[Kams_cars]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Storme would mean a 1DIN HU. Kenwood KDC-X700BT, or KDC-U563BT. Would satisfy all your needs.

For my storme, I researched extensively and finally settled on Kenwood excelon 998. I got it on ebay.in.

The first product I received was brand new, but whenever USB was plugged and while going through potholes it shows "no device". So had to return it and the seller sent me the another piece.

Earlier to that, the showroom guy was sweet enough to lend me sony HU.

Only after installing kenwood, I understood the sound output is much superior to sony. And all this without sub woofer.

I got flux component at the front & helix component in middle, with Qualden amp - suggested by Rahul from Harmonixx, Bglor.

Thanks.

[condor]

Originally Posted by navin

Judicious use of EQ might be able to help.

Originally Posted by navin

Are you open to adding an amplifier to the set up?

Navin & DerAlte, coming back to my earlier question: What do I do ?

The stock HU is the Alpine 126BTT. I have Diamond Audio 6.5" Components in front and Diamond Audio 6.5 Coax in rear.

Over the last few months, have been driving the A-Star AT a lot. Even the stock setup in the A-Star beats the Alpine-DA combination easily !

Today I tested a Pioneer HU (at the accessories shop), but didnt see a major change.

1)
Is it the speakers that are bad ?
( I could try for Infinity Ref from Amazon / Snapdeal @5k approx a pair)

2)
Or replace the HU ?
(eg: Pioneer 6890 @8300 - or any other ? )

3)
Or should I add a 4-channel amp ?
(There is not much adjustment in the HU, so not sure if this will help. Can only adjust the Bass / Treble levels, the HPF @60/80/100 Hz, and a "Loud" setting)

4)
Should I try a 7-band equalizer ? A Clarion or a Pioneer ?

Requirements are:
Clear output.
Bass does not need to be high.
I dont need BT on the HU since I use a Plantronics with my phone at all times - in & outside the car).

[condor]

Navin & DerAlte, did another search. And stumbled upon the old advice about equalizers. .. do you remember that ?

A car needs an equalizer. Like a fish needs a bicycle ..

Now what ?

[navin]

Originally Posted by condor

Navin & DerAlte, coming back to my earlier question: What do I do ?

The stock HU is the Alpine 126BTT. I have Diamond Audio 6.5" Components in front and Diamond Audio 6.5 Coax in rear.

1)
Is it the speakers that are bad ?
( I could try for Infinity Ref from Amazon / Snapdeal @5k approx a pair)

2)
Or replace the HU ?
(eg: Pioneer 6890 @8300 - or any other ? )

3)
Or should I add a 4-channel amp ?
(There is not much adjustment in the HU, so not sure if this will help. Can only adjust the Bass / Treble levels, the HPF @60/80/100 Hz, and a "Loud" setting)

Condor, I think you already have all the bases covered. A speaker change would be the most sensible option. See if you can at least get the tonal balance you desire. Adding and amplifier will improve bass definition and give you higher SPLs.

[condor]

Originally Posted by navin

See if you can at least get the tonal balance you desire.

Navin, thanks ! I played around the settings today and the output is a little better now. Set the HPF @ 100Hz and played around with the gain for Bass & Treble. Though not at my A-Star levels, it is now bearable.

Will keep an eye out for the Speakers & Amp

What I think after the last 2 days of searching is that a suitable ICE set up can be:

1) HU with sufficiently more Equalizer channels.
2) HU with 3 Pre-Outs
3) Good speakers
4) Amp.
5) Sub

What I have today is the basic Alpine, which has just the Bass / Treble/ HPF parameters to play with. And 2 Pre-outs.

[condor]

Originally Posted by navin

A speaker change would be the most sensible option.

Navin, I searched again but dont seem to find any updates from you or DerAlte on the old debate of Infinity Primus vs Reference. Which one would be better ? Also, will the impedance of the speakers 2/3/4 Ohm have an impact on which amp to go for ?

I have listened to the Infinity Primus, and they do sound good. Wanted to ask before picking either one.

[aqualeo2040]

Originally Posted by condor

Navin, thanks ! I played around the settings today and the output is a little better now. Set the HPF @ 100Hz and played around with the gain for Bass & Treble. Though not at my A-Star levels, it is now bearable.

Will keep an eye out for the Speakers & Amp

What I think after the last 2 days of searching is that a suitable ICE set up can be:

1) HU with sufficiently more Equalizer channels.
2) HU with 3 Pre-Outs
3) Good speakers
4) Amp.
5) Sub

What I have today is the basic Alpine, which has just the Bass / Treble/ HPF parameters to play with. And 2 Pre-outs.

Condor,
Assuming you are driving the components & coaxials, both rated between 50-70W RMS with a HU whose output would be around 18W RMS?
While changing the HU would be a good idea(read expensive), I think you would still need an Amp to bump the output.
Comparing the acoustics of a AStar cabin to a Safari cabin is not very fair.

I have a Diamond 6x9 coax at the back with DLS compos at the front driven thru an Amp. At lower settings, the Diamonds completely overpower the DLS, in spite of balancing the gain settings. My personal opinion is that the Diamonds are a bit too bright out of the box.

Apologies, I didnt check on what kind of music you generally listen to.

My humble opinion would be :
1.Amp
2.HU
3.Sub

For a decent sound-fill in the Safari cabin, you'd probably need a Subwoofer.

Navin/Deralte, please correct me if I have got it wrong.

[condor]

@DerAlte & @Navin -
and all Storme owners who still have the stock CDE-126BT

The issue still humming in the background, and I downloaded the manual for this HU. Turns out that the HU has a few more settings in it.

1) Set mid-point of bass at 60/80/100/200
2) Set range for bass - range levels of 1-2-3-4
3) Set boost levels for this range ( -7 to 7)

They have not mentioned how wide it goes above & below the mid-point

4) Set mid-point of treble - 10k/ 12.5k/ 15k/17.5k
5) Boost levels for treble
(but no range for treble unlike with bass)

And, the regular boost levels for bass, treble & sub-woofer out.

So basically, this HU it does not have pre-set equalizers, but a fair amount of manual settings.

output's quite better now !

(Though I am still exploring the option of the amp & sub-woofer).

note to myself. Never forget the old advice - RTFM !!

[condor]

Originally Posted by navin

Judicious use of EQ might be able to help.

Originally Posted by navin

Adding and amplifier will improve bass definition and give you higher SPLs.

Der Alte & Navin, Thank you ! Over the weekend, we added an amp to the Storme. The results are as expected

Using the stock Alpine HU, a Sony 500W 4-Channel, with 14-gauge speaker wire and co-ax cables from MX. The sub is a Infinity 1200S in a sealed box. Also used 4 gauge wire from a commonly available kit.

Special Thanks to friends for all that they did. And also to Greenhorn and SwiftnFurious for all their inputs.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by condor

... Using the stock Alpine HU ...

Is this a 1DIN HU or 2DIN?

[condor]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Is this a 1DIN HU or 2DIN?

1 DIN. My Storme's a 2013 vintage, before the Harman system came in. The HU has 2 pre-outs.

On a related note, May be it was possible for TM to place a 2-DIN HU on top, and move the a/c ducts to the level / place where the HU is currently mounted.

The a/c duct is actually behind the a/c controls and they have turned the duct upwards to the current outlet position. If they had turned the duct downward to where HU is placed currently, they could have freed up space where we currently have:
1) The centre a/c outlet
2) the storage box that we see in the VX version.

The spaced used for 1) & 2) could have been used to provide a 2-DIN HU - or even a 1-DIN HU with a motorised screen.
For this, the last part of the centre a/c duct would have had to be moved downward (currently it is shaped upward to the ductfrom where The centre console shade would have changed to

[condor]

Alpine CDE-126BT Settings:

This post is specifically only for the Alpine CDE-126BT Head -Unit that came with the Storme in 2012 - approximately 2015.

This Head unit uses parametric equalizers to tweak the output, and is actually a decent HU.

( Many other head-units anything from just Bass / Treble to 3-band or 5-band etc of equalizer, etc)



The Alpine CDE-126BT uses two levels of settings:
1) Bass / Treble ( along with Balance & Fader) - accessed through the Volume button
2) Sound Setup: which allows us to change
a) Center frequency of Bass
b) Center frequency of Treble
c) Width / Range of bass frequency
d) Boost levels for Bass & Treble, as defined in (a) & (b)
e) HPF


Many of us just do the first level of settings. If we can do the second level also, the output actually changes quite a bit. Adding an amplifier to the setup makes it sound much better.




What can be set:
1) Center Frequency of Bass: 60 / 80 / 100 / 200 Hz
2) Center Frequency of Treble: 10 / 12.5 / 15 / 17.5 KHz. Suggested values - 10KHz or 12.5KHz. ( any higher and the output will become shrill and can be irritating)
3) Width / Range of Bass Frequency: managed in 4 levels from 1 to 4. 1 is narrowest, and 4 is widest. The range uses the center frequency as the point of reference.
4) Boost levels for Bass and Treble
5) HPF : set at 60 / 80 / 100 Hz


Please play around with the settings and see what you like best.


Control buttons to use are:
SOURCE / BAND / VOLUME / SOUND SETUP / Esc (to exit)
SOURCE - for Width of Bass Frequency range (Press repeatedly to toggle)
BAND - for Centre Frequency of Bass & Treble (Press repeatedly to toggle)
VOLUME - Increase / Decrease Boost. (Rotate ! )
SOUND SETUP - To move from Bass to Treble to HPF.



How to do this:


BASS:
1. Press on SOUND SETUP. It will display BASS
2. Press on SOURCE button. Select 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 as required ( for width of bass frequencies)
3. Press on BAND button, to select Centre point of Bass frequency.
4. Use VOLUME to adjust Boost levels.
5. Press on ESC to exit. Else leave the HU alone for a few seconds for it to auto-exit Bass settings


TREBLE:
1. Press on SOUND SETUP. It will display BASS
2. Press on SOUND SETUP again. It will display Treble
3. Press on BAND button, to select Centre point of Treble frequency.
4. Use VOLUME to adjust Boost levels.
5. Press on ESC to exit. Else leave the HU alone for a few seconds for it to auto-exit Treble settings


HPF:
1. Press on SOUND SETUP. It will display BASS
2. Press on SOUND SETUP again. It will display Treble
3. Press on SOUND SETUP again. It will display HPF
3. Press on BAND button, to select HPF frequency.
4. Press on ESC to exit. Else leave the HU alone for a few seconds for it to auto-exit HPF settings



Until I found out this, I have struggled to get an output of my liking. I had changed my stock speakers as soon as I got the Storme, so I was expecting an improvement in SQ, but the change was not much. I have even gone to the extent of checking out replacement HU's.

I guess most of you who have this HU may have already changed the stock speakers. If not, please do that. And get an amplifier to drive the speakers. It will be worth it.


Happy listening !


__________________________________________________ ___________________________________
*** 1oooo ***

[condor]

The Storme can do with better wires to the speakers.

Left: Speaker wires from a regular Amp wiring kit.
middle : OE speaker wires
Right: 14 gauge speaker wire.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by condor

What I think after the last 2 days of searching is that a suitable ICE set up can be:

1) HU with sufficiently more Equalizer channels.
2) HU with 3 Pre-Outs
3) Good speakers
4) Amp.
5) Sub

What I have today is the basic Alpine, which has just the Bass / Treble/ HPF parameters to play with. And 2 Pre-outs.

I bought an HU with 5 equalizer channels - thinking its enough. After more than an year playing around with the setup, experimenting and going through a good learning curve - I realized I was an idiot.

Overcame this limitation with a simpler way though. Using Bluetooth streaming - the app on the phone supports a 16 channel equalizer while the HU adds five. HU handles the primary job of the major tuning, and the ones on the phone are only for correcting the minor imperfections I've felt were needed.

I might still be an idiot - but I've come to believe that no amount of equipment can compensate for the tuning part as every different component added to the system adds a charecter of its own to the sound. I say this after hearing much more expensive setups which doesn't sound half as pleasing to my ears as mine, and hearing my own setup sound too poor after being tuned by some of the reputed installers only to their tastes.

Not sure if the Storme supports good quality Bluetooth streaming or AUX inputs. If it does, you can try that as well. It doesn't cost anything to try anyways.

[condor]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Not sure if the Storme supports good quality Bluetooth streaming or AUX inputs. If it does, you can try that as well. It doesn't cost anything to try anyways.

The Stock Alpine HU - CDE-126BT does not look that advanced to support incoming BT streaming. The USB port also is limited to using Pen drives.

The one option to support such adjustment may be to use an external equalizer.