Car Audio Advice from the Audio Gurus: Use "Search thread" before posting a new Q!

[navin]

when do we see these cars in the "flesh"

[srasania]

sam..the interiors of that car look so so so so ..WILD !
cheers,
sr

[Sam Kapasi]

Thank you. This car is in the USA. It is a Infinity car and I believe it has the best interior job I've ever seen. I also have some work by Biggs if you want to see.

[dmitri]

Hi Sam,

i'm back after a long break. Please comment on the upgrade i am planning. The current setup is DEH-P5750 driving TS20 Pioneer tweeters and LA Bolt 6x9's at the rear.

As i am lacking the midrange in the front compartment, i am thinking of putting a set of 5 1/4" component speakers in the front door( in addition to the tweeters). Also putting a sub in the trunk, both driven by a 4 channel amp. the sub will be driven by the bridged output of the amp.

The existing rear speakers and front tweeters will be driven by the HU only. I may plan to add an amp to those also later ( if i get some good amp deal ).

Currently i am ok with the sound output of the HU and the performance of the speakers which is the reason why i am not adding an amp to those now.

Please tell me how this will sound.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by dmitri

Hi Sam,

i'm back after a long break. Please comment on the upgrade i am planning. The current setup is DEH-P5750 driving TS20 Pioneer tweeters and LA Bolt 6x9's at the rear.

As i am lacking the midrange in the front compartment, i am thinking of putting a set of 5 1/4" component speakers in the front door( in addition to the tweeters). Also putting a sub in the trunk, both driven by a 4 channel amp. the sub will be driven by the bridged output of the amp.

The existing rear speakers and front tweeters will be driven by the HU only. I may plan to add an amp to those also later ( if i get some good amp deal ).

Currently i am ok with the sound output of the HU and the performance of the speakers which is the reason why i am not adding an amp to those now.

Please tell me how this will sound.

Hi Dmitri,

Lets do this one at a time.

When you add a 5.25" component that will have it's own tweeters. 2 pairs of tweeters in the front is not good, please dont do it. I suggest you lose the TS20s. They are very harsh in any case.

From what i gather, you plan to amplify the components and the sub only. leaving the rear speakers on the HU. There will be a complete imbalance. You are closer to the the louder front compos and further away from the softer rears. You wont even hear the 6X9s in the back
Instead, if you must use a 4ch amp, put the rears and the front compos in parralel on one channel. This will do nicely, as all car amps are 2 ohms stable only you will not be able to use the fader control, both the fronts and rears will run at the same power always.
Bridge the remaining two channels for the sub in the trunk.

Happy listening!

[navin]

my guess is he is running the TS20 with the 6x9 in the rear.

[dmitri]

OK Sam, will cerainly put a thought on that. Is it ok to cut the door pad and put the 5.25" speaker there?
And one more thing, i checked some component systems and all those two way components are coming with a tweeter and seperate woofer as the front speaker(5.25"). I am looking for a speaker for midrange sound in the front compartment to reproduce vocals, will this woofer serve purpose or do i have any other option.

How about putting a 6" x 4" 3-way coaxials in the door pad along with the current tweeters?

Also recommend some good component packages. How about blaupunkt TS series?

[Sam Kapasi]

Cut the door pad on the new esteem? Nahi yaar, frankly I dont like this cutting wutting business.

[navin]

Originally Posted by dmitri

OK Sam, will cerainly put a thought on that. Is it ok to cut the door pad and put the 5.25" speaker there?
And one more thing, i checked some component systems and all those two way components are coming with a tweeter and seperate woofer as the front speaker(5.25"). I am looking for a speaker for midrange sound in the front compartment to reproduce vocals, will this woofer serve purpose or do i have any other option.

How about putting a 6" x 4" 3-way coaxials in the door pad along with the current tweeters?

Also recommend some good component packages. How about blaupunkt TS series?

1. Unless you are good at car interiors (believe me you gotta be really good) I would STRONGLY advise you to use the exisiting holes and locations. Sam is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. You can take everything he says and carve it in stone.

2. Component speakers usually are atleast 3 pcs per channel (a woofer, tweeter and a crossover). If you dont care or dont knwo what those terms mean maybe you will be well served by coaxials.
Not all Coaxials are bad it is just those 4 and 5 way ones I would be wary of. A good 2 way Coax can be quite listenable. I have my reasons/explantions but we wont details that here (unless popular demand and a nod from the moderators "convince" me to).

Most Modern cars have loations in the doors, rear mirror pods, or dash for a woofer and a tweeter. That is where you should install them. Check with your installer.

3. Where are you gonna put 4x6". These (and the 5x7) were made specifiacally for the rear decks of GM & Chrylser cars in the 70s like the Plymouth Scamp and Chrysler LeBaron. We are talking post GTO era.

4. I would recommend the Alpine range if you want your highs laid back and JBL if you want them a bit forward. Either should be a better bet than Blau. Blau is a bit cheaper than these though.

[dmitri]

Hi navin, thanks a lot for your reply. Mine is the new esteem and it has only a 4" slot below the dash. I searched for 4" components and i got one from kicker only. Some people told me that a 4" component at that location wont do the job.

I already have a pioneer tweeter in the front. Its ok that i can take it out and put a new component set, or is it possible to do a mix and match and achieve the same result.

your comments please.

[Puffdamgcdragon]

Hi Sam,
Thanks for Ur reply. Ok, Just came back from Siliguri after booking my Baleno (WooHaa) and checking out the market for accessories. Here's the scene-

Firstly, yes, I HAVE to spend 28 grands in the showroom itself buying their overpriced MGA accessories. No cash discounts. Since i plan to get tyres and alloys from outside, I either buy lots of odds and ends or go in for a music system there. They stock both Sony x-plod series and Blaupunkt.

The blaupunkt H.Us seem to be really expensive, besides, I'm told that although they give warranty, it'll take a really long time to repair and get it back if things should go wrong, so I favour the Sony series. ( sigh! always wanted the steering remote of the blaupunkt and the sticker with the blue dot on my rear windshield!)

I checked the accessories shops (grey market) and the one Sony dealer there and found the cost of the sets to be comparable in the Sony showroom and the Maruti dealer, both claiming to stock "genuine" Sony where as, at the accessories shops, I find the exact same sets, packing, product as well as similar sound quality etc. about 2 to 4 grands cheaper across the range. Some supplying 1 year warranty and others still cheaper without warranty. ( Supposed to be "made in China" as opposed to the ones in the showroom "made in Malaysia"!)

What do I do, my Jedi master? where do I buy my set?

Also, do u have theSony Xplod brochure handy? well there seems to be lots of good HU, speakers, amlifiers etc. etc. What do U suggest i invest in?

I was interested in either the CDX-F5510X or the CDX-F7700 HU ( both without vcd) combined to Xs-GT6947X 6'x9' rear speakers. I dunno! All sound and look great! which head Unit and rear speakers do U suggest?

What front speakers should i use?

Should I go in for the XM-504Z (4channel) amplifier and connect it to which subwoofer?

I can afford all of this, just wanted to know how much difference in sound will it make adding the ampli and sub along with front and rear speakers? Is it really worth it for someone who very rarely ever blasts the music. Actually I'm more interested in sharp quality and good bass at low volumes.

Also, no one here seems to be very sure where to place the Sub. Is it ok to put it in the parcel tray between the two 6x9 speakers or should i stick it in the boot with the face of the woofer screwed down to the rear of the seat?

Do I need to make a enclosure box for the Sub?

Apart from the Sub, do I also connect the rear speakers to the 4 channel ampli? what about the front speakers? Are they direct from the HU?

Do I need additional tweeters?

How do I get good "sound imaging" ( there ma! my new word for the day!)

Instead of the sub, do I go in for a basstube? Some of the grey market shops seem to stock suspicious looking grey Alpinebasstubes.

Basically everyone here in North Bengal/ Sikkim seems to stock a lot of Sony xplod stuffs but no one seem to quite know how to put them together and it's more of a trial and error process.

To sum up, would it be possible for U to put together a good system of Head, front and rear speakers, and if really required, Amlpifier and sub or a good bass tube and tweeters, from the stuffs from this brochure? Will I require additional stuffs not shown here?Will the sound quality be good in your expert opinion?

Please Heeeeeeeeelpppppppppp !

Hai Raam, reading my above queries, wouldn't be surprised if u decided to ignore me altogether (sob!)

Pleaseeee, meray honay wallay bacche yaad rakhengay!

-Puff.

P.S-

[Puffdamgcdragon]

[quote=Sam Kapasi]Hello Puffy,

I can help you get Genuine JBL in the north east. Let me know if you'd like the number of our Calcutta distributor. I'll PM you the number if you want.

THanks Sam. I'll take the number from U if U feel that the Xplod series I mentioned in the above post is really not worth it and I'll have to bring my Car to Calcutta to get the Music installed!

[johnjacob]

Originally Posted by Puffdamgcdragon

Also, do u have theSony Xplod brochure handy? well there seems to be lots of good HU, speakers, amlifiers etc. etc. What do U suggest i invest in?

Sony has a good India website with prices in INR etc. There is a comprehensive car audio section too. See Sony India.

Can't help you on the other stuff 'coz I'm not an audio expert. I'm sure Sam or Navin will chip in shortly.

[navin]

back from the dead....the dash was considered a great place for speakers but with all that reflecting glass and limited space all you can get in there is a 4" i'm sory but that is all you can do there.

I have one solution. get a 3 way set say a 6" woofer and a 3" mid and surface mount tweeter. see if you can get the woofer in the door the mid in the dash and the tweeter near the L & R rear mirror pods. This depend a lot on your installer's abilities.

Sam can you recomend a installer capable of this.

if the XO is say 150Hz and 4k you should do fine as all the vocals will be coming of the 3" in the dash. I used to see such systems in the past. dont know if you get them today but a 6" woofer mated to a audiobahn or kicker 4" component system can be made to work this way.

[Puffdamgcdragon]

Thanks Jacob. Am waiting for ALL expert advice!