[low_bass_makker]

reduce the gains on the amp as the normal should be 25 and because of this there can be hiss in the system....

[gk78]

Hello Everyone! I joined this forum recently after coming across it while looking for advice on car audio systems. Even though this is my first post, I have been going through various discussions and posts on this forum.

I have bought a car recently (Maruti Swift Vxi) - the first one with my own money :-). I am also seeking advice from you Gurus on which audio system to go for?

My room mate has a Sony audio system installed in his car (Maruti Swift again), and he has got spider brand speakers installed on side doors and the rear tray. Besides this, he has also got tweeters installed in the front (on the dashboard corners). My first question is related with the speakers - Can you let me know how good these Spider speakers are?

My second question is what is confusing me more. I am planning to get an audio set up very soon, but am confused. Most of the posts that I have read recommend Pioneer 7950 HU. I have, however, been speaking with a couple of people, and everyone is very gung-ho about Blaupunkt. But everyone is in unison when it comes to Sony head units - no one seems to like it. And this is true on this forum too - there are not many takers. To cut the faff, I want to know if Pio 7950 is better than Blaupunkt head units, or should I go for Blau only. My total audio system budget is within 30k.

Also, I read about Pio 7950 and JBL combo in one of the recent posts. Would it be possible to know from you guys what combination works with Blaupunkt head unit (in case you recommend Blau over Pioneer). I would appreciate if you can also let me know how big a hole this creates in my pocket.

These questions might be cliched but I could not find the answer to this particular question. I hope that you will guide me in the right direction.

Thanks...

[Sam Kapasi]

Hello gk and welcome to Team-BHP. More imprtantly welcome to our little island on Team-BHP.

I do not know of any brand called Spider, but i do know of one brand that has a spider for a logo, Soundstream. Used to be a fantastic brand, but their product are not so good now.

Choosing between a Blaupunkt and Pioneer Deck - I wouldn;t say there was a BETTER HU between the two, but when it comes to User friendliness and features (For the money) I think Pioneer is ahead. Not that blaupunkt makes bad HUs, no. But in today's contexts, I'd recommend that 7950.

[vikram_d]

Anybody got any ideas about the 75.4 I mentioned in my previous post. Where in a swift can I fit one?

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by vikram_d

Anybody got any ideas about the 75.4 I mentioned in my previous post. Where in a swift can I fit one?

I think, on the back of the back seat.

[Wimwian]

Help plzzz... I got the following setup installed yesterday:-
Pio 6950, JBL GTO607c (F), JBL GTO637 (R), JBL CS60.4

Unfortunately, the system sounds very bright... if I try to increase the bass and reduce the treble from the HU, it kills off voice clarity completely. I believe part of the problem can be attributed to a badly tuned amp and (maybe) incorrect speaker connnections... I have no idea how to tune the amp, can somebody pls educate me in noob-speak? also, how do I check whether the polarity of the speakers have been correctly connected? Any other suggestions for increasing the bass without killing vocals? Had kept my sub upgrade for later and would really like to keep it that way... so couple of beers coming ur way if u help me save that money right now

Tia

[navin]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

...but when it comes to User friendliness and features (For the money) I think Pioneer is ahead. Not that blaupunkt makes bad HUs, no. But in today's contexts, I'd recommend that 7950.

See Sam prefers the Pio and I prefer the Blau. I would suggest you listen and play with both. My guess is that maybe the Blau sounds smoother but the Pio is easier to use. Then again the Pio's dynamics are what you might prefer. Besides I have had personal issues with PIo's India stragey adn them trying to short change teh Indian customer, while Blau is backed by what may probably be the best A.S.S in the business.

[navin]

Originally Posted by Wimwian

Help plzzz... I got the following setup installed yesterday:-
Pio 6950, JBL GTO607c (F), JBL GTO637 (R), JBL CS60.4

Unfortunately, the system sounds very bright... if I try to increase the bass and reduce the treble from the HU

1. set treble to flat.
2. then increae the midbass levels (controls int he range of 150Hz to 500hz) to see if it adds some "meat" to the vocals
3. then only raise bass levels

I do not know the controls of the 6950 so cant help with more details.

Amp levels should be about 70% of total.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by Wimwian

how do I check whether the polarity of the speakers have been correctly connected?

Hiya Wim,

I was going to tell you that there's a 99% chance that your speakers are out of phase. Here's an easy test.

1) Set fader to Rear complete.
2) Go to balance control and quickly move to left completely, then back to centre 0 and then to right completely.

If you can clearly hear more bass either on the complete L or on the complete R, more bass than when on C0. Your speakers are out of phase.
A similar test can be conducted on the front, but it is slightly more difficult. At the end of it all, you can still have your front speakers out of phase with your rear.

Best method, go to another installer, ask him to trace the wires from 60.4 to all 4 speakers. Just make sure +ve is connected to +ve in all 4 cases and then you should have bass.

[navin]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Best method, go to another installer, ask him to trace the wires from 60.4 to all 4 speakers. Just make sure +ve is connected to +ve in all 4 cases and then you should have bass.

I use the battery test for woofers (for tweeters I would prefer to use colour coded wire).

[Wimwian]

Originally Posted by navin

I use the battery test for woofers (for tweeters I would prefer to use colour coded wire).

As always, many thanks guys... will check out the polarity asap. Is there a possibility of the speakers going bust if I keep playing them out of phase for a few days?

What's a battery test Navin?

[low_bass_makker]

no they will not go bust unless you play them loud to compensate the bass requirement...but if the speakers are in out of phase they will sound very odd and they will rattle the body more than producing the real sound

[Thad E Ginathom]

Newbie on the board! Newbie in this thread! Newbie to a Swift!

Maybe I have a liking for German manufacture, I don't know, I remember being happy with a Blaupunkt unit in a VW Golf quite some years ago.

I've been looking at their range. I've read Bremen MP74 described as best-in-the-world, but hey, 40,000!!!!???? Errr, no.

The Memphis MP66 seems to differ only from the St Louis MP56 in having a fancier display. 25,750 against 17,250.

So I'm pretty much, unless anybody tells me I'm making a Big mistake here, thinking of the MP56.

The prices, by the way, are as per the Maruthi dealer I got the car from.

Blaupunkt speakers? And if so, as the car will almost always have only one or two of us in the car --- is it sufficient just to have speakers in the front?

Two important factors. First, my taste in music: Not to hard to guess from my user name that it is mostly carnatic classical! It's nice to be able to hear the left-hand side of the mridangam, but no thumping bass required

The second important factor is my hearing deficiency (please type loud and clearly...) My hearing is lacking and getting worse daily in upper frequencies. I need nice, clear treble, and definitely not coarse treble and, strangely, I do not need high volume.

Like I said, I've been talking to the guus at the Maruthi dealers so far. The only other Chennai places that I know are a shop (can't think of the name) in Abhiramapuram, that I used to live just near (didn't seam particularly well informed) or the dozens of shops GP Road --- and didn't I read that shopping there is like Burma Bazaar? You need contacts and good knowledge or forget it?

[Sam Kapasi]

Welcome to the forum! Welcome to this eccentic section!!! Welcome to the swift( No wait, I can't welcome you to your own car)

You like Blaupunkt and zat is wunderbar! Good brand to like, almost all products are good sounding. Often a bit plain looking, as the germans have never led the pack in electronics, as far as cosmetics are concerned.
I mean, Blaupunkt was deciding what colour to make the source button, when pioneer was deciding if the dancing dolphin in their display should have a pronounced dorsal fin.


But Blaupunkt make nice sounding, reliable car audio stuff so I don't see anyone telling you that the St. Louis is a mistake. And if you like blaupunkt speakers, go for them. The swift can accomodate 6" speakers in each door.
If you dont listen to music very loud, and it's just the two of you, just get a pair of 6" component speakers. You will get 2 mid-bass speakers and 2 tweeters, with a crossover, all in the box.

That's all you need, but if you like, you can get another pair of 6" co-axial speakers in the rear door.

And it's OK to buy from the dealer as Blaupunkt are sold officially only, no grey market, no burma rangoon or any other bazaar. That's mostly reserved for Pioneer.

Cheers
Sam

[hydrashok]

Hiyah, Thad! Welcome to the ICE section

Blau is overpriced in India for some reason. They make great HUs. I still am a fan of the Blau units. The problem is in the pricing. Getting a Blau from outside India makes a lot of sense. The same unit (the St.Louis) apparently costs about 40% less outside India.

I'd checked the St.Louis a while back and it was a good sounding unit with a lot of features (incl. USB and a card-reader, I think).

And Blau has a killer service network. I took my (Blau) HU for a cleanup service a week back, and the service guy gave it back to me in 5 minutes flat. And he didn't charge me anything. (I'd bought the HU 3 years back, with a 1 year warranty.) This is after he wistfully said, shaking his head (almost with a tear in his eye), that my old all-Blau setup has now been reduced to a Blau HU-&-CD-changer-only setup since I visited him last.

Ok, down to business, what's the budget?

I like Alpine HUs a lot nowadays, and if you have a budget of 15K to 20K for the HU, I'd suggest the Alpine 9843 or the 9856. Great, sweet-sounding HUs with all the functions you'll need.

For the speakers, try the JBL GTO607c (6.5" comps, Rs.6.5K) in front and GTO937s (6x9" coaxials, Rs.5K) in the back, installed in an MDF parcel tray (about 0.7K).

Since you don't need high volumes, you really don't need an amp. Unless you also want pretty good (mid)bass also at low volumes. If so, get the new GTO4050 limited edition 4-ch amp (11K) and drive the speakers.

DON'T buy from your Maruti dealer. He will not give you a discount and will probably charge a cutthroat price. And probably do a shoddy install. Check the prices outside and compare before you commit.