AMAROK AND ROLL

You may think there’s just not enough utes in the world with big mofo speakers in the back of them. Volkswagen it seems, noticed that gaping hole in the market and decided to fill it with the new Amarok Power DJ Mobile ute. Which includes a complete DJ sound system built into the 3.5 square metre tray, and powered by Void Acoustics (VA) loudspeakers.

The concept for the ute was put together by German event specialist Edelmat, with the design team from VA, to appeal to professional DJs working in outdoor events, trade shows, festivals or parties. Void’s German distributor Event-Integrator was responsible for the installation.

We’re looking forward to seeing Holden’s version, with beer filled refrigerated esky and blue heeler in ear muffs sitting on the back tray, working the bush doof circuit.

“We listened carefully to the client and incorporated VW’s ideas into a functional design“, explains Edelmat’s managing director and project manager Daniel Schaefers. “And of course throughout the discussions we also had to consider the demands of the DJs.”

The sound system consists of two VA Impulse 3t three-way loudspeakers (optimised for nearfield coverage), customised Stasys Xair subwoofers, with Mycro 6 two-way loudspeakers integrated into specially manufactured enclosures. The system is powered by MC² Audio amplifiers: an E4-75 for the Impulse 3t loudspeakers and an E25 for the subwoofers, while the monitor loudspeakers are served by an E25. The audio processing is provided by an XTA 448 digital controller.

The entire sound system is totally self-contained: the power amplifiers are located in the cab; AC mains power is provided by a 16 A CEE connection panel in the vehicle chassis; and the loudspeakers are housed within custom locations.

“Our mission is to help realise the ideas and visions of our customers – planners, designers and DJs,” says Event-Integrator’s managing director Jörg Sandmann. “This project allowed us to do things differently, and create a sophisticated sonic architecture in the form of an impressive vehicle where technology follows design. The cooperation between edelmat and the VW design team was a great example of perfect teamwork, and the result was an amazing DJ Mobil with a harmony of three factors: colours, experience and emotion.”

The whole installation was designed to be transported on the back of the ute, be easy to set up and immediately ready for use. The colour-coded connection panels and plugs make wiring the system simple. Once on site, the DJ equipment and the loudspeakers can be set up with just a few simple steps, and the party can start.

“We had fantastic support from the Void Acoustics design team, and Jörg Sandmann’s excellent product knowledge was immensely valuable. The result is an innovative Amarok Power vehicle with high-quality sound equipment and a unique design – and featuring 5,000 Watts of output power,” comments Schaefers.

Whether or not the ute will see the light of day in Australia is unknown, there’s also no word on what VW plans on charging for one of these.

Still, we thought it was kind of awesome.

Excerpts from PR

Photos by courtesy of VW Nutzfahrzeuge.