[frankmehta]

thanx sam! really coveted each and every component of this setup and didnt have to compromise on anything eventually. so very happy about that..

@speedzak:
yes there are 2 threads, that will be shortly opened:
one by my dad and it will read: frankmehta needs a beating
and the other by me: frankmehta needs some money and a place to stay!

[frankmehta]

Originally Posted by sujitm

Congrats! Great set of equipments. Would love to audition your ride someday.

PS: Love the HU the most.

@sujitm
you're always welcome.
dont we all loove the alpine 9887? its sonically perfect!

[mmmjgm]

Hey frankie,

Very well written, need to audition the hermit's creation, I've heard Amey's swift, that really rocks, do suggest a convenient time for an audition.

Cheers

M M

[razor4077]

Great setup Frank, congrats! That GZ sub needed something like the RF amp to drive it. Must be sounding great. No damping needed?

@Ajay: Come to Cal dude... we'll get you drunk-er than you've ever been before..promise. Just tune the ICE in our cars. Please?

[mmmjgm]

Hi Frank,

One small question, what prompted you to buy a 2nd hand HU?

Did you audition the model before buying it ? What made you settle for a 2nd hand piece ?

Cheers
M M

[harry10]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

@speedzak:
yes there are 2 threads, that will be shortly opened:
one by my dad and it will read: frankmehta needs a beating
and the other by me: frankmehta needs some money and a place to stay!

that got me in splits. Back to topic - Do you think there is a lot of difference between the Pio HU you were using before and now the Alpine one?

[frankmehta]

Originally Posted by mmmjgm

Hey frankie,

Very well written, need to audition the hermit's creation, I've heard Amey's swift, that really rocks, do suggest a convenient time for an audition.

Cheers


M M

ameys swift is quite in a different league altogether. i heard it before the door pads got their fibre reinforcement, and it still sounded divine. so the 3 way setup with the glassfibre midrange will sound WAY better than my entry level Electras.
but, for someone like me who drives less than 6 km a day, this is sufficient. the music is tuned according to my tastes and i am enjoying myself now. a convenient time for audition is ANYTIME. just gimme a call and pop in. get the music you listen to! it shall be fun.

Originally Posted by razor4077

Great setup Frank, congrats! That GZ sub needed something like the RF amp to drive it. Must be sounding great. No damping needed?

@Ajay: Come to Cal dude... we'll get you drunk-er than you've ever been before..promise. Just tune the ICE in our cars. Please?

yes, i knew that having a 400w rms sub called for atleast 300w of power, and the rf amp is rated at 325w*1 @4 ohm! its not stable at 2 ohm, hence its priced cheap, but people have powered 3 subs off it effortlessly, as i read on crutchfield. its very versatile, but i would recommend only playing subs off it. somehow i feel it wont sound as clean with compos. the certificate says it puts out more power than it is rated at, so about 330w to the GZ sub makes it rip! im not an spl guy anyways, but the difference is audible at lower volumes. im quite enjoying my music now. not too bassy and not too hollow. whenever im in a mood to pump up the volume and go into spl mode, i just need to turn the BASS knob on my dashboard and it KICKS in the boot. its something that can be experienced for a very short time but the tightness of the bass, and the accuracy of the response makes it tempting to turn the knob atleast once a day..

Originally Posted by mmmjgm

Hi Frank,

One small question, what prompted you to buy a 2nd hand HU?

Did you audition the model before buying it ? What made you settle for a 2nd hand piece ?

Cheers
M M

ill tell you the reason for that.
before i bought this unit, i wasnt contemplating a change, actually. because for me, the pioneer sounded good, and i was in the misconception that if something sounds so good, then something 2x the price would be just marginally better. i then had someone coming down from the usa and i was 1 step from ordering the Eclipse 7200MKII which according to me is THE BEST sounding head unit in the market along with the Clarion HX-D2. by the way eclipses have DISGUsTING interfaces designed by the makers of puzzle games! it was going to cost me about 23k to buy it from there. so i thought twice, whether spending so much was worth it or not. in this time, Zucchero paaji pmed me. and we all know how particular he is with his equipment! he has never rolled down the windows of his safari ever since he got it.. lol! i spoke to ajay bhai and he said buy it! i thought to myself, i have used a zillion pioneers and they have never given up on me. since zucchero may have taken as good/better care of the unit, why not give it a try? i didnt audition this unit, but i had seen 9887s in action before. so just picked up this one!

Originally Posted by harry10

that got me in splits. Back to topic - Do you think there is a lot of difference between the Pio HU you were using before and now the Alpine one?

its a HUUUGE change. that cant be typed and has to be heard! the pio was good, but time alignment and the 24bit burr brown D/A converter really makes the difference. the alpine is far superior to all pioneers, except for the interface. i havent warmed up to the alpines interface yet!

[navin]

Frank,

Nice set up just a few questions.

1. Why the need for the Punch controller? The 9887 has a subwoofer level control doesn't it. Does the Punch controller do something different?
2. Why surface mount the tweeter which (going by the flange) were designed to be flush mounted.
3. the spacer ring on the front midbass drivers might need to be made neater. I suspect that in 6 months or so the joint (of the covering) might open making it unsightly.

[frankmehta]

thank you navin! ill answer your queries in points:
1. the punch controller has been bundled free with the RF amp and its a cool accessory to have on the dash :-) besides, the convenience of having just one knob dedicated to make a fine SQ system to an SPL system in a jiffy, rather than having to press the volume controller on the alpine and then turning the SW levels up, has a more dramatic effect on the already overawed passengers in the car. lol! but, there is again some gimmickry in the punch remote, as shown here



In the early 70's, Jim Fosgate studied the acoustical properties of automobiles. Utilizing a real-time analyzer and pink noise, he would graph out the acoustical characteristics of each car he tested. This lead to the development of the Punch Eq to compensate for problems that were common in all cars. The Punch Bass EQ section of the Punch EQ up to 18dB of boost for correcting acoustical deficiencies.


2. the tweeter has been mounted on the surface, because i was not too keen on making a hole in the door pad so high up. the midbasses are below point of vision so its ok, but the tweeters pointing at me from the dashboard would sound better, i feel. not sure about the soundstage, but was sure of not drilling into the doorpad.

3. you have a very keen eye. but from what it looks in pictures, its not. shafeeq has done a stellar job at ensuring the quality of work and has gone out of his way on all fronts to ensure the longevity of the install in the door panels! it does look slightly unkempt on the passenger side but thats not in direct vision, so its good.

[swale84]

Great write up Frank!!
Good to know your happy with the setup. I can see the enthusiasm in your write up. Ajay does have a way with tuning your setup just the way you would want it. (either that or he's damn good at convincing you that the way he's tuned your setup is the way you would want it!!)

I'm tempted to chronicle my ICE journey too now, I'm just scared someone will convince me to 'upgrade'

Originally Posted by frankmehta

@speedzak:
yes there are 2 threads, that will be shortly opened:
one by my dad and it will read: frankmehta needs a beating
and the other by me: frankmehta needs some money and a place to stay!

Also: FrankMehta needs a new car to put ALL the equipment plus some more in

[frankmehta]

DUDE! your black tongue! you forgot?? s**t! there goes my sleep over which car it will be..

[Ajaybiz]

Nice choice and its actually changed my decission of buying another pair of components, no no i am not canceling my plan but changing the brand so next weekends will be shopping for EL 6.1.
BTW hows the "supply of hawa"(Air Supply) with this setup

[nishantgandhi]

Well I got to audition Dr's setup yesterday. Very well tuned and belts out amazingly clear vocals and bass at all levels. Bass is tight and responsive and TA works like magic. Proper justice (read power delivery) has been done to each and every component, although I feel the rear's (GZ) being driven off the 75.4 is an overkill. So is the Bass Knob, but who's complaining! Turning the knob full circle will wake up the sleepiest of creatures by shaking the car violently.

OT - After the session, my drive back home was filled with 'upgradation' related thoughts. Now only if I could lay my hands on a 75.4

[shreyasma]

Frank,

Hows the vibration in the trunk due to the sub?
I have damped my trunk but i still get rattling at high volumes in my esteem.

[Ajaybiz]

Nishant you mean to say that Sub is too big for 75.4 or its in other way?