My swift ICE'ed, and Floyd has never sounded better!

Lone Ranger · 28th September 2010, 23:14

Hey guys!
While I’ve been a member of the forum for a while, this is my first post on the forum. So I guess this is going to be a weird cocktail (or mocktail, for the teetotallers among us) of an intro, my (humble) opinion about this awesome site (oops, that’s a bit of a giveaway!), and my experience in getting ICE’ed in Delhi!
About me: I’ve recently moved to Delhi, after two years in the Middle East. In my previous avatar, I used to be with an IT company, in the business development (sales, if you want to deglamourize it) role. I’m now a professional photographer, following a decade old passion. Before anyone asks, I took this decision before the “Three Idiots” movie was released. Co-incidentally though, I do have two partners in this company!
About Team BHP: Like I said, I’ve been a dedicated lurker in the forums for some time! I love anything automotive, but I’ve never posted either because I was simply overawed by the knowledge some of the members have, or because I was hesitant to participate in the passionate ‘free for alls” that topics as mundane as “should I buy a Maruti or Hyundai” seem to generate. It’s a great place to be for a guy who still treasures his 150+ hotwheels and Bburago car collection equally

Finally, getting down to business-my ICE install! While I was abroad, I’d done pretty much an exhaustive research of installers in Delhi who are averse to the popular “slam, bam, thank you ma’am” approach to ICE installation. Since I’ve spent most of my life my otherwise wonderful country, I’ve had first hand experience in “paisa dho, out you go” attitude to service (not restricted to ICE installers of course). Whether you’re buying a 10 Rs mobile recharge card or a 10 lakh rupee car, I guess most of you would agree that this attitude could do with a bit of either that “india shining” or the newer “Be proud to be Indian” campaigns!
Here’s the silver lining – after the above mentioned research, I’d decided I get my stuff done at “Driven”, a favourite among BHP-ians.
I managed to get there today, despite insistences from my Satguide enabled Garmin GPS that I “turn left immediately ” while I right atop a flyover. I have strong suspicions that I’ve been had, and I’ve been sold a second hand GPS that was previous used by James Bond, for whom these kind of stunts are all part a day’s work, especially if Aston Martin and BMW are on your friends list on Facebook ! That’s being said, the GPS did get me to Driven – I’m still in the process of figuring out Delhi’s roads.
Here are the main components of the system that I put together with Rana and the boys (the guys at Driven)
HU: Kenwood – KDC X7016
Front components: Rainbow SLG Titans 6.5”
Amp: Audison 4 channel (360 W)
Sub: Rainbow Hammer
And here’s why it was special – there were numerous instances when these guys could have easily added a few extra items to the bill, but they didn’t, though I was upfront right from the beginning that I was open to their inputs. In addition, small gestures like Rana offering me lunch, then running about to follow up as why the sandwiches were taking so long ( even though I didn’t really have a problem with the delay, I was too absorbed in the installation!), and then actually serving me the food! Damn, I’ve done a fair few high value transactions in my time, but I’ve never experienced a store manager waiting for my sandwiches to arrive so that he could eat his own nicely packed “ghar ka khanna” with me, all the while refilling my glass of Pepsi ( don’t drink carbonated drinks as a general rule, but I really didn’t feel like telling him about it).
Maybe it’s just me, but the little things matter – in today’s competitive world, everybody is a businessman, and that’s the way it is. But it really is the small gestures that stick with you.
And the icing on the cake – Gunbir happened to come by as my installation was more or less complete. He then proceeds to spend about 30 minutes in my car, tuning my setup with his own personal collection, prodding away at the Alpine HU in settings that I would’ve never had the guts to mess with, and getting out to fiddle with the Audison amp advanced settings, duly armed with screwdriver in hand. Mind you, this was after my install, where I was due to pay the bill and shove off. This Mr. Gunbir then takes the trouble to sit down in the passenger seat, fiddle about with settings that would have made an IIT grad nervous, give me advise on the best way to get bit rate conversion and make my system sound twice as good as it had before he stepped in. All in all, a lovely experience!
Finally to end, guys, here’s my two cents worth on getting your ride ICE’ed – do your research before you buy (including the installer), audition the choices you’ve narrowed down to, and do remember that at the end of the day, the right ICE setup is the one you decide is right, forget the brands, forget the reviews and forget everything else. And once you buy, sit back, turn the volume up and enjoy what you’ve bought with your hard earned money! Like the proverbial fork in the road, there will always be different routes you could’ve taken, and different places you could’ve been at, but what really matters is the here and the now. Here’s an anology, I’d love to have a Porshe Boxster S as my daily ride, but every time I hit a pothole @ 60 kmph in Gurgaon, I’m pretty happy in my Swift K series (with ABS of course)

.

P.S – As I mentioned before, this is my first post, so as per the forum’s rules, my posts will be reviewed before it’s posted, which means my replies might be a bit delayed! Also, no pics because the install was done, as per my request to look as unobtrusive as possible, since due to my profession, I end up parking my car in places where a different kind of ICE enthusiast cloud deiced to do a bit of 'un-installation' of his own..

Pr_007 · 29th September 2010, 08:23

@Lone Ranger, that was really a very good write up buddy. Congrats on your new ICE setup.

I really liked what you said below and it is 100% true. But nobody here in T-Bhp follows it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lone Ranger

Hey guys!
do remember that at the end of the day, the right ICE setup is the one you decide is right, forget the brands, forget the reviews and forget everything else. And once you buy, sit back, turn the volume up and enjoy what you’ve bought with your hard earned money! Like the proverbial fork in the road, there will always be different routes you could’ve taken, and different places you could’ve been at, but what really matters is the here and the now. Here’s an anology, I’d love to have a Porshe Boxster S as my daily ride, but every time I hit a pothole @ 60 kmph in Gurgaon, I’m pretty happy in my Swift K series (with ABS of course)

.

Very well said and a good write up indeed.

Safe driving

Visaster · 29th September 2010, 09:47

That's a good write up for a start. Way to go. sure did justice to making this cocktail :-). I can understand the high in you at this point of time. I still can not forget the first time my ICE started playing once the setup was done.
Its true you gotta research thoroughly before you invest in something. The guy who fits the Ice makes the difference from there.
Enjoy the drive

roadie_swift · 29th September 2010, 10:29

Hey Lone Ranger, congrats on your new ICE, I'm sure with the priceless attitude that you have, you'll enjoy everything in life to the hilt.

Although, I am more intrigued by the career shift that you have made - this is really movie stuff. A suggestion - Why not start a new thread in the Shifting Gears section, just briefly retracing your path to this decision? It could probably spark a few fires, who knows...

Cheers,
R_S

Lone Ranger · 29th September 2010, 10:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pr_007

@Lone Ranger, that was really a very good write up buddy. Congrats on your new ICE setup.

I really liked what you said below and it is 100% true. But nobody here in T-Bhp follows it.

Very well said and a good write up indeed.

Safe driving

@ Pr_007, thanks man! Glad you liked the writeup.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visaster

That's a good write up for a start. Way to go. sure did justice to making this cocktail :-). I can understand the high in you at this point of time. I still can not forget the first time my ICE started playing once the setup was done.
Its true you gotta research thoroughly before you invest in something. The guy who fits the Ice makes the difference from there.
Enjoy the drive

@ Visaster, nothing like your favorite song on your favorite stretch of road eh? Where else can you pretend to be a rockstar, an intrepid explorer and a Finnish Rally driver, all at the same time?

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadie_swift

Hey Lone Ranger, congrats on your new ICE, I'm sure with the priceless attitude that you have, you'll enjoy everything in life to the hilt.

Although, I am more intrigued by the career shift that you have made - this is really movie stuff. A suggestion - Why not start a new thread in the Shifting Gears section, just briefly retracing your path to this decision? It could probably spark a few fires, who knows...

Cheers,
R_S

@ roadie_swift, haha, that's quite a suggestion - now if only there was a section called "shifting gears, without using the clutch"

thelord · 30th September 2010, 21:28

@Lone Ranger
Congrats for an uber-cool setup!
The Kenwood X7016 is easily the most VFM HU out there right now. Time Alignment is tough to configure though. Search for X7016 TA on t-bhp and you'll get a few posts on how to configure TA.

Can you share the prices of the equipment if you don't mind? I've heard good things about the Rainbow Hammer subwoofer. What size box are you using and what's your verdict on the SQ?

And yes, Rainbow Titans are good components for the price, a bit lively because of the metal dome tweeter but detailed nonetheless. Give them a couple of weeks and you'll be pleasantly surprised with the increase in mid-bass.

Cheers bro. Enjoy the music!

Lone Ranger · 1st October 2010, 10:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by thelord

@Lone Ranger
Congrats for an uber-cool setup!
The Kenwood X7016 is easily the most VFM HU out there right now. Time Alignment is tough to configure though. Search for X7016 TA on t-bhp and you'll get a few posts on how to configure TA.

Can you share the prices of the equipment if you don't mind? I've heard good things about the Rainbow Hammer subwoofer. What size box are you using and what's your verdict on the SQ?

And yes, Rainbow Titans are good components for the price, a bit lively because of the metal dome tweeter but detailed nonetheless. Give them a couple of weeks and you'll be pleasantly surprised with the increase in mid-bass.

Cheers bro. Enjoy the music!

@ the lord (haha it feels funny saying that!), you're right, the Kenny's features are amazing, though I'll be honest with you - I took one look at the advanced settings and ran for cover

Gunbir did all the tuning, and in fact TA is currently turned off in my system since it sounded great without fiddling with it!
The HU cost me 13,300 Rs, the Titans 8200 Rs, the Audison 16,000 Rs, the hammer 12,240 Rs without the box - the box cost another 1800 rs. I like the hammer's sound a lot, though I must also mention that I turn it way down, and it's been configured to sound tight. I'm not too fond of the whole car joining in on the fun while the sub is doing its thing

And you're right, I got to give the system some time to settle in - will do a bit of damping post that.

I can't remember the exact dimensions of the box - will help if I send you a pic?

Gilead · 1st October 2010, 10:56

Congrats on your set up. I bet it rocks.

TA is extremely easy to configure once you have understood the basics. Assuming the mid bass and tweeter is in the stock location of the Swift, just set the delay on the front right to 14 inches. Delay on all other channels should be set to zero. That's it. The image will center around the driver. Try it and see. You will never switch the TA off again.

I have the 7013, the predecessor of the 7016 and these HUs have superb SQ. Enjoy the music.

whizzkid_ram · 1st October 2010, 12:06

Congrats on your setup bro. Could you share the price breakup.

Lone Ranger · 1st October 2010, 13:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilead

Congrats on your set up. I bet it rocks.

TA is extremely easy to configure once you have understood the basics. Assuming the mid bass and tweeter is in the stock location of the Swift, just set the delay on the front right to 14 inches. Delay on all other channels should be set to zero. That's it. The image will center around the driver. Try it and see. You will never switch the TA off again.

I have the 7013, the predecessor of the 7016 and these HUs have superb SQ. Enjoy the music.

@ gilead, hey thanks for the tip! I'm reading up on TA right now, so once I feel I'll pass the theory, I'll give the practicals a shot

Quote:

Originally Posted by whizzkid_ram

Congrats on your setup bro. Could you share the price breakup.

@ whizzkid_ram, just scroll up a bit bro

bharti22shresth · 4th October 2010, 21:00

Congrats Lone Ranger

Those titans are probably the best that much money can buy. As thelord said, they'll only get better.

But I'll have to ask for one thing though. PICS PICS PICS!

An ICE thread without during install and post install pics just ain't fun.

e-katz · 22nd June 2011, 17:49

Sorry about bumping an old thread

Can you share the model of the audison?

28th September 2010, 23:14	#1
Lone Ranger BHPian Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 139 Thanked: 393 Times	My swift ICE'ed, and Floyd has never sounded better! Hey guys! While I’ve been a member of the forum for a while, this is my first post on the forum. So I guess this is going to be a weird cocktail (or mocktail, for the teetotallers among us) of an intro, my (humble) opinion about this awesome site (oops, that’s a bit of a giveaway!), and my experience in getting ICE’ed in Delhi! About me: I’ve recently moved to Delhi, after two years in the Middle East. In my previous avatar, I used to be with an IT company, in the business development (sales, if you want to deglamourize it) role. I’m now a professional photographer, following a decade old passion. Before anyone asks, I took this decision before the “Three Idiots” movie was released. Co-incidentally though, I do have two partners in this company! About Team BHP: Like I said, I’ve been a dedicated lurker in the forums for some time! I love anything automotive, but I’ve never posted either because I was simply overawed by the knowledge some of the members have, or because I was hesitant to participate in the passionate ‘free for alls” that topics as mundane as “should I buy a Maruti or Hyundai” seem to generate. It’s a great place to be for a guy who still treasures his 150+ hotwheels and Bburago car collection equally Finally, getting down to business-my ICE install! While I was abroad, I’d done pretty much an exhaustive research of installers in Delhi who are averse to the popular “slam, bam, thank you ma’am” approach to ICE installation. Since I’ve spent most of my life my otherwise wonderful country, I’ve had first hand experience in “paisa dho, out you go” attitude to service (not restricted to ICE installers of course). Whether you’re buying a 10 Rs mobile recharge card or a 10 lakh rupee car, I guess most of you would agree that this attitude could do with a bit of either that “india shining” or the newer “Be proud to be Indian” campaigns! Here’s the silver lining – after the above mentioned research, I’d decided I get my stuff done at “Driven”, a favourite among BHP-ians. I managed to get there today, despite insistences from my Satguide enabled Garmin GPS that I “turn left immediately ” while I right atop a flyover. I have strong suspicions that I’ve been had, and I’ve been sold a second hand GPS that was previous used by James Bond, for whom these kind of stunts are all part a day’s work, especially if Aston Martin and BMW are on your friends list on Facebook ! That’s being said, the GPS did get me to Driven – I’m still in the process of figuring out Delhi’s roads. Here are the main components of the system that I put together with Rana and the boys (the guys at Driven) HU: Kenwood – KDC X7016 Front components: Rainbow SLG Titans 6.5” Amp: Audison 4 channel (360 W) Sub: Rainbow Hammer And here’s why it was special – there were numerous instances when these guys could have easily added a few extra items to the bill, but they didn’t, though I was upfront right from the beginning that I was open to their inputs. In addition, small gestures like Rana offering me lunch, then running about to follow up as why the sandwiches were taking so long ( even though I didn’t really have a problem with the delay, I was too absorbed in the installation!), and then actually serving me the food! Damn, I’ve done a fair few high value transactions in my time, but I’ve never experienced a store manager waiting for my sandwiches to arrive so that he could eat his own nicely packed “ghar ka khanna” with me, all the while refilling my glass of Pepsi ( don’t drink carbonated drinks as a general rule, but I really didn’t feel like telling him about it). Maybe it’s just me, but the little things matter – in today’s competitive world, everybody is a businessman, and that’s the way it is. But it really is the small gestures that stick with you. And the icing on the cake – Gunbir happened to come by as my installation was more or less complete. He then proceeds to spend about 30 minutes in my car, tuning my setup with his own personal collection, prodding away at the Alpine HU in settings that I would’ve never had the guts to mess with, and getting out to fiddle with the Audison amp advanced settings, duly armed with screwdriver in hand. Mind you, this was after my install, where I was due to pay the bill and shove off. This Mr. Gunbir then takes the trouble to sit down in the passenger seat, fiddle about with settings that would have made an IIT grad nervous, give me advise on the best way to get bit rate conversion and make my system sound twice as good as it had before he stepped in. All in all, a lovely experience! Finally to end, guys, here’s my two cents worth on getting your ride ICE’ed – do your research before you buy (including the installer), audition the choices you’ve narrowed down to, and do remember that at the end of the day, the right ICE setup is the one you decide is right, forget the brands, forget the reviews and forget everything else. And once you buy, sit back, turn the volume up and enjoy what you’ve bought with your hard earned money! Like the proverbial fork in the road, there will always be different routes you could’ve taken, and different places you could’ve been at, but what really matters is the here and the now. Here’s an anology, I’d love to have a Porshe Boxster S as my daily ride, but every time I hit a pothole @ 60 kmph in Gurgaon, I’m pretty happy in my Swift K series (with ABS of course) . P.S – As I mentioned before, this is my first post, so as per the forum’s rules, my posts will be reviewed before it’s posted, which means my replies might be a bit delayed! Also, no pics because the install was done, as per my request to look as unobtrusive as possible, since due to my profession, I end up parking my car in places where a different kind of ICE enthusiast cloud deiced to do a bit of 'un-installation' of his own..
	() Thanks

29th September 2010, 09:47	#3
Visaster BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 605 Thanked: 261 Times	That's a good write up for a start. Way to go. sure did justice to making this cocktail :-). I can understand the high in you at this point of time. I still can not forget the first time my ICE started playing once the setup was done. Its true you gotta research thoroughly before you invest in something. The guy who fits the Ice makes the difference from there. Enjoy the drive
	() Thanks

29th September 2010, 10:29	#4
roadie_swift BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 178 Thanked: 140 Times	Hey Lone Ranger, congrats on your new ICE, I'm sure with the priceless attitude that you have, you'll enjoy everything in life to the hilt. Although, I am more intrigued by the career shift that you have made - this is really movie stuff. A suggestion - Why not start a new thread in the Shifting Gears section, just briefly retracing your path to this decision? It could probably spark a few fires, who knows... Cheers, R_S
	(1) Thanks

30th September 2010, 21:28	#6
thelord BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 278 Thanked: 5 Times	@Lone Ranger Congrats for an uber-cool setup! The Kenwood X7016 is easily the most VFM HU out there right now. Time Alignment is tough to configure though. Search for X7016 TA on t-bhp and you'll get a few posts on how to configure TA. Can you share the prices of the equipment if you don't mind? I've heard good things about the Rainbow Hammer subwoofer. What size box are you using and what's your verdict on the SQ? And yes, Rainbow Titans are good components for the price, a bit lively because of the metal dome tweeter but detailed nonetheless. Give them a couple of weeks and you'll be pleasantly surprised with the increase in mid-bass. Cheers bro. Enjoy the music!
	() Thanks

1st October 2010, 10:56	#8
Gilead Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,142 Thanked: 60 Times	Congrats on your set up. I bet it rocks. TA is extremely easy to configure once you have understood the basics. Assuming the mid bass and tweeter is in the stock location of the Swift, just set the delay on the front right to 14 inches. Delay on all other channels should be set to zero. That's it. The image will center around the driver. Try it and see. You will never switch the TA off again. I have the 7013, the predecessor of the 7016 and these HUs have superb SQ. Enjoy the music.
	() Thanks

1st October 2010, 12:06	#9
whizzkid_ram BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 168 Thanked: 7 Times	Congrats on your setup bro. Could you share the price breakup.
	() Thanks

4th October 2010, 21:00	#11
bharti22shresth BANNED Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: panchkula Posts: 362 Thanked: Once Infractions: 0/1 (10)	Congrats Lone Ranger Those titans are probably the best that much money can buy. As thelord said, they'll only get better. But I'll have to ask for one thing though. PICS PICS PICS! An ICE thread without during install and post install pics just ain't fun.
	() Thanks

22nd June 2011, 17:49	#12
e-katz BHPian Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 138 Thanked: 19 Times	Re: My swift ICE'ed, and Floyd has never sounded better! Sorry about bumping an old thread Can you share the model of the audison?
	() Thanks