dealer gets a dealer code so he can order directly on the website with discounts. BAVSOUND offers next day shipping with programs to accommodate dealers who don’t want to stock inventory. BAVSOUND is looking to add more distribution centers in the future to accelerate shipping. It is also open to working with car audio distributors and welcomes inquiries.
For more information email [email protected]
yeah, they are taking half the profit away and leaving us the fun of the install. boxsters.