[anycatd]

Originally Posted by Mashblue

Brands that I have been looking out for speakers are - Infinity, JBL and Rockford
For the HU - Blaupunkt, Pioneer and the i10 OEM HU (If its available for cheap)

Components:
Infinity Reference 6500CX - 6200/pair (4833 Online)
JBL CS6C - 2800/pair

Coaxials:
Inifinity Primus PR6502IS - 3200/pair
JBL CX26SI - 1800/pair (1699 Online)
Rockford Fotsgate R1675 - 2800/pair

Hey, welcome to the world of ICE, let me tell you first off that the quest for the perfect sound in-car takes lot of time and experimenting. I shall make few suggestions based on my experience
Headunit: Look for a headunit with at least a pair of RCA outputs as this will ensure u dont need to upgrade the headunit if u add an Amp in future. About the brands I feel Pioneer is a very good performer if on a budget, it also has that sweet sounding 24bit DAC in its entry models. But Blaupunkt headunits are more flat sounding and will satisfy an audiophile. And please stay away from Sony, they are unreliable with exaggerated treble.
Speakers: for the front stage nothing beats the infinity reference (in the price range), if you could get a pair of infinity primus even better, lot of detail and enough sensitivity to efficiently run off a headunit power. JBLs = too bright. Focals at that price come with metal tweeters which sounded harsh to my ears.
Rear co-axials: pick the least expensive ones, these should be used only if passengers want to hear music, but for pure musical bliss while driving use the fader all the way up front.
But at the end of the day it all depends on your ears, try auditioning few speakers if possible. [/quote]

I have ordered the Sony 712bt, which is it's top model. I need screen mirroring to get my phone used for navigation. Steering mounted control connection and rear camera in are also required. I guess your views were only on lower end single din Sony.

[pawanarya]

Originally Posted by bilalsyed

True. For me its about - Clarity and Crispness of the output for a soothing laid back experience. I have been a Harman fan always, though My heart says Infiniti and JBL but I am trying not to miss out on others. Only If I could Audition Hertz/Boston somewhere.

What are your opinions on a Front and Rear Component set up?

If you are NOT aiming at the sub right NOW, find the rears (coaxial) that offer the best bass. Check the low frequency ratings on the coaxes. LOWER THE BETTER... and needless to say within your budget.

Fronts... Comps! No second thoughts.

[Mashblue]

Originally Posted by anycatd

Hey.. I have ordered the Sony 712bt, which is it's top model. I need screen mirroring to get my phone used for navigation. Steering mounted control connection and rear camera in are also required. I guess your views were only on lower end single din Sony.

Yes, my opinion was for the Sony entry level models, back in 2008 I had all Sony ICE in my car and the buttons on the HU went kaput more than a couple of times within a year. The only Sony 2 din I had was xav612bt and it was well built but the UI was very laggy compared to pioneer HUs. Anyways presently I'm using Fiio X3 as the source for ICE and find the sound stage "open and wide", just the way I like it.

[bharanidharang]

Need to change entire audio system after the chennai floods.

What would you guys suggest for good SQ.

1. Head unit with BT and inputs
2. Front comp and rear coaxials.
3. Have an old Sony amp. Will figure out the model and update.

Budget 20 - 25k + damping. No sub for now

Also a good installer in chennai ?

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by bharanidharang

Need to change entire audio system after the chennai floods.

What would you guys suggest for good SQ.

1. Head unit with BT and inputs
2. Front comp and rear coaxials.
3. Have an old Sony amp. Will figure out the model and update.

Budget 20 - 25k + damping. No sub for now

Also a good installer in chennai ?

My suggestion- increase your budget a bit and go for good stuff. I've been in the space of putting in stuff at lower price and then suffering "Upgradeitis". A budget of 50 to 60K would get you a Pio 5690BT, a decent amp, and Hertz HSK components and coaxials. Ditch the Sony amp because it will not do justice to a decent setup. Spend once and be happy for long

[bharanidharang]

Originally Posted by HighwayofLife

My suggestion- increase your budget a bit and go for good stuff. I've been in the space of putting in stuff at lower price and then suffering "Upgradeitis". A budget of 50 to 60K would get you a Pio 5690BT, a decent amp, and Hertz HSK components and coaxials. Ditch the Sony amp because it will not do justice to a decent setup. Spend once and be happy for long

Cant increase the budget immediately. Vitamin M is a bit restricted. Should I then go for a Headunit and front components for now with the existing Sony amp.

After a few months, swap the amp for a another and add co-axials ?

Which model should i look for on the hertz components.

thanks for your help.

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by bharanidharang

Cant increase the budget immediately. Vitamin M is a bit restricted. Should I then go for a Headunit and front components for now with the existing Sony amp.

After a few months, swap the amp for a another and add co-axials ?

Which model should i look for on the hertz components.

thanks for your help.

Hertz HSK is a decent range. When getting the install done, please make sure you don't compromise on cable quality, specifically the RCA cables that connect HU to Amp. For cost saves, would suggest you look online on Team-BHP classifieds, OLX etc for great deals. Many a times, there are great deals on offer, even for new equipment. I'll PM you my number so we can speak. While I don't deal in car audio, I have some good contacts who do.

[lovetorque]

Audio gurus, please share your opinion on Kenwood excelon XR series amps (XR900). I'm at onsite duty for few weeks and exploring the idea to get one for my car, may be a 5 channel to make things simple. Middle east market is all Japanse brands - Kenwood, Pioneer (GM D96xx) and few alpine models. Most of the products are coming with international warranty.

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by lovetorque

Audio gurus, please share your opinion on Kenwood excelon XR series amps (XR900). I'm at onsite duty for few weeks and exploring the idea to get one for my car, may be a 5 channel to make things simple. Middle east market is all Japanse brands - Kenwood, Pioneer (GM D96xx) and few alpine models. Most of the products are coming with international warranty.

The XR900 is a Class D amp. Having personally used a Class D amp for powering component speakers in one of my cars, I know very well that they work poorly of you're trying to achieve good sound quality. Class D amps are good only for powering subwoofers and not for getting great sound from component speakers. Please check for a Class A/B, or a Class G/H amp of you want a more compact set up with the SQ of a Class A/B. Either would be a better buy than a Class D, though they might be more expensive. My current setup uses a Rainbow iPaul (Class A/B and a big heavy amp) for my components and coaxials, and a Rainbow Beat 2 (small Class A/B ) in bridged mode for powering the sub. So I have no Class D in my setup any more.

[lovetorque]

Originally Posted by HighwayofLife

Class D amps are good only for powering subwoofers and not for getting great sound from component speakers. Please check for a Class A/B, or a Class G/H amp of you want a more compact set up with the SQ of a Class A/B. Either would be a better buy than a Class D.

Thanks for the highlighted info. I was having an impression that the latest generation of full range class D got rid of the poor high frequency reproduction of the initial D class amps (having better PWM, better filters inside etc.). Excelon seem to be the flagship range for Kenwood, the reason for me to consider.

[girishv]

Originally Posted by anycatd

Speakers: for the front stage nothing beats the infinity reference (in the price range), if you could get a pair of infinity primus even better, lot of detail and enough sensitivity to efficiently run off a headunit power.

I have ordered the Sony 712bt, which is it's top model. I need screen mirroring to get my phone used for navigation. Steering mounted control connection and rear camera in are also required. I guess your views were only on lower end single din Sony.[/quote]

Hi,

checked this Infinity reference at snapdeal ( http://www.snapdeal.com/product/infi...mponent/659144 ). Though the product details say it has adjustable tweeter levels, the product photos are different from the ones on the infinity site ( http://www.infinityspeakers.com/comp...CE+6500CX.html ). How do I make sure this is the original product?

Is it necessary to go for co-axials in the rear or will changing only front speakers suffice? I am thinking of upgrading S-cross delta. Will the head-unit be capable of taking care of the four speakers?

cheers,
girish

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by lovetorque

Thanks for the highlighted info. I was having an impression that the latest generation of full range class D got rid of the poor high frequency reproduction of the initial D class amps (having better PWM, better filters inside etc.). Excelon seem to be the flagship range for Kenwood, the reason for me to consider.

I was using a fairly recent range of Class D amp. May be some of the gurus can provide better info, but considering the cost of premium equipment, my opinion would be to err on the side of caution and buy a product you're guaranteed to be happy with

[girishv]

Originally Posted by Mashblue

Brands that I have been looking out for speakers are - Infinity, JBL and Rockford
For the HU - Blaupunkt, Pioneer and the i10 OEM HU (If its available for cheap)

Components:
Infinity Reference 6500CX - 6200/pair (4833 Online)
JBL CS6C - 2800/pair

Can you please let me know what are there in the box of infinity? Does it have a pair of speakers + pair of tweeters? The snapdeal price is very attractive, but I am not sure what is the meaning of a pair. If the pair refers to component + tweeter, then I might have to buy two sets which
will push the cost to 10k.

Thanks
GIrish

[Mashblue]

Originally Posted by girishv

Can you please let me know what are there in the box of infinity? Does it have a pair of speakers + pair of tweeters? The snapdeal price is very attractive, but I am not sure what is the meaning of a pair. If the pair refers to component + tweeter, then I might have to buy two sets which
will push the cost to 10k.

Thanks
GIrish

Box contains 2 mid range speakers, 2 tweeters, 2 passive crossovers and tweeter mounting cups with instructions, warrant etc.
On the other hand these infinity speakers lack bass so make sure to use high pass filter (I had these on 125 Hz with 12DB slope).

[girishv]

Originally Posted by Mashblue

Box contains 2 mid range speakers, 2 tweeters, 2 passive crossovers and tweeter mounting cups with instructions, warrant etc.
On the other hand these infinity speakers lack bass so make sure to use high pass filter (I had these on 125 Hz with 12DB slope).

Thanks very much. Just to make sure again, these are the items in the box thats available on snapdeal right? I am asking again as the photos on snap deal shows only mid-range speakers.

So, if I buy this speaker set, I do not have to spend anything more for the front speakers for the time being.

What cable did you use?

Girish