[fiat_tarun]

Requesting advice from all ICE gurus. I have just booked a Nov 2004 Zen from Maruti True Value and the car is in the process of being done up before they deliver it to me. The car has the stock Kenwood cassette payer !

I am a complete noob when it comes to car audio, so please suggest a good setup for 15k max. I will be driving alone 85% of the time, so from what i gather reading through few threads here, components in the front seems to be what most people suggest.

Please advice on the complete setup, and suggestions on the place to get it done in Pune.

[fiat_tarun]

Wow.. Gurus, some advice . Not even a single reply :-(

How good is the Pionner DEH-P5190UB and how much is it likely to cost. Are there any better alternatives?

What speaker setup is suggested, and will the Zen's doors accommodate them, or will there be some cutting to be done ?

[EARTHed]

OT: Some high end stuff pics of a Zen.

[navin]

Earthed, whose car is that?

[EARTHed]

My Bother's Zen. Recently done up with Ferrari red paint color.

ICE done at Koramangala.

[fiat_tarun]

The side profile of that Zen is awesome. The alloys look really cool.

[underground1419]

may I ask, where in koramangala? kora has many ICE shops.

[DerAlte]

Not many in Koramangala that do FG work this way. This is most likely Anwar (don't know the name of his shop) or (less likely) Thouqeer (Auto Fusion near Kora Club) or Sachin (Autoshop in the lane behind Bosch).

[fiat_tarun]

How good is this setup and are the prices quoted ok?
Pioneer DEH-2290UB --- 6k
JBL GTO508C's for the front. --- 4.5k
The maruti kenwood stock cassette player has some kenwood speakers at the back. I'm thinking of retaining them and keep them at an ultra low volume just for the surround effect.

And i'm guessing the GTO508 will not fit on the Zen's doors. Is it advisable to cut and if not what other options do i have?

Lastly, how good is this carax place in Pune ? The prices quoted here are from an accessories guy near my house. Can installation of this setup be done at a small accessory shops, or should i get it done from a place like carax?
Please reply guys...

[montyguru]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

How good is this setup and are the prices quoted ok?
Pioneer DEH-2290UB --- 6k
JBL GTO508C's for the front. --- 4.5k
The maruti kenwood stock cassette player has some kenwood speakers at the back. I'm thinking of retaining them and keep them at an ultra low volume just for the surround effect.

And i'm guessing the GTO508 will not fit on the Zen's doors. Is it advisable to cut and if not what other options do i have?

Lastly, how good is this carax place in Pune ? The prices quoted here are from an accessories guy near my house. Can installation of this setup be done at a small accessory shops, or should i get it done from a place like carax?
Please reply guys...

the 508 are fairly priced. zen i think takes 5" in stock location in door, however you can go for 6.5" component for more mid bass in which case some cutting of metal will be required. there are lot of pics on this forum on zen and indica that show how this is done. just search.

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by montyguru

the 508 are fairly priced. zen i think takes 5" in stock location in door, however you can go for 6.5" component for more mid bass in which case some cutting of metal will be required. there are lot of pics on this forum on zen and indica that show how this is done. just search.

Thanks montyguru. I was not too keen on cutting the door, so have installed the following setup;

Pioneer 2290UB
JBL GT5-S265C

I have retained the stock kenwood round speakers at the rear and have kept them at a very low volume.. It sounds pretty good (to me atleast..!)

[shamik.bose]

I'm posting this on behalf of a friend. Didn't find a similar thread, or atleast one that has current prices in it, so created a new thread. Hope that's cool.
Coming to the heart of the matter, a friend inherited his dad's Zen. He wants a decent ICE setup in the car. Conditions:
1. Budget: <=10k
2. No cutting of doors to install speakers.
3. Amp/Subwoofer optional
4. Needs to have AUX, USB, FM. CD/DVD player isn't a priority.

Some help from the gurus would be much appreciated.

[swarnava.m]

A situation very similar to what I was in 6 months back. I will share my thoughts which are based primarily on my own experiences. Hope they help you.

HU: Pioneer MVH1490UB or JBL GT-X333. Pioneer is probably cheaper, and more reliable. Saying this from personal experience (a friend has the JBL, and I have the Pioneer, and can vouch for its SQ at this price range), and also the thread on the JBL where many people have posted about problematic experiences.
However, the JBL has 3 RCA-outs compared to the Pioneer which has only 1. Hence, while installing additional amps, the JBL has a distinct advantage. In case of the Pioneer, one would have to use line-converters or RCA y-splits.

Both of these should cost around 4k, or a little less.

There is also JVC KD-X40, which is priced higher, but it should be worth the price. It has 2 RCA outs. Sorry, no experience with this one.

All 3 HUs mentioned above are USB & Aux only, no CD/DVD.

Coming to speakers, I don't exactly know the interior layout of the zen. Since you are saying he has inherited it from his dad, I am assuming it is from the early 2000s. In that case, it is probably similar to my Alto from the same period. This means it has no scope in either front or rear doors for speakers, so door installs are out of the question.

For the front, there is probably provision in the dash for 4" speakers (mine has), and for this I would recommend JBL CS4 speakers. Costs around 1.5k for the pair, and quite good for the price. As far as I know, your choices in this are limited, and at this level, you can't really go wrong with a JBL.

This comes to around 5.5k, and hence you are left with 4.5k for the rear speakers. I don't think you can account for a sub/amp in a budget of 10k. I am currently looking at adding an entry level sub and a 2-channel amp to my setup, and with wiring etc., this alone is costing close to 10k.

Thus, you can audition a few speakers for the rear. Co-axial stricly, as components will not fit the budget. I did not upgrade the rear speakers, hence not very sure about what brands to suggest. However, I guess you can look at entry level speakers from sony xplod, jbl, rockford fosgate, pioneer. Ask your car accessories guy, he should be able to advice you properly on these. Do audition the speakers before you make a choice.

Finally, the question of how to install the rear speakers. There are two options.
1. Install a rear parcel tray. Should cost between 500-1000, and the speakers can be mounted on them.
Advantage: Boot space is not compromised.
Disadvantage: Not a lot of bass.
2. Install the speakers into MDF enclosures. These will sit in the boot. There are again 2 options here. Sealed and ported boxes. Sealed boxes will give more crisp and clear sound. Ported boxes might compromise a little on SQ, but provide better bass response.
Advantages & Disadvantages: Exactly opposite of those of parcel tray. Compromise on boot space, better bass.

The above setup might be stretching the budget by 500-1000. See where you can reduce costs. Also, these prices are not exactly recent. They might have come down now.

Sorry if I missed out anything, but at the moment this is all I can remember. Will add stuff if I recollect.

In case of any questions, feel free to ask.
Cheers!

[Farukh]

This is just something I was searching for since yesterday. I drive a Santro Xing GLS (2012). It came with the stock Hyundai HU and the stock speakers - 2 in dash and 2 in rear. Although I am pretty much ok with the current setup but there is an itch for that 'BOOM-BOOM' effect.

My budget is the same as Shamik. I take my car out only on weekends. Not worried about CD/DVDs. A USB and AUX in is more than enough for me. Few questions I have are -
1) I am ok with the cutting of doors to install speakers. Wonder if it can be done in a Santro. Voids warranty of anything?
2) My boot is half occupied with the spare tyre. LPG tank in the place of actual spare tyre space. Can not compromise with the whatever space I am left with.
3) What do I do with the existing HU and speakers? A waste?

[motomaverick]

Originally Posted by swarnava.m

Finally, the question of how to install the rear speakers. There are two options.
1. Install a rear parcel tray. Should cost between 500-1000, and the speakers can be mounted on them.
Advantage: Boot space is not compromised.
Disadvantage: Not a lot of bass.
2. Install the speakers into MDF enclosures. These will sit in the boot. There are again 2 options here. Sealed and ported boxes. Sealed boxes will give more crisp and clear sound. Ported boxes might compromise a little on SQ, but provide better bass response.
Advantages & Disadvantages: Exactly opposite of those of parcel tray. Compromise on boot space, better bass.

I had a Zen Mpfi 2004 model earlier. The setup I had was components up front along with a 6x9 on a mdf removable board. A JBL GTO 949 6x9 used to give good bass because the Zen boot is small and with a tight fitting mdf board the entire boot acted as a bass box.

Not sure if you get 949 still but you can check for the latest ones. For the front you will have to stick to 4" speakers as your friend is not going to cut the door pads. Together with these two speakers it can be easily driven with the Pioneer HU, yes high volume clarity will go down but I don't think you will always play music loud unless you want to show off.