Jonah's 'boom-box' just for contests

By CATHERINE MASTERS

Jonah Lomu's kidneys would burst if he sat in his Nissan Patrol with the volume on full - never mind about ruining the ears.

The noise from the nine amplifiers would reach an extraordinary 163 decibels and regardless of whether the ears or kidney went first, Lomu would die, says his cousin Sosaia "The General" Kailahi.

Mr Kailahi is official minder of the big man's vehicle and $100,000 sound system.

He says the All Black - who has recovered from a debilitating kidney disease - would never dream of sitting in the vehicle with the volume on high, let alone full.

Lomu and his cousin, who is lead singer for the group Strong Islanders, yesterday rejected accusations that Lomu was a bad role model for youth.

Critics fear that youngsters will try to emulate him with "boom-boxes" of their own and in doing so suffer serious ear damage.

Lomu is passionate about music and sound, and one of his goals off the rugby field is to get the world record for the loudest car stereo.

The National Foundation for the Deaf is one group urging him to give it up for the sake of young ears.

Foundation spokeswoman Hannah Samuel says it does not take much to cause permanent hearing loss and "boom-boxes" are an area of real concern.

Anything over 80 decibels can cause hearing loss and Lomu's vehicle is louder than the 130-decibel noise of a jet taking off.

Mr Kailahi says the vehicle's sound system was put together for competition.

There are nine amplifiers but without the insertion of a computer chip only one can be used.

The chip is not inserted unless the truck is being used for competition - and the sound level is read by a computer, with no one inside.

So why fork out all that money for a sound system which will kill you if you hear it?

"It's just a hobby," says Mr Kailahi. "Big boys and their toys, eh ...

"You know, Jonah likes doing outrageous things. He wants to win the loudest car in the world [title] so people can go, 'We didn't even know that little country existed in the car audio world.'

"He loves his baby - this is his baby. I'm the only other person who's ever driven the truck, so this is how dear it is to his heart."

Mr Kailahi has taken the vehicle to a deaf school in Pakuranga where the children were able to move to the vibration of the sound. "That was cool."

He says Lomu is a great role model who often visits the Starship children's hospital unannounced.