[maverick236]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

1. Ask your installer to redo the amp grounding, this time with 2 copper washers and scraping the grounding point

2. Just check and see if a different pair of RCA cables works better. And while you are at it, check if there is any 12V cable running beside the RCA cables

Thank you for the suggestions. Will try this.
A quick (dumb) question - how do i know if its a 12V cable?

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by maverick236

... how do i know if its a 12V cable?

All other cables would be a part of the harness, which is not visible. The only cables that would have been put in by aftermarket installers, like for the amp 12V or other accessories like LED strips, would be the ones that would be visible!

[maverick236]

I gave the vehicle for my 1st service yesterday and now that noise is no more there. Strange

[maverick236]

Originally Posted by navin

If you want rear fills to be sent from the Alpine you will need an amplifier for the rear speakers. The other choice would be to get a monoblock for the sub and use the 4 ch. for front and rear.

A late update but there is none.
There has been hardly any progress as we still await the RUX controller from Alpine and the guy from Chequered Flag (installer) is equally irresponsible. Still lies where it is.

Navin, taking off from where we left, I'm travelling to US next week most likely. So planning to get the sound processor from there. There is a significant price difference between JBL MS8 and {Alpine PXA H800 + RUX800} i wouldnt mind spending, just a final thought on that

In my current system, the rears are hardly heard. (never faced this issue on my old i10 though the rears were fed by HU) There could be an issue with the tuning or (i dunno) . Just wondering if i could use the amp to feed the rears as well and get a monoblock for the sub. The concerns -

1) Can i use components in the rear and have a good effect now that Im using the amp to feed it? (just that I dont feel like wasting the amp on co-ax). If components can be placed, what would be the ideal placement of the tweeters? Are any very good performing co-ax (budget 10K) that can do justice to the SQ setup (Please note that the rears are NOT occupied 80% of the time)

2) Can someone suggest me a good monoblock amp that can power the Focal SB P 30. (around 10-12K)

I can get it from US or purchase here in Hyderabad/B'lore accordingly. Planning to drive down to B'lore after my return to complete the whole setup. Hope Satya would be able to help me up

[navin]

Originally Posted by maverick236

Navin, taking off from where we left, I'm travelling to US next week most likely. So planning to get the sound processor from there. There is a significant price difference between JBL MS8 and {Alpine PXA H800 + RUX800} i wouldnt mind spending, just a final thought on that

In my current system, the rears are hardly heard. (never faced this issue on my old i10 though the rears were fed by HU) There could be an issue with the tuning or (i dunno) .

1) Can i use components in the rear ...Are any very good performing co-ax (budget 10K) that can do justice to the SQ setup (Please note that the rears are NOT occupied 80% of the time)

2) Can someone suggest me a good monoblock amp that can power the Focal SB P 30. (around 10-12K)

The Alpine with the RUX 800 offers the user more control over settings than the MS8.

A little tinkering with the level controls can make the rears more audible.

Yes you can use components in the rear, make sure that the rear components tweeter is not too close to the front passenger's ear. This is easier to do with large sedans like the Camry, E class etc.. than say a Swift or Verna where the space is limited. There are plenty of good coax available. Get one with that has similar brand and model range as your front components. You want to keep a consistent tonal signature.

There are amps from Kenwood, JBL and Focal that would be able to drive the SB P30.

[maverick236]

Finally the I drove down to Bangalore and got my dream system installed yesterday. Will post a new thread in Sound on and show off.
One major concern though - the calls via bluetooth is going directly to the subwoofer, so cant hear anything except the brr brr sound when on call. Ipod/cd/usb/aux work perfectly fine.
To give you background, The Stock HU feeds the Alpine pxa-h800 processor feeds the 4 ch & the monoblock..=
I am back to Hyderabad now and need urgent help on this as I have to take calls quite frequently

Gurus - Need your help

Originally Posted by navin

The Alpine with the RUX 800 offers the user more control over settings than the MS8.

Navin - any suggestions...

[navin]

Originally Posted by maverick236

Navin - any suggestions...

Now I am confused. What suggestions can we offer over the internet. Tuning is usually done by ear, RTA or via auto tune (MS8 and Alpine for example have auto tune).

If you want to consider other DSPs there is a pretty long list. Zapco's Z8 is probably the cheapest that offers the features similar to (not exactly the same as) the Alpine. Then there is Mosconi's 6to8 , JBL's MS8, RF's 360.3, Audison's Bit 1 (Bit 10 for those on a budget), Helix's P-DSP and PP50 and finally Arc Audio's PS8. Yes the DSP world is getting crowded and I hope to see more DSPs and lower price points in a year or so.

[maverick236]

Originally Posted by navin

Now I am confused. What suggestions can we offer over the internet. Tuning is usually done by ear, RTA or via auto tune (MS8 and Alpine for example have auto tune).

If you want to consider other DSPs there is a pretty long list. Zapco's Z8 is probably the cheapest that offers the features similar to (not exactly the same as) the Alpine. Then there is Mosconi's 6to8 , JBL's MS8, RF's 360.3, Audison's Bit 1 (Bit 10 for those on a budget), Helix's P-DSP and PP50 and finally Arc Audio's PS8. Yes the DSP world is getting crowded and I hope to see more DSPs and lower price points in a year or so.

Got it set Navin in Hyderabad. The fader wasnt working too.
Had to set a few things rights. One thing that still troubles is the whistling sound. The guy tried using filters but that sond never dies.

[navin]

Originally Posted by maverick236

Had to set a few things rights. One thing that still troubles is the whistling sound. The guy tried using filters but that sond never dies.

Does the sound change as you rev the car?

[maverick236]

Originally Posted by navin

Does the sound change as you rev the car?

Yeah.. it gives a kind of whistling sound as I rev it...

[Safari_Beast]

How are the power cables , RCA , speaker wires routed , if all have been routed from same place that can create whine problem . Sometime amps are busted which creates a problem , since amps are new then this can be ruled out .

Originally Posted by maverick236

Yeah.. it gives a kind of whistling sound as I rev it...

[navin]

Originally Posted by maverick236

Yeah.. it gives a kind of whistling sound as I rev it...

Originally Posted by Safari_Beast

How are the power cables , RCA .

If the whistling changes with engine revvs then it is pickup of noise by the RCA cables from the power cables.

Seperate the power cables from RCA cables and use better RCA (better shield) cables.

[VSG12777]

Hi Gurus,

Very recently, I purchased the following for my 2010 Verna Transform SX:

Head Unit: Kenwood KDC-X8016BT
Rear 6x9 Speakers: JBL GTO 959, 110W RMS
Front Component Speakers: JBL GTO 649C 6.5 inch
Amplifier: Kenwood KAC-M846 - 4 channel 60W RMS amplifier

I read very good reviews on the net on the JBL 959 and 649s, and decided to try them out as I never had JBL speakers in any car at home so far. Plus they were quite VFM.

As for the head unit, the display, features, font used, elegant design of the unit etc kind of wowed me. So I decided to opt for this one.

However: The Kenwood 8016BT had big time issues with all my USB flash drives, as it kept pausing randomly in some mp3 song or the other, for no reason. It would play for a while, then pause, and load for more than 2 mins. Nothing else in the unit would work during this time. It was very frustrating. MP3s on CDs were not at all a problem.

My stock HU did not have USB or Bluetooth, so I wanted both in the upgrade.

Spoke to my installer and he saw it happening live when I showed him (the USB issue), and got me a new 8016BT. Even the new one had the same problem. We tested the same 4 USB drives of mine, in a Skoda Rapid which had a Pioneer 5590 touchscreen unit, and an i20 with a factory setup. The drives played flawlessly in both the cars.

So, the head unit HAD to be changed. No other choice.

Meanwhile, I kept feeling the Kenwood 846 amp wasn't giving me enough punch. I like my bass at low volumes. I never blast my music. I love to listen at lower volumes with bass that I can feel. Despite trying to tune the setup twice, the installer failed to satisfy me.

So, he decided to get me a different amp, which would not exceed my budget much.

Here's the new setup:

Speakers: Same JBL 959 rears and 649C front components
Head unit: JVC KD-R90BT (top end CD receiver in their range)
Amp: Boston Acoustics Pro-A804 (80W RMS x 4 ch)

Once the amp installed with the Kenwood 8016BT, I could immediately feel the increase in power output of the amp. It did sound much better!

Then the HU was replaced with the JVC R90BT. It's a very nice unit, and no USB issues so far. Only thing is, all the sound related adjustments, HAVE to be made on the unit itself. The remote has only Track +/-, Volume +/- and Folder +/-.

Anyway now the issue was I liked the overall sound quality, but the bass just wasn't enough. Then the installer told me on the phone, that all on the amp was brought to zero. He has tuned it twice already.

Now he says the overall gain on the amp has been increased a bit,
Gain for fronts has been increased as the volume was low,
Bass level on the Boston amp is now 60%.

Often, I test songs by playing when the car is stationary, and the punch kind of gets reduced to a good extent, once we start moving in traffic. Not sure why.

I had a JVC AVX 846, front Morel Maximo components and rear Morel Maximo 6x9s, with a FLI AUDIO 100x4 RMS amp. I never felt the bass to be inadequate. That setup was in my 2007 Getz Prime 1.3 GLX, which I sold to get the Verna.

So, despite tuning my current setup twice, I am not satisfied. What could be the issue gurus? I don't know what else to do.

Maybe I should pay my Getz audio installer a visit to get the system tuned properly.

Gurus: Is my equipment selection ok? I read reviews on the net, and then chose the JBL front and rear speakers, and the Kenwood 846 amp.

Please give me suggestions/ideas to improve the sound. Now with 60% bass level on the amp and some extra gain overall, somehow I am still not satisfied.

Please help guys.

Warm regards,
Venkat

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by VSG12777

... Often, I test songs by playing when the car is stationary, and the punch kind of gets reduced to a good extent, once we start moving in traffic. Not sure why. ...

Road noise. Get damping done on the doors, especially the innermost layer of the door. Most of your dissatisfaction might be due to this.

Originally Posted by VSG12777

... So, despite tuning my current setup twice, I am not satisfied. What could be the issue gurus? I don't know what else to do. ...

I hate to tell you this - apologies in advance - but, the cause of dissatisfaction is you yourself. You are not approaching the issue systematically. One cannot be satisfied this way, especially if one looks at satisfaction without reference. No matter what the equipment, your desire for more bass is driving the tuning out of the optimum zone. Please listen to installations (ignore brands/models) in other cars to get your reference sorted out.

You have already allowed your vendor to smartly sell you something else, perhaps on which he makes more money. And despite that you really didn't get a difference.

Originally Posted by VSG12777

... I read reviews on the net, and then chose the JBL front and rear speakers, and the Kenwood 846 amp. ...

Trust only your ears, and audition as much as you can before you buy. Reviews cannot be a substitute. There is nothing wrong with the equipment - just don't go searching for a mirage.

[VSG12777]

Thanks for your replies DerAlte. I agree with what u say. However the front 2 doors have been damped already when installing the front components. I think the installer used one damping layer in the doors. So you're saying that the inner most layer has to be damped? The portion just behind the outside of the door?