[frankmehta]

happy to see the imprint kit being bought by someone.. sounds very exciting, but going from my personal experience, someone having a keen ear CAN tune the 9887/9886/IDAX series head units, akin to the imprint kit. i feel its a slight overkill to spend a bomb on the kit. also, i think digital processing cannot replace the nuances of sound perceived by the human ear. im not against the kit, but i feel its overpriced and does almost the same job as a person who knows how to tune the 9887.. i dont, but i had b&t do it for me. im quite sure, compared to his tuning, the imprint kit wont make too much of a difference.

[Bass&Trouble]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

going from my personal experience, someone having a keen ear CAN tune the 9887/9886/IDAX series head units, akin to the imprint kit. i feel its a slight overkill to spend a bomb on the kit. also, i think digital processing cannot replace the nuances of sound perceived by the human ear. im not against the kit, but i feel its overpriced and does almost the same job as a person who knows how to tune the 9887.. i dont, but i had b&t do it for me. im quite sure, compared to his tuning, the imprint kit wont make too much of a difference.

I've never used Auto TA/ Auto EQ settings with any of the head units I have used till date. The results just havent been as good as manual tuning.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that while a ruler flat frequency response is what seems to be the solution in theory, that isnt exactly how it works in practice.

The Imprint could however be useful in highlighting major flaws in the system for those who do not have a good installer handy. For example, a car that had come to me with a OEM head unit and an imprint processor with an aftermarket music system, on firing up the first time successfully detected polarity inversions in some speakers. But I dont think I need a kit to tell me that.

[valhallen.282]

Ya know as much as I am inclined to agree with you. i think its WORTH it. At the end of the day, if you can start with a flat frequency response inside the car (considering its removing the various reflections, resonances etc along with correcting dips and peaks from each speaker. that too using 500 correction points in total its not your regular 10band parametric its much more right?) for a person who wants to hear it the way it was recorded i guess it would be good. AND you can STILL finger around with the paraeq and the volume and the crossover point control and your own amp setting right? see at the end of the day it can't replace a tuner. BUT it would be an excellent tool for the enthusiast for excellent playback and staging. Even tuners and installers would like to agree right?

[PatienceWins]

Congrats!! Good to know you are happy with it.

I am using Alpine 9887. I would love to audition one with imprint. I am happy with the current setup. I did not consider imprint because of the cost involved.

[santosh.s]

Is the additional IMPRINT h/w and s/w required only for initial auto-setup (which should be one time affair) OR is it required all the time during play back also? In the fist case people can think of sharing it (to save vitamin-M of course!)

I have been curious about Audyssey's multeq stuff for quite some time. Alpine is probably the first company, and the only one so far, to have incorporated their technology into automotive audio. Nice to know that people on this forum have actually started using it, hope to get an opportunity to audition one in Bangalore soon!

[hydrashok]

@santosh.s, the IMPRINT setup is a one-time thing. You don't need it connected when you are listening to music. The mic and laptop need to be connected during the tuning session. Once it is done, the settings are saved in the HU's memory. You will not need the kit again unless you want to tune the HU again.

In fact, Crutchfield was renting out IMPRINT kits for a nominal cost. You'd have to buy the kit, tune the HU and send the kit back to them within a specific period. They would then refund the money (after deducting the rental cost) to you. Nice deal, if you are in the US.

Here's a nice resource on IMPRINT tuning -- tips and tricks from people who've used IMPRINT:
Imprint tuning hints and tips - DIY Mobile Audio

[ultimatechamp]

Thanks Hydra and others for the tips on IMPRINT.I was afraid of it for the cost involved and also because of my lack of technical knowhow.I still believe that a good tuner like B&T can make a difference to listening experience than a one-time costly affair like IMPRINT.
My 2 cents.

[valhallen.282]

ULTIMATECHAMP: i totally agree with what you are saying and that a good installer can make a massive difference. but lets not forget that this was designed to actually remove resonances and other artifacts created by your car. I.E. the car itself is skewing the sound. it is this tech that they are charging for... :-D

[navin]

Originally Posted by Bass&Trouble

The results just havent been as good as manual tuning....that isnt exactly how it works in practice.

the human ear is
a) indidualistic - what I like might not be somehting that you like
b) accurate - far more accurate than imprint and by accurate I dont being just ruler flat frequency response.
c) ruler flat frequecny response can sound bright with some music (most of the stuff I listen to and almost all of Hindi pop)

Originally Posted by valhallen.282

it can't replace a tuner.

with a bit of patience and practice almost anyone can tune their own systme to their own liking.