There is speaker at Planet Rock Car Audio in Hanford that can pump out an eardrum-shattering 178 decibels. It's so loud, the vehicle it was tested in at a Las Vegas trade show had to be constructed like an armored car to withstand the blast. It's so loud, owner George Casares recommends the his customers wear earplugs while the speaker is thumping.

"They can still hear and feel the music. It just won't damage their ears," Casares said.

Such is the world of car stereos, where eye-watering volume trumps everything else.

That's what young guys approximately 18 to 25 years old want, and that's what Casares gives them.

The cost ranges from $1,000 all the way up to $4,000 for a tricked-out system with all the bells and whistles.

"When I first started, I couldn't believe it. It amazed me how people will start with a stereo and just add on and add on and add on until they have a full-blown entertainment system in their car," Casares said.

Since opening in 1999, he's seen the demand rise for louder and louder systems, culminating in the Memphis Mojo, the massive 30-pound woofer that is capable of putting out the above-mentioned 178 decibels.

For comparison, the loudest possible sound that the earth's atmosphere can sustain is 194 decibels, according to the Galen Carol Audio Web site.

The same site has the death of hearing tissue occurring at 180 decibels, standing near a jet engine at 140 decibels and a "loud rock concert" at 115 decibels.

Though there is some disagreement about the exact decibel readings for some of these events, there's no doubt that 178 decibels is nearing the limit for sustained sound on Earth.

And for Fresno State sociology professor Xuanning Fu, there's no doubt that it's all about attracting attention.

"They would rather suffer and let other people know that they are there," Fu said.

Casares said that 90 percent of his business comes from the 18-25 age group, with older customers preferring high-fidelity over tissue-damaging loudness.

Fu wasn't surprised to hear that. He compared the behavior to a child coming off of breast feeding and crying for attention as it makes the transition to solid food.

"They are crying out, 'Notice me, I'm my own man, I'm independent,'" Fu said.

Except many have parents buying the stereo for them, Casares said.

Casares said he wouldn't do that for his own kids.

He has become a business owner twice over. He has another company specializing in spray-on concrete called Universal Shotcrete. He said he's done work on high rise buildings in the Los Angeles area.

He splits his time between Hanford and LA.

"Hanford is like a vacation spot to relax," he said.

But for the 18 to 25-year-old set, there doesn't seem to be much relaxing.

Whether its loud stereos or jacked up pickup trucks that burn gas and cost way too much, the urge to show off is universal, according to Fu.

Young men 100 years ago in America had the habit of showing off their belt, he said. They would even go so far as to walk around in winter with their coats open, suffering so they could show off the belts, Fu indicated.

"We have been doing this for thousands of years. We're just using what is available in our era," Fu said.

Casares said his stereo business does well, and he intends to keep it despite the demands of his concrete business.

"Because if construction is slow, I can always have the store to fall back on," he said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

(May 9, 2008)