Mitsubishi Partners With Rockford Fosgate to Offer Premium Audio System With Aftermarket Quality

Renowned Audio System to Be Factory-Installed in New 2006 Eclipse

CYPRESS, Calif., April 11 -- Mitsubishi Motors and Rockford Fosgate have teamed up to offer a high fidelity, high output audio system for the all-new 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse, set to hit dealers on Memorial Day weekend in May 2005. A leader in aftermarket car audio systems for 25 years, Rockford Fosgate offers Eclipse buyers the first OEM personal sound-setting memory option, and their aggressive PUNCH(R) signature sound, delivering dynamic output with the high impact bass of a premium aftermarket system.

"The Eclipse is a car that appeals to a demographic who enjoys everything about the driving experience," said Mike Krebs, vice president of product planning for Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA). "So it makes sense that one of the best audio systems on the market is available in that car."

Recently launched to the world at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the all-new 2006 Eclipse GT is a muscular, 263-horsepower sport coupe that looks more like a luxury sports car. The Eclipse's striking appearance, combined with the available 650-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system, is sure to get drivers noticed on any road in the country.

"This sound system is closer to the power and PUNCH(R) of our aftermarket systems than any other OEM-installed system on the market," said Dan Vandenbergh, managing director of OEM, Rockford Corporation. "Its mind-blowing volume and deep bass is noticeably absent from other factory-installed audio systems."

The Eclipse's optional Rockford Fosgate premium audio system features 650-watt amplification with nine-speakers, including a 10-inch, long-throw subwoofer in a fiberglass reinforced, acoustic suspension enclosure. The six-disc, in-dash CD changer plays MP3 files on CD-Rs for up to 64 hours of music playback. In addition to the usual bass, midrange, treble, fader, and balance controls, the Eclipse's advanced Digital Signal Processor (DSP), incorporated into the head unit, gives the user total control over the subwoofer PUNCH(R) level. For 25 years Rockford Fosgate has been delivering the sound of PUNCH(R), the feeling that music has when it is deep and loud. There are six levels of subwoofer PUNCH(R) sound in the all-new Eclipse.

The Eclipse's DSP also allows the driver to take control of the audio system like never before through three new tools: staging controls, musical genre presets and industry first personal sound settings.

Staging Controls

The staging controls of the Rockford Fosgate system set the perfect "sweet spot" for the driver and other listeners. Staging has three adjustments in addition to the normal position: Stage, Live and Hall. The Stage setting corrects left to right staging and the height of the music relative to the driver's position. The Live setting simulates a room such as a rock club or smaller jazz venue. More ambient sound and rear speakers come to life when music is "Live." And the Hall setting simulates the sound heard inside a large concert hall.

Music Genre Presets

The four musical genre presets -- Pop, Rock, Hip Hop and Country -- are equalization curves that have been tuned by Rockford Fosgate for maximum music performance for four widely different styles of music. Therefore, the audio system can be adjusted to suit the preferences of multiple drivers and passengers, or simply to match the style of music being played.

Industry-First Personal Sound Settings

For the first time in a factory-installed system, drivers and passengers can listen to music exactly how they like it with the touch of one button. Personal sound settings allow occupants to save favorite preferences in memory such as tone, balance, fader, equalizer and staging to a single, easy-to-use preset. There are six presets, which utilize the same buttons used to save preset radio stations.

The 650-watt Rockford Fosgate premium audio system also will be available in the new 2007 Eclipse Spyder convertible, scheduled to roll into dealerships in April 2006.