Confusion regarding ICE upgrade..plz help - Team-BHP

kaushik_s · 14th August 2007, 19:42

Hi All/Gurus,
I've at last decided to take a small dip in ICEy waters.So need some help to swim across. and my ICE knowledge is very very less.
Now my current setup is
Blaupunkt Bahamas MP34 HU.
JBL GTO 607c at front and
JBL CS 3196 at rear(in MDF box)
Ohh and the car is Zen.
Now I wish to install an amplifier with good wiring kit. Probably I'll go for JBL CS 60.4 or Blau GTA4.
But my issue are,
1. I may soon change to a new car(mostly a sedan) by Oct/Nov. So, can I retain the wiring and move them to the new car along with the amp ? I again don't want to spend so much on buying new wiring kit again(as I've seen here a good kit will cost around 2-3k)
2. my Zen's doors resonates/rattles a lot with the current setup itself .So is there any point of going for a amplifier, as the increased sound/db level will increase the noise also?And definitely I'm not looking for spending on damping on this car as I may soon upgrade to a new car.
3. I'm planning for a subwoofer later and my HU specs says it has 4 channel pre-out so I think I don't need to think about changing the HU, right ?
So would it be sensible for me to wait till I get the new car and defer all these things ? But that'll stop me from enjoying my music for next few months :-(.
Please advise..
Regards
Kaushik
PS : another question,Blau GTA 480 seems to be better amplifier then GTA 4. what is the price of GTA 480 ?? And compared to JBL CS 60.4 how do they fare ?I'm considering them mostly because of lower price.(but my heart still says to go for JBL)

nura · 15th August 2007, 00:07

I was in a similar dilemma a few months ago. Decided to upgrade the ICE now & postponed upgrading the car.
You can get slightly longer RCAs & keep a little extra slack in the speaker cables so that you can reuse them in your sedan.
Not sure if dampening sheets can be reused.
When most other brands say 2 sets of preouts, Blau says 4 channels. But I guess if you go for one 4-channel amp, your 4 channel HU will be fine.

speedzak · 15th August 2007, 01:47

It is not recommended to re use the cables by means of joining, splicing etc.... Without which shifting an existing wiring will not be easy.

If you are getting a big car soon, then a better alternative is to get cheaper wiring for now and get good ones later.

Most of the rattling problems are caused due to some faulty/loose nuts, bolts etc.. which holds the door in one piece. Another culprit could be the plastic door trims/pads. Also the window winder, motor assembly. Get these checked and fix them properly. Maybe you can avoid spending money on the damping for now. But ofcourse it will not eliminate it completely.

You can also consider upgrading your ICE instead of a car.

kaushik_s · 15th August 2007, 03:20

Thanks nura and zak for your replies.
Keeping the RCA longer is a good idea, so better to be safer then repent later.
Zak, no way, I'm more of engine-driving kind of guy then ICEer I guess ;-)So ICE have to wait till I get my new car I guess. But you maybe right about the winder cause recently had some issues with the winder and it seems need to be changed.May be it's adding lot more to rattling.
Checked out the price of Blau 480, it's 10k(with B&W) and can someone let me know how it's compared to JBL GTO 75.4 ?

BTW, seen Infinity 475 amplifier today, is it the reason that GTO 75.4 is not available these days.It's also priced at the same price bracket as 75.4 at 14.9k.
Regards
Kaushik

speedzak · 15th August 2007, 10:07

Good decision. Stick onto your ICE for now in the Zen and just get it fixed by a full redressal job! (where did we hear that word earlier?

).
You can remove the door pads, sort out the problems, check the current wiring, clean up the HU and speakers etc... There will be a noticeable difference to your current sound I hope.

When you get your new car, make sure to fill it's boot with lots of green stuff and come here. We will make sure it is better utilised.

Gill · 15th August 2007, 13:08

Kaushik How is the head unit Blaupunkt Bahamas MP34 HU.SQ??Reliabailty?? Plz give ur feedbacks on this Head unit

rocksterraghu · 15th August 2007, 15:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedzak

When you get your new car, make sure to fill it's boot with lots of green stuff and come here. We will make sure it is better utilised.

You mean green bags, right?

kaushik_s · 15th August 2007, 16:11

Hey zak, will do that. Get the doors checked soon.. BTW, what's about the green stuff,sorry, couldn't understand that :-( Are you talking about bottled stuff

?

Gill, Bahamas MP34 is not available these days. as per sound quality wise I found it to suit my taste quite well. Nice clear music at low volumes. May not be the best but suits me and atleast found it much better then Sony HU's or Pio ones that I checked out that time. Reliability wise, well, working fine till now for last 2.5 yrs.And one good thing I found out is that it never skips even if the car hits a big pothole.Have seen sonys skipping quite a bit in similar situations(Have a sony in my Alto)

kaushik_s · 17th August 2007, 15:36

Guys, can somebody please answer my question regarding the Blaupunkt GTA 480 ? It's 4k cheaper then JBL GTO 75.4 and have similar kinda features.How is the sound quality and how does it compared to GTO 75.4 ?Anyone having first hand exp of this thing ?
Frankly speaking, I was thinking about getting CS60.4 but if just 1k more I can get something similar to GTO 75.4(at least from the outlook of similar o/p rating) then why not?

navin · 17th August 2007, 16:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Guys, can somebody please answer my question regarding the Blaupunkt GTA 480 ? It's 4k cheaper then JBL GTO 75.4 and have similar kinda features.

I have used the 470 (not 480) and the 75.4 (not in the same setup) the 75.4 is much more muscular (in other words both amps are worth what you pay so it depends how much muscle you need.

reignofchaos · 17th August 2007, 16:30

The Blaupunkt Bahamas is MP46 not MP34. I have one in my car. It came as the OEM head unit. Maybe the nomenclature changed. Its a really good head unit in terms of audio quality. Very neutral unlike pios and sonys which royally color their output.

kaushik_s · 17th August 2007, 17:04

Hi Navin,
I normally listen to Dire Straits/Floyd/Metallica types and also occasional Hindi songs plus 80s pop-sop type of songs.Not into Heavy Metals kind..And also I'm planning to add a sub later. I normally don't play very loud.So what do you think? Blau or even CS 60.4 is enough for my needs?
Regards,
Kaushik

kaushik_s · 17th August 2007, 17:08

No, reignofchaos, mine is MP34 only..Older model I guess.Yeah I really like the output as compared to Sony. Here is the link Blaupunkt - Car Radios - MP3 Tuners - Bahamas MP34

navin · 17th August 2007, 17:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

I normally don't play very loud.So what do you think? Blau or even CS 60.4 is enough for my needs?

if you are planning to add a sub and cannot afford the 75.4 maybe the JBL 4060 is an option. remember it is a ltd. edition amp and it is just 1K more than the 60.4

kaushik_s · 17th August 2007, 18:18

I couldn't find 4060 on fxaudio site,but found this http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/pro...s_id/5424.html
So this amplifier is better then CS series in terms of Sound Quality? Cause power rating wise CS churns out more power it seems.
Also what does signal to noise ratio of an amplifier tells us?
Oops, just now only realized that 75.4 gives 104w RMS.I was thinking it to be 75.

14th August 2007, 19:42	#1 (permalink)
kaushik_s BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 386	Confusion regarding ICE upgrade..plz help Hi All/Gurus, I've at last decided to take a small dip in ICEy waters.So need some help to swim across. and my ICE knowledge is very very less. Now my current setup is Blaupunkt Bahamas MP34 HU. JBL GTO 607c at front and JBL CS 3196 at rear(in MDF box) Ohh and the car is Zen. Now I wish to install an amplifier with good wiring kit. Probably I'll go for JBL CS 60.4 or Blau GTA4. But my issue are, 1. I may soon change to a new car(mostly a sedan) by Oct/Nov. So, can I retain the wiring and move them to the new car along with the amp ? I again don't want to spend so much on buying new wiring kit again(as I've seen here a good kit will cost around 2-3k) 2. my Zen's doors resonates/rattles a lot with the current setup itself .So is there any point of going for a amplifier, as the increased sound/db level will increase the noise also?And definitely I'm not looking for spending on damping on this car as I may soon upgrade to a new car. 3. I'm planning for a subwoofer later and my HU specs says it has 4 channel pre-out so I think I don't need to think about changing the HU, right ? So would it be sensible for me to wait till I get the new car and defer all these things ? But that'll stop me from enjoying my music for next few months :-(. Please advise.. Regards Kaushik PS : another question,Blau GTA 480 seems to be better amplifier then GTA 4. what is the price of GTA 480 ?? And compared to JBL CS 60.4 how do they fare ?I'm considering them mostly because of lower price.(but my heart still says to go for JBL)

15th August 2007, 00:07	#2 (permalink)
nura BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kolkata Posts: 366	I was in a similar dilemma a few months ago. Decided to upgrade the ICE now & postponed upgrading the car. You can get slightly longer RCAs & keep a little extra slack in the speaker cables so that you can reuse them in your sedan. Not sure if dampening sheets can be reused. When most other brands say 2 sets of preouts, Blau says 4 channels. But I guess if you go for one 4-channel amp, your 4 channel HU will be fine. __________________ Every man has his follies. And often they are the most interesting things he has!

15th August 2007, 01:47	#3 (permalink)
speedzak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Delhi. Travelling as usual! Mumbai was great. Posts: 3,907 View My Garage Infractions: 0/1 (4)	It is not recommended to re use the cables by means of joining, splicing etc.... Without which shifting an existing wiring will not be easy. If you are getting a big car soon, then a better alternative is to get cheaper wiring for now and get good ones later. Most of the rattling problems are caused due to some faulty/loose nuts, bolts etc.. which holds the door in one piece. Another culprit could be the plastic door trims/pads. Also the window winder, motor assembly. Get these checked and fix them properly. Maybe you can avoid spending money on the damping for now. But ofcourse it will not eliminate it completely. You can also consider upgrading your ICE instead of a car. __________________ A very big THANK YOU, Bombay! Will miss you guys! :(

15th August 2007, 10:07	#5 (permalink)
speedzak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Delhi. Travelling as usual! Mumbai was great. Posts: 3,907 View My Garage Infractions: 0/1 (4)	Good decision. Stick onto your ICE for now in the Zen and just get it fixed by a full redressal job! (where did we hear that word earlier? ). You can remove the door pads, sort out the problems, check the current wiring, clean up the HU and speakers etc... There will be a noticeable difference to your current sound I hope. When you get your new car, make sure to fill it's boot with lots of green stuff and come here. We will make sure it is better utilised. __________________ A very big THANK YOU, Bombay! Will miss you guys! :(

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15th August 2007, 03:20	#4 (permalink)
kaushik_s BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 386	Thanks nura and zak for your replies. Keeping the RCA longer is a good idea, so better to be safer then repent later. Zak, no way, I'm more of engine-driving kind of guy then ICEer I guess ;-)So ICE have to wait till I get my new car I guess. But you maybe right about the winder cause recently had some issues with the winder and it seems need to be changed.May be it's adding lot more to rattling. Checked out the price of Blau 480, it's 10k(with B&W) and can someone let me know how it's compared to JBL GTO 75.4 ? BTW, seen Infinity 475 amplifier today, is it the reason that GTO 75.4 is not available these days.It's also priced at the same price bracket as 75.4 at 14.9k. Regards Kaushik

15th August 2007, 13:08	#6 (permalink)
Gill BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 339	Kaushik How is the head unit Blaupunkt Bahamas MP34 HU.SQ??Reliabailty?? Plz give ur feedbacks on this Head unit

15th August 2007, 16:11	#8 (permalink)
kaushik_s BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 386	Hey zak, will do that. Get the doors checked soon.. BTW, what's about the green stuff,sorry, couldn't understand that :-( Are you talking about bottled stuff ? Gill, Bahamas MP34 is not available these days. as per sound quality wise I found it to suit my taste quite well. Nice clear music at low volumes. May not be the best but suits me and atleast found it much better then Sony HU's or Pio ones that I checked out that time. Reliability wise, well, working fine till now for last 2.5 yrs.And one good thing I found out is that it never skips even if the car hits a big pothole.Have seen sonys skipping quite a bit in similar situations(Have a sony in my Alto)

17th August 2007, 15:36	#9 (permalink)
kaushik_s BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 386	Guys, can somebody please answer my question regarding the Blaupunkt GTA 480 ? It's 4k cheaper then JBL GTO 75.4 and have similar kinda features.How is the sound quality and how does it compared to GTO 75.4 ?Anyone having first hand exp of this thing ? Frankly speaking, I was thinking about getting CS60.4 but if just 1k more I can get something similar to GTO 75.4(at least from the outlook of similar o/p rating) then why not?

17th August 2007, 16:30	#11 (permalink)
reignofchaos Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,072 View My Garage	The Blaupunkt Bahamas is MP46 not MP34. I have one in my car. It came as the OEM head unit. Maybe the nomenclature changed. Its a really good head unit in terms of audio quality. Very neutral unlike pios and sonys which royally color their output.

17th August 2007, 17:04	#12 (permalink)
kaushik_s BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 386	Hi Navin, I normally listen to Dire Straits/Floyd/Metallica types and also occasional Hindi songs plus 80s pop-sop type of songs.Not into Heavy Metals kind..And also I'm planning to add a sub later. I normally don't play very loud.So what do you think? Blau or even CS 60.4 is enough for my needs? Regards, Kaushik

17th August 2007, 17:08	#13 (permalink)
kaushik_s BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 386	No, reignofchaos, mine is MP34 only..Older model I guess.Yeah I really like the output as compared to Sony. Here is the link Blaupunkt - Car Radios - MP3 Tuners - Bahamas MP34

17th August 2007, 18:18	#15 (permalink)
kaushik_s BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 386	I couldn't find 4060 on fxaudio site,but found this http://caraudiosecurity.com/shop/pro...s_id/5424.html So this amplifier is better then CS series in terms of Sound Quality? Cause power rating wise CS churns out more power it seems. Also what does signal to noise ratio of an amplifier tells us? Oops, just now only realized that 75.4 gives 104w RMS.I was thinking it to be 75.