Team-BHP - Buying ICE systems from USA

Quote:

Originally Posted by santosh.s (Post 1241773)

However, can response of a 10" sub be so flat till 10Hz (and beyond!) in anechoic chamber?

Nope.

Quote:

Originally Posted by santosh.s (Post 1241773)

It may not be "measured" in cabin, rather some kind of mathematically applied correction for cabin gain. BTW, what exactly does "2PI" mean there?
http://cdtgold.com//pdfs/QES-1020W.pdf

You're right, they must be taking some frequency based on cabin size and then applying boost from that frequency downwards. Anyway, a subwoofer's actual plot will never be so smooth in any region. These are all highly averaged.

I think the 2PI refers to half-space measurement - one of the various subwoofer measurement techniques.

Regarding bluetooth car kit, I finally bought following:
Nokia India - Overview - Car kits - Car solutions - All accessories - Accessories - Find products
A week or so back, it was available for just rupees 2K with shipping (within US). However, I ended up paying almost double- 3.5K because Amazon seller had raised it's price by about $10 by the time I finalized it, and I could not opt for "free shipping" due to lack of time! It seems to be a feature packed, VFM deal in spite of that. It does not have any caller ID feature and apparently superb voice recognition of Parrot CK3000 evolution which results in "true" handsfree operation. However, it does support voice dialling if your phone has it, needing a key press though. Notably, it supports A2DP streaming as well as analog music connection. What it means is that aux input of the HU will still be available for use in spite of the kit, which is great. As a bonous, RCA gets converted to more common 3.5mm stereo jack featured on many portable players. It does not support simultaneous connection to multiple phones like Parrot, but does allow one music player and one phone connected at a time. It also supports cable connection to compatible Nokia phones, instead of bluetooth and can charge them as well. Additionally some Nokia GPS hardware can be integrated with the kit (Though I am not really keen on this, at least for now).

Dear Mods: I looked around for the answers but could not find any relevant to my measly budget. Sorry if an existing thread exists, and if it does, could you'll please point me to the right one.
Thank you!

Hey guys,

I shall be leaving for the USA soon, and am planning on ICE-ing up the fiesta as well.
I had a few questions to ask regarding the same.
We currently have a 2006 Ford Fiesta, done 57Kkm and I am totally in love with the car. Depending on how my semester goes, my parents have agreed to let me ICE her up.
Now, being a student, I do have a limited budget, and had a few queries to ask. My total budget would be around Rs 20,000.
In addition to this, there is a possibility that this car might be sold soon in the next 2 years, but if I have it my way, it will be sold only after problems start developing, which I don't see happening anytime soon.
In case the car is sold, the new car, whatever it might be will be the lucky inheritor of the system, and if things don't work out, the car will be sold with the music system or the system will be sold separately.
I surprisingly listen to everything, and enjoy all types of music.
My preference is towards Bass, but it needs to be clear and well defined, and not BOOM!

Firstly: Are there any problems related to warranty if I purchase from the USA?
Second: Is buying from Amazon a reliable source? I have found some very good deals there.
Third: Could someone please tell me what size speakers I could put in the car? Stock locations are good for 5*7" speakers. I have read that 6*9 can be put in the rear, but what about the front?
Fourth: What should I be looking for? I am prepared to spend $150 for a HU, and $50 for front and rear speakers each. On Amazon I have found good deals on MB Quart, and Polk Audio, as well as the standard Pioneer and the like. How are these speakers?
This is what I was thinking about: Pio 4100 HU for $150
MB Quart Formula Series Speakers or Pioneer TS Series, or Polk Audio DB Series
How are these?
Fifth: In the future, I might get an Amp and Sub put in the car from India itself.
Sixth: Is it advisable to buy from the USA, considering all that I have posted?
Seventh: Customs? I believe I can get Rs. 25,000 worth of electronics from the USA. Is this applicable to auto electronics as well?

Waiting for your answers.
Thank you!

Second: Is buying from Amazon a reliable source? I have found some very good deals there.

Yes

Third: Could someone please tell me what size speakers I could put in the car? Stock locations are good for 5*7" speakers. I have read that 6*9 can be put in the rear, but what about the front?

Second: Is buying from Amazon a reliable source? I have found some very good deals there.

Yes

Third: Could someone please tell me what size speakers I could put in the car? Stock locations are good for 5*7" speakers. I have read that 6*9 can be put in the rear, but what about the front?

Both rear and fronts are 5x7". only rear can take 6x9 with some wooden baffle.

Example:

Responses inline...

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamborghini (Post 1694571)

Hey guys,

I shall be leaving for the USA soon, and am planning on ICE-ing up the fiesta as well.
My total budget would be around Rs 20,000.

Firstly: Are there any problems related to warranty if I purchase from the USA?

Most products purchased in the USA will have exclusive only USA warranty. So pray nothing goes kaput, else plan for a second trip to get it fixed for free :)
You will really have to hunt around for choices with worldwide warranty. But this is not a point to be too much worried about. Things generally dont go wrong.

Second: Is buying from Amazon a reliable source? I have found some very good deals there.

Yes - absolutely.

Third: Could someone please tell me what size speakers I could put in the car? Stock locations are good for 5*7" speakers. I have read that 6*9 can be put in the rear, but what about the front?

Try 6.5 incher comps in the front. You can get it custom fitted back here. Alpine/JL Audio/Polks can be had for close to 100 USD.

Fourth: What should I be looking for? I am prepared to spend $150 for a HU, and $50 for front and rear speakers each. On Amazon I have found good deals on MB Quart, and Polk Audio, as well as the standard Pioneer and the like. How are these speakers?
This is what I was thinking about: Pio 4100 HU for $150
MB Quart Formula Series Speakers or Pioneer TS Series, or Polk Audio DB Series
How are these?

Look for Kenwood or Alpine HU.
A good unit with all required features can be had close to 200 USD. I'd suggest x693 or x993 from Kenny.

Good HU is a key aspect when purchasing from USA. The HU cost is significantly diff over there and back here. And its the easist thing to carry back.

Fifth: In the future, I might get an Amp and Sub put in the car from India itself.

Get an Amp too.
Ignore the sub and procure it from here. A good 4 ch Amp can be had for 100 USD. Again, easy to carry. Try Alpine/JL/Infinity units.

Sixth: Is it advisable to buy from the USA, considering all that I have posted?

Yes - very much ! Esp the HU and the Amp. Speakers can be bought from here at a decent / comparable price range.

Seventh: Customs? I believe I can get Rs. 25,000 worth of electronics from the USA. Is this applicable to auto electronics as well?

If the customs gets in the way officially, then they would look at Indian prices for these items and not your USA bills.
Keep this in mind.
But if you are just carrying a HU, Amp and front compos in different luggages, you should be okay.

Waiting for your answers.
Thank you!

Total cost USD - 200 HU + 100 Amp + 100 Front Compos.
Get rear 6*9s set or a Sub back here. You are set at a tad over 20k INR.

Good luck !

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamborghini (Post 1696102)

@shreyas: Thanks a lot for your reply.
Guess I will have to look for 5*7 in the front, while looking for 6*9 in the rear.

Can someone please tell me how MB Quart speakers are? They seem very nice.

Thanks!

Hey Lamborghini,
Even i am in looking to buy stuff from US. I also need a good comps and an amp to go with it.

About the size for comps, you can easily fix 6 1/2 comps in front with a spacer, no problem with that. I currently own Hertz DSK 165 which are of the same size so you dont need to look for 5*7. Infact it would be tough to find them. Go for 6 1/2 in fronts, and i am sure you will love it.
About the MB Quart, i have never heard them so cant comment. That is the reason i have opened up my own thread asking the fellow Bhpians to advice.

Quote:

Can someone please tell me how MB Quart speakers are? They seem very nice.

people seem to think that they are bright - but if you use the attenuation feature on the passive crossovers or even run them full active hence drop the tweeter output a bit IMHO they are superb speakers. i used a set of QSD 216 speakers for a year or two before i got my current dynaudios. I cannot really compare them because they are different type of speakers but to be honest i miss my quarts - they were the most real sounding speakers i ever heard and the detail out of those was simply the most realistic i ever heard

but they do need some work to make them sound as perfect as most people will like and they will never ever be considered relaxed. If you like your music to always be exciting and larger than life then Quart speakers will work very well for you. If you like a relaxed and laid back sound then forget about Quart because then they will sound awful to you. for relaxed laid back speakers Dynaudio and DLS will work better

BTW for the people who consider them bright, they are about as bright as focal and i have heard morel supremos with lots of processing sound just as bright, so it isnt too difficult to make these sound very nice with good enough processing

Hey guys,
Thanks for the replies, and I apologize for getting back so late.
I just got back to the States, and was settling in before doing more research.

So far, from this thread, I have understood that I can fit:
- 6.5 inch components/co-axials in the front
- 6*9 inch co-axials in the rear
- Amps and HU are cheaper out here than back home.

@nitin: I did see your thread, but your budget was significantly bigger so started my own. Also had a few other queries.

@naughty: Thanks for letting me know about the MB Quarts.
What do you mean by bright? Are they similar to JBLs?
Are there any other brands you guys would recommend?

Thanks