[invincible7]

System is sounding sweet and the sub has opened up a bit after many hours of play, the tracks sound more melodious now and yeah I am very Happy with the current state of tune.

Have worked a bit on the placements of the tweeters on the A pillars and they are firing now in perfection than before where the sound was more upfront.

For the future, will upgrade the Mono to DLS A6 and maybe the HU but it will take many moons, as of now its Blissfulllllllll .

[toretto]

Very nice setup...!! Are the steering controls working with the Alpine 117 HU ?
How much did the HU cost ?

[invincible7]

Yeah the steering remote works fine, have installed the PAC converter to allign it with the Alpine 117.

I got the Alpine pretty early, must be one of the first few to land in India, got it around for 18K at that point of time from US.

[sonirohit]

My take - MS6A are okayish, why not upgrade them to R6 or R6A????

[invincible7]

I believe you have heard both hence you conclusion on the MS6A .

I havent heard the R6/R6A, but I believe they have good bass reproduction.

Currently I am pretty happy with the way MS6A are performing and the details is spot on, still to hear a set which can be as detailed as this one is.

The other set which comes close is the Illusion Carbons which were great IMHO.

If ever I think of upgrading the comps, it will surely be DLS but yeah I am thinking on the lines of Nordica / Gothia

[invincible7]

A small update to the system.

Changed the Sub Amp from RF 500-1 to Focal 2.300 symmetric one.

Some of the snaps, the layout will be redone for a snug fit.

[khoj]

That is a small upgrade indeed
How much of a difference has this made to the subs performance? and if you don't mind then the source and cost of the FPS please.

Another thing I have noticed is that the HU slot seems empty! Is that by design ? Could you post a close up of the HU install. I have a Swift Zxi myself and was hesitent to get the stock hu replaced as I am not sure how the end result/finishing would look like (am aiming for a two DIN hu).

Originally Posted by invincible7

A small update to the system.

Changed the Sub Amp from RF 500-1 to Focal 2.300 symmetric one.

Some of the snaps, the layout will be redone for a snug fit.

[invincible7]

Originally Posted by khoj

That is a small upgrade indeed
How much of a difference has this made to the subs performance? and if you don't mind then the source and cost of the FPS please.

Another thing I have noticed is that the HU slot seems empty! Is that by design ? Could you post a close up of the HU install. I have a Swift Zxi myself and was hesitent to get the stock hu replaced as I am not sure how the end result/finishing would look like (am aiming for a two DIN hu).

The subs are now getting a hell lot of power and it is pretty evident from the way they move hard. They are now getting a whooping 650+ rms in bridged mode @ 2ohms, maybe a bit more . Add to it the cap which comes with the amp to give it more power surge when required for a better transient response. So the power is constantly fed to the sub and there is no lag.


A small glitch though, it seems my battery which is 3.5 yrs old Amaron OEM from Maruti is on the verge of giving up, need to get it cheked asap.

Well the source is Ajay aka Bass&Trouble ofcourse, he is the one who has helped me with every phase and design of the system right from the start and to where it is today. So all thanks to him .

The HU is Alpine 117 and the sytem too has been installed in a Swift ZXI model, I had to just replace the facia adapter which was picked from a VXI model and the integration is spot on.

The seond slot is empty by design as I am using a single din unit.
If you choose a double din unit, it would cover the entire part i.e. the second slot will fill up with the double din unit aswell and it will intergrate much better.

Let me add a pic for your reference, ignore the second slot remote knob, its been removed now as this is a gain control knob which comes with the Focal amp, I mistakenly thought it to be bass boost knob.

[invincible7]

OK the latest update is, the battery (3.5 yrs old Amaron OEM) as it was showing signs of weakness and more so was evident after putting in the new amp.

Got it replaced with a spanking new Amaron FLO and viola the system is sounding more powerfull n sweeter now .

Next plan is to get a HU which is a step forward from 117. Its a brilliant HU and I have enjoyed it immensly and love its sound signature, add to it the imprint kit which opens a whole lot of world for tuning options, but I need something which has .wav file support aswell now and has to be a single din unit.

[invincible7]

Finally upgraded the HU to Pioneer 80PRS, rest of the system remains the same.

Its a very good HU and I find it well suited to my kind of music taste, the overall system sounds much better now and thats how I like it.

The only drawback is the buld quality which is not justified at the price point it comes.

The final list

HU - Pioneer 80PRS
Fronts - DLS 2 way components
Rears - None
Sub - Focal 33v2 in sealed box
Amp 1 - DLS RA20 driving the front components
Amp 2 - Focal 2.300
Damping - Stinger (lots of it)
Wiring - 4 AWG

[invincible7]

Long time and we have an update - upgraded the speakers now to Mercury C 62, happy with the setup. They are very detailed and can surprise many new listeners, I myself was in awe when I listened to them first time, awesome crystal clarity and kick from them and they are still opening up with only few hours of playtime to them.

Its been a long journey with ICE upgrades (nothing new to the folks here) - the good thing is I have been very controlled in my upgrades and have kept the brakes on from going berserk in full swing mood.

Coming to that next month will be upgrading the Sub Amp to RF 1000- 1bdcp to give some good and extra healthy massage to the sub.

Overall Setup now looks like below.

HU - Pioneer 80PRS
Fronts - Mercury C-62 2 way components
Rears - None
Sub - Focal 33 v2 in a sealed box
Front Components Amp - DLS RA20
Sub-woofer Amp - Focal 2.300 (to be upgraded to Rockford Fosgate 1000-1bdcp)
Damping - STP (lots of it)
Wiring - 4 AWG

[invincible7]

Switched the front amp from DLS RA20 to Focal 2300, the front sounds better with more power to it, the overall sound stage headroom is better now, should have tried this combo earlier.

The sub is now pounding harder and there is a definite more punch to the overall low sub frequencies thanks to the RF mono. Overall happy with the setup now.


HU - Pioneer 80PRS

Fronts - Mercury C-62 2 way components

Rears - None

Sub-woofer - Focal 33 v2 in a sealed box

Front Components Amp - Focal 2.300

Sub-woofer Amp - Rockford Fosgate 1000-1bdcp

Damping - STP (lots of it)

Wiring - 4 AWG (individual kit for each amp)

[invincible7]

** Reference to Piyush in this thread is for Piyush of Vaani Acoustics **, this only for those who may not be aware about him.

Me - I want kick ass mid bass and crystal clear vocals, thinking of going ahead and adding a DSP to the current setup
Piyush - Hmm, we can do that but you will need to look into your current setup for mid bass, if that's what you want.
Me - Yeah, I know let me think over it and come back


After Few days on a lazy Sunday afternoon

Phone Ringing......

Me - Hey Man, lets go ahead and upgrade the damn speakers - the whole front stage. What say
Piyush - Grabbing a second thought on what I just uttered, Hmm are you sure, we have the following options in speakers.
Me - Yea absolutely, lets do it. I want crystal clear vocals, mid range and kick ass mid bass. Amps I have so we can do it.

After a few discussions over a long call, we closed in on what I wanted - for a fairly long time now I think.

Me - Lets do this, its final. I am eagerly waiting for this to play in the car now.
Piyush - Alright lets do it, this should keep you happy for long. We will see.....

Enter the Creator....





Fast Forward to few weeks and I get to see what I have been waiting for anxiously for my mid bass fantasies, yeah we do fantasize about audio gears.

Oh yes about the crystal clear vocals, mid range - well let just say it was something which I had my eyes on for quiet sometime and yea I believe its a dream come true to be able to play them in my car now.

So without further ado - let me bring in the orchestra for my car.

ACTIVE SYSTEM without a standalone DSP

Headunit - Pioneer 80prs
Front Mid Bass - Audible Physics Brahma6W
Front Wide Band - Audible Physics NZALBE 3"
Front Mid Bass Amp - Focal 2300 (2 Channel Amp)
Front Wide Band Amp - DLS RA 20 (2 Channel Amp)
Subwoofer - Focal 33v2 in a sealed enclosure
Sub Amp - Rockford Fosgate T1000- 1bdcp
Wiring - Pure Copper 0 AWG

So once the install was done and Piyush had played with his magicians tricks from his plethora of gadgets. The first reaction I could get was WOW !!!! I mean Seriously can the music sound SOOO DAMNNN WHOLE to me.
I was speechless for few mins and as I gathered my Jaw from the floor and regained my lil bit of sense. It was amazingly detailed from the word GO and I mean Yes from the Word GO, the NZ's are truly amazingly detailed and the thing is they are yet to be broken in and yet they will make anyone feel WHAAAT and I mean yea whoever have heard they have not said a word for atleast 10 mins and then they have regained themselves and their senses and said F***K this is amazingly detailed. So for you to say that it words simply is that the vocals sound with a weight to them, they are whole and it feels the singer is right in front of you singing and I mean even the simplest of song feels to you with amazing details and you are not going to get tired listening to it continuously for hours.

And the next best thing in this is the Mid Bass - Brahma6W (the creator), it kicks ass and I mean really. I am in love with this mid base and my journey seems to be over with the everlasting hunt for a good mid base driver. Its fast and bloody fast I mean and it kicks - and yes this one too is just opening up and its already slamming the doors. And yea my doors are damped to the T and I mean yes to the T - the metals is damped that there is no space to be damped and the plastics are damped that there is no space to damp again. . But yeah I am loving this to the absolute CORE !!!

Thank You to Piyush for making this possible and introducing me to a great set of drivers, I am hooked to them for Life now and yea I mean it. And yes a big thank you for making the pods to perfection, I mean you did everything that I had asked for in one of our calls and the attention to details is amazing, makes me sooper happy.

Also the tuning is worth mentioning, the staging right on the dashboard and the headroom is wide, I mean huge. I am now able to see the potential of an active system and this one is not even fully active yet, waiting to add a DSP in coming months. Thanks Piyush for making it sound awesome ! You are the Man bro

Of course thanks to Nirdesh who I have found a friend in and we are like chatting always about Audio, literally like whole time Audio

There are whole lot in the background who have helped me with a lot of things and I feel amazed with the amount of love you get when you start building an audio dream, people just add in to support you and I believe that's an amazing thing about audio gearheads who are just passionate about audio as a concept and its realization.


Let me add few pics for the pleasure. Do check out the attention to details in the pods - its amazing craftsmanship which goes unnoticed easily otherwise.

[invincible7]

Well just realized I haven't updated the thread here, there were few additions done to the setup to take it couple of notch higher in terms of SQ and I am very satisfied with the setup for now its a never ending journey for ICE hobbyist is what I believe in now so until the next adventure begins I am going to enjoy this one.

Final Setup (for now)

This is a fully active setup which has been RTA tuned with dedicated long hours invested in tuning. Big Shout out & Thanks to Piyush for designing and tuning the setup in a professional way with right gear.

Car - Swift ZXi (petrol)

HU - Pioneer 80prs (active mode)

Highs - Audible Physics NZ3AlBe (wideband drivers)

Mids - Audible Physics Brahma6W

Amp(for highs and mids) - Biketronics BT4180 (4 channel Class D, 180 rms *4, comes with Hypex module )

Subwoofer - Focal 33v2 in a sealed enclosure

Sub Amp - Rockford Fosgate T1000-1bdcp

DSP - Mini DSP 8*12

Speaker Wires - 11 AWG Pure Copper

Power Wires - 0 AWG Pure Copper

RCA's - MPS Custom RCA cables

Few pics of the setup.

[invincible7]

Realized I haven't visited the thread for a long time. The sound system is kick ass till date and had its share of updates primarily around adding Digital Source and a tab to the overall equation - now I can play anything from an mp3 to DSD in my car which is absolutely fantasico . just throw any track and it plays. Of course the DSD tracks sound amazingly awesome in a car's environment.

Adding a pic for tease :-)