[Vid6639]

Yeah It's always good to exceed the budget. But I prefer doing all this in stages rather than at one shot.

If he doesnt go for the sub and amp then he will have some dough left over. by adding the amp he will cross the budget by a few grand.

[Aeroman]

Thank you guys. I can stretch the budget a bit. However, not as much as what some other folks here have done(or made to do!!). Actually I can, my better half won't let me. ;-) . I'll check the options in the market, visit the installers and yes as you guys have suggested over numerous posts listen and then take a decision. Whatever, the conclusion I reach, will come back here and get a go ahead from the gurus.

If I am taking the HU without B/W, then how can I find out if it original and not a fake?

I have a friend in US and is returning mid Jan, am I better off getting the HU from there? Its christmas time, may get a good deal. Any ideas on the brands/models that I can search for and get it from there? Maybe I can get the amp from there as well? Please sugest. Thank you so much.

[muni]

Originally Posted by Aeroman

Thank you guys. I can stretch the budget a bit. However, not as much as what some other folks here have done(or made to do!!). Actually I can, my better half won't let me. ;-) . I'll check the options in the market, visit the installers and yes as you guys have suggested over numerous posts listen and then take a decision. Whatever, the conclusion I reach, will come back here and get a go ahead from the gurus.

If I am taking the HU without B/W, then how can I find out if it original and not a fake?

I have a friend in US and is returning mid Jan, am I better off getting the HU from there? Its christmas time, may get a good deal. Any ideas on the brands/models that I can search for and get it from there? Maybe I can get the amp from there as well? Please sugest. Thank you so much.

Would suggest you to get a decent pair of components or a 4 channel amp from the US if you can. check the infiniti kappa or thereference series for a nice deal.

The Pio 6850 is decent head unit and you shud get it arnd Rs 9700 without bill but with 1 year warranty from auto Fusion bangalore.


Since a friend of mine got his car's ice installed last week with same requirement and similar spec, the budget for your set up would set you back by 35 to 36 K atleast i.e
HU ( 9.6K)
Front comps + Rear Coax ( 6K + 3.5K)
4 Channel amp ( 7k pioneer)
Basstube (Abt 6K)
Wires/cables ( 2K)
Labour (1 to 2K)

If you can get your stuff from the US you will get better models but for the same price.

[Melody]

Muni and other Gurus,

I'm also planning to approach Touqeer (Audio Fusion). But the price he quoted to me for Pioneer 6850 without B&W is 10.5 K. But I'm li'l worried if he might give us a duplicate stuff. We have no means of checking it right? I'm wondering how can there be so much difference in the price (with B&W it's 16K).

The biggest constraint I have is budget. :-( So, could you please let me know what could be the best configuration for a 15-18K budget. Touqeer keeps telling me that you need a compo in the front and 6X9 at the rear. This plus Pioneer 6850 will definitely exceed my budget. Will Pioneer 5850 a good option?

Given a choice, on what component shoul I make the compromise? HU or Speaker? I mean, in order to be within the budget should I go for a low-end HU or a low-end speaker? Following this thread, I have decided to go for JBL speakers :-) What's the diff,. betwn CS series and GTO series?

In short Pleaseeee suggest me wht'll be the best option for around 15K.


Thanks in advance,
Melody

[hydrashok]

@Melody, I think for your needs, the 5850 will be ok.

The additional features the 6850 has over the 5850 are:
- iTunes AAC playback
- 3 RCA preouts (2+sub preout) as against only 2 preouts for 5850.
- Multilanguage display.
- 7 band equalizer.
(This was actually discussed in an thread about 3 weeks back. I remember this stuff from then).

I wouldn't suggest that you compromise on the front speakers at all. The choice of speakers you've made is good. Stick to them. If at all you compromise on the speakers, save on the rear speakers and not the front speakers.

I think the difference between the CS & GTO series is mostly in power handling. And the GTO series co-axials (6.5" and above) have a tweeter attenuator built-in to cut treble response if you want it to be cut. Sam will be able to point out other differences between CS series & GTO series.

If you're thinking of the comps, the CS comp (2165c) is mostly the same as the GTO counterpart, except that the CS model has an inline crossover, and the GTO model has a proper external crossover. The CS will be good enough here if you are on a tight budget.

For the rears also, if you want to save money, you can safely go for CS series ovals. (You're not doing a sub now, right?) If you are going to go for a sub later, go for 6.5" co-axials in the back.

The Pio 5850 will not be that much of a compromise, unless you plan to add a 4ch amp and a sub+amp later (as there are only 2 pre-outs). If you add just a 4 ch amp + sub or just a sub+amp later, it will not be a problem with the 5850. (Even if you add a 4ch amp and a sub+amp later, you can get things done with a Y adapter, so no issues). As for 7-band eq, you'll get tired of fiddling with it in a week and set it to flat.

HU: Pio 5850: around 8K
Front: GTO CS2165c (6.5" component): 5K
Back: GTO937 (6x9" co-axial): 5K
OR GTO637(6.5" co-axial) = 4K
OR CS3196 (6x9" co-axial): 3.8K
OR CS2165 (6.5" co-axial) = 3K

Total = 18K with the GTO937
OR 17K with the GTO637 or the CS3196
OR 16K with the CS2165

BTW, did you get the mike thing sorted out?

[muni]

@melody: The headunit equipment wouldnt be fake for sure but the warranty part would be the sole responsibilty of touqeer which he would bear if the headunit develops some pblms for a period of one year.

Hydrashock's recomendation sounds practical to me which is.

1) HU: Pio 5850 (Arnd 8K)
2) Front Comps: GTO series costs arnd 5.5 K i guess with discount
3) GTO937 (6x9" co-axial): 5K ( this would take care of the bass)

Touqueer would reduce the price a bit and tell him that a couple of your friends have recommended his place.

Your budget would be b/w 18 to 20 K.

[Melody]

Thank you so much Hydra and Muni. I'm amazed at your passion for this subject and ur willingness to help newbie's like me. I don;t think any other forum in the world has so many people willing to help others and when I say this I mean every word of it.

Thanks a lot once again.

[Melody]

@Hydrashok : Nope I didn't get the mic thing sorted out :-( Thought, that would be a good option to play Antakshari or sing "Bharani pattu" (mallustani geet :-)) ) while goin for a long drive... etc. (Not for the driver, anyway... )

[Aeroman]

I checked with AutoFusion too. The prices quoted are on the higher side.

For the configuration with the HU, speaker, amps and woofer, the fitting charge itself is Rs 5500, JBL cabling Kit is Rs 6000(2 sets), Monobloc Rs 10000, sub woofer Rs 5000, 4 channel amp JBL Rs 9000, Components Boston Rs 6000, HU Pio 6850 Rs 10,500. This comes to around Rs 52K. It was 2.5 times my budget.

The next one was Pio HU 6850- rs 10,5000; 6*9's in the rear-Rs4950, Sub woofer 3500, tweeter-2750 and Amp-6500, JBL cabling Rs 3000 and installation charges 4500. This was still coming to Rs 35K.

Since I wanted something within 25k he suggested, Pio HU 6850, 6*9's in the rear(JBL), components in the front and Pio Amp.

I need to check other places too. The prices here seem too high or these the prices??

[Roastedwheels]

Hello

I had this setup installed last night on Swift Zxi and with different permutation and combination still unhappy. Any help on what cud be wrong would definitely be appreciated.

HU: Pioneer 5950 (dealer didn't have 6850/6950 in stock)
Front: Boston Acoustics components
Rear: Tried Infinity Kappa 6*9 but removed it and replaced with subwoofer
Amp: JBL 4 channel (connected to front comps and sub)
Sub woofeer: JL Audio 10 inch

I am not happy because sound is not all that sharp, its just loud. Not enough treble inspite of max setting on the head unit for treble and mid range. Issue could also be with boston comps.

Told dealer would prefer to replace HU with 6950 when stock arrives. He agreed. I feel 6950 might give better control with 7 band equalizer.

I didn't try adding rear 6.5 coax on door and powering it fro HU. That might help. Will try that out when I replace the HU. Also, what would happen if I power the front and rear speakers from the amp and use the HU to power the sub?

Thanks in advance.

[muni]

Originally Posted by Roastedwheels

Hello

I had this setup installed last night on Swift Zxi and with different permutation and combination still unhappy. Any help on what cud be wrong would definitely be appreciated.

HU: Pioneer 5950 (dealer didn't have 6850/6950 in stock)
Front: Boston Acoustics components
Rear: Tried Infinity Kappa 6*9 but removed it and replaced with subwoofer
Amp: JBL 4 channel (connected to front comps and sub)
Sub woofeer: JL Audio 10 inch

I am not happy because sound is not all that sharp, its just loud. Not enough treble inspite of max setting on the head unit for treble and mid range. Issue could also be with boston comps.

Told dealer would prefer to replace HU with 6950 when stock arrives. He agreed. I feel 6950 might give better control with 7 band equalizer.

I didn't try adding rear 6.5 coax on door and powering it fro HU. That might help. Will try that out when I replace the HU. Also, what would happen if I power the front and rear speakers from the amp and use the HU to power the sub?

Thanks in advance.

I feel the setup doesnt sound integrated with too much of a perceptible difference b/w the front and rear sound stage

Pio 6850 will give you treble and better control over its equalizers while too much of treble for longer periods would cause ear fatigue. You should switch off your loudness option if it is turned on and also meddle with the equaliser settings for Mid bass ( 100 to 400hz) and also 1K, 3k to 6K which can get loud if not set properly.

Options you need to consider
1) A decent pair of coaxials for the rear ( powered by the head unit).
2) Some tuning of your JBL amp for the sub ( gains/ freq cutoff)
3) If you have gone for the basic wiring kit, you better upgrade it.

YOur HU wouldnt be able to drive the Sub with authority..

[muni]

@roastedwheels:

Maybe your installer hasnt done the instal properly and you need to explain things clearly to him as to what is missing :-)

[hydrashok]

@roastedwheels, welcome to TBHP.

Your installer seems to be quite co-operative, so try and replace the Boston Comps with GBL GTO607c comps (about 6500/-) or JBL CS2165c comps (about 5000/-). There will be a marked improvement in the higher frequencies. The music will sound brighter (more uhhh.... trebly).

From what I've heard, Boston Comps aren't that good. In fact a few days ago somebody actually mentioned that the tweeters of the entry-level Bostons are not at all good.

It could be that you like your music with rear fill, so if your installer is open to it, try out the set-up with 6.5" co-axials in the rear (same series as whatever you choose for the front comps). Maybe you'll find the overall ambience of the sound improving (even without changing the Bostons).

Bad tuning could be a reason for the problem. The sub amp must be crossed-over too high, and the bass could be sounding as if it is coming from the back. Try setting the XO at 63hz or 80hz. Again, try this before you change the Bostons.

Changing the HU may help, and the 6850 is definitely a better HU (so go for it by all means), but I think the problem here is in the front comps or the tuning of the amp.

Your installer sounds to be helpful about changing the equipment and letting you experiment, so half the problem is solved right there :-)

Which JBL amp are you using? CS60.4 or the GTO75.4? Just for info.

As muni said, you won't be able to drive the sub from your HU at all. Better option would be to run the front comps and the sub from the amp and power the rear co-axes (if you get them) from the HU.

[Vid6639]

I dont think pioneer has a 6950 as yet. It's still not been released. Are you referring to the 6850?

[Roastedwheels]

Thanks Muni and hydrashok for your response.

I am definitely looking forward to change my HU to either 6850/6950 whichever arrives first. Dealer is expected to call me on Jan 2. To answer vid 6639, 6950 is from grey without BW. Can't wait to get my hands on the equalizer.

I will try to convince the dealer to change my bostons to GTO 607c when I change my HU. I am also planning to go for GTO 6.5 co-ax for the rear. Keep it all GTOs and JBLs including the amp. My amp is CS60.4. My wiring kit is also JBL RCAs. I would never compromise on wiring (learnt that on the HT setup few years back). Planning to try out the amp tuning myself.

I did try the rear fill with Infi Kappa 6x9s on the tray but *I* felt there was a delay (perhaps few millisecs) between the front and rears. May be the coaxs on the rear doors might reduce the perception of delay. Heard that Alpine HU gives option on controlling the delays. Not sure which "delay" is that.

I also felt there was too much of echo/resonance effect. I still feel it without the kappas and with just the boston comps. I am starting to lose complete faith on boston comps.

Also, I am not sure if anybody has tried soundproofing Swift. There is lot of ambient noise from outside in Swift (honking, trucks, et al). Are there any options? We shall leave out the option of cranking up volume