[kpkeerthi]

1. My Car: Ritz VDi

2. My current setup (If any): None

3. My Budget: 60 - 80k

4. Do you drive most of the time? Yes. Self driven.

5. Your Music preferences: Pop, Soft Rock, Trance, Melody and just about any modern Tamil & Hindi movie soundtracks. I don't like anything earth shaking and rattling bassy/boomy sound. Just pure, crisp, clean music with a good blend of lows, mids, midbass and highs. No compromise on sound quality for the rear occupants.

Additional Information:

6. Are you ready to sacrifice your boot space/modify door panels? : Sure

Having said that, I'm zeroing in on the following setup:

1. Head Unit: KW-XR816
Double-DIN CD Receiver KW-XR816 | CD Receiver | Car Audio | JVC India

I prefer 2-DIN for a more integrated factory look on the dash. Also, I need to be able to play music off my iPod. This model fits the bill and comes with lots of bells and whistles most importantly 5v pre-outs and TI/Burr-Brown 24-bit DAC. Will this HU do justice to the speaker and amp choice below?

2. Front: Focal Polyglass 165VB
Or how about Focal Power series? Are they better than VB series? And how much the power series cost?

3. Rear: Focal Polyglass 165VB
Are components OK at the rear? or Should I stick with coax?

4. Focal Solid 4 to power the fronts and the rears

5. Focal 13" Subwoofer
Not sure if this is sold in India. Any idea about its availability and price?

6. Focal Solid 1 for the Subwoofer

Please provide your comments and suggestions.

[jinu_joseph]

I am building a similar setup,

the focal solid 1 and 4 are very reputed and respected amps and cost about 16K each

by Focal 13" Sub are available the Focal 33V2 will be about 20K. The Focal 33V1 will be cheaper by how much not sure, (V2 is a dual Voice coil and V1 is a single voice coil). The subs in the power series eg: Focal 33KX are about 55K

Focal power series eg: Focal 165 KR cost about 30K a pair and its gets more expensive as you move up in the power series itself

All prices i am talking about are MRP you may get a 5-10% discount on the same.

You might want to increase your budget as you still have to consider Damping, RCA wires, amp wires, Sub enclosure etc.

[donarun]

I tried to restrict within the 80k budget, but sorry when it comes to ICE even 100k is not enough

My suggestions,

HU - Since you planning on a 2-DIN unit, why not go for a multimedia 2-DIN unit ?
1. Kenwood DDX4038BT / Kenwood DDX4038 (Price - 20k approx with B/W)
DDX4038BT | Visual & Navigation Systems | Car Electroics | Kenwood Corporation
2. JVC KW-AVX846 (Price - 23k approx)
2-DIN AV Receiver KW-AVX846 | AV Receiver | Car Audio | JVC India

Front Components
1. Rainbow SLC 265 (Price - 19k with B/W)
Rainbow Audio USA

Rear speakers
Any 6.5" 2-way coaxials from Infinity / Focal will do

Amplifier
1. Audio System Radion 100.4 (Price - 21.6k with B/W)
Audio System Europe GmbH - welcome to the official site
2. Image Dynamics i4500 (Price - 18k with B/W)
WoofersEtc.com - i4500 - Image Dynamics 4-Channel 460 Watt i-Series Amplifier

Subwoofer
1. ID V3 D2 (Price - 13k)
2. Focal Access 30 A1
3. Infinity Kappa 120.9W (Price - 10k)
4. Infinity Ref 1260W (Price - 6k)

Wiring, Damping & Installation - 12k

[Ramsagar]

You can also look into "Focal Polyglass 165 A1" components. These are almost in the same range. Not that the Rainbow is bad.
Even I'm planning for almost the same setup for my Black Vento TDI-HL. HU is JVC-AVX-840, Components:Focal Polyglass 165 A1, Coaxils: Focal/Rainbow.
I'm on a hunt for 4-Ch. Amp & Sub.

Waiting for your wish list to be completed, so that I could pickup few.

[monty9991]

Hi,

Just go for Rainbow SLC 265. I have heard those in my friend's car and they worth every penny.

And as mentioned by Donarun you can get Audio Systems Amp and is VFM.

[kpkeerthi]

Hello BHP-ians,

Apologies for not being active in this forum as much as I would want to. Work and other commitments has been keeping me away.

I met Saravana (Power Zone, Chennai) and after a good long hour of discussion, we are settling with the following setup that we felt and agreed would satisfy to my kind of liking. Man, this person really is sound and knows what he is talking about. And above all, he has good ears and listens to his customer's needs.

1. Head Unit: Kenwood X7016

2. Front: Infinity reference 6530 components

3. Rear: Infinity reference 6530 components. Saravana suggested three options for mounting these at the rear:

> Install the mid and tweeter coaxially on the door (I might go for this option)
(or)
> Install the components on a MDF plank behind

He felt that installing components at the rear as we normally would do might be too bright to my liking.

4. Sub: Infinity Ref 1260w

5. Sub Enclosure: Custom fiberglass (1.2 cu ft) - for space saving and a more 'integrated look' at the boot

6. JBL 1004 4-ch amp to power the door speakers

7. JBL 3501 mono to power the sub

8. Damping: 4 doors - in & out and entire trunk including trunk floor. He showed me some product which he felt is as good as Dynamat. He said I would need about 35-40 sq ft and might cost 11K approx. I checked it out side-by-side with Dynamat Xtreme. It felt bigger and thicker - both the tacky rubber and aluminum foil and was as malleable as Dynamat.

I have neither discussed in detail nor negotiated prices of the items yet. I estimate it to be around 80 - 85k (Hope this thread remains hidden from the better half ).

The appointment is on Monday (04-Jul) and he said I may have leave the car with him for three days to get the subwoofer molded & done. Can't wait for the day!

[SPARKled]

I have a new Ritz which is crying for an ICE but I am delaying it due to funds problem. My ICE is already decided but it will be interesting to see what other options people are opting for and at what cost. So I will be glued to this thread. Hope you get a rocking system soon.

[Astleviz]

kpkeerthi

here's another option- ditch the rear comps and the mono amp. Spend the money you save on better comps and sub. If you do need rear fills, just use a basic coaxial and power it directly from the HU.
Here is what your setup could be (for approximately the same budget)-
HU- X7016
Front comps- Infinity kappa 60.9cs or rainbow SLC
Sub- Infinity kappa 120.9w
Amp- JBL 1000-4 (power the comps and sub with this)

[donarun]

Originally Posted by kpkeerthi

I estimate it to be around 80 - 85k (Hope this thread remains hidden from the better half ).

My personal opinion, you are wasting 80-85k.

Out of your equipment list, I would retain the Kenwood HU. The infinity comps and JBL amps are good, but these are used when somebody is trying to put up a setup in under 30-40k. For your budget, you could do a lot better, but thats my thought. That being said, you liking the sound of a setup is more important than brands or type of equipment used.

[DerAlte]

Well, if this list costs 80-85K, even with the 11K damping and a molded FG box for the, there is something really wrong somewhere. @kpkeerthi, it is recommended that you visit the authorized JBL store in Chennai and get realistic prices for this list of equipment. At 80-85K one can get some decent high-end stuff, not entry level stuff that was recommended to you (though even that is pretty decent).

Also, don't go by the 'feel' of the sheets - that, and the looks and the thickness, have nothing to do with its damping properties. but if an unknown brand is compared like that with branded and known stuff like Dynamat Extreme, there is something you are missing doing.

Please audition the speakers, sub and amp - either on a panel, or better, in a car. After you pay a lot of money, you can only get heartburn for making a mistake.

[ankit_chd]

Well, as everyone has suggested , search market for better products.

As far the products you have listed, I would advise not to buy JBL 1004 Amp.
My personal experience with it was not very good, it sounded harsh to me and its over-rated.

We can suggest you the products but we need to know your listening taste also.

[thelord]

@kpkeerthi
I would give you a classical example of a fellow t-bhpian tg_06.
He opted for Infinity comps up front, Infinity comps for rear, a JBL amp and a Kenwood HU. This was the recommendation from the 'street' which had him believe that the config was high class. After a struggle of more than 8-9 months to get good sound and multiple auditions, he changed the setup to Genesis/Rainbow/ID. You can send him a message and he'll let you know how happy he is now with his setup. Price ~ 80k.

So, as everyone else has suggested, listen and audition before you buy. Chennai has an active ICE circle with many experience members who'll help you in your ICE quest.

Cheers!

[kpkeerthi]

OK. ICE'd.

We managed to close just under 70k. As for the sub, went with a sealed box instead of a custom fiberglass. I cannot be missing my car for 3 days waiting on molding the box.

Yes, I understand, the options are limitless. But for a 70k install, what I just got is nothing short of complete. I'm COMPLETELY SATISFIED and so is Saravana himself. No matter what anyone says, I have high regards for Harmon (Infinity & JBL). The SQ/Clarity/Range is just amazing!

As for the install, Saravana delivered yet another top class, super clean, stealth install. The amps were hidden under the rear seat.

And if you live in and around Chennai and planning to ICE your car, do yourself a favor - Ignore whatever you read, heard and all the bureaucratic advises on the brands to choose. Just call up Saravana, fix up an appointment with him and TALK TO HIM on what you need.

[ankit_chd]

Well congrats for the new system. Its good that you are COMPLETELY SATISFIED.
I wonder if you had to go with what Saravana had to say, why you started this thread and asked for suggestions. Little confused, but still congrats.