Not many people can say they have one of New Zealands loudest car audio systems, even less can say they have owned several systems that have been in the Top 10 list in dB Drag NZ year in and year out… However Tom Mangu can say this but is not a bragging man, so I have taken it upon myself to write this blog in honor of NZ’s Loudest For Sounds Alive 2014!
When you first meet Tom (or Big T as some of his friends call him) he can look like quite an intimidating man but soon afterwards realize he is most likely one of the most approachable down to earth people you could meet, not only within the dB Drag NZ scene but also in general. His encouragement has inspired not only myself to build a crazy system but also a large majority of the dB Drag NZ Competitors making him a major asset to the Bass/SPL community!
A couple of setups Tom has had in his Nissan El Grand
I asked Tom a about a week ago about how he got into his sounds and this is what he had to say:
“My very first system was back in 2002, bought my truck & the very same weekend drove to Auckland to a big 48hr non-stop sale & bought the two JBL’s (4th-Order Bandpass Subwoofer Boxes), a Fusion 900watt Mono-Block, Pioneer 6’s in the rear & Alpine comps up front on a Fusion 50×4 channel amp….. It was a lot of money back then, but my wife gave me $3k to get my system……. I didn’t know sh*t about car audio……. I had as ton of home systems that included car audio subs but it was my first proper car audio setup.
I never got to meter it but it was pretty awesome for what it was! I have had at least 10-12 systems since then, think i started competing at events back in 2004 maybe & i think my 1st dB Drag was 2006″
As you can tell getting to the top wasn’t a overnight achievement and a lot of time, effort, money and testing is involved to get the results Tom now achieves!
An article written about Tom by NZ Performance Car from a couple years back
If you have had a chance to have a demo in Toms Mitsubishi Mirage (or Mi-Rage as he calls it) you would know how brutal it can be, not only does it play music over 150dB with ease but does it at extremely low frequencies. I have been lucky enough to have had a few demos from the Mi-Rage and can say it is not for the light hearted and easily say there is nothing quite like it in New Zealand! If you ever find yourself at an event where Tom is demoing the Mi-Rage I suggest you ask Tom for a demo, because at these dB levels you are no longer listening to the music and are more feeling or experiencing it!
An old JBL Bandpass setup Tom had years ago
Toms results this year have been nothing but impressive so I thought I’d do a little telly up.
V4 & Rotary Nationals 2014:
Saturday January 25th 2014
ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland
Extreme Bass Battle NZ Class:
1st @ 156.11 dB
Sounds Alive Class:
14th @ 140.78 dB (Pretty sure he did this to give other competitors a chance)
Kiwi Extreme Wall Class:
2nd @ 152.42 dB
V4 & Rotary North Island Jamboree
Sunday March 23rd, 2014
Manfield Circuit, South Street, Fielding
Extreme Bass Battle NZ Class:
1st @ 156.14 dB
Sounds Alive Class:
1st @ 150.34 dB
Kiwi Extreme Wall Class:
1st @ 154.62 db
And here is the system that won NZ’s Loudest For Sounds Alive 2014
I’d like to say Congratulations to Tom for being NZ’s Loudest for Sounds Alive 2014 & also #1 in the Top Ten Soundoff Top Guns for 2014 too!
On behalf of Abtec New Zealand 1993 Ltd, dB Drag NZ and SQ & SPL Soundoffs NZ, I present to you (Below) NZ’S Loudest for Sounds Alive 2014 Tom Mangu!
Tom Mangu himself with his NEW trophy
Keep an eye or ear in this case out for Tom and his future builds as history has already shown us his builds only are going to get bigger, badder, better and LOUDER!
Lance ‘Captain Z’ Wilson