[mbhangui]

One question for you @highwayoflife. Do the existing steering wheel audio controls work? Did you have to add an adaptor like PAC audio to make it work?

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by mbhangui

One question for you @highwayoflife. Do the existing steering wheel audio controls work? Did you have to add an adaptor like PAC audio to make it work?

I have a Scorpio LX 4WD. So no steering mounted controls. The HU I have does have steering mounted controls capability however. You will have to use some sort of adaptor to connect it to the steering controls

[santhosharulvan]

Originally Posted by HighwayofLife

I have a Scorpio LX 4WD. So no steering mounted controls. The HU I have does have steering mounted controls capability however. You will have to use some sort of adaptor to connect it to the steering controls

Universal steering mount kits are available from PAC and Axxess
Also check out connects2 interface.

[Sunsh!nes]

[quote=HighwayofLife;3640970]Hi All,

My music tastes have gradually evolved over time, and I have, in the recent past, gravitated more and more towards Jazz, Classic Rock, and taken a deeper interest in classical music. As this change took place, it became more and more clear to me that my existing ICE set-up would just not be good enough, and that I would require a more audiophile-oriented set-up

So I spent the better part of the last 6 months reviewing Team-BHP and various other sites, in an attempt to understand my requirements and the available options. And all this research led me to contact Gunbir and Aman (Motor Concept) about a month ago, and finally got the install done on 9th Feb 2015. I took this long in research, because I absolutely did not want to repeat my past ICE mistakes, and have to go back and redo stuff.

Needless to say, the quality of the install, the professionalism, and Aman's honesty in not wanting to push something just to inflate my bill, as well as the level of interest taken by Gunbir and Jasdeep, all added to a superb experience, and one that I had sorely missed in my previous attempts at improving the quality of my ICE installs.

The kit installed is as below:

1. Front Components: Flux Audio SC-261 replacing old Rockford Fosgate Punch Series
2. Rainbow Audio DL X-6 replacing the old Rockford Fosgate prime series coax speakers on the middle doors
3. Rainbow DL-S 12 replacing the old 12" Rockford Fosgate Prime Series Sub
4. Rainbow iPaul 4.300 replacing Hertz HE4
5. Rainbow Beat 2 replacing Arc Audio XDi804 to power the sub
6. Pioneer 5790BT replacing the Blaupunkt Los Angeles 500

Overall, some serious kit, and the quality of sound just amazes me now.

Things I finally understand:

• What a "laid-back audiophile signature" means, and why that's such a great thing
• What a sound stage is (had achieved it in bits and pieces earlier, and more so in my Nano. But finally achieved in my Scorpio)
• The importance of not having massively thumping bass, if you wish to listen to quality music
• What constitutes a high-quality install (I really did not know until I saw this install)

First impressions of the system:

1. Sound quality suddenly jumped several notches above where it was earlier
2. The excessive thump from the sub is gone
3. Every instrument is audible, and there are certain notes I hear now that I didn't know existed in certain songs
4. I got this install primarily to cater to my jazz and classic rock tastes, but it even does a great job with music from more modern groups such as Staind etc.
5. The HU is just great. The touch interface is extremely pleasant compared to my old Blaupunkt, and it has so many features I may never end up exploring all of them

What remains to be done:

• I couldn't get the right grills for the speakers, because they've apparently become optional now, thanks to most cars having stock locations for speakers. Mine being a Scorpio LX, has no stock locations, and hence the speakers need grills
• The tweeter pod offered with the Flux Audio Speakers was not really suitable. An aluminium pod has been ordered, which will be installed as soon as available. I'm wondering whether to design and build my own tweeter pod, with some sort of mesh cover, to protect the soft-dome tweeters

That is a very good install . heard the video clip, it sounds very clean and crisp. Even I use the same HU now in my car and was running the Arc XDI 804 before. 5790BT is definitely worth the money and has very good options for enhancements in sound quality and clarity with TA. You can exploit a lot of options for more clarity.

I am just curious to know about few things here.

1. Do you mind giving the cost breakup for Rainbow Amp and the Sub, am interested to know about them? I heard they are not easy to source or get, is it true ?

2. Did you have to source them from outside/is it available here in India? If you had to source them can you help me source them? You can PM me the details I am fine with it if you donot wish to share it on the forum openly.

3. How do you find the Performance of Rainbow Amp iPaul 4.300 White Edition compared to arc amp, are they worth the price, am sure would be more expensive than the other brands being german made?

5. Which country are Flux audio from, price range ?

6. Any other brands in the same league like German Maestro etc.,?

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by Sunsh!nes

That is a very good install . heard the video clip, it sounds very clean and crisp.


I am just curious to know about few things here.

1. Do you mind giving the cost breakup for Rainbow Amp and the Sub, am interested to know about them? I heard they are not easy to source or get, is it true ?

2. Did you have to source them from outside/is it available here in India? If you had to source them can you help me source them? You can PM me the details I am fine with it if you donot wish to share it on the forum openly.

3. How do you find the Performance of Rainbow Amp iPaul 4.300 White Edition compared to arc amp, are they worth the price, am sure would be more expensive than the other brands being german made?

5. Which country are Flux audio from, price range ?

6. Any other brands in the same league like German Maestro etc.,?

If you're in Delhi or have contacts who can deliver the items to you, Gunbir Singh is the person to source from. His company distributes Rainbow Audio and Flux Audio products. I can PM you his number. The thing is, I'm not sure if you have installers of the quality of Motor Concept in Bangalore. The few I have seen there don't inspire so much confidence in me.

The iPaul 4.300 is a very good amp. My system is purpose-built for playing Jazz, Classic Rock, and some of the better hindi music, by the likes of Arijit Singh etc. The whole setup suits these requirements perfectly. There's a world of difference between the Arc Audio and the iPaul. The iPaul is a bulky Class A/B and the Arc Audio amp is a very compact Class D. Class A/B amps are certainly better for sound quality than Class D amps.

Flux Audio is again a German make. The model in my car is the Flux Audio SC260

Not sure about comparisons to other makes. I can only compare to my old set-up, and I know this is far far better. This is what I should have gone for right at the start. Experience is a good teacher though, and I know what to avoid in the future.

[DrivingNirvana]

Dear members,

I have booked a Mahindra Scorpio S4+ 4wd, which will be delivered in first or second week of July tentatively. This particular variant does not come with factory fitted audio system and speakers. So, I am planning to install an ICE in my new car.

My requirements are:
1. Decent audio quality. (I am not an audio buff)
2. Rear view cam input in the HU is a must for me as I don't like those rear cams whose screen is fitted on top of IRVM.
3. Bluetooth connectivity will be a nice to have feature.
4. Navigation is optional.

Now, I am in a tight budget and I have zeroed down on two plans.

Plan One

a. Install a decent single DIN audio system
b. Install a separate rear view cam with dashboard fitted display.(rear view cam will be displayed on a separate TFT screen mounted on dash)
c. After one year, when I will be able to save a substantial amount, get the Pioneer AVIC-F60BT HU with integrated navigation which will cost around 50k. At that time, I will remove the earlier dash mounted rear cam display and plug the rear cam input to the Pioneer HU.

Plan Two

a. My trusted car accessories shop owner is saying that Plan one will cost around 15k for now with speakers.
b. He is suggesting me to get a Blaupunkt Las Vegas 530 (without navigation) or Blaupunkt San Diego 530 (with navigation) installed. He is quoting approximately 20k for Las Vegas and approx 30k for San Diego. (4 speakers and rear cam included. Rear cam output will be plugged into HU)
c. My friends are also telling me that Pioneer AVIC-F60BT would be an overkill. I should settle for a Blaupunkt for around 20k.

Please suggest me what plan to go for as of now. Also, I don't have any idea about speakers. Kindly advise me what kindand brand of budget speakers should I get installed in my Scorpio. As of now, I don not have any plan to install an amplifier or sub-woofer.

Regards

Saubhik Datta

[vprajagopal]

This is my experience with my new generation Scorpio S6+ variant. I wanted to upgrade my ICE and promptly replaced the ICE that came with the vehicle. After upgrading the ICE, I found that I completely lost the "Voice Message" feature that worked perfectly with the company fitted one. Now I have a Pioneer AV 289 BT double din ICE with JBL component speakers in the front and Polk Audio at the rear. I have no idea where the VMS feature is mated in the new generation Scorpio. Any pointers on how to get this feature back?

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by DrivingNirvana

Dear members,

I have booked a Mahindra Scorpio S4+ 4wd, which will be delivered in first or second week of July tentatively. This particular variant does not come with factory fitted audio system and speakers. So, I am planning to install an ICE in my new car.

My requirements are:
1. Decent audio quality. (I am not an audio buff)
2. Rear view cam input in the HU is a must for me as I don't like those rear cams whose screen is fitted on top of IRVM.
3. Bluetooth connectivity will be a nice to have feature.
4. Navigation is optional.

Now, I am in a tight budget and I have zeroed down on two plans.

Plan One

a. Install a decent single DIN audio system
b. Install a separate rear view cam with dashboard fitted display.(rear view cam will be displayed on a separate TFT screen mounted on dash)
c. After one year, when I will be able to save a substantial amount, get the Pioneer AVIC-F60BT HU with integrated navigation which will cost around 50k. At that time, I will remove the earlier dash mounted rear cam display and plug the rear cam input to the Pioneer HU.

Plan Two

a. My trusted car accessories shop owner is saying that Plan one will cost around 15k for now with speakers.
b. He is suggesting me to get a Blaupunkt Las Vegas 530 (without navigation) or Blaupunkt San Diego 530 (with navigation) installed. He is quoting approximately 20k for Las Vegas and approx 30k for San Diego. (4 speakers and rear cam included. Rear cam output will be plugged into HU)
c. My friends are also telling me that Pioneer AVIC-F60BT would be an overkill. I should settle for a Blaupunkt for around 20k.

Please suggest me what plan to go for as of now. Also, I don't have any idea about speakers. Kindly advise me what kindand brand of budget speakers should I get installed in my Scorpio. As of now, I don not have any plan to install an amplifier or sub-woofer.

Regards

Saubhik Datta

Not sure which option you went with. I was off Team-BHP for a while, being busy on professional and personal front. Not sure why you require navigation, when your phone, with Sygic becomes a very effective navigation device.

I suggest that you go for a 5690BT or its latest variant for both sound quality and Bluetooth capabilities

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by vprajagopal

This is my experience with my new generation Scorpio S6+ variant. I wanted to upgrade my ICE and promptly replaced the ICE that came with the vehicle. After upgrading the ICE, I found that I completely lost the "Voice Message" feature that worked perfectly with the company fitted one. Now I have a Pioneer AV 289 BT double din ICE with JBL component speakers in the front and Polk Audio at the rear. I have no idea where the VMS feature is mated in the new generation Scorpio. Any pointers on how to get this feature back?

My suggestion always is to not replace the stock HU, and instead use a DSP to achieve the required sound quality. You have a number of good DSPs from Audison and other brands.

Please post your query in the thread for ICE queries answered by Audio Gurus