[donarun]

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Ohhh, man!!! This is indeed pro-stuff !! Great work indeed. You have taken great efforts to ensure audio nirvana! This must be one of the best sounding setups, wish I could come over there and hear it ! Keep up the good work buddy

Thanks pal, part of the credit goes to this forum as I learnt a bit of car audio basics here. If you ever drop by Chennai, ping me, we can meetup for an audition.

Originally Posted by tush

Hmm, which means drill a small hole and bolt the ground wire is what you did. Wish these car manufacturers provide such options within the body shell as OEM.

You could also connect it to any of the seats bolt provided you have lengthy gound cable.

[Visaster]

That's one amazing setup you have got there.
Last i got my car ICE'd about 6 yrs back, i did the best i could and people used to come to me for advice on the options.
After seeing your setup I am amazed how much technology and stuff have changed. I never knew such components existed. Now i gotta relearn the whole ICE.
Hats off to your commitment in fulfilling your dreams of owning a rocking, thumping car.
Wish i could hear it and feel the punch in flesh.
cheers

[donarun]

Originally Posted by Visaster

That's one amazing setup you have got there.
Last i got my car ICE'd about 6 yrs back, i did the best i could and people used to come to me for advice on the options.
After seeing your setup I am amazed how much technology and stuff have changed. I never knew such components existed. Now i gotta relearn the whole ICE.
Hats off to your commitment in fulfilling your dreams of owning a rocking, thumping car.
Wish i could hear it and feel the punch in flesh.
cheers

Thanks pal, post break-in we could definitely meet up for an audition. The break-in is expected to be over in a couple of weeks from now.

[stanjohn123]

Great work man. I can't believe how backward I am in ICE upgrades now. The only name familiar to me from your whole setup was your Alpine HU..

[Mi10]

Before even i start my review, let me explain why this set up justifies to be called as a wild thing.

• First of all its done by a madman who upgrades without even powering on equipments he has brought
• Secondly, Donarun is such a lunatic when it comes to choosing - He takes his own sweet time so much that this ICE setup now was kick started sometime back in late 2009!! That's like about 20 odd months !!
• Next, HAT - Hybrid Audio Technologies is an alien in these parts of the World - Most of us haven't heared about the brand, forget about listening to thier speakers. So is Helix, for those who dont know, Helix is a German brand. A Sister brand of Brax - who compete with Brands like Sinfoni, Tru and Mcintosh!
• Last but not the least, you need lot of GUTS to take up an Active Setup. You may wonder why is there so much noise about going Active !!. Trust me, it is like walking on rope; not only does it require deep understanding of Electronics concepts, it also comes with "Hit or Miss" Tag!. One Wrong setting could be very deep on your pockets.

Hence, Hats off Arun, for pulling off the Active Setup. Kudos for that buddy.

Now to the review,
Finally i got a chance to audition the wild thing after completion of Break-in period. For a change let me save you time - If you want to know the result in one word its WOW! Others who are jobless, (or acting like working, pls keep reading below);

The Alpine - HAT - Helix Combo works so marevellously well, that it comes dangerously close to hard core Audiophile standards. However the DLS + IDQ is what takes the cake, making a superb set up into an awesome one.

HeadUnit: Alpine 117 + Imprint Kit. (4/5)
A Very nice SQ Head. Excellent ipod controls and functionality. Got everything a High End HU should have (with the imprint kit, that is). The Features are great too, TA, Parametric EQ, Hi Volt Pre outs, Active Ready....However few navigation aspects like the banking feature is a mild downer. Also in Tuning part few of them are not too user friendly- esp when tuning around the parametric EQs is little confusing. Also only 5 para bands and that too each has its own set of eq range. Kinda Over priced, Because together with Imprint kit, the HU will cost close to 30 Grand.

Front Stage: HAT Clarus midbass + HAT Tweetes on Helix P400 4 Ch Amp

Clarus Midbass: (5/5)
Easily the Best Midbass i ve ever heared till date. Saravana's DLS Midbass is an excellent one too. However this one is pure orgasam when it belts out each beat with incredible force. Equally sensual this is when playing subtle Tom Toms and snares'. Its a literally treat to your ears when playing Rahman's Fusion geners.

Clarus Tweeters: (3.5/5)
The Tweeters are silken. They on inherently on sharper side, but after break-in they have mellowed down in a very nice way. Superb Sound Staging and Imaging. Very Detailed too. For a normal ear this Tweeter sounds excellent, until you hear setups in this league. Its mainly the Dynamics that is sligtly on lower side, which sometimes gives you a feeling that the tweeters are lacking in liveliness and richness. That said, i am not taking anything away, whatever it does, it does that in a clinical way.

Sub Stage: 12" IDQ on DLS Reference RA10
IDQ: (5/5)
When i first heared the sub, i wasn't too impressed and Arun knows that. However, i didnt pass any comment knowing its still early days. Thinkinh about that now, Good i didnt pass a comment, as i would have been eating my own words now!!. IDQ is an SQ sub and how ? Hear it in this ANHC to know. Fast, Punchy and Perfect. Not many would have used a Class AB Mono to thier subs, but i think its one of the main reasons why the Sub stage is excellent. Its sheer class, the way the sub blends, the way it starts a note, the way it ends a note, the way it holds a note - inch perfect. I think you will also have to give credit to the awesome FG enclosure that Power zone designed for this. It gets as perfect as it can get.

Installation: (4/5)
Very neat and acoustically perfect Install. Hissing, no whines, no squeaks, Nothing. However, i would have positioned the Tweeter slighty up the A-Pillar. Esp when your Crossing over around 5Khz, it needs to be above your ear level to get in those minute details. Also that turky towel to wade of reversin notes was pathetic man. I dont think that's really necessary.(0.5 points less because of that Towel

Summary: (21.5/25)
Overall, a brilliant set up that is bound leave a unique impact in you. Helix, HAT all are new brands and its a refreshing change to have them in over the mundane Focals and Rainbows. all the more, the new combo sounds Kicka$$. A Definitive must Audition for guys who are into serious music. Yet another active set up shining in glory. Kudos donarun for brining out a star combo. It did take time, however the result is excellent . As the line goes, its better late than never !

[Piyush_Vroom]

Great Review bro.

I have been running HAT L1 PRO R2 SE of a Sinfoni Amplitude 120.4X for a year now and trust me they are really very good tweeters. My Sub amp is a DLS A6 and trust me Class A/B really lifts the soundstage.