Gary Bell, Director of Audio at Stinger / AudioControl, joins Klifton Keplinger and Mike Myers for a wide-ranging conversation covering more than three decades in car audio.

Gary traces his path from building systems as a teenager, working on celebrity vehicles and some of the industry’s most recognizable show cars, through Alpine, product development, and eventually his current role helping shape the future of AudioControl.

The conversation also looks back at the 2026 WCA Finals hosted at Stinger / AudioControl, recently recognized as Venue of the Year, including what went into creating the event, what worked, and how manufacturers can help make sound quality competition more accessible, engaging, and relevant.

Plus, the group gets into competition tuning, judging, listening levels, regional trends, and what separates a great demo car from a car built to perform on the score sheet.

Brought to you by Resonix Sound Solutions. Learn more about Resonix sound treatments, resources, and products at ResonixSoundSolutions.com.

In this episode of the SQOLOGY Podcast, Klifton and Michael Myers dig into one of the biggest underlying tensions in today’s sound quality world: the difference between events built to sell and events built to serve competitors.

Using Steel Valley Regional as a starting point, the conversation expands into sponsorship, industry support, retailer involvement, grassroots event culture, and what actually sustains car audio over time. Klifton reflects on lessons from Hybrid Audio Technologies, Soundz, and years of event promotion, while Mike brings the installer, tuner, judge, and competitor perspective to the discussion.

This is a deeper conversation about what grows the hobby, what preserves it, and why those are not always the same thing. They also explore how brands, retailers, event directors, judges, and competitors each play different roles in keeping the community alive, and why people, not products, remain the center of it all.

Sponsored by Resonix Sound Solutions. Learn more about Resonix at resonixsoundsolutions.com.

This episode also highlights Steel Valley Regional, one of the premier sound quality events in the country, made possible through strong industry support and the continued effort of Larry Chijner and the SVR team.

In this episode of the SQOLOGY Podcast, Klifton Keplinger and Michael Myers are joined by Jeffrey Hald of Total Tuning. The conversation digs into the realities of remote tuning at scale, microphone strategy, physical optimization versus DSP-first thinking, and what actually separates consistent competitors from one-hit results. Jeffrey shares lessons from rebuilding after failure, tuning under real-world constraints, and why iteration, fundamentals, and community matter more than chasing equipment or shortcuts.

They also explore the future of sound quality competition, the difference between sales-driven events and competitor-driven events, and how the industry can better cultivate new participants without losing depth or integrity.

This episode is sponsored by ResoNix Sound Solutions, providing engineered sound treatment designed to reduce noise and resonance and create a stable foundation for serious sound quality systems. Learn more at ⁠resonixsoundsolutions.com.⁠

This episode is also supported by SVR XV (Steel Valley Regional 15), taking place July 17-19, 2026 at the WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, West Virginia. Registration for the Top 48 competitor field is currently full. For more information, contact Larry Chijner or Richard Papasin, and follow the Steel Valley Regional Facebook group for updates on organization registration, announcements, and availability.

SQOLOGY exists to document the pursuit of better sound, preserve the culture of sound quality competition, and keep meaningful conversations alive across seasons, regions, and generations.