Alto - ICE Upgrade with DLS, Kenwood, Blaupunkt. Updated pics on pg 3

monty9991 · 29th March 2010, 18:38

nice update
how much did u spent on DLS compos?

thelord · 29th March 2010, 23:00

Thanks!
The R6A are available for around 12.5k at a select few places.

I have been told that the actual retail price is 19-20k in India.
Let me know if you need more details.

abhibh · 29th March 2010, 23:07

Congrats Lord. A nice upgrade compared to the earlier ones. Punchy midbass on this set. I hope the sound stage issue will be solved soon. I hope you take the run-in seriously

thelord · 29th March 2010, 23:35

Thanks abhi! Absolutely right on the run-in part. Am planning to keep the gains low for couple of weeks at least.

thelightening · 8th April 2010, 12:54

Nice setup... how is polk rear speakers when compared to JBL's?

thelord · 8th April 2010, 23:32

Polk db690 speakers are nice. Can't say if they are better than JBL as I haven't heard any JBL co-axial. But they sure sounded better than the Infinity 9623i. Much more laid-back and smooth.

thelord · 11th April 2010, 20:07

Well, 2-weeks of run-in has made quite a difference to the sound. Mid-bass has improved dramatically and the tweeters are really running smooth.

Here is small review of the DLS R6A. (Equipment: Kenwood 5539 + Kenwood M845/8401)

The most prominent thing that I noticed after listening to this set was Detail! The amount of detail in music that the R6A produced right out of the box was absolutely amazing. A funny thing happened the other night, I was driving late, it was quite late and there was absolute silence around. And then I start hearing some new subtle notes from my favorite music. I stop the car, turn off the music to check if the music if from some party going on somewhere. But no, not a sound outside and I was all smiles on realizing what a fantastic upgrade the R6A has been. Talk about adjusting to change in music equipment eh.

Coming to the Mid-bass driver, after break-in, the mid-bass unit pounds bass like anything. The paper cone makes the music sound very natural and smooth. And at the same time it gives a smooth bass output. I had a chance to hook it up with a Kenwood 8401 amp and the mighty R6A really goes low. Low to the extent that I haven't seen any 6.5" comps shake rear-view mirrors so vigorously. I'll try to upload a video soon.

The T25 tweeter that comes with the R6A was a lot smoother and laid-back out-of-the-box when compared to the Illusion Electra. I have set the tweeter level to Mid and the sound-stage is right up over the dash. With a little more break-in, I am sure the T25's would still sound relaxed and laid-back to a lot of ears even when the tweeter level is set to High.

Overall, a very happy customer after the upgrade but as it goes in the ICE section, one upgrade triggers another.

Watch this space for more.

Finally a quick question for the gurus: I noticed that the tweeters produced a strange shrill kind of distortion/distraction on a few tracks. This is not a lisp or a squeal but a subtle shrill. Upon analysis I found that this occurs mainly at the crossover frequency and if there is no other music, the shrill then extends instead of rolling off. Now, with time and run-in, the left tweeter became perfectly OK but I can still hear this distortion from the right tweeter. So my question is, that is this phenomenon commonly observed on all silk-dome fabric tweeters? I asked B&T regarding this and he said this should settle down with run-in in a few more weeks. But still am curious on why this occurs only on a few selected tracks.

Thanks for reading!
Cheers

Finally, here are a few pics of the install

Tweeters mounted with angle mount

Alto - ICE Upgrade with DLS, Kenwood, Blaupunkt. Updated pics on pg 3-img_1507.jpg

Alto - ICE Upgrade with DLS, Kenwood, Blaupunkt. Updated pics on pg 3-img_1509.jpg

Alto - ICE Upgrade with DLS, Kenwood, Blaupunkt. Updated pics on pg 3-img_1510.jpg

The Mid-bass driver (without the grill)

Alto - ICE Upgrade with DLS, Kenwood, Blaupunkt. Updated pics on pg 3-img_1514.jpg

bharti22shresth · 11th April 2010, 23:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by thelord

Here is small review of the DLS R6A. (Equipment: Kenwood 5539 + Kenwood M845/8401)

I had a chance to hook it up with a Kenwood 8401 amp and the mighty R6A really goes low. Low to the extent that I haven't seen any 6.5" comps shake rear-view mirrors so vigorously. I'll try to upload a video soon.

Congrats theLord on the upgrade ? I had a chance to audition the system and it really sounds good on Kenwood 8401.

BTW are there any other significant improvements other than low extension of midbass when u hooked up 8401 ?

thelord · 13th April 2010, 11:34

Thanks shresth!
I think the improvement in midbass was primarily due to the fact that 8401 has a knob to control the HPF frequency whereas M845 has it fixed at 80Hz. I think we set it to ~65-70Hz. Also I felt that 8401 gave a much more smooth and neutral sound when connected with Kenny 5539 HU whereas M845 gives a lot mid/vocal oriented sound.

thelord · 28th April 2010, 23:44

A few sneak pics of the equipment

Alto - ICE Upgrade with DLS, Kenwood, Blaupunkt. Updated pics on pg 3-img_1523.jpg

Alto - ICE Upgrade with DLS, Kenwood, Blaupunkt. Updated pics on pg 3-img_1525.jpg

chiragh_bir · 29th April 2010, 10:43

Your head landed ??????? wow

I can't wait to audit your new ICE !!!

abhibh · 30th April 2010, 14:11

Chiragh his head landed since he was a little kid

Arrey yaar his setup costs very less why you wanna "Audit" it like a CA (Chartered Accountant)

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiragh_bir

Your head landed ??????? wow

I can't wait to audit your new ICE !!!

On a serious note congrats Lord.

chiragh_bir · 30th April 2010, 16:20

paaji please post more pics .. dying to see them !!

also post pics o accessories wich came with Head

thanks

febyphilabr · 30th April 2010, 17:06

@thelord: Mate you bought the X794 from the US? How much did you shell out for the HU? I too am planning to get the X794 from Dubai, but not yet sure if its available there!!

thelord · 30th April 2010, 21:41

Thanks abhi, let's meet tomorrow to check all the equipment before the Super Sunday install.

@chiragh
Sure, will try to upload some pics later.

@febyphilabr
Yep, got it from US via GlobalEasyBuy.
Cost ~ 12.6k (without any ebay discount vouchers)

But now I think it's available at a few stores only. Crutchfield might have a few pieces left @ 220 US$

29th March 2010, 18:38	#46
monty9991 BANNED Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Ludhiana Posts: 706 Thanked: 42 Times View My Garage	nice update how much did u spent on DLS compos?
	() Thanks

29th March 2010, 23:00	#47
thelord BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 278 Thanked: 5 Times	Thanks! The R6A are available for around 12.5k at a select few places. I have been told that the actual retail price is 19-20k in India. Let me know if you need more details.
	() Thanks

29th March 2010, 23:07	#48
abhibh Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Back in the HOOD near you! Posts: 2,768 Thanked: 39 Times	Congrats Lord. A nice upgrade compared to the earlier ones. Punchy midbass on this set. I hope the sound stage issue will be solved soon. I hope you take the run-in seriously Last edited by abhibh : 29th March 2010 at 23:08.
	() Thanks

29th March 2010, 23:35	#49
thelord BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 278 Thanked: 5 Times	Thanks abhi! Absolutely right on the run-in part. Am planning to keep the gains low for couple of weeks at least.
	() Thanks

8th April 2010, 12:54	#50
thelightening BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 262 Thanked: 3 Times View My Garage	Nice setup... how is polk rear speakers when compared to JBL's?
	() Thanks

8th April 2010, 23:32	#51
thelord BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 278 Thanked: 5 Times	Polk db690 speakers are nice. Can't say if they are better than JBL as I haven't heard any JBL co-axial. But they sure sounded better than the Infinity 9623i. Much more laid-back and smooth.
	() Thanks

11th April 2010, 20:07	#52
thelord BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 278 Thanked: 5 Times	Well, 2-weeks of run-in has made quite a difference to the sound. Mid-bass has improved dramatically and the tweeters are really running smooth. Here is small review of the DLS R6A. (Equipment: Kenwood 5539 + Kenwood M845/8401) The most prominent thing that I noticed after listening to this set was Detail! The amount of detail in music that the R6A produced right out of the box was absolutely amazing. A funny thing happened the other night, I was driving late, it was quite late and there was absolute silence around. And then I start hearing some new subtle notes from my favorite music. I stop the car, turn off the music to check if the music if from some party going on somewhere. But no, not a sound outside and I was all smiles on realizing what a fantastic upgrade the R6A has been. Talk about adjusting to change in music equipment eh. Coming to the Mid-bass driver, after break-in, the mid-bass unit pounds bass like anything. The paper cone makes the music sound very natural and smooth. And at the same time it gives a smooth bass output. I had a chance to hook it up with a Kenwood 8401 amp and the mighty R6A really goes low. Low to the extent that I haven't seen any 6.5" comps shake rear-view mirrors so vigorously. I'll try to upload a video soon. The T25 tweeter that comes with the R6A was a lot smoother and laid-back out-of-the-box when compared to the Illusion Electra. I have set the tweeter level to Mid and the sound-stage is right up over the dash. With a little more break-in, I am sure the T25's would still sound relaxed and laid-back to a lot of ears even when the tweeter level is set to High. Overall, a very happy customer after the upgrade but as it goes in the ICE section, one upgrade triggers another. Watch this space for more. Finally a quick question for the gurus: I noticed that the tweeters produced a strange shrill kind of distortion/distraction on a few tracks. This is not a lisp or a squeal but a subtle shrill. Upon analysis I found that this occurs mainly at the crossover frequency and if there is no other music, the shrill then extends instead of rolling off. Now, with time and run-in, the left tweeter became perfectly OK but I can still hear this distortion from the right tweeter. So my question is, that is this phenomenon commonly observed on all silk-dome fabric tweeters? I asked B&T regarding this and he said this should settle down with run-in in a few more weeks. But still am curious on why this occurs only on a few selected tracks. Thanks for reading! Cheers Finally, here are a few pics of the install Tweeters mounted with angle mount The Mid-bass driver (without the grill) Last edited by thelord : 11th April 2010 at 20:08.
	() Thanks

13th April 2010, 11:34	#54
thelord BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 278 Thanked: 5 Times	Thanks shresth! I think the improvement in midbass was primarily due to the fact that 8401 has a knob to control the HPF frequency whereas M845 has it fixed at 80Hz. I think we set it to ~65-70Hz. Also I felt that 8401 gave a much more smooth and neutral sound when connected with Kenny 5539 HU whereas M845 gives a lot mid/vocal oriented sound.
	() Thanks

28th April 2010, 23:44	#55
thelord BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 278 Thanked: 5 Times	A few sneak pics of the equipment
	() Thanks

29th April 2010, 10:43	#56
chiragh_bir Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In front of you :P Posts: 1,123 Thanked: 74 Times View My Garage	Your head landed ??????? wow I can't wait to audit your new ICE !!!
	() Thanks

30th April 2010, 16:20	#58
chiragh_bir Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In front of you :P Posts: 1,123 Thanked: 74 Times View My Garage	paaji please post more pics .. dying to see them !! also post pics o accessories wich came with Head thanks
	() Thanks

30th April 2010, 17:06	#59
febyphilabr BHPian Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: KL62-TN70-KA51 Posts: 65 Thanked: 12 Times View My Garage	@thelord: Mate you bought the X794 from the US? How much did you shell out for the HU? I too am planning to get the X794 from Dubai, but not yet sure if its available there!!
	() Thanks

30th April 2010, 21:41	#60
thelord BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 278 Thanked: 5 Times	Thanks abhi, let's meet tomorrow to check all the equipment before the Super Sunday install. @chiragh Sure, will try to upload some pics later. @febyphilabr Yep, got it from US via GlobalEasyBuy. Cost ~ 12.6k (without any ebay discount vouchers) But now I think it's available at a few stores only. Crutchfield might have a few pieces left @ 220 US$
	() Thanks