[fine69]

Hi Gurus,

I have a 2022 Polo and wish to upgrade the bass in it. The stock speakers aren't too bad so don't want to replace them right away but bass could be better for which I don't think I have any other option except to get a sub.

I want a tight sounding SQ sub, something that takes minimum space. Overall upgrade budget is less than 20k. I saw 8" subs with built-in amps and they were so cute and tiny but not sure how they'd sound, I mean are they even good to be considered an upgrade.

What are my options here? Is it better to get an amp considering that I'd eventually upgrade the front components or better to stick to my current requirements and get a sub with built-in amp right now.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by fine69

Is it better to get an amp considering that I'd eventually upgrade the front components or better to stick to my current requirements and get a sub with built-in amp right now.

Not a guru by any means, but have had a lot of interest in audio, so sharing thoughts based on that:

1. An 8" sub would be an improvement over regular speakers, but someone looking for a good and tight low end is very unlikely to feel happy enough. A proper comparison would be with specific models tested in the use environment (a Polo), but I would look at at least a 10" or better still a 12"

2. For components to flower, a good source of clean signal is very helpful - it would make the upgrade feel a lot more worth it if one has the ears to appreciate the difference. An amp would be recommended in most cases; more so if the speakers are of lowish sensitivity.

With the above in mind, if budget allows, going for a 4 channel amp would be a good idea. Two channels can be bridged to feed the Subwoofer, and two channels for the front components. The HU can power the rear (being a Polo, am assuming the prime set is the front pair and not the rear). This way, with lesser load on the HU to now power only 2 speakers and not 4, the signal to the rear speakers too would be with lesser distortion and sound better.

I have generally followed a path of incremental purchase of the right equipment building up to a good system, than buy lesser products and get them sooner.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by Poitive

I have generally followed a path of incremental purchase of the right equipment building up to a good system, than buy lesser products and get them sooner.

Agree to all your points. What are my amp options assuming that I'd only upgrade front components in the future, rears can continue to get powered by HU and I can decide on a decent sub as well for now.

Sub options in both 10 and 12 inches preferred. Reason is that if the sub is with a compact enclosure I can continue to keep it during long road trips else I'll take it off then.

[vedirah]

Originally Posted by fine69

I want a tight sounding SQ sub, something that takes minimum space. Overall upgrade budget is less than 20k. I saw 8" subs with built-in amps and they were so cute and tiny but not sure how they'd sound, I mean are they even good to be considered an upgrade.

Hi,

I have a 2022 Polo as well and just recently added a Sony XS AW8 underseat subwoofer couple of days ago. It's exactly what I wanted from a subwoofer - it nicely fills up the cabin with tight thumping bass without overpowering the stock speakers. The HU settings that worked for me - bass all the way up but subwoofer gain controller set to neutral position; subwoofer LPF set to 150 Hz, mids and highs set at the middle level. This gives me the best output from the setup. Would I recommend this? Absolutely. Given that we don't have many quality under-seat subwoofers available in the market, the Sony is a good option. I got these for 15k on Amazon. But if you can extend your budget and look for other options, I think MBQ and Rockford have some great options. Cheers!

Gurus, I have a question. I'm planning to install the Infinity Reference 6530CFX component setup in my 2022 Polo. Unfortunately, I'm unable to audition them at the moment so I have to go completely by online reviews. Could you please describe the sound of these? And compare them to similarly priced components. My budget is 20k all inclusive of amp, components, and installation. Thank you!

[dipdawiz]

It's 3 years now Seltos is in market and also 2 years for Creta 2020. Did anyone figure out or know specification of the Bose amplifier, door speakers or the subwoofer in the boot for GTX+ or SXO models of respective cars. When I said specification, not just the speaker size, would love to know the power rating, ohm etc.

Did search about them on internet and in this forum, no specific info available for Indian models. Saw some people upgraded the speakers though, but no technical details of existing Bose one, specifically of the amplifier.

Thanks,

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by vedirah

Gurus, I have a question. I'm planning to install the Infinity Reference 6530CFX component setup in my 2022 Polo. Unfortunately, I'm unable to audition them at the moment so I have to go completely by online reviews. Could you please describe the sound of these? And compare them to similarly priced components. My budget is 20k all inclusive of amp, components, and installation. Thank you!

Depends on what headunit and amp you have.

I have some variant of reference since 11 years in the same car, specs are similar to the CXF model you mentioned so I guess the sound note will also be similar.

If your HU/AMP combo not producing bright audio then they are perfect speakers which produce very detailed and fulfilling sound. But if you have bright sounding HU like Sony then you will have to reduce the high frequency bands. Recently I ended up having this deadly combo even after knowing the the end results, because there was no other Android Auto HU available with dual USB ports. But somehow managing with the EQs.

You need to be careful with the placement of the tweeters in the Polo otherwise the 'imaging' will be like center is somewhere at backside in the car.

Install the tweeters away from the windscreen and dashboard, point them towards front seats in angle. A pillars are ideal place but fit them at little bit height, avoid the bottom part.

Best will be to temporarily stick them using double side tape at different locations and have some long auditions while car is moving. Auditioning in the stand still car does not give the true picture of the end results.

[vedirah]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Depends on what headunit and amp you have.

If your HU/AMP combo not producing bright audio then they are perfect speakers which produce very detailed and fulfilling sound. But if you have bright sounding HU like Sony then you will have to reduce the high frequency bands.

Thank you so much for your response! My accessory guy recommends the JBL concert 2 channel amp to go with these. Any idea whether these are neutral or bright?

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by vedirah

Thank you so much for your response! My accessory guy recommends the JBL concert 2 channel amp to go with these. Any idea whether these are neutral or bright?

No idea about this amp, is it class AB or class D? What specs?

Branded amps usually don't add much color to the signal. Major thing which matters with the amps is the quality of the input signal, wiring and the installation. Anything bad anywhere during the installation process leads into the noise which spoils the fun.

What HU do you have?
Does your headunit have pre-outs? If so then all should be fine with proper installation. If no pre-outs then better to first try powering the speakers directly from the HU first, Infinities are fairly sensitive. I am not a fan of those hi-low converters.

[vedirah]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

No idea about this amp, is it class AB or class D? What specs?

Branded amps usually don't add much color to the signal. Major thing which matters with the amps is the quality of the input signal, wiring and the installation. Anything bad anywhere during the installation process leads into the noise which spoils the fun.

What HU do you have?
Does your headunit have pre-outs? If so then all should be fine with proper installation. If no pre-outs then better to first try powering the speakers directly from the HU first, Infinities are fairly sensitive. I am not a fan of those hi-low converters.

This is the amplifier:

https://www.neeskensbv.nl/product/21..._taal=2&lan=EN

As for the HU, I'm planning to stick with the stock head unit so no pre-outs.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by vedirah

This is the amplifier:

https://www.neeskensbv.nl/product/21..._taal=2&lan=EN

Well, I am really not sure how this amp output gonna sound to the 'trained' ears with only 75db SNR. I am used to of hearing/reading specs like 90+ db for worthy audio stuffs. Good stuffs even go above 100 db. I have Audison SR4 with SNR of 103 DB and 0.08% THD.

And there is no mention of THD, seems like a typical commercial grade stuff by JBL.

As an alternative you may consider Alpine BBX T600 or something from Hertz or other reputed audio brands maybe. Avoid the entry level stuffs from JBL, Sony or Pioneer.

All said and done, specs are not everything, maybe prolonged audio sessions in a moving car gives you an idea about the setup, afterall your ears are the best judge of what you are gonna like.

[vedirah]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Well, I am really not sure how this amp output gonna sound to the 'trained' ears with only 75db SNR. I am used to of hearing/reading specs like 90+ db for worthy audio stuffs. Good stuffs even go above 100 db. I have Audison SR4 with SNR of 103 DB and 0.08% THD.

The quoted SNR is at 1W, 4 Ohms. Usually manufacturers quote SNR at RMS wattage and 4 Ohms. If we convert 75dB @ 1W, it gives 93dB @ 65W RMS.

The formula is: New SNR = Old SNR + 10*log(w1/w2)
Where w1 is the higher value of the watts and w2 is the lower value.

The question now is, is that value good enough?

I'm not really sure about THD, but I think it should be pretty low by today's electronics standards.

[cooldude1988765]

Hi,
Need help in finalising various components for my wife's Nissan Micra which I bought used a couple of months back.

The idea is to keep it very budget friendly but still have a decent sound setup.
Below is the list of equipment and the price at which I intend to buy them from motorogue.

Head unit: Pioneer g219 bt - Rs 8700
Speakers: morel maximo 6 - Rs 7500
Amplifier: Pioneer e 7004 - Rs 7200
Wiring kit: stingers ssk8 - rs 2600
Damping Stp silver 10 sheets - rs 5000

grand total rs 31,000 plus installation
The head unit has only 2 pre outs, but i will be using only in front + sub mode.
As of now I plan to shift my rainbow hurricane 12 inch sub from my duster and use here till I save up further for a sub.

Alternatively since I am almost exclusively using the Micra when I am alone and i can really crank up the volume i can shift certain things from my duster to the Micra.
Current equipment in the duster.
Pioneer p80 prs
Rainbow sound line components in the front
JBL components in the back
Ipaul 4.300 amp
The aforementioned rainbow sub

The duster is being used nowadays only for family outings where I can't really turn up the volume in any case.

I will still need to buy certain equipment to have fully functional ice in both cars.
I will decently have to buy speakers for the Micra as the dusters speakers are smaller and i might have to buy some speakers for the duster as well.
I am currently running a 3 way active setup in the duster.
The front midbass and sub is powered by the amp and the tweeters are connected directly to the head unit. The rear speakers are disconnected.
Over the past decade since installation, I have lost the rainbow crossovers, JBL tweeters and crossovers as well

The P80 PRS is also a bit long in the tooth now and does have some functional issues at times, such as the display going blank at times( which is fixed by simply opening and closing the faceplate).

Request the gurus to suggest a suitable course of action forward.

PS: As you might have deduced the Micra is used and at 31k the cost of the proposed new equipment is itself nearly 20% of what I have paid for the car.

Edit: Forgot to mention, I could also avoid buying a head unit now and add one later as the amp supports hi level inputs. However I have never had a good experience with retaining stock hu while upgrading everything else down the line. if the proposed head unit is not likely to be of decent quality I can suffer for now and defer the ehad unit purchase to something like the 5290 which allows me to go active again.

Also just wanted to check if the proposed Pioneer amp will do justice to the morels.

[sultanofswing]

Quick Query:
I drive a 2012 model honda city. I have recently ordered Woodman Xtreme 3.0 Android HU. I was wondering if someone can give me good component speaker options to pair with it and once and for all replace the stock ones.

I'm hoping to make a quick purchase, preferably in Vijayawada, so that I can get everything done in one go, when I go to get the HU installed.

Motorogue seems to have a juicy deal for Morel Virtus 602 at 24k. Is that even a genuine markdown I wondered until I came across Dr.Naren's thread of Morel Elate at 85k down from 2 lacs! Although my budget was 20-25k for front and back, this deal, if experts recommend that it is suitable and can fit my car, I'm happy to go for it and leave the rear ones for later. 95% i'm driving the car alone or with just one co passenger.

Other than that in the 20-25k range if someone can suggest options as also a reliable showroom in Vijayawada (i'm new to the city) it would be really helpful.

Thanks!

[sultanofswing]

I did some more research and it seems I'll need a 100W Amp to power the Virtus 602, because they're rated at 140W and going by 70% rule of thumb? At least that's what crutchfield says on its youtube channel. Does this sound right?

This will add a crazy amount of cost to the system! Any recommendations? I was thinking a basic Zapco ST-B 4 channel at 65W should do the trick of giving the speakers juice. Am I incorrect in thinking so?

The thing is, after all my research (which is becoming obsessive) my heart is set on the Virtus 602 because at that price of 24k it is an absolute no-brainer in terms of value/performance. The Woodman site says the HU gives an output of 60W*4.

Gurus.. what to do?

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by sultanofswing

This will add a crazy amount of cost to the system! Any recommendations? I was thinking a basic Zapco ST-B 4 channel at 65W should do the trick of giving the speakers juice. Am I incorrect in thinking so?

They have a sensitivity of 91db, so 65W should be more than enough.
Dont go by the 60W claims of *ANY* HU - anything running off a 12V supply cannot push out more than 17-23W per channel to 4 ohm speakers.

IMO, spending 24K on a speaker when you don't have a good installer is pretty risky. Anything above 10K, you need to have a good installer who knows his work (and maybe a few little extras like damping) to get any benefits from the additional money you are spending. I've heard plenty of 6 figure installs where the installer was simply fitting speakers without giving much thought to things like isolation, placement, speaker axis alignment etc.

I would say instead of spending money on equipment, spend some effort in finding a good installer - or take a trip to chennai/hyd where there are known good ones.