[diveshsingh]

Thanks Navin.

I haven't upgraded my car entertainment system since ages, 10 years to be precise. So I am out of touch with the development in this field.

But now I want to upgrade my fortuner music system, I don't like the way it sound. I have kind of decided on following components, your feedback more than welcome.
1. 3 way component K2 power focal for front
2. Coaxial k2 power focal on rear doors
3. JL audio HD 900/5 amplifier
4. Damping solution ( help, dunno which one)

Not sure about subwoofer right now, will decide after the setup is done and if I require more bass. But have kept option open in the amplifier for sub. Wires and connectors i don't know much about, help needed. And above all from where can I source them, specially the JL amplifier? May also want to add TA module later on from alpine.

I don't like to hear my music loud, I like it crisp n precise with right amount of bass, I prefer vocals over techno.

[navin]

Originally Posted by diveshsingh

I want to upgrade my fortuner music system,
1. 3 way component K2 power focal for front
2. Coaxial k2 power focal on rear doors
3. JL audio HD 900/5 amplifier
4. Damping solution ( help, dunno which one)

But have kept option open in the amplifier for sub. Wires and connectors i don't know much about, help needed.

JL Audio is over priced in India as Gulf Wireless mostly is into RF stuff.

[diveshsingh]

Originally Posted by navin

JL Audio is over priced in India as Gulf Wireless mostly is into RF stuff.

So which 5 channel amplifier would you suggest? Alpine PDX one or something else. Was keen for JL as it would take speaker level inputs and had 100w for all 4 channels + 300 for sub

[navin]

Originally Posted by diveshsingh

So which 5 channel amplifier would you suggest? Alpine PDX one or something else. Was keen for JL as it would take speaker level inputs and had 100w for all 4 channels + 300 for sub

Infinity makes some reasonably priced 5/6 channel amplifiers.

[crazydave]

Hi, can let me know what the current street price for Pioneer 80PRS is? And are there any alternatives to this HU or is this still the best option for SQ and VFM? Thanks

[gunner21]

Hello peeps,

My 1st ever post on this super forum, so pardon me if i have not maintained protocol..

I live in south mumbai and own 2 cars, a vw jetta n a swift.

I needed some advice regards the audio systems of both cars..

Jetta

Well, its a very good sound system provided by vw but i was hoping for something a tad better. Anyway, i have accepted its quality but off late i have been having an issue while playing music from my or my wife's iphone through the system. Its a distorted sound with varying degrees depending upon the songs. I play the iphone music either through the aux or then through the attachment given in the glove box specially for the iphone by vw. The quality of sound is good when i play the cd player or the radio, its only the iphone music which is the prob. The same music sounds normal and good when i attach the phone to my seinhisser headphone or then my iphone ear phones.
I took to to vw downtown but they could not find the prob.
Is there any place one can recommend eho will br receptive to this issue of mine and help me sort it out? Thx.

Swift

Well, its got a very basic music system which was done by my brother post purchase but i want now to get a hu which has a front detachable panel, bluetooth enabled ( for phonecalls and to play music from the phone). And get speakers and amps as well to make it a very good quality system. So pls recommend what i would need to buy to make this happen, as well as a recommended installer who i could get it all done from.

Lastly, is it true that music through bluetooth sounds better than any top quality aux cable?

Thanks guys for your time and inputs. Hope i can receprocate in some way soon.
Regards
Gunner21

[navin]

Originally Posted by gunner21

Jetta
The quality of sound is good when i play the cd player or the radio, its only the iphone music which is the prob....I took to to vw downtown but they could not find the prob.

Swift
So pls recommend what i would need to buy to make this happen, as well as a recommended installer who i could get it all done from.

Lastly, is it true that music through bluetooth sounds better than any top quality aux cable?

1. Jetta: What exactly is the distortion? Does it sound like something tearing like the iphone overloading the input? Is the distortion via the aux in (I assume this is via the headphone socket) or the ipod adapter (from the 30 pin / lightning connector) the same?

2. Swift: If you live or work near Worli I can recommend Bharat Radio for most simple installs. Talk to Mr. Gandhi or Lila there.

Good Wire > wireless in any form (wifi or bluetooth). A wired connection is more consistent and has greater bandwidth than most wireless connections which can often sound compressed (the difference between the soft and loud passages is limited).

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by gunner21

... Jetta ... Its a distorted sound with varying degrees depending upon the songs. I play the iphone music either through the aux or then through the attachment given in the glove box specially for the iphone by vw. The quality of sound is good when i play the cd player or the radio, its only the iphone music which is the prob. ...

This sounds like a simple bad connection problem, probably in the connection behind the HU. Someone just needs to make the connection once again (pull out and put back the extension cable at the back of the HU).

Before that, as a diagnostic, take some one else's phone (any phone with music on it) and play it. It is likely to give the same result.

And yes, as Navin said, a good wired connection is any day better than the quality of music over BT.

[navin]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

This sounds like a simple bad connection problem, probably in the connection behind the HU. Someone just needs to make the connection once again (pull out and put back the extension cable at the back of the HU).

DA, what bothers me is that Gunner has used 2 different inputs (Aux and Ipod) one via the headphone out and one via the line out (30pin/lightning vi a USB) and has faced the same distortion in both cases.

Gunner, if you are using the headphone out from the iphone via a 2.5mm connector then try turning the volume on the iphone down. It might be that the iphone is overloading the aux in of the HU.

Apple usually offers a standard 0.8Vrms at their line out (30 min/lightning) at least this is what I measured on a 4th gen ipod (newer models are said to be 0.9V). Most HU's ipod/aux inputs will not overload with this signal (overload is usually in the 2V range). So as DA mentioned the ipod input might simple be a bad or worn connector.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by navin

... Gunner has used 2 different inputs (Aux and Ipod) ...

Correct, and both are plugged into the rear (Aux-in and USB). Though Gunner has not described the distortion sufficiently, at least the Aux-in will show 'mono' behaviour if the Aux plug is inserted part way at the back (socket pin bridging both rings on jack). Could be a problem with his jack-to-jack cable too (mechanical tolerance). Easy to check with a. another phone and b. with another Aux cable (looks like he hasn't tried)

The USB one is a bit more tricky, since it is digital transmission from file on iPhone to the (hardware) codec in the HU. Loose connection will introduce brief short silent passages or the "chhik chhik" intermittence of frame decompression failure.

[gunner21]

thx da n navin.

just to clarify, yes its a bit of a tearing sound which is the problem in the jetta.
its amplified in high bass songs and really makes the quality drop of overall listening.
i am trying to get hold of another original connector to chk if the problem persists.

as per yr suggestions, i did reduce the volume drastically on the iphone and then connected it in the glove box but its still the same
and yes the distortion levels are more or less similar with the aux as well as the iphone connector in the glove box.

am going to get in touch with bharat audio at worli for the swift.

do you recommend i show or get my jetta checked someplace who could possibly help me solve the problem?

thank you fella's

[navin]

Originally Posted by gunner21

yes its a bit of a tearing sound which is the problem in the jetta.

And you dont get this with a CD? Check the bass level on the iPhone's tone controls.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by navin

... bass level on the iPhone's tone controls.

EQ won't be active if playing via docking connector. Also, IIRC music settings on iDevices only have pre-defined profiles (I keep EQ off).

[navin]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

EQ won't be active if playing via docking connector. Also, IIRC music settings on iDevices only have pre-defined profiles (I keep EQ off).

DA, EQ Profiles are active (there is a Profile called "bass boost" that might be the cause) via the dock (30pin) at least on iPods (gen 4 and 5). I assume iPhones follow the same audio topology.

You forget that I once opened up a few iPods to figure out the innards and make my own dock (remember you sent me the 3886 power amp ICs) and Sam Kapasi loaned me a few connectors.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by navin

DA, EQ Profiles are active (there is a Profile called "bass boost" that might be the cause) ...

AFAIK EQ profile acts after decoding / decompression, maybe even after PCM mixing (so that all sources sound the same - some apps make announcements while music is playing).

Dock play uses the analog Line Out pins (on the old 30 pin one), which is like using EP Out > Aux-in. Haven't seen a dock with the new 6pin connector, which doesn't have analog out. Playing via USB, it is streaming bytes before decompressing, i.e. it doesn't go to / through iDevice codec. It is like a file is read and the bytes are streamed to the HU. This I have also tested with the new iDevices with my HU. Media requiring codecs not present in HU shows up as "Unsupported file" - this is a pointer to iDevice (h/w) codec not being in the picture.