[AdiSinghV12]

Hi guys,

Here's a quick query on Team-BHP's COTY and something that's pretty much hyped these days, the new Mahindra Thar. I'll keep it short and simple as the subject speaks;

What'd be the best & latest possible components upgrade for the new Thar keeping everything else stock ? Pardon my ignorance as I'm completely knowledgeless on how audio upgrade works and looking forward to learn a thing or two here. Just looking for some advice on how far can one go in upgrading just the speakers on the new Thar to improve the sound quality significantly without adding an additional amplifier and woofer as they'd take the already not-so-much space available on the inside of the Thar. Speakers along with damping is what's on my mind. Looking forward to hear from y'all. Thanks in advance

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

Just looking for some advice on how far can one go in upgrading just the speakers on the new Thar to improve the sound quality significantly without adding an additional amplifier and woofer as they'd take the already not-so-much space available on the inside of the Thar. Speakers along with damping is what's on my mind. Looking forward to hear from y'all.

Speakers = JL Audio C1-650. I have seen many Thar' sport this speaker and they sound decent without an external amplifier.

For the subwoofer, get an active underseat one. Won't require any extra space.

Do let us know what the budget is for this upgrade.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Speakers = JL Audio C1-650. I have seen many Thar' sport this speaker and they sound decent without an external amplifier.

For the subwoofer, get an active underseat one. Won't require any extra space.

Do let us know what the budget is for this upgrade.

Just replace the speakers with a good set of components to start with. The Thar is a lot smoother than before but still noisy enough that going full audiophile won’t be an idea and thump thump boombox setups don’t seem to be what you want as you say no subwoofer.

[GTO]

The Thar desperately needs a speaker upgrade + amplifier + subwoofer for enthusiasts like us.

- If soft-top, don't go for something too expensive as the chances of theft are very high.

- If hard-top, pick something mainstream from JBL, Pioneer etc. I would avoid fancier brands like Polk & Morel simply because the Thar is anyways poor from an ICE standpoint (noises, speaker locations etc.).

- If hard-top, I would personally get a removable subwoofer, place it in the boot and remove / relocate it when I need the boot space.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by hserus

Just replace the speakers with a good set of components to start with. The Thar is a lot smoother than before but still noisy enough that going full audiophile won’t be an idea and thump thump boombox setups don’t seem to be what you want as you say no subwoofer.

Spend good money on damping material in your door frames when you're installing the component speakers. Under seat subwoofer and all can be installed later if you find the setup inadequate after you damp the car properly and then install good components.

[navin]

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

Just looking for some advice on how far can one go in upgrading just the speakers on the new Thar to improve the sound quality significantly without adding an additional amplifier and woofer

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Speakers = JL Audio C1-650.
For the subwoofer, get an active under-seat one. Won't require any extra space.

Originally Posted by hserus

going full audiophile won’t be an idea

I agree with Hserus and A4anurag above.

The first order of the day should be damping. Damp all the panels you can afford to damp starting with the doors.

An under-seat subwoofer will give you just enough midbass to compensate for the road and engine rumble that enters the cabin of the Thar. The components will take care of everything else.

[AdiSinghV12]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Speakers = JL Audio C1-650. I have seen many Thar' sport this speaker and they sound decent without an external amplifier.

For the subwoofer, get an active underseat one. Won't require any extra space.

Do let us know what the budget is for this upgrade.

Just did some quick online research on the JL C1-650 and they look like a really value for money upgrade. Keeping them in the top consideration for now.

Originally Posted by GTO

The Thar desperately needs a speaker upgrade + amplifier + subwoofer for enthusiasts like us.

- If soft-top, don't go for something too expensive as the chances of theft are very high.

- If hard-top, pick something mainstream from JBL, Pioneer etc. I would avoid fancier brands like Polk & Morel simply because the Thar is anyways poor from an ICE standpoint (noises, speaker locations etc.).

- If hard-top, I would personally get a removable subwoofer, place it in the boot and remove / relocate it when I need the boot space.

Copy that chief, it’s the Hard Top thar I’m talking about. any option that you might want to suggest that might not take too much space as that’s the main concern but since this is more of an occasional getaway car I want the sound system to be a bit special so one doesn’t need an external speaker for them “mountain / jungle cafe” that the Thar would make

Originally Posted by hserus

Spend good money on damping material in your door frames when you're installing the component speakers. Under seat subwoofer and all can be installed later if you find the setup inadequate after you damp the car properly and then install good components.

Originally Posted by navin

I agree with Hserus and A4anurag above.

The first order of the day should be damping. Damp all the panels you can afford to damp starting with the doors.

An under-seat subwoofer will give you just enough midbass to compensate for the road and engine rumble that enters the cabin of the Thar. The components will take care of everything else.

I have ordered DampMat Exceed two bulk packs to damp the floor and the doors...

For the speakers upgrade let’s say the budget is under a lakh max, no barrier on the lower side though just looking forward to put something really good and vfm

[hserus]

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

I want the sound system to be a bit special so one doesn’t need an external speaker for them “mountain / jungle cafe” that the Thar would make
For the speakers upgrade let’s say the budget is under a lakh max, no barrier on the lower side though just looking forward to put something really good and vfm

The damping will set you back quite a bit if you get it done at a professional installer. After that, Pioneer has a good base package that is (1) tuned to indian music and (2) can be upgraded with amp and subwoofer.

[ph03n!x]

Mine is a CT, and this is what I did -

• Disconnected the tweeters from the panel on the roll cage
• Got Pioneer TS-A1605C components for the front, mounted the mids in the stock (front dash) location, and the highs on the corners of the A-Pillar
• Got Pioneer TS-R1651S coaxials for the rears, stock location on the roll-cage
• Set the fader to about 40% front bias
• Adjusted the EQ to my taste (lower brightness, balance the mids and lows)

I'm happy with this setup - though, on hind sight, I'd have left the rears untouched after disconnecting the stock tweeters. The mids are pretty good, lack of low lows does show, but it's much better than stock - and not just Thar/ M&M stock.

I picked these speakers because I didn't want to modify the stock mounts - with are 6.25", and 6.5" comps that I tried weren't drop-in replacements (I have still have the DLS comps from my Getz). The other reason to pick these speakers - they had the lowest RMS from the selection that was available, and I didn't want to get an amp.

I didn't damp, get a woofer et all, mine is a CT and I drive without the roof in hill stations like Ooty/ Valparai a lot and it doesn't make sense to damp, add amps and subs (both for different yet connected reasons).

I'll write in detail and add some pics in my ownership thread one of these days. I do miss not having a subwoofer. Maybe someday...

[Mr.U]

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

I didn't damp, get a woofer et all, mine is a CT

Would you recommend damping in a convertible top? Will it make any noticeable difference when the roof is closed?

[ph03n!x]

Originally Posted by Mr.U

Would you recommend damping in a convertible top? Will it make any noticeable difference when the roof is closed?

I don't think it will - the soft top ensures you can hear everything that is outside when the car is stationary, and you hear the soft top flap when you are driving above 70 KMPH. And anything in between - you will hear traffic, honking, people talking while they are waiting in traffic around you, et all.

That's why I didn't bother damping at all. I would suggest you to swap the speakers first and try it out - and keep in mind not to buy speakers that have a high RMS ratings - my comps are 60W and rear fills are 40W RMS, and that's one of the reason I picked them.

[AdiSinghV12]

Thank you all for your valuable contribution to the thread including GTO for being inspirational for the upgrade. Here's a list provided by A4Anurag whom I couldn't thank enough for, needless to say a big shout-out;

HU: OEM Stock

Front Speaker: JL Audio C2-650 - Roof Speakers

Amp for speaker: Stetsom IR400.4 - Under the left seat

Underseat Subwoofer: Sony XS-AW8 or Infinity Basslink Mini 6x8 or Blaupunkt XLF-8A or Alpine PWE-V80 or Pioneer TS-WX500A (also considering Kicker)

Power Wiring: 4ga from battery to distribution block. 4ga/8ga from distribution block to each amplifier. (Blaupunkt 4ga OFC kit) : ₹8000

Speaker wiring: 16ga for speakers

Damping: 2 bulk packs of Dampmat Exceed

99.9% I'm going ahead with this, only confused about the woofers as I want to have a significant upgrade over the stock unit in terms of output hence considering Kicker Hideaway 11HS8 as well. I shall keep the thread updated and also post pics once I carry out the work.

[ph03n!x]

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

99.9% I'm going ahead with this, only confused about the woofers as I want to have a significant upgrade over the stock unit in terms of output hence considering Kicker Hideaway 11HS8 as well. I shall keep the thread updated and also post pics once I carry out the work.

One more that I would suggest - the floor pan of the Thar. It does not have carpets like "normal" cars, and hence is not audio friendly. Putting a carpet or damping it may defeat the purpose of a jeep if you get wet and muddy, but having something like a noodle mat that is cut to the floor pan should help here...

[aakash1412]

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

Hi guys,

Here's a quick query on Team-BHP's COTY and something that's pretty much hyped these days, the new Mahindra Thar. I'll keep it short and simple as the subject speaks;

What'd be the best & latest possible components upgrade for the new Thar keeping everything else stock ? Pardon my ignorance as I'm completely knowledgeless on how audio upgrade works and looking forward to learn a thing or two here. Just looking for some advice on how far can one go in upgrading just the speakers on the new Thar to improve the sound quality significantly without adding an additional amplifier and woofer as they'd take the already not-so-much space available on the inside of the Thar. Speakers along with damping is what's on my mind. Looking forward to hear from y'all. Thanks in advance

You can go for Zoook moto69 MonsterX1 underseat subwoofer. I installed it in my Polo and am quite impressed with the bass and sound quality. Got it from Amazon for ₹6499.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by aakash1412

You can go for Zoook moto69 MonsterX1 underseat subwoofer. I installed it in my Polo and am quite impressed with the bass and sound quality. Got it from Amazon for ₹6499.

If you’re going for cheap Chinese rather than known brands try Qpertors on Aliexpress.