Urgent Help needed for choosing H.U and Basstube!

Puffdamgcdragon · 10th October 2005, 21:20

Hi All,

As some of U know, I bought a Baleno Lxi about 2 months back. Right now, I'm at Delhi. Had come with the Sikkim team for a National Taekwondo meet ( Got a Bronze in the Heavyweight Division after having beaten 5 guys and gotten bashed up black and blue by a 6'7" Jat!) and stayed on a few days for shopping.

Today, I went and bought the following from Palika Bhavan (opposite Hyatt Regency) -

Rear Speakers- JBL 396 three way 6x9 Ovals (Rs3,500/-)
Front Speakers- JBL 506e 5" component system ( Rs 5,000/-)
Amp- Sony 502z Basic two channel amp.

For the Head Unit, I've narrowed down my choice to either Blaupunkt Sevilla (Rs12,800) or the Alpine CDA9826 costing 11 grands. The reason I haven't bought the H.U is simply coz yesterday I bought an i-pod from Gaffar Market ( 20GB- 13,500) and am having the songs loaded. Will collect it tomorrow.

Queries-

- I also bought an i-trip along with the i-pod but I keep reading so many posts stating that playing the i-pod through the FM channel via the i-trip diminishes the sound quality a great deal. Is it true? Would i Have to buy an Alpine H.U and invest a furthur 7 grands for the interface adapter (KCA420i)? What about the Blaupunkt unit? How do I connect the i-pod to the H.U if the reception is not good througt the FM channel?

I'm really concerned as my car budget's really eating into my "new" RD350 budget!

- Between the abovementioned two H.us, I prefer the Blau. Both sound excellent but the Blau seems to have more features and besides, I kinda like it's classy looks. ( It's just too expensive!

)Any other choices? Should I go cheaper? the guy also had Pioneer 5750 and a hosts of Sony/ Kenwood. Although the Blaupunkt and Alpine H.U are almost double the cost of the Sony ones, the guy claims they are faar superior in sound and quality. What do U fellows think?

- Should I go cheap and buy, say a Sony 5510 for about 5 grands (grey) and play the i-pod through the i-trip and FM channel? Are the Blaupunkt/ Alpine sets SO much better than Sony/ Kenwood/ Pioneer? What options do I have?

- Looking at my above combo of Speakers, Amp and Ur recommended H.U, do I need to go in for a Basstube/ sub? The guy claims that my speakers are powerful enough to handle the amp and I wouldn't need a Basstube. Will I get the clarity and thump with just the above speakers and amp and without the Basstube? ( I hardly ever listen to music too loudly and am more concerned with clarity! )
He's got a Blau basstube for 5 grands (CD300) and a JBl for 6 grands. Do I need it? If I have to buy one, shoud I buy a basstube or a Wooofer? Which one?

I ask all this coz I didn't get to listen to the combo I bought and have no idea how it's gonna sound. hope I haven't blundered!

-today I bought an electronic car antenna with a cable to attach to the car H.U will this improve the quality of the i-pod reception or do I give it back? THe original antenna that comes in the Baleno Lxi looks real shady. Will the electronic antenna be any better for i-pod reception?

Guys, I urgently need You all to give in ur views ASAP as I only got till the dayafter to make my purchase and am heading back to Sikkim on the 12th night,

Please Help.

Thanks in advance, guys.

Best Regards,
Puffy.

Puffdamgcdragon · 10th October 2005, 21:45

Sam? Aseem? Navin???? SAM? SAAAAAM? Help!!

jkdas · 10th October 2005, 23:13

tht was one long post!

mate, i think alpine would be better though i am not sure of teh model u have in mind. maybe navin can sort that out 2.

ur speaker combination r good , but cant u get 606 instead of the 506 for the front

an amp would be good. jbls if u like ( liek 50.4 or so).

and a sub 2. and another amp for it

maybe u can have a box sub or a tube sub;

sub on the tray at rear aint so good idea as its prone 2 rattle and moreover u dont like 2 much bhoom bhoom.. so box should suit u fine.

and use good cables ( like audison etc)

and abt ipod ..pls c the Ipod thread.

and all these comments are based on my exp frm this site.

jkdas · 10th October 2005, 23:45

abt ipod stuff

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showth...528#post124528

mclaren1885 · 10th October 2005, 23:50

well if u want an alpine HU then go for the 9830..it costs abt 13k and is really good if not the pioneer 7750 at 9k is really good too..
as far as ur speakers are concerned i suggest u return the 396's and get the GTO 936e...the 396e are from the CS series and the GTO's are the better ones and cost 1k more..u can stick with the 506ce they are really good..and as far as the amp is concerned u can buy a better 4 ch to drive ur components and the sub(though u will loose out on the fader though) or else go for a 4ch amp to drive ur speakers and a dedicated 2ch or a mono to drive ur sub if u can..

navin · 11th October 2005, 10:18

That was a long post. Now I gotta be very careful what i recommend as I dont want to get beaten up!

My equip: 2 ipod 60GB Photo
HU: Alpine 9833 and 9830
Misc: 9830 has a CHS 634 changer as well
I got the old iTrip (without display), new iTrip (with display) and 2 KCA 420i (and a KCA 410C but that is another story).

Firstly let me point out that if you intend to use an ipod in your car you have to think and plan your play lists and music folders.

The reason. I got 290 artists, 700 CDs, 8000+ songs and the traditional method to scroll artist/album/song is very tedious.

So with that caeveat I will say that scrolling songs on the 9833 is a bit faster than the 9830.

The KCA420i is much much clearer than either iTrip. The iTrip's standard freq 89.7 did not work clearly for me but 88.5 did for the non display iTrip. The display iTrip has not been used yet.

Alpine's KCA420i allows you to connect the ipod to the HU and use the HU's controls. this allows you to keep the ipod some place safe like in the glove box or under the hend brake or in the ashtray (if it large enough) or in the front arm rest (if you got one).

I am not sure if Blaupunlkt has a ipod cable available for their Hus or if the 9826 is more diffuclt to use with the ipod than the 9830 or 9833.

navin · 11th October 2005, 10:38

Oops...I forgot about the speaker query. The 5" components in the front are nice. For the rear I would look at 2 options:

a) 6x9 speaker in the rear MDF tray cost about 4,000 run of the HU's amp

b) 12" bass tube or Sealed box or IB with amplifier AND a pair for 5" coax in the rear cost about 10K. 4-5K for the woofer, 2-3K for upgrading the Sony 502 to the Sony 504, and 1-2k for the coax. Run the front and sub from the amp and the rear of the HU. However you have to make sure your HU allows you to run rear RCA AND rear speaker level at the same time.

Sam Kapasi · 11th October 2005, 13:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puffdamgcdragon

Sam? Aseem? Navin???? SAM? SAAAAAM? Help!!

Sorry baba, I was busy in Bangalore...

10th October 2005, 21:20	#1
Puffdamgcdragon BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Gangtok, Sikkim Posts: 301 Thanked: 261 Times	Urgent Help needed for choosing H.U and Basstube! Hi All, As some of U know, I bought a Baleno Lxi about 2 months back. Right now, I'm at Delhi. Had come with the Sikkim team for a National Taekwondo meet ( Got a Bronze in the Heavyweight Division after having beaten 5 guys and gotten bashed up black and blue by a 6'7" Jat!) and stayed on a few days for shopping. Today, I went and bought the following from Palika Bhavan (opposite Hyatt Regency) - Rear Speakers- JBL 396 three way 6x9 Ovals (Rs3,500/-) Front Speakers- JBL 506e 5" component system ( Rs 5,000/-) Amp- Sony 502z Basic two channel amp. For the Head Unit, I've narrowed down my choice to either Blaupunkt Sevilla (Rs12,800) or the Alpine CDA9826 costing 11 grands. The reason I haven't bought the H.U is simply coz yesterday I bought an i-pod from Gaffar Market ( 20GB- 13,500) and am having the songs loaded. Will collect it tomorrow. Queries- - I also bought an i-trip along with the i-pod but I keep reading so many posts stating that playing the i-pod through the FM channel via the i-trip diminishes the sound quality a great deal. Is it true? Would i Have to buy an Alpine H.U and invest a furthur 7 grands for the interface adapter (KCA420i)? What about the Blaupunkt unit? How do I connect the i-pod to the H.U if the reception is not good througt the FM channel? I'm really concerned as my car budget's really eating into my "new" RD350 budget! - Between the abovementioned two H.us, I prefer the Blau. Both sound excellent but the Blau seems to have more features and besides, I kinda like it's classy looks. ( It's just too expensive! )Any other choices? Should I go cheaper? the guy also had Pioneer 5750 and a hosts of Sony/ Kenwood. Although the Blaupunkt and Alpine H.U are almost double the cost of the Sony ones, the guy claims they are faar superior in sound and quality. What do U fellows think? - Should I go cheap and buy, say a Sony 5510 for about 5 grands (grey) and play the i-pod through the i-trip and FM channel? Are the Blaupunkt/ Alpine sets SO much better than Sony/ Kenwood/ Pioneer? What options do I have? - Looking at my above combo of Speakers, Amp and Ur recommended H.U, do I need to go in for a Basstube/ sub? The guy claims that my speakers are powerful enough to handle the amp and I wouldn't need a Basstube. Will I get the clarity and thump with just the above speakers and amp and without the Basstube? ( I hardly ever listen to music too loudly and am more concerned with clarity! ) He's got a Blau basstube for 5 grands (CD300) and a JBl for 6 grands. Do I need it? If I have to buy one, shoud I buy a basstube or a Wooofer? Which one? I ask all this coz I didn't get to listen to the combo I bought and have no idea how it's gonna sound. hope I haven't blundered! -today I bought an electronic car antenna with a cable to attach to the car H.U will this improve the quality of the i-pod reception or do I give it back? THe original antenna that comes in the Baleno Lxi looks real shady. Will the electronic antenna be any better for i-pod reception? Guys, I urgently need You all to give in ur views ASAP as I only got till the dayafter to make my purchase and am heading back to Sikkim on the 12th night, Please Help. Thanks in advance, guys. Best Regards, Puffy.
	() Thanks

10th October 2005, 21:45	#2
Puffdamgcdragon BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Gangtok, Sikkim Posts: 301 Thanked: 261 Times	Sam? Aseem? Navin???? SAM? SAAAAAM? Help!!
	() Thanks

10th October 2005, 23:13	#3
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	tht was one long post! mate, i think alpine would be better though i am not sure of teh model u have in mind. maybe navin can sort that out 2. ur speaker combination r good , but cant u get 606 instead of the 506 for the front an amp would be good. jbls if u like ( liek 50.4 or so). and a sub 2. and another amp for it maybe u can have a box sub or a tube sub; sub on the tray at rear aint so good idea as its prone 2 rattle and moreover u dont like 2 much bhoom bhoom.. so box should suit u fine. and use good cables ( like audison etc) and abt ipod ..pls c the Ipod thread. and all these comments are based on my exp frm this site.
	() Thanks

10th October 2005, 23:45	#4
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	abt ipod stuff http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showth...528#post124528
	() Thanks

10th October 2005, 23:50	#5
mclaren1885 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bangalore (the city of modded cars) !! Posts: 4,820 Thanked: 45 Times View My Garage Infractions: 0/1 (10)	well if u want an alpine HU then go for the 9830..it costs abt 13k and is really good if not the pioneer 7750 at 9k is really good too.. as far as ur speakers are concerned i suggest u return the 396's and get the GTO 936e...the 396e are from the CS series and the GTO's are the better ones and cost 1k more..u can stick with the 506ce they are really good..and as far as the amp is concerned u can buy a better 4 ch to drive ur components and the sub(though u will loose out on the fader though) or else go for a 4ch amp to drive ur speakers and a dedicated 2ch or a mono to drive ur sub if u can..
	() Thanks

11th October 2005, 10:18	#6
navin Team-BHP Support Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 25,198 Thanked: 9,300 Times	That was a long post. Now I gotta be very careful what i recommend as I dont want to get beaten up! My equip: 2 ipod 60GB Photo HU: Alpine 9833 and 9830 Misc: 9830 has a CHS 634 changer as well I got the old iTrip (without display), new iTrip (with display) and 2 KCA 420i (and a KCA 410C but that is another story). Firstly let me point out that if you intend to use an ipod in your car you have to think and plan your play lists and music folders. The reason. I got 290 artists, 700 CDs, 8000+ songs and the traditional method to scroll artist/album/song is very tedious. So with that caeveat I will say that scrolling songs on the 9833 is a bit faster than the 9830. The KCA420i is much much clearer than either iTrip. The iTrip's standard freq 89.7 did not work clearly for me but 88.5 did for the non display iTrip. The display iTrip has not been used yet. Alpine's KCA420i allows you to connect the ipod to the HU and use the HU's controls. this allows you to keep the ipod some place safe like in the glove box or under the hend brake or in the ashtray (if it large enough) or in the front arm rest (if you got one). I am not sure if Blaupunlkt has a ipod cable available for their Hus or if the 9826 is more diffuclt to use with the ipod than the 9830 or 9833.
	() Thanks

11th October 2005, 10:38	#7
navin Team-BHP Support Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 25,198 Thanked: 9,300 Times	Oops...I forgot about the speaker query. The 5" components in the front are nice. For the rear I would look at 2 options: a) 6x9 speaker in the rear MDF tray cost about 4,000 run of the HU's amp b) 12" bass tube or Sealed box or IB with amplifier AND a pair for 5" coax in the rear cost about 10K. 4-5K for the woofer, 2-3K for upgrading the Sony 502 to the Sony 504, and 1-2k for the coax. Run the front and sub from the amp and the rear of the HU. However you have to make sure your HU allows you to run rear RCA AND rear speaker level at the same time.
	() Thanks