Stairway to (ICE) Heaven !!!

St. Anger · 14th December 2007, 09:56

Hola there,
after pondering over things for weeks and putting finger on keys, i finally came down to chronicling my ICEscapades. Here in this thread i shall solely focus on chasing after ICE - Holy Grail in my trusty Santro.

I have had her for some years now and she's borne with my constant demands rather bravely. Without further delay, let the journey begin.

[FONT=&quot]The Santro initially came with a Sony Cassette player, 4" Sony speakers and Kenwood Ovals. Haven gotten my computer in late 2002, I quickly outgrew the cassette player and it was time for my ICE'D Roller coaster to begin.

Upgrade 1. HU: Sony CD3300S Mp3
Rear: JBL 496 Ovals.

Was happy with the sound till I realized that the Fronts were too tinny and cracking up. Around the same time, I was into auto mags and someone who wrote a column in one of them advised me for my next upgrade.

Upgrade 2. Fronts: Oxygen 4" Coax
Amp: Oxygen 2 Channel
Sub: Oxygen Zenon 12"

The sound was a huge step up and finally I had my thump. The journey continued and soon my poor HU started getting the jitters. By then I had tried to get Pankaj Bhai @ FM Drive Khar to suggest me ways to improve the bass up front and also the imaging. Thus came up

Upgrade 3. HU: Pioneer 5750 CDMP3
Amp: Pioneer GM4000f 4 ch

I could finally after 2 years of wandering around, I had my sound up front. Another couple of years passed and I realized that my fronts didn't have the juice and read up on T-Bhp as a guest that Components were the way to go. Thus came,

Upgrade 4. Fronts: Helix Blue MK II 6.5" Components.

Haah, what bliss it is to have the imaging and the bass n sound stage up front. Wanted to go in for JBL GTO's but I somehow fell in love with the milder highs of the Helix'. They ain't flashy, may be moderately powered, but clarity and SQ I got. Would have gone in for Hertz, but I didn't know the dealers and hadn't signed up after a rather scary time reading Navin's Posts . Man, how in the blazes are noobs like me supposed to understand the heavy duty stuff that he and a few others keep speaking about. The equipment names also were unheard of. (Sorry Navin, I have realized that you mean no harm, am trying to make up for lost time by trying to soak in all the gyaan).

Now that T-Bhp happened and i got hooked on to the ICE section and the many perils that lurk there (Refer Sound maniac's Statutory warning to all ye who walk through the ICE forum doors).

So after spending many a sleepless nights and risking hell in college, I kept browsing through the forum, picking on the collective brains of all those brave enough to entertain my queries. Having realized that my Pio Gm4000f was under powering the compos, I decided what comes naturally by now,
(Guys, I’m officially addicted to T-Bhp)

Upgrade 5. Amp: JBL GTO 75.4 (Yippeeeeeeee)

Having basked in the Quality power of the 75.4, I am toiling over the permutations and combinations of the next step

[/FONT]Upgrade 6: Change from Pioneer 5750 to Clarion

After some soul searching and penny pinching times, finally upgraded HU from Pioneer 5750 to Clarion. Went the whole hog and picked it up with all the bells and whistles.

JPL · 14th December 2007, 11:47

Congrats on the upgrade.

Iam also in similiar situation as you were with the 4" in the front, very nice writeup of your Ice journey and very readable and neatly organised.

Btw which clarion hu are using now, price also please. What kinda music do you listen ( i guess metal, i love st anger album) to and how are the helix blues responding to it?

Enjoy your music and nothing else matters !!

St. Anger · 15th December 2007, 10:36

The system setup is as follows,

HU Clarion DXZ776USB
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/9...z776usbcs9.jpg

This HU comes with all the bells and whistles like USB, I-Pod, Bluetooth connectivity, 24 Bit Dac's, TA, 5.8V pre-outs, P-eq, etc. I have gone ahead and gotten all the connectors.

Bluetooth http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/3...nblt370wa0.jpg

Front Speakers:

Kicker DS6502.2 6.5'' Components
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/7...er65comcz3.jpg

The tweeters have been installed in the standard shrouds in the dash mounts.

Rear Speakers:

Helix Blue MKII 6.5'' Components installed in the doors.
http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/4...800x600fr8.jpg

Amplifier:

For Speakers http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/8...4800x60xt1.jpg

For Sub woofer
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/2...450800xmf6.jpg

Sub woofer:
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/1...800x600uv8.jpg

Wiring: Kicker.

The I-pod cable and the USB are installed in the glove box

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/5...800x600rz2.jpg

@Mods, Since this is my first major attempt at posting pics on the forum, kindly forgive my trespasses and guide me onto the right path if and when i go astray.

St. Anger · 16th December 2007, 20:26

@JPL, thanks for those kind words.

Was just wondering about your problem with getting some more juice from those 4''.

Well, my installer had suggested a very cheeky solution to this problem.

He recommended taking a pvc pipe the length of which is subject to the length behind the dash or any other location, sealing it at one end.

Then fill it up to about half volume with fiber fill from any recron pillow or stuffing fiber glass(very itchy).

Next install the 4'' speaker and mount it in the location.

You may have to do some R&D with respect to the mounts, but the results are encouraging. Have tried this option in a donor santro and the bass increase was noticeable.

Unfortunately this option was tried out years ago and i do not have any pix or any knowledge about the whereabouts of the car. So you'll be flying blind on this one. But don't worry, there's always help around.

As they say, Ask and thou shalt receive.

Cheers

JPL · 21st December 2007, 10:09

Thanks a lot for this, definitely try this out and it also cost nothing, bass will definitely improve with midrange also.

Quote:

Originally Posted by St. Anger

@JPL, thanks for those kind words.

Was just wondering about your problem with getting some more juice from those 4''.

Well, my installer had suggested a very cheeky solution to this problem.

He recommended taking a pvc pipe the length of which is subject to the length behind the dash or any other location, sealing it at one end.

Then fill it up to about half volume with fiber fill from any recron pillow or stuffing fiber glass(very itchy).

Next install the 4'' speaker and mount it in the location.

You may have to do some R&D with respect to the mounts, but the results are encouraging. Have tried this option in a donor santro and the bass increase was noticeable.

Unfortunately this option was tried out years ago and i do not have any pix or any knowledge about the whereabouts of the car. So you'll be flying blind on this one. But don't worry, there's always help around.

As they say, Ask and thou shalt receive.

Cheers

five46 · 22nd December 2007, 15:37

Can you please throw some light on the performance of the Clarion HU?
How much did the HU cost you?
How good do you find the HU in terms of ergos and how good is the slidetrak feature?

PS: I'm planning to get the

Clarion DXZ675USB soon!

devarshi84 · 22nd December 2007, 16:52

and where did you get it from?

St. Anger · 22nd December 2007, 17:26

So far the HU's that i had used and operated were Sony, Pio & JVC. And they were pretty simple to figure out. The pioneer took me some time but once done it was a breeze.

The Clarion HU is taking me some time to get used to. The performance is amazing. Warm, clean and fully loaded. It's got everything. CD, MP3, USB, I-Pod, Blue tooth. Also 3 RCA pre-outs with 6Volt output and time alignment.
The slidetrak feature is confusing initially but fun once you get used to it. Good for the techno savvy people.
The HU cost me 300 USD and was picked up from the authorized dealer in Jakarta. Along with it, i also picked up the steering remote, the i-pod connector and the blue tooth package.

The total package cost me 18.5K after discounts. So i'm happy. It may not have the brand value or the easy interface of the 9887 but the performance is up there with the Alpine.

I'm very happy with my decision. Dodgy service support, ergo's & brand recall not withstanding.

@ Devarshi84, Hope that answers your queries.
@five46,
The 676 is identical to the 776 save for the Time Alignment feature and some plasto chrome on the face plate. Don't really know about you but I'm from Bombay; so if you are keen on it and need help deciding, i'll be glad to give you a demo. PM me if you are interested.

five46 · 22nd December 2007, 20:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by devarshi84

and where did you get it from?

Yes, most important question!!!

cancerm · 24th December 2007, 08:59

Hi 546
He has mentioned that the same was purchased from jakarta - Hope it ans ur query

Quote:

Originally Posted by five46

Yes, most important question!!!

AnniHilat0R · 26th December 2007, 06:34

Nice stuff there man. The HU choice is surely interesting. Is it a colour display ? And btw, as your nick goes, blasting Metal on it is it ?

SRShrikanth · 28th December 2007, 15:34

Nice stuff Buddy,

Am sure your loving ur time in-doors.

Howz ur damping enquiry coming along.? Any luck in that department.?

Do keep us posted.

Cheers

St. Anger · 29th December 2007, 14:02

Hey bro, looks like the year end has brought some tough luck on me. The Santro' in rehab for some Denting and other repair work. Might get it tomorrow as the primer is taking time to dry.

Wanted to take time off and tune up this baby to the best extent possible but i guess that's going to happen only next year.

Before checking into rehab, the P-EQ was switched off and the Bass & Treble settings activated. Immediately, the sound improved. The vocals were warmer and the highs less harsh. Once the baby comes back, I'm planning on covering up the tweeters with some dense foam, experimenting till i get the highs toned down. For even with the Treble set at lowest, they still sound shrill.

The Damping Quest is on hold for a quarter atleast, till fund flow improves.

One thing out of this quest is that, my dream setup is shaping up well.

Do keep in touch with your updates.

navin · 29th December 2007, 16:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by St. Anger

Hey bro, looks like the year end has brought some tough luck on me...Once the baby comes back, I'm planning on covering up the tweeters with some dense foam

try the following.

1. listening to the tweeters 45 deg off axis.
2. dont use foam. instead a layer or 2 of soft cotton cloth (my mom clls it mal-mal) might be better

St. Anger · 1st January 2008, 18:14

Currently the tweeters are installed in the in-dash 4'' pods

How do i place them 45 Degrees off axis ?

Do i need to remount them on the door ?

Also i need some help tuning my system both from the amps and from the head unit end.

Do i need to bring it over somewhere or are online tutorials possible ?

@ Navin
congrats on hitting the 10K mark. That is something very special

Cheers

14th December 2007, 09:56	#1
St. Anger BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 155 Thanked: 30 Times	Stairway to (ICE) Heaven !!! Hola there, after pondering over things for weeks and putting finger on keys, i finally came down to chronicling my ICEscapades. Here in this thread i shall solely focus on chasing after ICE - Holy Grail in my trusty Santro. I have had her for some years now and she's borne with my constant demands rather bravely. Without further delay, let the journey begin. [FONT=&quot]The Santro initially came with a Sony Cassette player, 4" Sony speakers and Kenwood Ovals. Haven gotten my computer in late 2002, I quickly outgrew the cassette player and it was time for my ICE'D Roller coaster to begin. Upgrade 1. HU: Sony CD3300S Mp3 Rear: JBL 496 Ovals. Was happy with the sound till I realized that the Fronts were too tinny and cracking up. Around the same time, I was into auto mags and someone who wrote a column in one of them advised me for my next upgrade. Upgrade 2. Fronts: Oxygen 4" Coax Amp: Oxygen 2 Channel Sub: Oxygen Zenon 12" The sound was a huge step up and finally I had my thump. The journey continued and soon my poor HU started getting the jitters. By then I had tried to get Pankaj Bhai @ FM Drive Khar to suggest me ways to improve the bass up front and also the imaging. Thus came up Upgrade 3. HU: Pioneer 5750 CDMP3 Amp: Pioneer GM4000f 4 ch I could finally after 2 years of wandering around, I had my sound up front. Another couple of years passed and I realized that my fronts didn't have the juice and read up on T-Bhp as a guest that Components were the way to go. Thus came, Upgrade 4. Fronts: Helix Blue MK II 6.5" Components. Haah, what bliss it is to have the imaging and the bass n sound stage up front. Wanted to go in for JBL GTO's but I somehow fell in love with the milder highs of the Helix'. They ain't flashy, may be moderately powered, but clarity and SQ I got. Would have gone in for Hertz, but I didn't know the dealers and hadn't signed up after a rather scary time reading Navin's Posts . Man, how in the blazes are noobs like me supposed to understand the heavy duty stuff that he and a few others keep speaking about. The equipment names also were unheard of. (Sorry Navin, I have realized that you mean no harm, am trying to make up for lost time by trying to soak in all the gyaan). Now that T-Bhp happened and i got hooked on to the ICE section and the many perils that lurk there (Refer Sound maniac's Statutory warning to all ye who walk through the ICE forum doors). So after spending many a sleepless nights and risking hell in college, I kept browsing through the forum, picking on the collective brains of all those brave enough to entertain my queries. Having realized that my Pio Gm4000f was under powering the compos, I decided what comes naturally by now, (Guys, I’m officially addicted to T-Bhp) Upgrade 5. Amp: JBL GTO 75.4 (Yippeeeeeeee) Having basked in the Quality power of the 75.4, I am toiling over the permutations and combinations of the next step [/FONT]Upgrade 6: Change from Pioneer 5750 to Clarion After some soul searching and penny pinching times, finally upgraded HU from Pioneer 5750 to Clarion. Went the whole hog and picked it up with all the bells and whistles.
	() Thanks

14th December 2007, 11:47	#2
JPL BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: XXXXX Posts: 239 Thanked: 0 Times	Congrats on the upgrade. Iam also in similiar situation as you were with the 4" in the front, very nice writeup of your Ice journey and very readable and neatly organised. Btw which clarion hu are using now, price also please. What kinda music do you listen ( i guess metal, i love st anger album) to and how are the helix blues responding to it? Enjoy your music and nothing else matters !!
	() Thanks

15th December 2007, 10:36	#3
St. Anger BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 155 Thanked: 30 Times	Upgrade 6 continued The system setup is as follows, HU Clarion DXZ776USB http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/9...z776usbcs9.jpg This HU comes with all the bells and whistles like USB, I-Pod, Bluetooth connectivity, 24 Bit Dac's, TA, 5.8V pre-outs, P-eq, etc. I have gone ahead and gotten all the connectors. Bluetooth http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/3...nblt370wa0.jpg Front Speakers: Kicker DS6502.2 6.5'' Components http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/7...er65comcz3.jpg The tweeters have been installed in the standard shrouds in the dash mounts. Rear Speakers: Helix Blue MKII 6.5'' Components installed in the doors. http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/4...800x600fr8.jpg Amplifier: For Speakers http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/8...4800x60xt1.jpg For Sub woofer http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/2...450800xmf6.jpg Sub woofer: http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/1...800x600uv8.jpg Wiring: Kicker. The I-pod cable and the USB are installed in the glove box http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/5...800x600rz2.jpg @Mods, Since this is my first major attempt at posting pics on the forum, kindly forgive my trespasses and guide me onto the right path if and when i go astray.
	() Thanks

16th December 2007, 20:26	#4
St. Anger BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 155 Thanked: 30 Times	4'' juice @JPL, thanks for those kind words. Was just wondering about your problem with getting some more juice from those 4''. Well, my installer had suggested a very cheeky solution to this problem. He recommended taking a pvc pipe the length of which is subject to the length behind the dash or any other location, sealing it at one end. Then fill it up to about half volume with fiber fill from any recron pillow or stuffing fiber glass(very itchy). Next install the 4'' speaker and mount it in the location. You may have to do some R&D with respect to the mounts, but the results are encouraging. Have tried this option in a donor santro and the bass increase was noticeable. Unfortunately this option was tried out years ago and i do not have any pix or any knowledge about the whereabouts of the car. So you'll be flying blind on this one. But don't worry, there's always help around. As they say, Ask and thou shalt receive. Cheers
	() Thanks

22nd December 2007, 15:37	#6
five46 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: L-O-S-T!! Posts: 642 Thanked: 741 Times	Can you please throw some light on the performance of the Clarion HU? How much did the HU cost you? How good do you find the HU in terms of ergos and how good is the slidetrak feature? PS: I'm planning to get the Clarion DXZ675USB soon!
	() Thanks

22nd December 2007, 16:52	#7
devarshi84 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ahmedabad - Tor Posts: 4,024 Thanked: 213 Times View My Garage	and where did you get it from?
	() Thanks

22nd December 2007, 17:26	#8
St. Anger BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 155 Thanked: 30 Times	Review: Clarion DXZ776USB So far the HU's that i had used and operated were Sony, Pio & JVC. And they were pretty simple to figure out. The pioneer took me some time but once done it was a breeze. The Clarion HU is taking me some time to get used to. The performance is amazing. Warm, clean and fully loaded. It's got everything. CD, MP3, USB, I-Pod, Blue tooth. Also 3 RCA pre-outs with 6Volt output and time alignment. The slidetrak feature is confusing initially but fun once you get used to it. Good for the techno savvy people. The HU cost me 300 USD and was picked up from the authorized dealer in Jakarta. Along with it, i also picked up the steering remote, the i-pod connector and the blue tooth package. The total package cost me 18.5K after discounts. So i'm happy. It may not have the brand value or the easy interface of the 9887 but the performance is up there with the Alpine. I'm very happy with my decision. Dodgy service support, ergo's & brand recall not withstanding. @ Devarshi84, Hope that answers your queries. @five46, The 676 is identical to the 776 save for the Time Alignment feature and some plasto chrome on the face plate. Don't really know about you but I'm from Bombay; so if you are keen on it and need help deciding, i'll be glad to give you a demo. PM me if you are interested.
	() Thanks

26th December 2007, 06:34	#11
AnniHilat0R BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 291 Thanked: 68 Times	Nice stuff there man. The HU choice is surely interesting. Is it a colour display ? And btw, as your nick goes, blasting Metal on it is it ?
	() Thanks

28th December 2007, 15:34	#12
SRShrikanth BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: B'bay/Stockholm Posts: 254 Thanked: 8 Times View My Garage	Nice stuff Buddy, Am sure your loving ur time in-doors. Howz ur damping enquiry coming along.? Any luck in that department.? Do keep us posted. Cheers
	() Thanks

29th December 2007, 14:02	#13
St. Anger BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 155 Thanked: 30 Times	Inside Outside Hey bro, looks like the year end has brought some tough luck on me. The Santro' in rehab for some Denting and other repair work. Might get it tomorrow as the primer is taking time to dry. Wanted to take time off and tune up this baby to the best extent possible but i guess that's going to happen only next year. Before checking into rehab, the P-EQ was switched off and the Bass & Treble settings activated. Immediately, the sound improved. The vocals were warmer and the highs less harsh. Once the baby comes back, I'm planning on covering up the tweeters with some dense foam, experimenting till i get the highs toned down. For even with the Treble set at lowest, they still sound shrill. The Damping Quest is on hold for a quarter atleast, till fund flow improves. One thing out of this quest is that, my dream setup is shaping up well. Do keep in touch with your updates.
	() Thanks

1st January 2008, 18:14	#15
St. Anger BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 155 Thanked: 30 Times	Tweeter troubles Currently the tweeters are installed in the in-dash 4'' pods How do i place them 45 Degrees off axis ? Do i need to remount them on the door ? Also i need some help tuning my system both from the amps and from the head unit end. Do i need to bring it over somewhere or are online tutorials possible ? @ Navin congrats on hitting the 10K mark. That is something very special Cheers Last edited by St. Anger : 1st January 2008 at 18:24. Reason: Didn't wan't to post afresh when editing is possible.
	() Thanks