In 1999, Mike Bartells decided it was time to take complete control over his car audio career. With eight years of experience working for a local car stereo shop, Mike took a leap of faith and signed a lease to take over a defunct car dealership. He and his installer launched Extreme Audio on Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia.
The Loud Era
The store name was the perfect fit as it defined what was popular at the time. Creating cars and SUVs with walls of subwoofers was commonplace. Extreme Audio took a passion for loud audio systems to the next level and built a GMC Safari van to compete in IASCA SPL and dB Drag Racing competitions. The Extreme-class van featured four massive JBL Crown amplifiers and four JBL subwoofers. The van went on to win dozens of competitions, set multiple world records in its class, and even appeared on an episode of Mythbusters.
Relocation to Mechanicsville
While Extreme Audio did well in its first location, seven other car stereo shops were within three miles. Many new clients traveled more than 30 minutes to get to the shop, and his existing customers were maturing. Mike took another leap in 2002 when he moved the store to nearby Mechanicsville. The goal was to transform the Extreme nature of the business from “extremely loud” to “extreme attention to detail.”
The new location was in the heart of Mechanicsville, where there were fewer shops nearby. With Mechanicsville’s more laid-back, hometown feel, this client base wasn’t impressed by vehicles with loud stereos. What started as an extension of a car audio hobby quickly evolved into a serious business. The store began adding additional services like remote car starter installations, premium window tinting services, truck accessories and more. High-quality audio upgrades remained important, but the systems evolved to focus on sound quality and seamless installations rather than ground-shaking bass. The evolution toward proper audio component integration with factory-installed radios that couldn’t be removed grew quickly. With digital signal processors and proper configuration and calibration procedures, car audio systems could easily perform as well as high-end home stereos.
With Mike’s understanding of the importance of a proper first impression, the showroom evolved with interactive displays for car, marine, powersports and motorcycle audio upgrades. Sections were added for remote car starters, window tint, vehicle lighting upgrades, emergency lighting, collision avoidance, truck accessories and much more.
Extreme Audio Expansion to Midlothian
As his business plan continued to evolve, Mike knew that more clients could benefit from Extreme Audio’s unique approach to customer service and attention to detail. He found a new location in Midlothian to serve the booming local population and clients on the south side of Richmond.
Attention to Detail Ensures Happy Clients
As mentioned, Extreme Audio is serious about the work they do. A task like tinting the windows of a new SUV might seem relatively simple, but when taken seriously, it requires thoughtful planning and careful execution. A few specs of dust under the tint film aren’t acceptable. This is the Extreme Audio philosophy: If a job isn’t done with the utmost care and precision, it’s not Extreme.
This same mantra applies to the products the stores offer. The team hand-selects options from the top brands to provide clients with the best solutions possible. While many shops might blindly offer the brands’ entire lineup, Extreme Audio cherry-picks the best from each for the best value at every price point. Their partnership with companies like Alpine, Audiofrog, ARC Audio and JL Audio are a testament to this. There might be some more popular brands, but these are among the best in performance and value.
Industry-Recognized Expertise
Training is a critical component that drives Extreme Audio’s world-class solutions. Both locations’ sales and technical staffs regularly attend industry trade shows to learn about new products, technologies, processes and solutions. This training allows everyone to work more efficiently and deliver better-performing upgrades and value to clients.
The staff members at Extreme Audio aren’t just run-of-the-mill. Their efforts to provide their clients with the best solutions possible were recognized by winning the MEA Retailer of the Year award in 2013. The store and staff have also been recognized as Top Salespeople and Top Technicians in North America on many occasions.
As the team members have honed and specialized their skills, they’ve even been trainers at industry trade shows. The honor of helping educate the industry is an award in itself.
Motorcycle Audio Expansion with Motorrad Audio
Motorcycle audio upgrades have grown increasingly popular over the last decade. The teams at both Extreme Audio locations quickly became experts in designing and installing motorcycle audio upgrades. This expertise has brought in bikes of all brands, including Honda, Indian, many BMW touring bikes and, of course, Harley-Davidson bikes and trikes.
The lack of high-quality audio upgrade solutions for BMW motorcycles quickly became evident. With the team’s 3D scanning, design and printing expertise, Extreme Audio launched its latest venture: Motorrad Audio.
Speaker location and size are the most significant issues when upgrading BMW K1600, R1200RT and R1250RT bikes. The team started by developing a series of speaker pods for these applications. With their upgrades, the front fairing and rear bags can now house 6.5-inch motorcycle speakers. Wiring harnesses with OE-style connectors and amplifier solutions are also part of Motorrad Audio’s model-specific offerings. Motorrad Audio ships its BMW-specific plug-and-play audio upgrade solutions worldwide to help motorcycle owners enjoy their favorite music.
You can learn more about Motorrad Audio by visiting their website.
A Quarter Century of Client Focus
Unlike many shops that focus on selling the highest-priced items available, Extreme Audio invests in delivering the best value for its clients. The sales philosophy is to connect with the client and provide the perfect upgrade for every vehicle and owner. Delivering the best bang for the customers’ buck and truly exceptional customer service have inspired hundreds of five-star reviews on Google and social media. Consumers reading the reviews can quickly recognize this pattern, and many travel significant distances to get work done at Extreme Audio.
Extreme Audio shows no sign of slowing down. They continue to innovate with a relentless commitment to excellence. Here’s to another 25 years of setting the standard in the car audio industry, where passion, honesty and hard work drive every project, and every client leaves not just satisfied but thrilled with the job done.
Leave a Reply