The Magic Bus has undergone a number of revisions since its inception.
The revision history of the Magic Bus is in accordance with the following convention:
X.Y.Z
where X is the number of hardware revisions, Y is the number of firmware revisions, and Z is the number of tuning revisions.
The 'Bus is currently at revision 5.2.3 which was completed on May 30, 2018.
The following is a brief description of prior revisions:
1.0.0 - Completed on January 4, 2008
Initial proof-of-concept completion, Dynaudio MD130 tweeters, MW150 midranges, MW180 woofers, and six MW190 subwoofers in an isobaric configuration. Four unmodified Genesis amplifiers (Two Dual Monos for the tweeters and midranges, one Dual Mono Xtreme for the woofers, and one Dual Mono Xtreme for the subwoofer. Unfinished interior, no acoustical treatments. Alpine F#1 Status DVI-9990 and PXA-H990 source and processor. Reviewed by Robert Harley, Doug Moir, and others, at 2008 CES declared it to be "The World's Best Car Stereo".
2.0.0 - Completed on April 18, 2011
New Dynaudio Esotar² 100 tweeters, custom-designed MW150 Neo midranges, and three Esotar² 1200 subwoofers (this time not isobaric, just simple sealed enclosures). Six modified Genesis amplifiers (by Steve McCormack and Gordon Taylor). The subwoofer received 3300 W of power, bringing the total system power to 4600 W. Fifty-four (54) acoustical treatments validated by scientific measurements. On-board auxiliary battery charging system (120 V AC, 6 A to 12 V DC, 40 A) with AC noise filtration, ground fault protection, and advanced AC/DC multimeters monitored the AC and DC systems.
3.0.0 - Completed on May 30, 2016
New Sony RSX-GS9 Digital Media Player ("GS9") and Helix DSP Pro digital signal processor ("DSP"). A 12.7 mm thick (0.50 inches) thick, black anodized 6061-T6 aluminum mounting bezel and backing plate were digitized from a hand-finished model then CNC-machined. The mounting system contained a 5 mm (0.188 inches) thick constrained-layer damping material, making the total thickness 30.4 mm (1.20 inches)! Sony's audio microphone was recessed into the dome light, mounted into a custom-fabricated polycarbonate mount bonded to the inner structure of the dome light. All six Genesis amplifiers were sent back to the UK for Gordon Taylor (AmpDoctor.com) to fully update them to his ultimate standards. All new, custom-fabricated interconnects featuring Kimber Kable's KCAG cable (triple braided silver conductors) terminated with WBT 0102 Ag silver RCAs. The interconnects were further shielded with a Beryllium-copper sleeve (grounded at the source end of the cable) and protected by carbon-infused nylon braided sleeving. Soldered with WBT's lead-based solder containing 4% silver. Three interconnects were used for left, right, and subwoofer, each were about 4.0 meters (about 13 feet) long. Installed Kimber's Select KS2426 USB cable for the GS9's USB2 output. A Neutrik USB receptacle was remotely mounted inside the glovebox. XS Power provided four absorbed glass mat ("AGM") batteries, one D4900 for engine starting duty, and three XP2500 batteries for the audio system. Total audio system capacity was upgraded from 200 A-hr to 300 A-hr. Positive and negative battery bussbars were each machined from 1/4 x 4 inch (6.35 x 101.6 mm) super-conductive 101 copper. Threaded lugs and spacers were also machined from super-conductive 101 copper and silver-soldered to the bussbars. All bussbars were silver plated to military-grade specifications for corrosion protection, and further protected by adhesive-lined heat shrink tubing.
4.1.2 - Completed May 31, 2017:
Helix DSP Pro MKII (upgraded op-amps by Gordon Taylor) installed. Sony Firmware updated to Version 12, thus enabling the playback of DSD up to 11.2 MHz and PCM up to 352 kHz/32 bit. Minor tuning revisions implemented based on the advice of Sony's engineers and Steve McCormack.
5.2.3 - Completed May 30, 2018:
New rear view camera system. New iPhone 6 Plus Multi-function control center. New VIPER alarm system. Sony Firmware updated to Version 13. Major tuning revisions to the crossover topology to enhance phase coherency. New voicing by Steve McCormack. This version is the best yet and attains the sound I've always dreamed of achieving. This version is so good, Earl Zausmer urged me not to change anything!
The Magic Bus by Jon Raymond Whitledge