[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by KRN

Thanks for your suggestions. Based on what I am reading, I am shortlisting auditor and integration series from Focal and Reference and Kappa series from Infinity. Will audition them before purchase

This may be a dumb question: Can someone explain what bright really means - does it refer to hearing the high notes (Treble) well? As a personal preference, I would probably lean towards speakers that have better bass (without loss of clarity)

"Brightness" refers to treble, and more so, to the irritation you feel in your ears when the tweeter screeches. Brands like Blaupunkt (and Focal, from what I've heard) are excessively bright. My suggestion to you is that you hear Hertz, Focal, and Rainbow Dreamline. While the Rainbows are more expensive (Rs. 15000 + change), they're much more smooth-sounding. I'm of the view that one should spend at one go on the best possible equipment, rather than upgrade repeatedly. I burnt my hands doing that, and have since realized that I'll be getting it right first time with my next car. For now, I'm super happy with the full upgrade I just completed.

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

My car has a twin amp set up- a 4 channel Ground Zero that feeds the front and rear door components and a Cerwin Wega mono that feeds the sub in the boot. The amps are placed below the front seats. The HU is Pioneer AVH P5150 DVD.
The complete installation was a Do-It-Ourselves.

The set up was working flawlessly for more than a year now, but I'm facing an issue since last week. There is a random high volume distortion noise. The noise is very loud and there is no method to the madness; the occurrence is totally random and the noise is unbearably loud. It stops only if I turn off the HU; volume control has no effect on it.

What might be the issue?

Please have the Authorized Service Center of Pioneer check the Volume Control knob of your HU. This is possibly a faulty volume control knob. I had an issue with my old Blaupunkt Los Angeles 500 where the volume used to suddenly jump from 50% to full volume in a half turn. So I guess it could be similar

[schakravarthy]

Originally Posted by HighwayofLife

...where the volume used to suddenly jump from 50% to full volume in a half turn. So I guess it could be similar

Thanks for the suggestion!

Could this happen without me touching the player, let alone the volume control knob?

[HighwayofLife]

Electrical components have strange ways of going bad. So I couldn't say. But yes, volume going really high does point a finger at the volume control, which is typically a potentiometer when you have a mechanical volume control knob. It is the first place to look IMHO, followed by checking the rest of the system if there is no fault there.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

... There is a random high volume distortion noise. The noise is very loud and there is no method to the madness; the occurrence is totally random and the noise is unbearably loud. It stops only if I turn off the HU; volume control has no effect on it. ...

This is not a problem of "volume control". One doesn't use potentiometers as volume control in HU anymore. The volume control knob is a digital encoder which doesn't have a start or end - just gives pulses to the HU controller depending on which way it is turned and how much. The HU controller then calculates what should be the amplification level at the Pre-amp.

Question: Does this happen on all channels, i.e. front, rear and sub? Or is it limited to one of them

1. Get the HU checked at a Pio service center. If the loudness is increasing on all channels simultaneously, there is a problem in the HU. The problem could be as simple as a dry solder joint, or as complex as a component heating up under some circumstances

2. Get the amp(s) checked at their service center, but only after establishing which channels are going to max. In the amp, a faulty gain control potentiometer could be the problem, but this is unlikely to happen on all the 3 amps

[schakravarthy]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Question: Does this happen on all channels, i.e. front, rear and sub? Or is it limited to one of them

It is not a case of the music gaining in volume. The noise is a very loud, screeching, incoherent sound. And, I think it comes from all the 4 speakers, I'm not sure about the sub though.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

It is not a case of the music gaining in volume. The noise is a very loud, screeching, incoherent sound. And, I think it comes from all the 4 speakers, I'm not sure about the sub though.

Sounds definitely like logic board problem in the HU. Visiting the Pio service center is the only recourse.

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

This is not a problem of "volume control". One doesn't use potentiometers as volume control in HU anymore. The volume control knob is a digital encoder which doesn't have a start or end - just gives pulses to the HU controller depending on which way it is turned and how much. The HU controller then calculates what should be the amplification level at the Pre-amp.

Thanks for the correction. I should have researched that before discussing. My bad!!

[KaandBaaz]

Hello Gurus and other folks,

I am in the market to shop for ICE for my 2001 OHC Vtec. Till date apart from the head-unit (pioneer) the speakers were stock Alpine. Now the front left speaker went kaput after my friend spilled coffee in it (don't ask me how, because I am myself clueless.) So now the question, which speakers should I buy (front and rear) . Also plan to install a subwoofer and amplifier. So can someone please suggest a good setup sans the headunit. My budget is 10-12k. I dont want a fancy setup and i listen to mostly EDM.

[599gto]

Originally Posted by KaandBaaz

Hello Gurus and other folks,

I am in the market to shop for ICE for my 2001 OHC Vtec. Till date apart from the head-unit (pioneer) the speakers were stock Alpine. Now the front left speaker went kaput after my friend spilled coffee in it (don't ask me how, because I am myself clueless.) So now the question, which speakers should I buy (front and rear) . Also plan to install a subwoofer and amplifier. So can someone please suggest a good setup sans the headunit. My budget is 10-12k. I dont want a fancy setup and i listen to mostly EDM.

So you need a New pair of speakers+an amplifier+subwoofer. Quite frankly all that in 10-12k budget is really not possible.

You should look at entry level products from JBL, GZ, Kicker, RF, Hertz, Infinity, etc. All this brands have an EDM friendly sound signature.

You can visit Bafna Cars on Ghole Road, or Bhandari Car Agencies on JM Road, or Poona Motors at Camp for exact pricing and details. I have been getting my supplies from Bafna and no complains at all.

[KRN]

Folks,

What are good places in Chennai where there would be a variety of component speakers for audition? I visited a couple of shops and they hardly had any demo units on display (leave alone audition)

Planning to go tomorrow and any pointers will be greatly appreciated!

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by KRN

Folks,

What are good places in Chennai where there would be a variety of component speakers for audition? I visited a couple of shops and they hardly had any demo units on display (leave alone audition)

Planning to go tomorrow and any pointers will be greatly appreciated!

There are a number of locations mentioned in the Team-BHP directory. My policy has always been to look up the directory and then try out the best rated shops based on reviews therein.

[599gto]

Originally Posted by KRN

Folks,

What are good places in Chennai where there would be a variety of component speakers for audition? I visited a couple of shops and they hardly had any demo units on display (leave alone audition)

Planning to go tomorrow and any pointers will be greatly appreciated!

Look for Chandru Auto Stores on google, that shop is owned by Mr. Haresh Jethwani, having bought a pair of amps from him, I can vouch for him.
He is genuine, very knowledgeable and has a kick-as* Focal SQ set-up for demo in his Fiesta. He will help you out with most of your ICE needs, and will let you audition stuff if you're a serious buyer, I am sure.
He also runs an online store purplekart.in

Also there is a shop called Power Zone somewhere in Chennai, have seen a few installs from them online and they seem to be good. I am not from Chennai so can't be of much help.

[surgvij]

Respected gurus ,
Hi, I had installed a pioneer AVH x5690bt head unit with focal components in the front and focal co axials in the rear of my Honda Civic. This was done some 6-7 months back. I had installed them with the idea to later upgrade the ICE in stages so I don't burn my wallet. Iam quite happy with the set up.Now the itch to upgrade has started. I almost always listen to Tamil movie songs. My requirement is to have clear soundstage where all the instruments are heard clearly. I think I require a good amp and sub woofer now.Can you gurus suggest me how to go about. I Hav a budget of about 30k INR. Thanks in advance

[HighwayofLife]

Originally Posted by surgvij

Respected gurus ,
Hi, I had installed a pioneer AVH x5690bt head unit with focal components in the front and focal co axials in the rear of my Honda Civic. This was done some 6-7 months back. I had installed them with the idea to later upgrade the ICE in stages so I don't burn my wallet. Iam quite happy with the set up.Now the itch to upgrade has started. I almost always listen to Tamil movie songs. My requirement is to have clear soundstage where all the instruments are heard clearly. I think I require a good amp and sub woofer now.Can you gurus suggest me how to go about. I Hav a budget of about 30k INR. Thanks in advance

30k is a very decent budget. I would suggest that you visit a store that stocks good brands, have a listen, and choose the items you like, rather than take advice on what to buy. However, Infinity Kappa 120.9w is a decent 12" sub, and there was a half price sale on Snapdeal till some time ago. Focal also have their own amps, which should fit within your budget. I owned a Hertz HE 4.1 earlier, which is installed in my friend's car now, with his Focal components. This is a good budget amp ( about Rs. 7000-8000 approx) with nice features. There are several choices in this price range. Depends on what you like.

[surgvij]

Thanks HighwayofLife. 30k is the max budget including wires installation etc. The problem is I can't find any installer who provide demo in my location. I need a good 4 channel amp to power my front components and the sub. I can't afford a mono amp right now. And a good sub which produces tight bass . I don't want loud jarry ones. The dealer is saying low end amps like Sony, JBL etc won't do justice to my focal speakers. He wants me to choose from infinity, focal, Rockford fosgate. What do you gurus think.