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-   -   ICE upgrade : Mahindra XUV500 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-entertainment/110242-ice-upgrade-mahindra-xuv500-10.html)

Its a fibreglass work, if the OP can do a DIY it should be within 2K and with better finish, If you include labor it can be done within 5K-6K.

In these parts the number of people doing quality FG work (interior) can be counted on fingers and you won't need all five either. Most others do shoddy work and it is not uncommon to see their jobs crack open after a couple of scorching summers.

It is best to retain the OE HU and use a good quality HiLo convertor to hook up a decent amp and speakers+sub and blow away 90% of the systems with standard aftermarket HUs and still remain well within the given budget. Unless one is willing to spend 50K+ on the head unit itself, this is the way to go.

Its advisable to get a good amplifier which accepts speaker level inputs. HiLo converters diminish the sound quality by a margin. In my i20 I used the Scoche HiLo converter but later learnt that my amp accepts speaker level inputs so I decided to remove it and what a difference it made in sound quality!

List of amps as per my knowledge which accept speaker level inputs -

- Kenwood KAC846
- JBL GTO 804EZ (I have this one)
- Blaupunkt e55 somthing.

No climate control in W4 - Thus no chance of losing functionality. Actually I went in for W4 for this precise reason that nothing is integrated with the HU (Money mattered too though).

Any ideas on any one who can do a good job, I am okay if it can be done at this cost.

Agree with you on the quality part, will check up on the guy here before I finalize anything.

Looks good, will check up on this more.

This will have to be the last option, I guess.

Experts advice for my xuv ice upgrade

I already have a JBL A604 amp removed from my old car.
I want to install new speakers only. I don't want Sub . My probables are
Front : Polk Audio DB6501 comp
Rear : Polk audio DB 651 coax.

Will these speakers power match up with the amp ? I am looking only for improvement in sound quality , not big thumping bass.

do i need to install Hi-lo converter too ? is damping required for this budget setup and will make a difference ?

Can be a trifle too bright for some, so please take an audition before you decide to buy. There are plenty of better and more economical alternatives from JBL, Infinity, Bull, Auditor, Morel, etc. which are not bright.

Don't bother about the power - they are ball park in the same category. And yes, you should expect to hear a significant improvement in sound quality.

Whether a converter is needed or not, your installer can figure out after taking out the HU.

Damping is recommended since it will damp out a band of frequencies caused by road noise and resonance, which actually prevent you from hearing those frequencies in the music.

Thanks , I spoke to Powerzone Saravana and he recommended me this:

1. Damping.
2. Hi-Lo Converter.
3. Use the existing amp with good quality RCA cables.
4. Water sealant on doors. He says its really helpful in not letting the water inside the doorpads during rain (cost Rs.1000)
5. Kicker speakers (instead of Polk) coaxial both front and rear . I was also thinking of the same, as I dont want to have any effect on warranty by installing the Tweeters of the Comps by drilling on the pillars.

He was really helpful in clearing me the doubts and didnt force me to extend the budget. I was aiming between 20000- 25000 , and he was spot on.

Not needed IMHO. Look carefully at the bottom of the door - there are holes that drain out whatever droplets escape past the beading. Don't block those holes. Check periodically if there is rusting inside the door (doesn't need water to accumulate or seep past the beading; atmospheric humidity is bad enough).

PLEASE AUDITION before you buy. Kicker, at their price, are much less VFM than bigger brands.

One word: DON'T. Coaxials can never give you the same sound image in front as components. No drilling is required on pillars. The default, and usually the best, location is the triangular black sail panel inside the ORVMs. In this location, one hears the tweeters off-axis, which is a boon with bright tweeters.

Please get a quote from a couple of others before plonking your money. What you should expect to spend is:

1. Components: 5-6K (sure, there are components which cost much more, but check if they will give you value before buying; some are 8-11K, some 18-25K and some much more than that)
2. Round Coaxials for rear doors: 3K
3. Damping: 7-10K depending on brand and quantity (you need to do only the doors. The 5th door you can damp with virgin cotton waste and rolled strips of closed cell foam when you get a subwoofer)
4. Good quality RCA cables 1-2K
5. (Please check whether your HU has Preamp Outs before buying) Good quality Line Output Converter (Hi-Lo converter) 2-3K

Upgrade for my XUV 500

Finally did a small upgrade to my XUV500 .

Installer : Powerzone Saravana , Chennai

Setup :
Front Comp : PHD FB 6.1 Pro .
Amp : JBL GT5 A604 for the above , bridged. (used one)
Rear Coax - GroundZero GZ-A60 connected to Headunit
Sub : Sony L120P5H 12inch Sub (used one from my friend in very good condition for free)
Amp for Sub : Ground Zero Amp
Hi-Lo Converter : DHC Pro- LO-6 with Woofer control
Slight damping - Dampmat on front door only ( might add later for rear doors too )

Initially i never wanted a Sub. Since my friend gifted me his sub , i thought i could make a small use of it . Saravana was very much keen to understand my needs of the sound quality/effects i prefer to . He understood my needs and did the setup to my liking. I was very much satisfied with the result. The sound quality of the instruments from the PHD speakers are amazing . I am beginning to hear certain musics from the songs which i have never heard before.

Total Cost incurred including all the products and installation charges Rs. 49000.

Folks, I recently got a XUV500 W8 and looking to figure out a plan for ICE upgrade and need feedback from experts here. The stock setup is at best not bad :). Its ok for casual listening but quality goes for a toss the moment volume is increased or the music has more bass. I am no audiophile but certainly an above average listener. Let me first list down the restrictions that I have in mind

• Budget would be 30-40K at max. I blew all the money on buying the W8 model stupid:

• Intend to retain the existing HU as is, connect an amp. I am using a Ground Zero amp with hi-lo converter on my Figo as well with pretty decent results

• Want to minimize any form of cutting etc to fix tweeters etc. Hoping to re-use existing dash location for the tweeters. I am pretty happy with the stock tweeter performance as they are not too bright and give decent front sound stage. Door speakers are high anyways just like in the Figo

Based on this I have a few questions

• Is it possible to swap stock tweeters without much effort? If not then, would it make sense to retain the stock ones?

• If i retain stock tweeters as is, then should i just get coax speakers swapped in the doors for both front and rear?

• Based on all the threads on the forum, I am still not clear whether the stock HU has lo outputs on back or not?

No, installers will know how to swap. Retaining stock tweeters will cause mismatch with the crossover of replacement components.

:eek: Noooo. Don't get new coax speakers. Get a pair of good components - you have a good budget.

You will know if the stock HU has Pre-outs when you remove it, or you can check the User Manual (hope one came with the car). Connecting Pre-outs to amp is better than using a Hi-Lo converter. If Pre-outs are available, you won't need to buy the Hi-Lo converter. In any case, if you buy an amp that accepts high (speaker) level input (JBL, Kenwood etc. have it), you won't need a Hi-Lo converter.

Hi people,

I just got my XUV ICE'd:

Front : Infinity Kappa 60.9 cs
Rear : Infinity kappa 60.11 cs
Amp : Lightning audio 4-channel LA-4100
Amp wiring kit : Scosche
Damping : Hamaan (not harman) damp sheets
No need of Hi-Lo converter as the amp had built-in switches for hi pass and low pass
Total expense = ~35k

Difference : Tremendous difference over the stocks, but still a sub is sorely missed. Would like to add one in the near future any suggestions on which shallow mount sub and mono block amp to go for?
Thank you ! :)

:eek: Errr... these are 2 different things. You didn't need a Hi-Lo Converter because Lightning Audio LA4100 amp accepts high level inputs directly.
The high-pass and low-pass filters will be required only if you are driving a sub with the rear 2 channels (low pass @80Hz), and the components will be set to high pass @80Hz, for example.

If you *really* want to put a mono for the sub, a shallow-mount sub would be an antithesis - don't do that. You have 2 possibilities:
* Drive the sub with the B channels of the amp, and shift the rear components to running directly from HU
* Drive the sub with a mono, using a 12" regular sub in a sealed box

I would recommend Infinity Kappa 120.9 sub in a small 0.7cft box (since I think you were worried about boot usage). If you really want a monobloc, look for a JBL monobloc.

Hi nice configuration you have got there .
Can you please let me know from where you got the damping done . I got a quote of 8k for dampmat and labour cost 8k :)

Thanks

I got the damping material from a shop in JC road who was a distributor for Hamaan. After negotiating for sometime i paid 4000 for 6 damping sheets. Each door required 1.5 sheet. Could you please elaborate on the labour cost?