[lilMonSter]

Originally Posted by 599gto

Hi Sahil, 15k is a really tight budget, specially if you're looking for something that fits perfectly into the Fortuner's head unit slot while sounding good! Gannu_1 has already listed the options!

Other than these, there is a plethora of touch screen HUs available right from 16k to around 50k for the Pioneer F60 BT. Take your pick, except the Pioneer 8690BT, they all sound the same!
But, I suggest you stick to Pioneer, because like I have always said, I think they make the most user friendly Head Units!

Could you explain how the pioneer 8690 sounds different as compared to other head units. i am running the same and would really like to know.

[HighwayofLife]

Hi Gurus, An issue I'm facing with the acoustics in my Scorpio. Due to the proximity of the sub to the rear seat, and the relative distance of the primary rear fill speakers (6x9 speakers on tail gate), all that rear occupants hear is a bit of the front stage and a lot of the sub, which is quite disconcerting. I've added two 6" coax speakers on the middle door, but this does not seem to make all that much difference. Any suggestions for how this situation may be rectified would be highly appreciated, since I would like to use these ideas for my new high-end install at the beginning of next month

[joshguy]

Hi All,
I just bought a pre owned ertiga zdi with stock ICE set up. i have my old kenwood 10inch woofer with box and a pioneer 600w 4 channel amp.

I wanted to know if these slim woofers available in the market are really worth the money. Ertiga doesnt have enough boot space for the existing wooer.

1. Can the box size be reduced and will it have the same punch as now?
2 Will the slim woofers give good effect of base
3 Suggest me a decent speakers ,i dont want pioneer (lots of fake) & JBL didnt liek the sound quality

Note - i had kicker components in my ex car (swift) but want something cheaper ,friends say MTX/Infinity/Polk /Cerwin vega/ ect ect ,

if someone can let me know what is the USP of these brands i will be very happy

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by abhinav2471

The stereo in my Santro car went bad (factory fitted, lasted for about 6 years). I was wondering if there is a way I can replace the stereo with a simple aux-in port that I can connect with my phone or ipod ?

Further, don't want to spend on repairing since the present stereo does not have a Aux-In, neither do I think there is a way (other than FM modulator) by which it can be enabled ?

My questions :-
1) Is this possible ?
2) Any pointers on how I do this ?

I tried searching the forums, found a few threads where people have used tablets as a replacement, however I am still confused.

What you require is something along the lines of what's in the Datsun Go from what I can understand. IMHO, it might be better to replace with a single DIN HU, or even a good Double DIN Touch Screen HU with Bluetooth, depending on your budget, since what you require might end up costing more than most bluetooth single DIN HUs.

[599gto]

Originally Posted by lilMonSter

Could you explain how the pioneer 8690 sounds different as compared to other head units. i am running the same and would really like to know.

The Pioneer 8690 being the flagship touchscreen HU in the Pioneer line up definitely sounds better than its other siblings, primarily because it uses better quality components, hence the price!
It has a 24 bit DA convertor which others lack, and you get more equalizer bands to play with, 13 IIRC, most other HUs max out at 9 bands! 8690 offers time alignment too.
Also, the Auto EQ and Auto Time alignment work nicely and the improvement after Auto EQ and Auto TA is significant!
On papers, this is a stellar HU. And teamed up with proper equipment and with proper settings dialed in, this makes most set ups sound better, at least my ears can make out the significant difference when compared to other HUs back to back!

Originally Posted by HighwayofLife

An issue I'm facing with the acoustics in my Scorpio....

I suggest you put up a pic of how you have installed the co-axials in the middle row, that way it'll be easier to pin point what's lacking!

Also, why don't you completely ditch the 6x9s? I am sure they are messing with the sound imaging.

Have you explored the option of exploiting the stock locations above the tailgate that the Scorpio has? Though they wouldn't do much for the imaging and speakers in that size (6x4s to be precise) are difficult to come by, a good installer might just be able to make good use of that space, like fitting some 6 inch co-axials on a customized panel, that way your rear passengers will get more music and less subwoofer boom.

All said and done, I have nothing against the Scorpio, but a Scorpio isn't the best car to ICE, specially if you're keen on SQ!

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by 599gto

I suggest you put up a pic of how you have installed the co-axials in the middle row, that way it'll be easier to pin point what's lacking!

Attached images of the complete middle and rear set-up here. The middle doors have a gap where these speakers are installed, so I have only had to cut the middle door trims to install the speakers. The door has been damped on the inside

Originally Posted by 599gto

Also, why don't you completely ditch the 6x9s? I am sure they are messing with the sound imaging.

I'm willing to do that. But do I set higher gains on the amp for the middle door speakers to compensate?

Originally Posted by 599gto

Have you explored the option of exploiting the stock locations above the tailgate that the Scorpio has? Though they wouldn't do much for the imaging and speakers in that size (6x4s to be precise) are difficult to come by, a good installer might just be able to make good use of that space, like fitting some 6 inch co-axials on a customized panel, that way your rear passengers will get more music and less subwoofer boom.

Those 6x9 speakers on the tail gate are mounted with a slight mod to the door on a 12 mm MDF board covered with foam and rexine. So I did exploit the stock location. The reason I switched out the 6.5" coax speakers that were on that door earlier, to the middle door was because of the poor fill I was getting, and my installer suggested that I change to 6x9 speakers for better fill.

Originally Posted by 599gto

All said and done, I have nothing against the Scorpio, but a Scorpio isn't the best car to ICE, specially if you're keen on SQ!

Unfortunately one of only two cars I have, and the one that goes with me for really long drives

Any help you can give me in getting better SQ out of this set-up would be helpful. Like I mentioned, I'm planning a major upgrade in Feb, and any ideas that can make that set-up better are more than welcome

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by abhinav2471

The stereo in my Santro car went bad (factory fitted, lasted for about 6 years). I was wondering if there is a way I can replace the stereo with a simple aux-in port that I can connect with my phone or ipod ? ...

Yes, there are some electronics technicians who are able to bring out a point to a jack for use as Aux-in. Check with your neighborhood electronics repair shop, or head to Lajpat Rai market or Nehru Place where there are a lot of such technicians.

Originally Posted by HighwayofLife

Hi Gurus, An issue I'm facing with the acoustics in my Scorpio. Due to the proximity of the sub to the rear seat, ...

Your system is not tuned well, and the sub is overpowering everything else nearby. You just need to tune the system well for everyone. Start with setting gain to 0 for the sub, and tune the other channels with someone sitting in the front and back seats. Once the front (should be slightly louder than the rear) and rear channels are tuned for a normal listening experience, gradually bring up the sub gain till you are able to just hear it.

Please remember, you should be able to detect the absence of the sub more than it's presence.

Originally Posted by joshguy

... I wanted to know if these slim woofers available in the market are really worth the money. Ertiga doesnt have enough boot space for the existing wooer. ...

No, they are not. Their advantage is only the mounting depth for places where a regular woofer may not fit (like the crew cabin pickup trucks). They need the same or larger box size than regular woofers, and don't go that low.

Instead, look for a pre-finished Polk 8" sub that you can place below either front seat.

Originally Posted by joshguy

... 3 Suggest me a decent speakers ,i dont want pioneer (lots of fake) & JBL didnt liek the sound quality ...

Try Infinity Reference / Kappa, Bull, Morel, Polk etc. - they differ in their sound signatures, so it is better to audition first.

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Your system is not tuned well, and the sub is overpowering everything else nearby. You just need to tune the system well for everyone. Start with setting gain to 0 for the sub, and tune the other channels with someone sitting in the front and back seats. Once the front (should be slightly louder than the rear) and rear channels are tuned for a normal listening experience, gradually bring up the sub gain till you are able to just hear it.

Please remember, you should be able to detect the absence of the sub more than it's presence.

Thanks. That advice was spot-on.

I was facing the same issue of an overly loud sub in my Tata Nano, and reducing the sub level in the active sub's settings resulted in a much better SQ. I'll try the same thing in my Scorpio and report back on how it sounds. I certainly liked the advice on being able to detect the absence of the sub rather than its presence

[599gto]

Originally Posted by HighwayofLife

Attached images of the complete middle and rear set-up here.

The speakers are installed fine, not the ideal position but I know you really don't have option in the Scorpio, they would perform better if positioned lower on the door, see if that can be done.
If not then I suggest you ditch the rear 6x9s and power the middle row co-axials using a good amplifier.

As DerAlte sir suggested, the tuning of your system is possibly off too.

Start by setting gains to zero on all amplifiers and set the volume on the HU to its 75% limit, turn off any loudness or amplification option on the HU, and set EQ to flat on the HU. And play a familiar song from your playlist on repeat. Start by setting gains for the front speakers, i.e. increase the gain till you hear some distortion, set the gains just below that level.

Similarly set gains for the mid row co-axials too.

When setting gains for the Sub-woofer check for the subwoofer phase first, you should start with the correct phase, you can reverse it later(if needed!), once that is done dial in gain till you get enough punch from the sub, ENOUGH is where you should stop, a lot of us go all out on the sub-woofer gain and that is where everything goes for a toss!

Roughly, HPF at around 63 Hz for front speakers.
Full pass for the mid row speakers.
LPF at around 60-70 Hz for the Sub.

Once all this is done, you can start fiddling with the settings on the HU, that does colour the music and all, but I guess we are not looking at very high levels of SQ, so dialing in some Bass, Mid and Treble compensations according to your taste is fine. Do not switch the loudness on. Keep the fader neutral, front to back!

This is a very unscientific way of tuning a set up, purists don't work like this, but to most ears this should sound good.

Originally Posted by HighwayofLife

Those 6x9 speakers on the tail gate are mounted with a slight mod to the door on a 12 mm MDF board covered with foam and rexine.

I was talking about the locations above the tailgate, not on the tailgate.

About your upgrade, you should definitely go to a good installer, neighbouring Delhi has more than a few very good installers.

[joshguy]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

No, they are not. Their advantage is only the mounting depth for places where a regular woofer may not fit (like the crew cabin pickup trucks). They need the same or larger box size than regular woofers, and don't go that low.

Instead, look for a pre-finished Polk 8" sub that you can place below either front seat.

Try Infinity Reference / Kappa, Bull, Morel, Polk etc. - they differ in their sound signatures, so it is better to audition first.

So you are asking me to dump the idea of xenos slim sub? i am getting it at 6k so only gave a thought ,BTW I searched for Polk 8 inch but could not get any link in google.

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by joshguy

So you are asking me to dump the idea of xenos slim sub? i am getting it at 6k so only gave a thought ,BTW I searched for Polk 8 inch but could not get any link in google.

If you are referring to the underseat, so called "active" subs that are sold by Xenos, Blau, and Ground Zero, I suggest ditching such a buy altogether. I burnt my hands with such a product from Ground Zero.

The thing is, you can't bend the laws of physics, i.e., get great bass without having a proper sized vented enclosure. The underseat kind distort bass horribly, how much ever you set SW level etc. The best active sub I've seen is the Blau GTB 8A, and it is a proper enclosed 8" sub with a built in Amp, which I've installed in my Nano.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by 599gto

... they would perform better if positioned lower on the door, ...

No, speaker performance is not affected in this position (why will it be?). Only sound stage is affected, but since these are only for fill, even that doesn't matter.

Originally Posted by 599gto

... set the volume on the HU to its 75% limit, ... increase the gain till you hear some distortion, set the gains just below that level. ..., once that is done dial in gain till you get enough punch from the sub, ENOUGH is where you should stop, a lot of us go all out on the sub-woofer gain and that is where everything goes for a toss! ...

Most users don't ever reach the distortion region in their listening, nor would they sanguinely figure out onset of distortion. That method is used to bring out max power from the amp - good for SPL, but not what most people can use. It is always better to keep it simple, set volume control to around 30%, and set gain by the ear to a comfortable loudness. One never reaches the distortion point even with HU volume control at max.

Originally Posted by 599gto

Roughly, HPF at around 63 Hz for front speakers. ...

Please set it to 80Hz. Most mid-bass can reproduce only above this. Set the sub LPF also to the same value.

Originally Posted by 599gto

Once all this is done, you can start fiddling with the settings on the HU, ...

One word: DON'T. Please listen to music the way it was meant to be heard - nothing added or taken away on reproduction. One needs to resort to fiddling ONLY IF one's equipment is grossly inferior / incapable / unpleasantly bright. Most known brands are very capable, so one doesn't need to do that.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by joshguy

... I searched for Polk 8 inch but could not get any link in google.

A physical search is always better than a Google search. Ask dealers around you - this is an 8" sub in a sealed box. Alternate is a 10" Infinity Kappa 100.9 in the boot in a small sealed box (check the literature for box volume - works well in a 0.5cft box)

Originally Posted by HighwayofLife

If you are referring to the underseat, so called "active" subs that are sold by Xenos, Blau, and Ground Zero, I suggest ditching such a buy altogether. I burnt my hands with such a product from Ground Zero. ...

Yes, the active subs having a 6.5" driver are no good. If space is at a premium, the Blau is the best. There are a few others, but they are not available in India. Alternately, one can get
* the Polk 8" passive sub in Polk sealed box - fits below fronts seats in most cars
* the Infinity Kappa 10" 100.9 in the boot (very small box)
* using one side of the boot (well, not in the Nano) to make a sealed box with fiber glass, and mounting a 10" or 12" sub

[ricky_1605]

Hey bhpians,

I recently bought an Elite i20 Asta. It would be a great help if you could answer some of my questions :-
(Keeping in mind a budget of INR 20-25k)

1. Should I go for only Subwoofer, Tweeters and Mono amplifier with Speakers remaining stock or should I add Components at the front too?
2. What are the different options available for sub, amp & compos in this budget? (keeping a SQ setup in mind)

Thanks!

[createrkid]

Hello dear audio gurus, I need help.

I haven't the slightest clue about revamping audio in a car and hence the highly noobish questions that are about to follow.

I have a getz gls 2005 petrol and it has a single DIN Kenwood HU. I wish to replace it with another one with a simple AUX input. I'm not bothered about bluetooth, touchscreen and a whole other features. My budget is fairly tight with 5k.

1)Do all cars have the same DIN compatibility?

2)My front door speakers don't work for some reason(used to though), loose connectivity maybe?

3)I found this http://www.snapdeal.com/product/sony...dsx/1757972295 - Can anyone tell me if this is good? I get 2 coaxial speakers too(And again, I don't know what coaxial speakers are)

All i want is decent sound output so that I can connect my phone with an AUX cable.

Snapdeal also mentions free installation? How reliable are they? Help would be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance