[navin]

The only issue ihave with the hatch door is that everytime you slam the hatch shut the speakers will get a bit loose. One way around this is to get your installer to build a MDF baffle that fits in the place of the existing board and use the lock nuts LBM is thinking of using.

Yes and as Hydra says if you are not using a sub a pair of 6x9 will do fine (except fot the last octave - 20-40Hz).

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by Prof

And about the options available in India: I wish to go for the system with pakka bill, and warranty so as to avoid all possible troubles. I tried websites of a number of brands: Alpine, Pio, Kenwood, etc., couldn't get the Indian support info in them at Lucknow (politically very big, otherwise a small place) or other places.

I know for a fact that brands like Alpine, JVC, Blaupunkt and JBL are available at Lucknow officially with bill and warranty.

[Prof]

Hearty Thanks to all of you for such wonderful advises. I am getting bolder with each of these ideas! And Sam, I will explore all options now that you have mentioned them: Alpine, JVC, Blaupunkt and JBL. Any idea of some nice place to start with? Any reference in Lucknow? Regards..

[Sam Kapasi]

Well, in lucknow you can try by calling Raj Singh 93350-77562. He works for Impel, the distributors for JVC. Impel is a sister concern of Supreme, that distributes JBL in that state.

Raj will guide you to a good dealership in Lucknow, that sells JVC and JBL officially.

Obviously that store will have all the brands you need, officially too. Good luck and keep us posted.

[ketchup]

Hi Many thanks to the Gurus for all the information in this forum. I've spent the last 2 days reading up various posts and learning a bit on all the techy mumbo jumbo.

I need your help, please advise me on setup for a Honda City. The car comes with front speakers, the dealer said they are alpine, but I do not know the model.

With 17 - 20k to spend, what should I invest it on?

HU: I am considering getting a HU that delivers 4x40+ RMS and doing away with an Amp and Subs, I would also like the HU to have a 5 or 6 band equalizer that I can custom-set (could never live with a 3 band). I would also like my HU to play MP3s, and a USB or iPod interface would be good.

I'm also thinking of getting a CD changer,one that plays MP3s would be great, if so the HU doesn't need a CD loader or cassette, it can just serve as a receiver/amp. (If this takes the budget up to 23k, I'm ok with it)

I hear from friends that Pioneer HU's CD loading is bad and in a few months it scratches the CDs, I've seen this too. Is this the case with all HUs?

For speakers I'm thinking a pair of 6x9 in the rear (thanks to the Gurus here I now know the advantage of an oval over a round). But just don't know which brand or type. I like a little thud, but I don't think I need a sub. Or am I wrong, is a sub essential for good sound?

Like a previous poster, I always drive or sit in the front. If the front Alpine speakers included are not component, should I dump them and go for a new pair of component speakers?

I like clear all round sound, with a little higher bass and treble. My music is mostly rock, club and lounge.

Navin, I've read your sticky on recommended systems for different budgets (great post), and would like some input on the above from you and the forum.

If you were me what config would you get?

(Sorry about the nickname - its the only thing I could come up with at the dinner table, I'm not like my nickname at all )

[ketchup]

Hi Many thanks to the Gurus for all the information in this forum. I've spent the last 2 days reading up various posts and learning a bit on all the techy mumbo jumbo.

I need your help, please advise me on setup for a Honda City. The car comes with front speakers, the dealer said they are alpine, but I do not know the model.

With 17 - 20k to spend, what should I invest it on?

HU: I am considering getting a HU that delivers 4x40+ RMS and doing away with an Amp and Subs, I would also like the HU to have a 5 or 6 band equalizer that I can custom-set (could never live with a 3 band). I would also like my HU to play MP3s, and a USB or iPod interface would be good. I don't need cassettes.

I'm also thinking of getting a CD changer, one that plays MP3s would be great, if so I don't need the HU to have a CD loader or cassette - it can just be a receiver/amp. (If this takes the budget up to 23k, I'm ok with it)

I hear from friends that Pioneer HU's CD loading is bad and in a few months it scratches the CDs, I've seen this too. Is this the case with all HUs?

For speakers I'm thinking a pair of 6x9 in the rear (thanks to the Gurus here I now know the advantage of an oval over a round). But just don't know which brand or type. I like a little thud, but I don't think I need a sub. Or am I wrong, is a sub essential for good sound?

Like a previous poster, I always drive or sit in the front. If the front Alpine speakers included are not component, should I dump them and go for a new pair of component speakers?

I like clear all round sound, with a little higher bass and treble. My music is mostly rock, club and lounge.

Navin, I've read your sticky on recommended systems for different budgets, and would like some input on the above from you and the forum.

If you were me what config would you get?

(Sorry about the nickname - its the only thing I could come up with at the dinner table, I'm not like my nickname at all )

(Sorry if this posts twice, new at this)

[hydrashok]

@ketchup, welcome to TBHP

The Honda City OEM speakers are quite crappy and changing them will do you a world of good. They are made by Xenos, and not Alpine. The OEM HU is Alpine. Now I'm assuming you mean an NHC. (And you don't have a HU now?).

From my personal experience, I'd suggest that you get a good MP3 HU (about 8K), and forget the CD Changer. If you really need a lot of music (more than one MP3 cd at a time), get an MP3 DVD HU from JVC (about 12K).

HU: Pio 6950 (about 8K, satisfies all your requirements, and is 50w x 4 to boot). The new Pios are quite good, and I haven't heard about Pios scratching CDs on a regular basis. I've heard of Sony HUs having problems reading CDs after a while though. And Alpine HUs with their Glide Touch (now stopped) having issues.

Front Speakers: Get 6.5" components (about 6.5K for good brands). The OEM speakers are not components -- they are full range speakers.

Rear Speakers: Yes, get 6x9" ovals. For the NHC a bit of cutting will be needed as the default size is 6.5", but this cutting can be done quite easily & neatly by a good installer with good electrical tools. They will run to about 5K.

HU + front + rears = 8 + 6.5 + 5 = 19.5K.

Since you have some (stretched) budget left over, I'd suggest that you damp the front doors and the rear parcel shelf. Will run to about 2-3K, but it will be worth the money spent -- NHCs have thin panels that begin rattling at medium volumes.

From your description, you're likely to like the sound of JBL GTOs. But also listen to Hertz, Alpine and Blau before you decide.

[zenx]

If there were an award like "most helpful tbhpian" etc, I'm sure hydrashok would come v v close to getting it. Hats off to the promptness and level of detail with which you respond to every query - even tho am sure a lot many of those must seem "the same old stuff" to you by now!

[dr.abhijeet]

hi all,
i m new here as my post count shows. & on top of that i m a complete noob in ICE.
so here the background for my query-
my swift vdi has reached the showroom and the question of ICE is looming ahead. my budget is 20k strictly.lesser the better.
so now the querries-
1.which HU??
2. DECIDED FR JBL 6' GTO but avavilablty is a big issue( noboby has heard of JBL in gangtok)
3.i want a sub and amps is it possible in this budget?
4. whats the best place to fit the sub as i dont want a parcel shelf & i dont want to compromise on boot space??

and if some one knows shops in silliguri (the nearest town from gangtok) where i can get quality equipment as most shops i know stocks crappy sony xplods n generic speakers?

thanks in advance
abhijeet

[ketchup]

Hey... Many thanks Hydrashok. Those were very good suggestions, as I am a newbie to the car audio world. Zenx said it - You'll find Hydrashok's post in every single page on tbhp. We really appreciate your advise.

I've looked up the pio 6950 (yes, i need to get a HU), and I think it's perfectly what I'm looking for (it says 50x4, is that rms?). Do you recommend considering any other alternate HUs? Just for some options...

Can someone help me with a (newbie) question re RMS and peak output: I see on a few models they mention like 52x4 rms, or 52x4. If they do not write RMS (eg on Sony xplod HUs) should I assume its 52x4 rms? How do I know what speakers would go with them?

What's the relationship someone said RMS x 6 = peak. But on the blaupunkt site I saw specs saying:

Blaupunkt - Melbourne SD27 - Technical Details
RMS power (DIN 45324) at 14.4 V 4 x 18 Watts
4 x 45 Watts Max. power

What would be considered a "good" or "V.Good" HU output?

I tried searching the thread, but couldn't locate an answer. Once again thanks for your advise. If anyone has different config advise, would appreciate hearing from you!!

[low_bass_makker]

normal all the HU except a few from panasonic have nearly have power rating of 15-18 watts rms with 10% Thd rating...it means that the sound will be horrible when you will be playing it loud.....for this reason car amplifer are made......the panasonic are made with t-class amp which will make max 25 watts with similar power rating as above so I would suggest...i you like your ICE to be loud then get a amp or you can be happy with your HU only......

[hydrashok]

Originally Posted by zenx

... promptness and level of detail with which you respond to every query ...

Thanks for the nice words, zenx I guess its just that I'm online a lot, and I generally tend to talk a lot about stuff I like.

Originally Posted by ketchup

I've looked up the pio 6950 (yes, i need to get a HU), and I think it's perfectly what I'm looking for (it says 50x4, is that rms?). Do you recommend considering any other alternate HUs? Just for some options...

The Blau Mumbai would be about 8K (with B&W) and the Alpine 9843 would be about 11K, I think (with B&W). If you can stretch the budget, I'd suggest the Alpine. The Pio is more VFM than the Blau (at the grey price, of course). Kenwood also has some HUs at that price point, but I haven't heard them and I'm afraid don't know about their models or prices. I'd recently listened to an entry-level Kenwood in a Ford Fusion (model 333 or something @ 5K) and it sounded OK for the price, but had close to zero features.

I think LBM's covered you with the HU & output thing.

The SONY figures are IMHO highly suspect. HUs that mention 50x4 mean peak RMS power.

[gopz]

Hi there, can you please tell me if I can connect my iPod to the front AUX Input socket of Pioneer DEH-P4950MP?

Thanks
gopz

[ketchup]

Many Thanks Hydrashok & LBM for your inputs. Appreciate your guidance. For the rear speakers should I go for a 3 way / 4 way / 5 way speaker system. Is it ok to mix speakers, eg use JBL components in the front and pio 4 way in the rear? I may not go for an amp. Slight chance I May add it later.

[low_bass_makker]

Originally Posted by ketchup

Many Thanks Hydrashok & LBM for your inputs. Appreciate your guidance. For the rear speakers should I go for a 3 way / 4 way / 5 way speaker system. Is it ok to mix speakers, eg use JBL components in the front and pio 4 way in the rear? I may not go for an amp. Slight chance I May add it later.

the 5/6/7 way pioneer speakers are a joke......I would say get the pair of jbl 6x9 in the back also......and I would say put same brand and mostly the same series.....