[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by jkdas

alright , so its components for frnt and rear. but, which ones? i prefer jbl and as they r sold here. but is ther a 4inch comp by jbl?

and, rear speakers... i am 2 use components under the grill ? and if so which one frm jbl.

if i am 2 use coaxial, is that 2 go under the rear grills too or back door (which i dont think i will)

@mclaren... if i have enough money will go 4 a second amp for sub as my pioneer aint that powerful .. and would a sony sub do ?

p.s. i like hearing my music loud

no JBL does not make components in 4"..so invariably u will have to go for the 5.25" or 6.5" ones..and ya a sony amp that is 502z will do and its a real good vfm amp..which car is this setup going to be put on..

[amitkavi]

Originally Posted by navin

try using the alpines in the front and moving the sony to the rear. then use the fader to move the soundstage to the front.

Navin, Thanks for the advise, do you reckon that would improve the BASS of my music system or would I further need to add something else to get the complete effect.

Amit

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

I can't imagine how my setup is going to sound once I get my JBL 50.4 amp on Satr'dy morning.... Waiting eagerly... for the Saturday...

How excited are you Ajay?? lol I can feel it here.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

How excited are you Ajay?? lol I can feel it here.

yup sam u just plucked the words out of my mouth ..once ajays setup is installed completely wonder if he will come back to this thread again..im sure it will be eat music,sleep music and live music..ajay if ur married u better tell ur wife that ur moving out of the house(and shifting into the car fulltime !!!)

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by navin

Often we have to recommend some brand just to keep things simple. for example i tend to recommend Sony for HUs under 10K and Alpine for HUs more than 12K. Unless I get more information on the others JVC, Kenwood, and Blaupunkt and unless Pioneer re-structures their marketing strategy in india I dont think this will change. why sony/alpine becuase it keeps things simple. most people are not interested in auditioning 4 brands of HUs with 3 brands of amps and 4 brands of speakers (36 combinations). they want a simple answer. they want my opinion.

True navin... I agree with your previous post too where you said you could recommend only what you know/have used. Now i understand why you recommend the Alpine.. It truly sounds excellent and I'd say worth the premium one pays for it... Same goes for Sam. Its not nice to criticize him for recommending the JBLs... I wonder if any individual here [on this forum] would NOT recommend a product, knowing it is excellent..?

Now, I love listening to good muzic and since I don't have a hi-fi speaker system at home, I went in for a worthy setup on my car, on which I would be listening to muzic, most of the time. And I came to this forum to get advice on how I could invest to have access to a good sounding setup. And it becomes our moral responsibility to make sure that we dispense advice based on knowledge, not by approximations and gut feeling.. Its someones money thats involved here, come on...

Now, I remember Navin having mentioned this before about reducing dependency. Its true that we never want to get something done by ourself and we lean on others to get info sorted for us. I just used to be the same, but atleast I'm trying to do things a lil on my own now, starting yesterday, when I made my installer get an amp and have me listen to it rather then I request someone to tell me how amp A would sound or amp B would sound.. It would be a wise idea for all of us to find out the prices of HUs and speakers in your city and post 'em findings here so fellow bhpians and newcomers can benefit using the same. I, for my bit, will honestly post prices when I come across the same, from time to time.

Navin, Sam and others can provide ideal setup config recos while others and myself can do the price bits... and whatever else.

I hope this would be a good working plan... Let me know if anything else would work...

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

yup sam u just plucked the words out of my mouth ..once ajays setup is installed completely wonder if he will come back to this thread again..im sure it will be eat music,sleep music and live music..ajay if ur married u better tell ur wife that ur moving out of the house(and shifting into the car fulltime !!!)

lol, i'm unmarried and happy 24... My folks would hardly bother if I sleep in my car, the less am around the house, the peaceful they are...

And I can hardly be away from this forum... I check into the forum even before I check my mails... Too addictive... Blame you guys for it..

My setup would be complete on saturday, finishing with the amp. I don't think i'd need more bass than what the 936e can provide... Should I need one later, i'd put a 12 inch with a monoblock amp, but thats for another day...

And how excited am I, Sam?? Imagine someone yelling "VERY" at the top of their voice....

[mclaren1885]

sam and navin just a doubt here..whats the principle on which a bass blocker works and how effective are they..are bass blockers available here and for 6x9's does it make any difference putting them..ur inputs..

[Sam Kapasi]

A bass blocker is a small circuit (capacitor based) that limits the low frequencies going to a speaker. One can buy this, or make it. I made an earlier post on this, in the first few posts on this thread. Why would you use it on a GTO936e? If you were using a smaller speaker with no filters, you might consider it.
You have no reason to cut the low frequency going to the large rear speaker. In any case, even if you did, the amp you are going to get has a High pass Filter. Just click it on and set the frequency to 50 or 70 Hz and all bass will be blocked.

[Vishal]

Hi Sam / Navin

I want your suggestion about Audio System for Swift. My budget is around 12k and i am new to this. Do you know any good place to purchase Car System in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Please specify the details with Model number and price if possible.

Looking for your kind support.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Vishal

Hi Sam / Navin

I want your suggestion about Audio System for Swift. My budget is around 12k and i am new to this. Do you know any good place to purchase Car System in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Please specify the details with Model number and price if possible.

Looking for your kind support.

well vishal there was a similar enquiry for a swift sometime back,so would adcise u to look around this thead from around page 19 to find the necessary details u need..will save us from going all over the same config again..if u still cant find it then let us know and we will post it again..

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

A bass blocker is a small circuit (capacitor based) that limits the low frequencies going to a speaker. One can buy this, or make it. I made an earlier post on this, in the first few posts on this thread. Why would you use it on a GTO936e? If you were using a smaller speaker with no filters, you might consider it.
You have no reason to cut the low frequency going to the large rear speaker. In any case, even if you did, the amp you are going to get has a High pass Filter. Just click it on and set the frequency to 50 or 70 Hz and all bass will be blocked.

oh ok gotcha sam..by the way need ur inputs on post # 1185...

[Sam Kapasi]

Hi There!

So here is part One of the promised Car Audio for beginners post.

This post is for Indian Hatchbacks.

1) M800 – The most popular car on earth, there are 3 avatars to this model. The Old M800 (otherwise commonly known as dinky maruti), the longest selling M800 and the new M800 with the slight overhang on the hatch lid. Yes, there is a 4th, but those are just cosmetic changes and don’t affect us.

I will not discuss the dinky because it’s rare to see anyone putting in a new system in that. Lol:
So, the longest selling M800:
This car was really weird because the front allowed only for ONE speaker in the dash (passenger side) and NO speakers mounts in the rear. Originally maruti would supply an analog radio in the front that would play on that one speaker, and then on the deluxe models ALSO supply a head unit that would play on 2 speakers mounted in the back. Weird.
If you have this car, there are 2 ways of mounting front speakers. If you are buying ordinary speakers, you can cut a hole in the front door panel. The hole would have to be positioned in certain locations so as to not touch the window winding mechanism. However if you buy any performance speakers, the larger magnet size would interfere with the winders and you may have to mount 4” spacer rings around the speaker. These are commonly available for about 200 bucks max. Alternatively, one could buy or make small boxes (about 400 bucks) or kick panels and mount them in the corners up front. For the rears, you get ready-made boxes that accommodate 6X9s or 6” speakers (About Rs 800-1000). These are made to cover the area on top of the wheel wells so it doesn’t occupy too much of the boot space. Spend a little more and your car audio guy will sell you better boxes made of 12mm or even 16mm MDF (about 1500/-).
If you’d like to mount an amplifier, the safest place is under the passenger seat. Unfortunately, in an event like the 26th of July flood, you will lose this amplifier for sure. The only way to have a subwoofer in this car is to either make, or buy a box for the sub. It is also quite common to see a single boom box made in the rear. This is quite impractical as it is difficult to remove, in case of a flat tyre, or in case you need to use the boot space.

The newer M800 allows mounting 2 X 4” speakers upfront in the dash, in the area that would face your right knee (driver) and left knee (passenger). The rest stays the same.
All M800’s have a strange fitment in the dashboard area. The fitting is untidy and odd sized and head units tend to rattle in the long run. It is possible to purchase an auxiliary dash unit that allows for a standard rattle free mount. Certain dlx models of the 800 come with this unit.

2) M- Zen: The Maruti Zen was the first Indian car to have a genuine designated front pod for a speaker. Both front doors have a pod, behind a perforated ABS grill. Though the grill looks fairly large, behind the grill is a metal fitting unit that only accommodates a 4” speaker. Any standard 4” co-axial speaker, ordinary, or performance will fit here comfortably, without the supplied speaker grill. It is a stock mount and one cannot see the front speaker post fitment. The position is not bad and most of the time one can hear the front speaker on the opposite side.
Unfortunately the size limitation can be a little bugging as nobody makes a 4” component speaker anymore. Should you want to install a larger speaker, 5.25” or 6”, you can remove the Zen grill and the metal fitting and an ordinary 5.25” speaker will fit in directly. However a performance 5.25” (larger basket/magnet) or a component will touch the glass winder, so one can buy a spacer ring and mount them upfront.
The Zen has no rear speaker pods. Some Zens come with a rear parcel shelf (aka tray) and it is possible to cut this tray and mount speakers. Though it doesn’t sound too bad, it can rattle and cause irritation while driving. You can also buy boxes similar to the previous M800 boxes, which are custom made for the Zen (800-1000/-) or ask for better boxes. This does occupy a lot of the boot space.
A 3rd way of mounting rear speakers is to mount a wooden panel on the hatch lid. (The one that goes up and down when you open the boot). If you glue heatlon to the metal insides and mount the wooden panel with nuts and bolts, you may find this to be a decent alternative. Though it doesn’t occupy too much boot space, the speakers tend to come loose, if you open and close the hatch often. Also if you put stuff in the boot, the speaker grills can get bent out of shape. If you play the speakers loud this way, the bass can cause the hatch and the number plate to rattle.
If you want to fit an amplifier and woofer in this car, it is pretty much the same as the M800. Amp under the seat and woofer in a box. However because the boot is a little larger, a tube can also be accommodated.

3) M- Alto: Almost the same advice that works for the Zen, works for the Alto.

4) M- WagonR – The wagon R has a lovely front position for speakers, right up on the dash. Unfortunately it accommodates only 4”. This is definitely one car where you need to spend money and buy the best 4” coaxial speaker. The rear is not designated, so what works for the Zen works here too.

5) M- Swift: Everyone wants this car and so do I. Also India’s only hatchback to comfortably accommodate 6” performance speakers both in the front and rear doors. However the positioning of the rear door speakers is a little disappointing and doesn’t do much, either for the passengers in the rear of in the front. Normally, one would put 4 X 6” coaxial speakers in this car, but one could put in a set of components upfront and co-axials in the rear. Always better to put the better speakers in the front. Later, the same amp and woofer philosophy as the Zen, works here too.

6) Ford – Fusion – This anything karega car, doesn’t karo anything beyond a 4” upfront. Disappointing for a car that big. The car has proper factory pods for a 4” speaker in the front and a 6” rear. We once installed a 4” co-axial upfront and a 6” component in the rear. However the client insisted we mount the tweeters upfront and the mid bass in the rear. It wasn’t bad…. Just a little too much treble upfront, but he enjoyed it. One of the only hatchbacks that accommodates a 2-DIN head unit, it is possible to buy 2 DIN units from Pioneer, Alpine, Sony, JVC and Kenwood. Makes an exciting display and you can have all 3 sources (CD/Tape/FM)
For a fusion, you would mount the speakers in their factory positions and mount a woofer in the rear if you liked. Mounting the amp under the front seat is a little difficult because of the seat mechanism.

7) Hyundai – Santro – Even though the position of the front speakers isn’t bad, the back is completely open, so any chance of getting midbass in the front is zero. 4” speakers fit upfront. No point buying performance speakers here, because they all sound OK, OK. In fact it’s smart to buy a single cone 4” speaker (Sony makes one, super cheap) and mount a nice tweeter upfront with it. This may not be ideal, but is the closest you can get to a component set. The rear is not designated so we’re still working on the Zen philosophy here. (Fancy that, I started with car audio and have come to “Zen” philosophy. Dad would be proud.)

8) Hyundai –Getz – This car is positioned in the market as the only competition to the swift. Little wonder that the speaker pods of the Getz are identical to the Swift, 6” both in the front and rear. However, unlike the swift, the Getz does not accommodate a 2-DIN head unit.

9) Fiat Uno: The humble UNO is built like a tank and the good thing about this car is that it doesn’t rattle much. The front has a 4” back open mount, so what works for the Santro works here. Also there is a similar pod on the 2 pillars that hold the parcel shelf up, so you can mount 4 X 4” in the car and keep it invisible. Also supplied is a nice rear parcel shelf that can actually hold a couple of speakers and not rattle too much. This is useful if 4 X 4” speakers aren’t enough for you. After you mount the rear speakers on the parcel shelf, you could place a boxed sub or a tube underneath, on the boot floor and it sounds pretty good.

10) Fiat Palio: Try never to look at the JBL Palio that’s not what you’re supposed to do to any car.
Even though the Palio is projected as a premium hatchback, the speaker fitment is the same as the Uno, upfront. The only addition is that the rear pod allows you to mount a 5.25” in the rear. The Palio has a very interesting design at the little “dandi” that turns the side view mirrors and a decent installer can actually conceal a tweeter inside that pod. There is a perforated grill from where you can hear this tweeter. The Palio is also very solid like the uno and doesn’t rattle much if you decide to go loud with an amp and a woofer.

This covers the common hatchbacks in India. The next post will be on the next segment. Whew! This certainly took a while. Chalo back to my work now.

[k_ajay]

Goodness gracious... Was juz checking the site mclaren posted on the other thread [http://www.tmc-electronics.com] and the Nakamichi CD 700 Mobile Tuner/CD Player costs 91k.... Like, wth? I don't think this HU would even classify to be called "pricey"... It's beyond being pricey....

[rchimni]

Sam I hope you are going to cover the SUV segment as well .....

[navin]

Originally Posted by amitkavi

Navin, Thanks for the advise, do you reckon that would improve the BASS of my music system or would I further need to add something else to get the complete effect.
Amit

by putting the alpines in front you will hear more from them and hence less from the sonys. i dont think you will see any significant bass impromvement by do this though. in fact bass might even become a triffle less.

to really get bass (well denifned bass not the boom boom rattle you often hear) you will need a good box/tube sub and amp. unfortunately we cant defy the laws of physics.