[adityamunshi]

Have seen a few people buying Blaupunkt GTA 4ch amp for 5.5 K with B&W, should be easy to get an audition too. Apart from that you have to go for Kenwood 8401 @ 4.5-5 K without b&w

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I have midrange issues too, not just the bass.
Right now I can either do
1. HU upgrade - Completely useless from audio quality point of view, though a DVD unit will give me more songs. To get more songs I bought a 99rs sun VISOR 10 CD holder, so I can have 10mp3 cds in easy access
2. Component upgrade - I don't think stock speakers are that bad
3. Amp - This is what I feel will fix things. Moreover I don't afford speaker upgrade, so this is the only way to go.

So an amp for 4.5K 4ch with bill and warranty. Does it exist? If so which brand? Any brand will do as long as I can demo it and see the sound in safari.

[nitrous]

JBL GT5-A604 costs~ 5.5k in gray.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Can you try playing "Shadow of the Day" by linkin park and see if your HU can do it?

Tried it out today.
with the Bass +4 end treble -2, it sounded clean till 18. hint of distortion at 19, clear distortion audible at 20

With defeat on, it played fine till 22, but at 23 the vocals started clipping.

I got some dirty stares from the parking lot.I wonder how they'll deal with a sub

[greenhorn]

an update to the above post. turns out somehow my speaker wiring had beed screwed up. when doing my regular phase check, noticed that both speakers in the rear were playing even when balance was shifted to one end. Turns out the -(negative) wires for the speakers had been mixed up. some time ,dismantled wires and insulation tape later, My ICE is back in shape

then remembered your benchmark.

with the eq on, i was able to go further, about 19/20, but the panel rattling became unbearable, and i think clipping kicked in at about 21.

with tone defeat on, 22 was clean, at 23/24, the vocals became harsh, but no clipping. clipping at about 25

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I have midrange issues too, not just the bass.
Right now I can either do
1. HU upgrade - Completely useless from audio quality point of view, though a DVD unit will give me more songs. To get more songs I bought a 99rs sun VISOR 10 CD holder, so I can have 10mp3 cds in easy access
2. Component upgrade - I don't think stock speakers are that bad
3. Amp - This is what I feel will fix things. Moreover I don't afford speaker upgrade, so this is the only way to go.

So an amp for 4.5K 4ch with bill and warranty. Does it exist? If so which brand? Any brand will do as long as I can demo it and see the sound in safari.

1) 9870 is good. A DVD HU eh? I almost bought a 9887
2) Not at all. Was wondering how much damping would help them. Any idea what these speakers are?
3) either the 4 channel as nitrous posted or its 2 channel with bill and warranty (below 5K too.)

Originally Posted by nitrous

JBL GT5-A604 costs~ 5.5k in gray.

Thats a nice option.

Saw GT5-A402 last day. Its small, guess it can be placed inside the door

Originally Posted by greenhorn

an update to the above post. turns out somehow my speaker wiring had beed screwed up. when doing my regular phase check, noticed that both speakers in the rear were playing even when balance was shifted to one end. Turns out the -(negative) wires for the speakers had been mixed up. some time ,dismantled wires and insulation tape later, My ICE is back in shape

then remembered your benchmark.

with the eq on, i was able to go further, about 19/20, but the panel rattling became unbearable, and i think clipping kicked in at about 21.

with tone defeat on, 22 was clean, at 23/24, the vocals became harsh, but no clipping. clipping at about 25

But you wont hear it at 22 every day. 14-18 is my choice depending on mood.

[redfire]

I hope all these new Safaris have the same audio setup from factory. Do any of the components (HU or speakers) differ due to availability/brand tie-ups? I have listened to JK's setup which is stock. Considering that there's no amp and sub, it played well with decent highs, mids and considerable bass. A volume level of 15-16 was good enough to have a nice listening with good quality sound coming out.

[tsk1979]

the problem is that I am comparing the setup with my indica which has 4 speakers up front(2 4" and 2 6") driven by a Pioneer. The sound, the depth the midbass and the front soundstage far exceeds that of the Safari.All 4 speakers in front are Pioneer
So I am trying to figure out what to do.
I cannot replace my tweeters with 4"(not that it would help), and the 6" in the doors do not do much.
So I was wondering, if an AMP could help.

[kb100]

Originally Posted by redfire

I hope all these new Safaris have the same audio setup from factory. Do any of the components (HU or speakers) differ due to availability/brand tie-ups? I have listened to JK's setup which is stock. Considering that there's no amp and sub, it played well with decent highs, mids and considerable bass. A volume level of 15-16 was good enough to have a nice listening with good quality sound coming out.

I agree completely!!

I was taken aback by the SQ of the stock set-up in JK's Safari - it was so good that I felt no improvements/upgrades were necessary!

[navin]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

the problem is that I am comparing the setup with my indica which has 4 speakers up front(2 4" and 2 6") driven by a Pioneer. The sound, the depth the midbass and the front soundstage far exceeds that of the Safari.All 4 speakers in front are Pioneer
So I am trying to figure out what to do.
I cannot replace my tweeters with 4"(not that it would help), and the 6" in the doors do not do much.
So I was wondering, if an AMP could help.

The acoustics of a hatch are far better than that of SUVs like the Safari/Bolero. SUVs based on car platforms like the CRV are better.

Amp will cost you 6-7K plus you need RCA wires and some power wiring as well. Check the classfieds.

[greenhorn]

tsk, I heard a safari with a 10" sub today ( guess whose ) , and it sounded quite nice - the stock speakers work quite fine once the HPF is enabled , and they are not asked to handle the bass. Even the midbass was now quite ok - i guess the sub helps. the HU drove the speakers comfortably at vol level 22. Even the 9870 in my indica plays higher now that i got my doors damped and a sub installed. and remember I'm comparing the same HU driving similar setups in an indica and a safari ( front comps + rear coax from HU, sub + amp for the sub ) , and the safari sounds as good (except for the metallic treble from the stock comps)
my suggestion: get a ported 12" sub and the required amplification( ~ 200W or more ) . I'm not sure if the stock speakers can stand more power if you're planning to get a 4 ch though and are planning to use the other 2 channels to drive the stock comps

[smsrini]

Sorry to hijack your thread TSK. Posting here since it deals specifically with the safari ICE.

I got an small ICE upgrade for my safari - JBL 60x components up front and GT5 Co-ax in the rear. The front sound stage is great but now my back seat drivers - wifey & daughter are complaining they don't like it at the back, so have to figure out how to make things better.

Question: Will Components in the back make things better ? I was told I will need an amp to drive the components or any other additional spkrs. I dont have a sub as yet.

What is the ideal placement of the components at the back in a safari ? Anyone done this yet ?

Sub: 8" boxed sub good enough ? or will a jbl tube be better. Dont need thumping bass.

thanks
Srini

[greenhorn]

As long as you are replacing existing speakers , you wont need an amp.
If you are planning to place them in the rear(i mean in locations other than the door) , i dont think comps will make a significant difference, since the speakers will be near ear level anyways. For the door location, comps will make a difference!

If you are not picky about the type of bass, a tube should be okay. a 10" just about filled the safari. an 8" will have trouble.I'd suggest a 12" ~200W to drive it

[smsrini]

As long as you are replacing existing speakers , you wont need an amp.

Can you pls explain this ?

If you are planning to place them in the rear(i mean in locations other than the door) , i dont think comps will make a significant difference, since the speakers will be near ear level anyways. For the door location, comps will make a difference!

Any photos of a door install of comps ?

thanks
Srini

[greenhorn]

You have an EX, and IIRC they come with an Alpine HU and 4 speakers, 2 comps in the front door, and 2 coax in the rear doors. You have replaced both. If you are going to replace the rear coax with comps , that wouldnt need an amp. however , if you need to add another pair of speakers for the rear , then you will need an amp. Actually, if they had been any other pair of speakers, you could have driven them both off the HU , but JBL GTO's being low impedance, if connected in parallel, would load the HU too much.
sorry, no pics of the rear door comp install. I imagine it to be simiar to the front , with the tweeters installed in the B pillar

[jkdas]

Always felt the rear to less audible than the front.

Try a sub, makes a big difference.