[Kannan]

Originally Posted by Small Bot

Yes, the battery takes a hit and I need to run the car every day for 15 mins so that the battery doesn't drain. But it's not that bad as to be very noticeable.

Correct me if I'm wrong. The head unit should have a remote terminal to which if an amp is connected, the amp shouldn't draw any power while the HU is switched off or in standby correct?

[Small Bot]

Originally Posted by Kannan

Correct me if I'm wrong. The head unit should have a remote terminal to which if an amp is connected, the amp shouldn't draw any power while the HU is switched off or in standby correct?

I'm not fully sure about the technical specs so I will leave it to the more knowledgeable folks here. But there is a minor drain when in standby. Not so much as to be very noticeable though, unless you are looking for it. I always switch on the HU only after starting the car and switch it off before switching off the car. And as I said, my AC is the bigger reason for battery drain, so I'm not really bothered about the battery.

[rsidd]

I'm not quite an audiophile but do like my home rig (Wharfedale speakers, Norge amp). For the car? I just supplemented the stock speakers with an under-the-seat Blaupunkt subwoofer costing about ₹14,000. Stream from my phone via bluetooth. Served well for 10 years now. Honestly any high-end audio would be wasted in a car environment.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by rsidd

I'm not quite an audiophile but do like my home rig (Wharfedale speakers, Norge amp). For the car? I just supplemented the stock speakers with an under-the-seat Blaupunkt subwoofer costing about ₹14,000. Stream from my phone via bluetooth. Served well for 10 years now. Honestly any high-end audio would be wasted in a car environment.

Not necessarily, if the audio system is well designed and the vehicle has good NVH characteristics - you`d be enjoying immersive audio, completely isolated from where you are on the road.

Bluetooth wont work, you need smartphone integration to the infotainment system or integrated service within the infotainment system like Gaana or Alexa-amazon music or spotify, google play music, apple music etc.

[Born 2 Be Wild]

Originally Posted by rsidd

Honestly any high-end audio would be wasted in a car environment.

I beg to disagree! I spend 3 hours of my day in my car, and my audio makes it worthwhile. Its an individuval choice you may like apples i may like grapes, but to say apples are the best would be unfair!

[AYP]

Originally Posted by navin

Which is why after market processors have an advantage. If the features of your OEM HU are adequate an after market processor does not cost that much more and retains the stock look and functionality.



With Time Alignment this is not always the case. Rudra got the chance to listen to my Camry for a few minutes yesterday.



True the quality of the installer is essential. One of the installs I remember most vividly was an install done by Gunbir in an SUV some 5 years ago. I don't remember if the SUV was a CRV or Fortuner but the neatness and stealth of the install was such that no one would have known that the car had a high end install. A good installer is a must.

Hi Navin,

Planning to upgrade the ICE of my Ford Figo 2017. I have procured these 3 items-

1. The HU PIONEER dmh-z6350bt

2. Focal Amplifier 4340

3. Subwoofer- Focal 30a4

Now I was earlier thinking of adding only the new stereo and be done with it. Then I thought of upgrading the front speakers only and before you know it, the idea of an amp and sub started to creep into me. I am getting a very good deal for a used sub and amp so, there's that as well. Here's what I wanna add to my setup-


1. Polk 6502db for the front.
2. Hooking up the whole system with enclosure for the sub.
3. Front and rear camera(system supports both).

Now I did approach a few outlets namely- Reliable Radio, Motorogue and Sounfactor Pro. While SF Pro is yet to revert, I have got the following quotes-

1. Reliable Radio-

9200 Polk 6520DB
1000 woofer enclosure
2500 BlaupunBCDH3.1AHD
2500 Rear bumper camera
2250 labour charges
======
17450

He quoted another 2k for wiring. When I asked him about the quality of the cable, he said that he isn't sure but the cable which he'll use to tap the battery and connect to the amplifier shall be of Polycab- 6mm.

2. Motorogue-



As you can see, the quote is a bit on the higher side. From what I know, the SWC harness isn't needed so I shall save on that. My stereo is a basic one which doesn't display any car functions. But even then, there is a difference of about 8k.

Yet to hear from SF Pro.

Now you might be wondering why I am quoting you on this thread and not any other is that I generally avoid electrical work from outside. Call it my paranoia. I am very concerned about the quality of the cables being used. Also, my paranoia has taken me through a journey which brought me to this thread.

1. Can you help me determine the quality/brand/size of the cables which should be used?

2. The amp which I have is 4 channel. I am thinking of connecting the front speakers and the subwoofer to it and driving the rear(stock) speakers via the head unit. Is this the right approach? A few guys suggested that this setup will lead to a bad setup at the back and it might get too boomy at the back. To clarify, it's only me in my car on the driver's seat 90% of the times. The rear seat is utilised less than 2% of the times.

3. Polks are a fine choice for the price?

4. Do you think that the extra cost for Motorogue is justified? The main difference is in terms of wiring and sub enclosure. Both the enclosures are MDF. Related to my first query but what inputs should I give the guys at Reliable Radio in terms of wiring? I would want to save money but no compromises on the wiring part.

5. I am not keen on damping. You see, as someone who was looking at only an HU upgrade, this is already a lot. Is damping necessary? I mean it would be an upgrade even without damping right?

6. Any other places to consider for installation?

7. Any other pointers?

Thanks.

[Yesterdaysnews]

Ideally, the sub should be powered a Mono amp. But I think you should be fine without. There is no end to components.

I’d suggest you forget the rear speakers. Music should come from the front, not really envelop you.

Try hooking only the polks and the sub. Drive around for a few days, and then revisit the rears.

If you listen to music at loud levels, dampening will be necessary. Again, you can revisit this. Just get the speakers plugged in at the start, see how they perform without dampening and if there are not much vibrations and rattle.

[greenhorn]

Something i realized - a lot of these boutique brands have crappy reliability because materials have been chosen for sound quality and their limited sourcing options, compared to a large OEM driver manufacturer.
Both of these stories involve very well known audiophile brands with plenty of rave reviews and dedicated fan followings (because of which I am not going to name them and get drawn into a debate)

A friend with a mid end audio install had his front speakers in his dzire stop working. the JBL's in his rear were still working fine. When we opened it up, the whole driver voice coil had become stuck because there was rust in the voice coil gap. the woofer was not moving at all.

Recently my Dad in law got an pre owned city with a high end audio install for which the seller had demanded a premium. The audio in the fronts had stopped working, and reached out to a bhpian in his city to look at it - was told that the speaker connections in the door had been corroded, and after a bit of filing, things were all good. Again, I've not seen corrosion in a 5 year factory ice setup, especially bad enough to make the speakers stop working entirely!

[Autoxpert]

Originally Posted by GTO

3. Complexity = Things going wrong. K.I.S.S.

They say, the more parts you add, the more you've got stuff that can break down. Remember this thread? The problem drove me up the wall, requiring several visits to sort things out. That issue aside, something or the other does go wrong from time to time. Loose wiring, amps playing selective speakers and more. Fact : My car has visited the ICE shop more than the authorised service station!

Most of the installers are using coupler to coupler fitment now a days. No old-school wire looping and stripping. Just go for an experienced professional installer.

[greenhorn]

I feel that this coupler to coupler fitment is overused. Plenty of youtube installs have an installer parrot Coupler to coupler fitment, then proceed to strip wire insulation to get connections. Better than cutting wires completely, but not a fully warranty proof solution.
At least for ICE, the connectors are available, but the hassle to get all of them for different cars is a hassle a lot of them simply dont bother.