Innova gets Focalised

sukiwa · 28th December 2012, 13:50

Stock ICE in Innova never felt enough & it was an age old system without any AUX or USB ports. I had to crank volume at more than 50% to get decent sound at times. The only good thing was that volume control was closer to the driver rather than away from driver & V variant had tweeters.

I had seen many threads about component speaker setups & was eager to have such a setup for Innova. I had thought of component speakers in front, co-axial speakers in back along with an amplifier. I wasn't too keen on subwoofer as I wanted the setup to be daughter friendly. My daughter prefers last row in Innova & I didn't want sub to be located close to her (She gets frightened due to loud sounds).

I had planned for budget of around 25k which went north in no time.

Decision process: I was looking at recent installs on forum & saw focal deals again from Bass&Trouble(Ajay). Resurfacing of those deals, made me change my budget. Posted a query to Ajay & he suggested entire setup including damping with Noisekill sheets.

Before venturing into such setups, I thought of checking someone's setup first. 'Vikram18' obliged by showcasing setup in his Civic at drop of a PM. After listening to some tracks & subsequent discussion, I decided to go ahead for install from Ajay.

Ajay had suggested following equipments & installation was done on friday, 30th Nov.

HU: JVC KD-R90BT/KD-R900BT
Front:Focal polyglass 165VB component speakers
Rear: Focal integration IC165 co-axial speakers
Amplifier: Hertz HE4 (4 channel amplifier)
Wiring: Focal 8ga amp. wiring kit
Speaker cable: Bandridge 1.5 sq. mm

Damping: I was going to use stock speaker location in doors, so was keen on getting all 3 layers damped well. Dynamat extreme wasn't available with Ajay, so I queried Ajay about DampMat from 'monty9991' which he hadn't used it yet but was ready to install those. So, I contacted 'monty9991' & ordered 1 box of DampMat sheets (9 sheets of 4 sq.ft.). Box got delivered in a week (delays due to Diwali holidays).

Initial impression: When I started moving out of 4S audio, Innova felt quieter than before. I hadn't turned ON music system yet & was waiting for GPS to catch satellites & show up navigation. It took me some time to realise that it's the damping that has reduced overall noise & had made the cabin bit quiet. I was happy even before testing ICE on the road.

I started drive back to Pune at 6pm from Tardeo road so was faced with peak traffic. Once GPS started showing directions, I powered on HU & selected USB as source. To my surprise, it started playing a different song than I had expected. I had named .mp3 files with digits for first few favotire tracks but HU started playing tracks from A-Z. I guess, it sorts songs with A to Z first & then digits. I have to check if HU sorts songs same way for CD as well.

Once I selected my set of songs & had started on familiar roads, I was able to concentrate more on music. I was able to hear some notes/sounds that I hadn't heard earlier e.g. 'kya baat hai' from a live classical concert. Classical instrumental music sounded way better than expected.
I am not used to drive alone on highways after dark, but with such great music & full moon for company made the drive very enjoyable.
After a very short break at food mall, I changed to bollywood songs. I wasn't expecting them to sound better as these were internet downloads & not ripped at best bit rate. But, even these played very well, vocals sounded better. For some songs, I felt subwoofer would have been better but not essential.

Bluetooth: 2 phones can be paired & simultaneously operated with Bluetooth via this HU. Same button can be used for placing a call or picking a call. On receiving a call, HU mutes speakers & displays incoming number. Single press of call button on HU allows call pickup & long press of same button disconnects the call.
Songs from phone can also be played via Bluetooth.

At first traffic signal halt, I placed a call at home. Voice was clear & other side didn't notice that call was via Bluetooth. So, mike quality & placement was good.

HU(Head Unit): I was looking for 1-DIN for getting additional storage space/keeping cables. I realised later that cables for AUX & USB are quite long & it's better to keep them in glove box. I was recommended either 90BT & 900BT mainly for TA. I chose 90BT as both USB ports are at back side. I wanted to have both USB ports close to each other as power from single USB port isn't enough for some hard disks. 900BT had one 1 USB port at front & wasn't available at the time of installation.

Ergonomics: I find position of source button a bit odd. Oversized control dial comes in between while touching this button. It would have been better if this button was placed below control dial rather than above it.While changing sources, I have accidentally touched control dial & hence paused music.

I may upgrade firmware on HU this weekend as I found update on JVC website with version as 0307 (current version is 0302). I don't know what improvements it has, but would do it just for sake of doing it.

TA(Time Alignment): Few days back, I was going back home in colleague's Swift. Both of us had listened songs from his USB drive in my Innova in previous weekend. I thought of playing some songs from that drive again. When I started listening, I felt sound is reaching only via rear speakers. So, I played with Fader & Balance controls to check if each speaker was working or not. After positive confirmation of all speakers working, I asked location of rear speakers. I was expecting them to be in doors, but they were mounted on rear parcel tray. I realised the reason for me feeling sound playing only from rear. As rear speakers were mounted on parcel tray, they were at ear level & were making appearance of sound from rear.
This is when I realised importance of TA & how it helps in creating a better sound stage in the car. I can't think of car audio without TA now. I am glad that Ajay insisted on JVC HU with TA as I was initially looking at basic JVC/Pioneer HU with budget of 5-6k only. I have ended paying more than double of that but I won't regret a bit about it.

Installer experience: I reached 4S audio at their opening time on friday & team was ready with equipment. I called up Ajay to inform them to start with damping. Shafiq & Balu worked very fast to complete entire install by 4:30pm. Ajay did his tuning to wrap up by 5:30pm. He played some tunes & changed setting on amplifier. I played some songs & then Shafiq finished by fixing front passenger seat. Work got completed really fast without cutting any corners(I mean wires too).

Thoughts after nearly a month since installation:

I have paid more than double of my initial budget, but I feel it's worth spending that much amount.

In hindsight, I feel 2-DIN HU would have looked better & I haven't gained much in terms of storage via 1-DIN HU. 1-DIN HU doesn't leave clean look on dash( I will post photo later). Anyways, there is always next time & that upgrade itch.

NOTE: This is a text only post; I will upload photos later. I have few photos during installation, but haven't taken any photos after installation.

DerAlte · 28th December 2012, 17:15

@Sukiwa-san, congratulations!

Photos are mandatory in a thread in Sound off and Show off section.

97_Octane · 28th December 2012, 22:10

Congrats on your setup sukiwa! Hope you are enjoying it.
Please post pics asap :-)
And also the price breakup if you don't mind.

MetalBuff · 28th December 2012, 23:00

Awaiting the pics as well as the price breakup

From the write up, it seems like you are really enjoying the setup. This, in itself makes me curious about the setup's snaps. Additionally, would be great if you could slap some post-installation shots as well. Thanks.

adi_sun · 30th December 2012, 18:52

Nice to see you enjoy the TA feature.
Alpine 117 TA told me what i was missing in my old Alpine 404 !

Focals definitely sound good, even better with a lot of damping.
btw, what interconnects did you use ?

please upload the pics and the price break up.

sukiwa · 31st December 2012, 14:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Photos are mandatory in a thread in Sound off and Show off section.

Sorry, it took me time to post photos.

Stock speaker(left) & Focal Polyglass mid-range (right)

Innova gets Focalised-img_2541-medium.jpg

Focal Polyglass tweeter

Innova gets Focalised-img_2546-medium.jpg

Tweeter placed in stock location using hotglue. This housing has lost a clip hence doesn't fit snugly, has some play. Ajay couldn't get those clips but suggested to fix those clips later else change entire housing.

Innova gets Focalised-img_2545-medium.jpg

Crossover fixed behind glove box, this gets covered by panels.

Innova gets Focalised-img_2554-medium.jpg

Innova gets Focalised-img_2555-medium.jpg

Hertz amp placed below front passenger seat

Innova gets Focalised-img_2556-medium.jpg

JVC HU

Innova gets Focalised-img_2561-medium.jpg

This is reason I felt 2-DIN would have been better. Lack of space on top prevents fixing bracket that came with HU.

Innova gets Focalised-img_2562-medium.jpg

Amp in evening time, Letters HE glows mildly in blue colour & isn't that noticeable.

Innova gets Focalised-dscn2030-medium.jpg

This is how HU looks while playing a song.

Innova gets Focalised-img_9478-medium.jpg

I have some more photos of damping & have tried to shoot a comparo video of damped & undamped Innova; will upload those later.

Costing: It difficult to give cost break-up as total system was part a deal. For DampMat, I paid Rs. 8990 & for ICE Rs. 45,500.

adi_sun · 1st January 2013, 16:26

looks good ! just one suggestion , if there is no space on the top and the HU needs to be installed without the bracket why not shift the HU in the lower din and keep the upper part as storage space ?

sukiwa · 4th January 2013, 13:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by adi_sun

looks good ! just one suggestion , if there is no space on the top and the HU needs to be installed without the bracket why not shift the HU in the lower din and keep the upper part as storage space ?

This was tried but 'lack of space' shifts to bottom in that case. It's better to leave it at that.

Abhay · 7th January 2013, 10:13

Having listened to this setup for a decent while that day, I can say it is a really nice sounding system..although our tastes are quite different, even my music (especially those with soaring vocals and acoustic/clean guitar work) did sound very good.

mikilbhatkar · 8th January 2013, 16:44

How much did the focals cost you ?

sukiwa · 9th January 2013, 10:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikilbhatkar

How much did the focals cost you ?

Please search for speakers under classifieds-car entertainment section & look for posts by Bass&Trouble.

sukiwa · 10th March 2014, 23:52

Nothing to update on ICE, it's working beautifully. But I found an image from this thread in a TBHP classified.
Seller has used speaker comparo image (stock & Focal) for selling stock speakers without bothering about cropping out Focal speaker or renaming image file name.

sparsh · 16th March 2014, 21:58

Sukiwa, congratulations on your ICE upgrade. To enhance the sound stage, you can look at upgrading the rear co-axials to components and add a sub woofer with a mono block or a 2 channel amp. Focal components sound sharp with not too much of excessive bass etc. Ensure the tuning has been done to your liking and enjoy many more musical times.

28th December 2012, 13:50	#1
sukiwa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: pune Posts: 2,397 Thanked: 2,736 Times	Innova gets Focalised Stock ICE in Innova never felt enough & it was an age old system without any AUX or USB ports. I had to crank volume at more than 50% to get decent sound at times. The only good thing was that volume control was closer to the driver rather than away from driver & V variant had tweeters. I had seen many threads about component speaker setups & was eager to have such a setup for Innova. I had thought of component speakers in front, co-axial speakers in back along with an amplifier. I wasn't too keen on subwoofer as I wanted the setup to be daughter friendly. My daughter prefers last row in Innova & I didn't want sub to be located close to her (She gets frightened due to loud sounds). I had planned for budget of around 25k which went north in no time. Decision process: I was looking at recent installs on forum & saw focal deals again from Bass&Trouble(Ajay). Resurfacing of those deals, made me change my budget. Posted a query to Ajay & he suggested entire setup including damping with Noisekill sheets. Before venturing into such setups, I thought of checking someone's setup first. 'Vikram18' obliged by showcasing setup in his Civic at drop of a PM. After listening to some tracks & subsequent discussion, I decided to go ahead for install from Ajay. Ajay had suggested following equipments & installation was done on friday, 30th Nov. HU: JVC KD-R90BT/KD-R900BT Front:Focal polyglass 165VB component speakers Rear: Focal integration IC165 co-axial speakers Amplifier: Hertz HE4 (4 channel amplifier) Wiring: Focal 8ga amp. wiring kit Speaker cable: Bandridge 1.5 sq. mm Damping: I was going to use stock speaker location in doors, so was keen on getting all 3 layers damped well. Dynamat extreme wasn't available with Ajay, so I queried Ajay about DampMat from 'monty9991' which he hadn't used it yet but was ready to install those. So, I contacted 'monty9991' & ordered 1 box of DampMat sheets (9 sheets of 4 sq.ft.). Box got delivered in a week (delays due to Diwali holidays). Initial impression: When I started moving out of 4S audio, Innova felt quieter than before. I hadn't turned ON music system yet & was waiting for GPS to catch satellites & show up navigation. It took me some time to realise that it's the damping that has reduced overall noise & had made the cabin bit quiet. I was happy even before testing ICE on the road. I started drive back to Pune at 6pm from Tardeo road so was faced with peak traffic. Once GPS started showing directions, I powered on HU & selected USB as source. To my surprise, it started playing a different song than I had expected. I had named .mp3 files with digits for first few favotire tracks but HU started playing tracks from A-Z. I guess, it sorts songs with A to Z first & then digits. I have to check if HU sorts songs same way for CD as well. Once I selected my set of songs & had started on familiar roads, I was able to concentrate more on music. I was able to hear some notes/sounds that I hadn't heard earlier e.g. 'kya baat hai' from a live classical concert. Classical instrumental music sounded way better than expected. I am not used to drive alone on highways after dark, but with such great music & full moon for company made the drive very enjoyable. After a very short break at food mall, I changed to bollywood songs. I wasn't expecting them to sound better as these were internet downloads & not ripped at best bit rate. But, even these played very well, vocals sounded better. For some songs, I felt subwoofer would have been better but not essential. Bluetooth: 2 phones can be paired & simultaneously operated with Bluetooth via this HU. Same button can be used for placing a call or picking a call. On receiving a call, HU mutes speakers & displays incoming number. Single press of call button on HU allows call pickup & long press of same button disconnects the call. Songs from phone can also be played via Bluetooth. At first traffic signal halt, I placed a call at home. Voice was clear & other side didn't notice that call was via Bluetooth. So, mike quality & placement was good. HU(Head Unit): I was looking for 1-DIN for getting additional storage space/keeping cables. I realised later that cables for AUX & USB are quite long & it's better to keep them in glove box. I was recommended either 90BT & 900BT mainly for TA. I chose 90BT as both USB ports are at back side. I wanted to have both USB ports close to each other as power from single USB port isn't enough for some hard disks. 900BT had one 1 USB port at front & wasn't available at the time of installation. Ergonomics: I find position of source button a bit odd. Oversized control dial comes in between while touching this button. It would have been better if this button was placed below control dial rather than above it.While changing sources, I have accidentally touched control dial & hence paused music. I may upgrade firmware on HU this weekend as I found update on JVC website with version as 0307 (current version is 0302). I don't know what improvements it has, but would do it just for sake of doing it. TA(Time Alignment): Few days back, I was going back home in colleague's Swift. Both of us had listened songs from his USB drive in my Innova in previous weekend. I thought of playing some songs from that drive again. When I started listening, I felt sound is reaching only via rear speakers. So, I played with Fader & Balance controls to check if each speaker was working or not. After positive confirmation of all speakers working, I asked location of rear speakers. I was expecting them to be in doors, but they were mounted on rear parcel tray. I realised the reason for me feeling sound playing only from rear. As rear speakers were mounted on parcel tray, they were at ear level & were making appearance of sound from rear. This is when I realised importance of TA & how it helps in creating a better sound stage in the car. I can't think of car audio without TA now. I am glad that Ajay insisted on JVC HU with TA as I was initially looking at basic JVC/Pioneer HU with budget of 5-6k only. I have ended paying more than double of that but I won't regret a bit about it. Installer experience: I reached 4S audio at their opening time on friday & team was ready with equipment. I called up Ajay to inform them to start with damping. Shafiq & Balu worked very fast to complete entire install by 4:30pm. Ajay did his tuning to wrap up by 5:30pm. He played some tunes & changed setting on amplifier. I played some songs & then Shafiq finished by fixing front passenger seat. Work got completed really fast without cutting any corners(I mean wires too). Thoughts after nearly a month since installation: I have paid more than double of my initial budget, but I feel it's worth spending that much amount. In hindsight, I feel 2-DIN HU would have looked better & I haven't gained much in terms of storage via 1-DIN HU. 1-DIN HU doesn't leave clean look on dash( I will post photo later). Anyways, there is always next time & that upgrade itch. NOTE: This is a text only post; I will upload photos later. I have few photos during installation, but haven't taken any photos after installation.
	(7) Thanks

28th December 2012, 17:15	#2
DerAlte Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 8,027 Thanked: 2,920 Times	Re: Innova gets Focalised @Sukiwa-san, congratulations! Photos are mandatory in a thread in Sound off and Show off section.
	(1) Thanks

28th December 2012, 22:10	#3
97_Octane BHPian Join Date: May 2012 Location: Bangalore Posts: 183 Thanked: 93 Times	Re: Innova gets Focalised Congrats on your setup sukiwa! Hope you are enjoying it. Please post pics asap :-) And also the price breakup if you don't mind.
	(1) Thanks

28th December 2012, 23:00	#4
MetalBuff BHPian Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Mumbai, Madison Posts: 458 Thanked: 258 Times View My Garage	Re: Innova gets Focalised Awaiting the pics as well as the price breakup From the write up, it seems like you are really enjoying the setup. This, in itself makes me curious about the setup's snaps. Additionally, would be great if you could slap some post-installation shots as well. Thanks.
	(1) Thanks

30th December 2012, 18:52	#5
adi_sun BHPian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Delhi NCR Posts: 156 Thanked: 442 Times	Re: Innova gets Focalised Nice to see you enjoy the TA feature. Alpine 117 TA told me what i was missing in my old Alpine 404 ! Focals definitely sound good, even better with a lot of damping. btw, what interconnects did you use ? please upload the pics and the price break up.
	(1) Thanks

1st January 2013, 16:26	#7
adi_sun BHPian Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Delhi NCR Posts: 156 Thanked: 442 Times	Re: Innova gets Focalised looks good ! just one suggestion , if there is no space on the top and the HU needs to be installed without the bracket why not shift the HU in the lower din and keep the upper part as storage space ?
	() Thanks

7th January 2013, 10:13	#9
Abhay BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 727 Thanked: 12 Times	Re: Innova gets Focalised Having listened to this setup for a decent while that day, I can say it is a really nice sounding system..although our tastes are quite different, even my music (especially those with soaring vocals and acoustic/clean guitar work) did sound very good.
	(1) Thanks

8th January 2013, 16:44	#10
mikilbhatkar BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 99 Thanked: 20 Times	Re: Innova gets Focalised How much did the focals cost you ?
	() Thanks

10th March 2014, 23:52	#12
sukiwa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: pune Posts: 2,397 Thanked: 2,736 Times	Re: Innova gets Focalised Nothing to update on ICE, it's working beautifully. But I found an image from this thread in a TBHP classified. Seller has used speaker comparo image (stock & Focal) for selling stock speakers without bothering about cropping out Focal speaker or renaming image file name.
	() Thanks

16th March 2014, 21:58	#13
sparsh BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 135 Thanked: 27 Times	Re: Innova gets Focalised Sukiwa, congratulations on your ICE upgrade. To enhance the sound stage, you can look at upgrading the rear co-axials to components and add a sub woofer with a mono block or a 2 channel amp. Focal components sound sharp with not too much of excessive bass etc. Ensure the tuning has been done to your liking and enjoy many more musical times.
	() Thanks