Rockford Fosgate is a manufacturer of aftermarket and OEM car audio and In-Car Entertainment (ICE) products and accessories, as well as limited Pro Audio, and personal electronics such as earphones. Lightning Audio is a subsidiary brand of the company.
The Rockford Fosgate audio company was founded by Jim Fosgate in 1973. Fosgate worked from his garage in Arizona, and he thought of the idea of adding an amplifier formatted for low-impedance loads into cars. These amplifiers were applied to speakers, which in turn made it able to drown out road noise and any other noise that prevented someone from listening to their music.
Rockford Fosgate®. It's a full sentence. It means POWER! It means ATTITUDE! Since 1973, when founder Jim Fosgate put his name on the first real piece of high performance audio equipment built for the car, nothing has been the same.
While the rest of the world was struggling with really bad fashions and shoes that were way too high, Jim Fosgate, working in his garage in Arizona, USA, figured out that an amplifier, and for that matter, a car audio system would have to be dramatically different than what people were listening to in their homes.This meant an amplifier that could run low impedance loads, which meant that it would have to run in stereo and mono simultaneously. These needs then dictated that the amplifier incorporate a MOSFET design, a small detail that was unknown in the world of audio at the time. Wrap all this "technobabble" into the single most important development of the Fosgate designs… The PUNCH EQ.
While working with a friend, Jim realized that music and the human ear had very different sonic signatures or "curves". Where the human ear had the most trouble [down in lower frequencies at lower volumes] the music made it worse.The solution has been the patented Punch EQ… the ability to add up to +18dB at 45HZ…(Bass Boost) & and/or +12dB at 20kHz (Treble Boost - this is a hinge filter active from 1kHz to 20kHz.)
That’s a lot of control! Things such as car windows, leather, road noise, and even your annoying life mate that never stops yappin'… all benefit from the musical energy that Punch EQ puts back into the system. The sound of THE PUNCH gave Mr. Fosgate’s first customers the impact that their music needed. Now… that PUNCH is the sound of Rockford Fosgate® and you can hear it in everything we make.
Rockford Corporation has always believed that the more our industry prospers, the more Rockford will prosper. For this reason Rockford Corporation helped found I.A.S.C.A. Rockford employees co-authored the first National Autosound Challenge Association (N.A.C.A.) judging sheet and rule book. This organization eventually became the International Autosound Challenge Association.
In 1985, Rockford Fosgate marketing wanted to take the concept of contests that was being promoted by Doc Thunder and put it into a format that would expand the awareness of quality high-end car audio. With the help of John France, Rockford Fosgate created, outlined and defined the goals of sound quality, installation and weighted sound pressure level as determining factors of a winning system.
This original sheet was very simple and easy to use. I.A.S.C.A. uses very much the same scoring sheet to this day. Rockford Fosgate created the challenge package to help dealers learn how to promote contests. At this time Rockford Fosgate even supplied the judging sheets and the judges. Time went by and everyone saw the value of promoting through contests. Rockford Fosgate decided to share our experience in this sort of promoting to the entire industry in a meeting at the WCES.
We felt it would benefit the entire community if all manufacturers supported the same judging format. This led to the formation of N.A.C.A and later I.A.S.C.A. We dreamed of our efforts turning into something like N.H.R.A., but to see it actually happen has been like watching history being written.
Pros
Casual work environment.
Allows employees to express own ideas.
Company is more of a mid-management run type of company. Executives involved in high-level decision-making only.
Cons
Promotion not handled on a performance basis. More about who you know and who you have lunch with. Success is only awarded to followers, not leaders. Common daily poor performance is accepted as a norm in the workplace. Longtime employees seem to have a pass on performance. Year-end reviews are not done properly.
In 2008 Rockford Fosgate introduced a new amplifier technology they call hybrid technology or HT for short. It was unveiled at the consumer electronics show (CES) in Las Vegas. The technology makes it possible for the amplifier to put out more power than it takes in during extended musical transients. The technology was invented by one of Rockford's Design Engineers, Anthony D'Amore.
Rockford Fosgate and Toyota South Africa partnered to create the Yaris RF Edition in Sedan and Hatchback variations featuring upgraded Rockford Fosgate sound systems. The Yaris RF hatch features a two speaker upgrade plus subwoofer while the sedan version has a four-speaker upgrade. These models were sold as limited editions, priced higher than standard models. Rockford Fosgate also produces audio systems for Nissan as well as Mitsubishi Motors
The Rockford Fosgate audio company was founded by Jim Fosgate in 1973. Fosgate worked from his garage in Arizona, and he thought of the idea of adding an amplifier formatted for low-impedance loads into cars. These amplifiers were applied to speakers, which in turn made it able to drown out road noise and any other noise that prevented someone from listening to their music.
Rockford Fosgate®. It's a full sentence. It means POWER! It means ATTITUDE! Since 1973, when founder Jim Fosgate put his name on the first real piece of high performance audio equipment built for the car, nothing has been the same.
While the rest of the world was struggling with really bad fashions and shoes that were way too high, Jim Fosgate, working in his garage in Arizona, USA, figured out that an amplifier, and for that matter, a car audio system would have to be dramatically different than what people were listening to in their homes.This meant an amplifier that could run low impedance loads, which meant that it would have to run in stereo and mono simultaneously. These needs then dictated that the amplifier incorporate a MOSFET design, a small detail that was unknown in the world of audio at the time. Wrap all this "technobabble" into the single most important development of the Fosgate designs… The PUNCH EQ.
While working with a friend, Jim realized that music and the human ear had very different sonic signatures or "curves". Where the human ear had the most trouble [down in lower frequencies at lower volumes] the music made it worse.The solution has been the patented Punch EQ… the ability to add up to +18dB at 45HZ…(Bass Boost) & and/or +12dB at 20kHz (Treble Boost - this is a hinge filter active from 1kHz to 20kHz.)
That’s a lot of control! Things such as car windows, leather, road noise, and even your annoying life mate that never stops yappin'… all benefit from the musical energy that Punch EQ puts back into the system. The sound of THE PUNCH gave Mr. Fosgate’s first customers the impact that their music needed. Now… that PUNCH is the sound of Rockford Fosgate® and you can hear it in everything we make.
Rockford Corporation has always believed that the more our industry prospers, the more Rockford will prosper. For this reason Rockford Corporation helped found I.A.S.C.A. Rockford employees co-authored the first National Autosound Challenge Association (N.A.C.A.) judging sheet and rule book. This organization eventually became the International Autosound Challenge Association.
In 1985, Rockford Fosgate marketing wanted to take the concept of contests that was being promoted by Doc Thunder and put it into a format that would expand the awareness of quality high-end car audio. With the help of John France, Rockford Fosgate created, outlined and defined the goals of sound quality, installation and weighted sound pressure level as determining factors of a winning system.
This original sheet was very simple and easy to use. I.A.S.C.A. uses very much the same scoring sheet to this day. Rockford Fosgate created the challenge package to help dealers learn how to promote contests. At this time Rockford Fosgate even supplied the judging sheets and the judges. Time went by and everyone saw the value of promoting through contests. Rockford Fosgate decided to share our experience in this sort of promoting to the entire industry in a meeting at the WCES.
We felt it would benefit the entire community if all manufacturers supported the same judging format. This led to the formation of N.A.C.A and later I.A.S.C.A. We dreamed of our efforts turning into something like N.H.R.A., but to see it actually happen has been like watching history being written.
Pros
Casual work environment.
Allows employees to express own ideas.
Company is more of a mid-management run type of company. Executives involved in high-level decision-making only.
Cons
Promotion not handled on a performance basis. More about who you know and who you have lunch with. Success is only awarded to followers, not leaders. Common daily poor performance is accepted as a norm in the workplace. Longtime employees seem to have a pass on performance. Year-end reviews are not done properly.
In 2008 Rockford Fosgate introduced a new amplifier technology they call hybrid technology or HT for short. It was unveiled at the consumer electronics show (CES) in Las Vegas. The technology makes it possible for the amplifier to put out more power than it takes in during extended musical transients. The technology was invented by one of Rockford's Design Engineers, Anthony D'Amore.
Rockford Fosgate and Toyota South Africa partnered to create the Yaris RF Edition in Sedan and Hatchback variations featuring upgraded Rockford Fosgate sound systems. The Yaris RF hatch features a two speaker upgrade plus subwoofer while the sedan version has a four-speaker upgrade. These models were sold as limited editions, priced higher than standard models. Rockford Fosgate also produces audio systems for Nissan as well as Mitsubishi Motors
Last edited: