[Tassem]

Hi all!

My lancer is now running on its second lease of life and I feel the audio should get an upgrade.

Currently I'm running the following setup:

Pioneer DEH 2050 MPG
JBL GT5 S422 2 Channel Full Range Amplifier
JBL GTO 1214 12" SubWoofer (Enclosed/Not Ported)
All around Pioneer Speakers

Oh btw, I'm happy (well not really, who is?!) with my existing setup. But one of the speakers has started jarring and I felt might as well go the whole nine yards! (Yeah right!) Its a classic case of a man looking for an excuse! But hey, I wont be single for long now and I need to stock up now!!

This is what I intend to have:

Setup 1
JBL GTO-608C Components
JBL GT5 S396 3 Way Co-axials at the back
JBL GT5 S644 4 Channel Full Range Amplifier

along with the existing:

JBL GT5 S422 2 Channel Full Range Amplifier
JBL GTO 1214 12" SubWoofer (Enclosed/Not Ported)

The 2 Channel Amp will be driving the Sub in bridged mode. And the 4 Channel Amp will drive the components and the coaxials.

Or!

Setup 2
JBL GTO-608C Components
JBL GT5 S396 3 Way Co-axials at the back
JBL GT5 S422 2 Channel Full Range Amplifier

along with the existing:

JBL GT5 S422 2 Channel Full Range Amplifier
JBL GTO 1214 12" SubWoofer (Enclosed/Not Ported)

Here, One of the 2 Channel Amps will be driving the Sub in bridged mode. And the other will drive the components. The HU should be able to drive the coaxials.

If I get a good deal on the above, I will upgrade the HU as well. I know the current one is primitive! Plus I dont have a USB in! And I would love multiple Pre-Outs as well. (I'm an evil evil man! Who knows? A year from now maybe I'll need more music! Pre-outs always help!)

I will also be installing an extra battery. The existing battery seems underpowered. I hate the dimming that happens when I turn on the fogs etc.

I would appreciate it if you guys could feedback on the setup. Or perhaps even suggest a better combination. But I want the entire setup to be JBL. And the budget should be similar to what I'd pay for this kit.

As for my taste in music, it is something that even I have no clue about! I seem to enjoy most types of music! Well almost - I hate heavy metal. The usual suspects in my car are Rock, Pop, HipHop, Trance and the occasional dose of Jazz. I have also been found guilty of indulging is some classical carnatic every now and then - My friends just burn CDs for me and I oblige!

I absolutely HATE a bright setup. Tweeters only if absolutely necessary as I find the speakers more than sufficient. I hate hissing! Bass is something that I love. But again, it should be proportionate to the volume. I usually play the setup at low volumes and the bass should be present. By low volume, I mean if I leave the windows down and play, it wont carry over to the next car. What if we dont share the same taste in music! I wouldn't want to force someone into listening to what I'm listening to!

I dont know if this would mean something - I have a 5.1 Sony Home Theatre which pushes out a rated 800W RMS and I just love it! I know its far from audiophile grade, but I just love it! I'm sure several of us would have a similar setup and get an idea of what I'd like.

So the question is - Can the setup mentioned above live upto this?

As an afterthought, do feel free to suggest other brands as I feel some of you with good advice may be tied down by the JBL only clause. But I'd like to keep the install clean as much as possible. I wish I could explain why. But I'm just going to hope you guys will get it!

Thanks!

Tassem.

[Gilead]

Originally Posted by Tassem

JBL GTO-608C Components

These speakers are fairly shrill and you will not like them as you already said you HATE bright. Spend a little more and get Infinity Reference components. They sound a lot more natural.

And oh, Infinity and JBL belong to the same group, so you will not be going outside of the family so as to speak.

[Tassem]

Hey there Gilead!

Thanks for the quick reply! How much do you mean by "a little more" ?

I'm happy you get the family idea. Or do you? Either ways, I edited the original post to give you ICEmen more freedom!

Thanks,

Tassem.

[pramodkumar]

i Have a hertz DSK 165, and trust me its not what they call "Bright", its cheap and best.


Pramod

[Tassem]

Hey Pramod, Thanks bro. How much are the Hertz components?

Tassem.

[Mi10]

Sorry guys, from my use and Audition experiences, i have found all the three brands bright. JBL, Infinity and Hertz. Hertz being is sharpest of the three !!

[Tassem]

Yikes Mi10! A bright system is my worst fear!

Assuming we tone it down at the HU, which model would edge in the rest of the parameters?

Or

What else would you suggest? It should be easily available (in bangalore) though. Should be within the budget though.

Tassem.

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by Mi10

Sorry guys, from my use and Audition experiences, i have found all the three brands bright. JBL, Infinity and Hertz. Hertz being is sharpest of the three !!

Common Mi10 Not that bad, i am driving it just by using the HU and i love it.

Originally Posted by Tassem

Yikes Mi10! A bright system is my worst fear!

Assuming we tone it down at the HU, which model would edge in the rest of the parameters?

Or

What else would you suggest? It should be easily available (in bangalore) though. Should be within the budget though.

Tassem.

I got a 3 months used one for 3k, The new one is for 7 k i guess, fellow bhpian greenhorn swears by them.


Pramod

[Mi10]

Originally Posted by Tassem

Yikes Mi10! A bright system is my worst fear!

Assuming we tone it down at the HU, which model would edge in the rest of the parameters?

Or

What else would you suggest? It should be easily available (in bangalore) though. Should be within the budget though.

Tassem.

Try out illusion audio (Electra / Luccents), DLS entry level, Morel Tempo are few options if you are really wanting very laid back(not sharp), natural sound

Other options are Bostons SR 60, Polk db and they too are bit bright.

If you are really on a tight budget, get the JBL 608C, you can always tone it down with your HU (hope its got nice features to do it)

[Tassem]

@ Pramod, Lucky you! 7k should be within the budget I guess. Cause the JBL ones I was looking at is around 6k i guess. But the speakers being too bright concerns me.

@ mi10: Hey thanks for the suggestions! I'll look around for them. The thing is that, if I'm at a store, ready to buy, I usually dive right in and choose from what they have. I've never been able to look around at multiple places and mix and match! Perhaps I should do it this time. Hmmm...

My current HU has very basic settings. Just Bass, Mid and Treble. The treble is currently at -2 and I'm comfortable with the setup.

Its not quite that the budget is limited. I would feel guilty if I overspent on this bit. I know that we can carry forward the setup to my next car etc. but still.. I want listen to my music without feeling guilty that I spent too much!

Tassem.

[JLN]

I got Infinity speakers (components, tweeters and rear co-ax) on my verna. I did not want to sacrifice boot space, so passed on the amp and sub-woofer. The end result has been fantastic, even without the amp set-up. Would highly recommend the infinity

[Zombie69]

I was advised against Polk components for my Alto. Infinity Reference components are more refined as compared to JBL, even though both are from the same company under different brand names. Infinity Kappa comps are a step higher than Reference. AFAIK you can get Infinity Reference 6.5 Compos for 6.7 K in Bangalore. Like all the gurus here say "one man's meat is others poison". Audition them before you buy.

Cheers!
-Zombie

[Tassem]

Thanks JLN and Zombie!

I went ahead and got the front components done from Satya (EVO) today. We went for Boston Acoustics SXi 606 6.5". Rated at 65W RMS. A lot of people suggested Satya. Moreover I got my wheels, tyres etc from him earlier. So I felt it was a smart choice to stick to his suggestion. I gotta admit, They sound really good!

Next week, I'll go get the Rear Speakers and the second Amplifier.

I'm thinking 6X9" 2/3 way at the rear. Currently, the components are driver by the HU. One the second Amp is in, it will drive all the four speakers.

The 2 channel Amp is driving the woofer in bridged mode. I got a ported enclosure done as well.

Tassem.

[Tassem]

Hi all,

I was wondering whether getting components for the rear door and discarding the parcel tray speakers would be a good idea. How would that affect the overall SQ?

I really like the current setup, except perhaps the bass could be a tad stronger. I believe porting the parcel tray will help with that?

Any advice??

Thanks!

@mods: Could you please change the title to ICE'ing my Lancer. Since I've veered away from the all JBL idea, I feel the name is misleading.. thanks!

Tassem.

[Zombie69]

Originally Posted by Tassem

Thanks JLN and Zombie!

I went ahead and got the front components done from Satya (EVO) today. We went for Boston Acoustics SXi 606 6.5". Rated at 65W RMS. A lot of people suggested Satya. Moreover I got my wheels, tyres etc from him earlier. So I felt it was a smart choice to stick to his suggestion. I gotta admit, They sound really good!

Next week, I'll go get the Rear Speakers and the second Amplifier.

I'm thinking 6X9" 2/3 way at the rear. Currently, the components are driver by the HU. One the second Amp is in, it will drive all the four speakers.

The 2 channel Amp is driving the woofer in bridged mode. I got a ported enclosure done as well.

Tassem.

Hi Tassem,
Congrats on Phase-I of your ICE install. I'm so ready to go to EVO, probably next week (if Satya, answers my email! Satya where are you?). How are Boston Components, did you audition them? How much did you pay for it? I'm sure adding an Amp to drive those babies will improve the SQ. Enjoy the music and the ride!

Keep trucking!
-Z