Team-BHP - Sparky want ICE with no Boom

Hi Team,

Am looking at an ICE setup for my Spark which is yet to be delivered. Am told that it has speaker provisions only in the front which is fine with me. I dont intend to sit in the back.

My requirements:

- Resolution! Resolution and Resolution! No boom and no shrill tweeters!
- I need a HU / Speaker set up which has good mids. (1 HU and 1 pair of speakers for the Front. No rear. If I can fit 4 in the front do let me know.)
- I dont need any graphic equalizer and other stuff
- A USB port would be desirable
- Looks dont matter much. Soundstage matters.
- Jazz / Slow Rock are what I listen to (I have a Marantz / Wharfedale setup at home which I love. I like that kinda sound if you get me)
- I intend to do serious listening at home and would like decent music mainly during long drives and hence have a budget of 10K for HU and 1 pair of speakers in the front.

Would like a shortlist of good Head Units and a good pair of speakers which would match the above requirements and also fit in the Spark.

Thanks so much in advance..

NImz

Congrats on the new car, and welcome to TBHP-ICE!

Man-oh-man! You definitely know what you want, and I like what you like in music and equipment (all go, no show)

For a good pair of speakers (2-way comps) and a HU that will do justice to the kind of music you're used to, 10K won't even begin to cut it.

You'll need to spend at least 7K on the HU (say Pio6950 a little bling, but sounds pretty good). Go for a Blau or Kenwood HU in this range for non-bling looks and reasonable sound. The entry-level Alpine (9k) would be good. You'll find some good Alpines (for as low as 4K-5K) in car accessory shops, left by Skoda/Honda owners when they upgraded their OE HUs after buying the cars. (EDIT: For USB, you'll need to restrict yourself to Pio and JVC at the 6-8K range. I think Kenwood has some USB enabled HUs, but only in the 9K + range. Blaus don't have USB in the under 15K range).

Entry-level ranges (of speakers) from nearly all manufacturers focus more on the highs and less on the mids. You'll need to spend at least 8K to 10K on a pair of comps to start with. Hertz ESK165 or Infinity Reference series at least. Ideally the next series like the one Gunbir mentioned.

Now an additional issue is that you'll need to amp the comps at that level of speakers :D So a 2-ch amp is needed. Ideally a 4-ch amp bridged to 2-ch. There goes another 8K (at least). And power & RCA cables for another 3K. We've not even planned a Sub here.

Now that I'm done breaking your budget (based on your listening tastes and based on the kind of equipment you listen to at home), at 10K you can do this:

HU: Pio 2950 (4K) or other options from Kenwood & JVC in this range.
Speakers: Hertz DSK165 or JBL GTO607c (6-6.5K).

But you may not like the sound. If you pay a visit to your local car audio store and listen to their demo boards, you'll know what I mean.

@ Kapasi Sir,I'm looking for a normal type ICE...I like music but I'm an enthusiast type..my car is a tiny little alto and I'm looking for a sensible setup which wont cost me a fortune...a good HU coupled with 4 speakers - 2 under the dash and 2 at the rear panel I wud guess (or whatever turns out to be the best deal as per u) for less than Rs.12-15k.I had gained a lot of knowledge from others too in another thread but I'm asking u coz ur the ICE GOD in this forum.Another thing is that I'm looking for sound quality and not a lot of BOOM.The HU I had shortlisted is the Sony xplod GT460 US..wat do u think about it?I wud prefer something which will support a usb drive...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabret00the (Post 474835)

Hello hello Toothe,
First of all, lol, the only thing I am lord of, is the yetis.

For an alto, you have not too many choices for the front. Get a nice 4" coaxial and drop it in the dash. For the rear, a pair of 6X9, just like the spark.
The Sony HU is not bad, do check out some Kenwood USB options.

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autophile (Post 474785)

Go for good 4" Coaxials in the front and 6X9's at the back running off the HU. The 5.25" / 6.5" components are impossible to install in the front doors of Spark.

I agree. I dont think the Spark can accomodate 5" comps in the front and I did not see a tweeter pod either.

JB< if one uses a spacer ring and forgets the stock look (grill) can one then squeeze in a 5"?

HU: Blau Mumbai for 4K
4" coax: Infinty 4012i or Alpine 10C2 for 6K. I dont think the Kappa 42.7 will fit in the budget.

Thanks Gurus of ICE.

So I have options for HU

- Blau Mumbai
- Pio 2950

Speakers 4" co-axials - 1 pair on the front (I hope it is perfectly alright if I tell the dealer that I need only 1 pair for the front or will he look at me as if I have landed from another planet??)

- Hertz DSK165
- JBL GTO607c
- Infinty 4012i
- Alpine 10C2

My weekend is cut out now..

Gurus, Any dos and donts while auditioning?

And and you kindly point me in the direction of good shops in Bangy where I can audition. Thanks a ton

Nimz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi (Post 474850)

So I'll be getting,
4" coaxial for the front and pair of 6X9 for the rear...Gr8
I heard the HU from sony at the Sony World and it seems to be fine for my requirements...Any brands or models in particular and the kind of price range...for the speakers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk456 (Post 475073)

NIMZ ...you are so doomed..welcome to the ICE section

..

Oh no... ok tell me.. For my tastes what should be the least possible cash outlay. Maybe I will work towards that and if necessary postpone my ICE purchase a bit instead of getting a install which I may end up not liking!!

My initial budget for my home setup was 20K for fronts and an AVR otgether. I ended up getting only the fronts for 2OK :)

So let me know the minmum budget and the HU / speakers. I'll start auditioning..

Nimz