[Parth46]

Hi Folks,

I have a Grand i10 Asta (o) and the car came with the OE music system which leaves a lot to be desired. The SQ is strictly average, and there is hardly any bass to speak of. The rear speakers are almost non-existent as well.

I request the help of the gurus in upgrading my system. I just want to upgrade to better quality front speakers without too many changes to the existing setup and without an HU change, which might lead to warranty issues.

Requirement from the new front speakers would be better sound quality and definitely strong, clear bass as I'm a rock fan. Can also plan to move current front setup to the rear as well.

Please help me out, thanks in advance for your inputs.

Regards,
Parth

[saurabh0110]

Hey parth

since you do not want to fiddle a lot with your ICE and just want to change your speakers, you can retain the existing HU and change your OE speakers.

I too have a grand i10 sports and I have upgraded my speakers to infinity coaxials

(http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Refer.../dp/B002C8AFEE)

I got 2 pairs for Rs. 3K each and installed them on all 4 doors and changed the speaker cable to a better one. The sound quality is very good and its louder then before.

However since you are looking for more bass i would recommend you to go for front components and if you have a slightly good budget and are looking for quality bass then go for the following

1) Digital Designs CS 6.5 (front Components)
2) Digital Designs CX 6.5 (Rear Coaxials)

DD is known for its quality bass but the head unit would not do justice to the speakers so you might think of adding an amplifier later.

If you are a little tight on budget but still you might consider adding an amp in the future then try

1) Morel Maximo Components (Front)
2) Morel Maximo Coax (Rear)

If you still think after reading all this that you just want to upgrade your speakers with no possibility of adding an amplifier later then might consider brands like

1) Rockford Fosgate Prime (Basic range)
2) Hertz Dieci DSK 165
3) Infinity Reference
4) JBL Basic components

If you are going for the basic range and do not wish to add an amp then you can even get components for rear. That will help improve the soundstage and components provide more bass compared to coaxials.

With 2 set of components the overall investment will be less, no need to fiddle with the cars electrical system, no need for amp or sub, good bass and quality sound, no need for damping and a system that meets your requirement with no hassles.

Remember to use good quality MDF rings for a better fitting that will last you long and make sure the tweeters are placed near the A pillar facing you and use good quality 16 or 18 Gauge wire and of course Happy Iceing

[DerAlte]

The simplest upgrade for you will be the following:

1. A good pair of 6.5" components in front. The midbass will go in the door, and the tweeter on the sail panel (where the ORVM is mounted). Face the right tweeter at the left headrest, and vice-versa. A pair of components will cost you 4.5K onwards - @saurabh0110 has already listed some brands. This is expected to be a drop in replacement (no wire changes if you are not adding an amp). At most the installer may have to use MDF spacers so that the speaker magnet doesn't touch the window glass. Components produce a far better sound stage - the audio image where you can distinguish instrument and voice locations - than coaxials

2. A good set of oval 6x9 coaxials on the parcel shelf. Neither your existing fronts nor any round coaxials can pound-for-pound match a 6x9 in bass reproduction. Get one that has tight bass, even if less louder than competing brands/models. Pioneer will be on the slightly loose bass side, Infinity Reference etc. will be tighter

Don't buy blindly without listening, or just because people are talking volumes about a particular brand / model. Your ears (and what is in between) are the best judge. Carry your own music on a pendrive, and audition the speakers at any dealer. Make sure all tone controls are at 0, and Loudness etc. are at 0. If a dealer doesn't want to give an audition, move on - a good dealer will always give an audition.

[Parth46]

Thanks much for the guidance folks. - here's the plan :

A couple of good components up front as well as rear, since I don't really want to add an extra amp or sub, as well as not mess too much with the car's electrical system.

Will certainly audition at a good dealer with my own music, I have a specific pen-drive just for this purpose, which includes an assortment of Metallica, GNR, Linkin Park etc. I just want Unforgiven and Unforgiven 2 as well as my other metal collection to sound awesome in my car

Let me do some R&D, try out some combos and will surely keep you guys posted on the final selection and results. Not sure of too many good ICE dealers in Bangalore, can anyone please recommend a known/reliable/trustworthy entity?

Thanks again!

[S2!!!]

I was in the same boat as you. However, I did a bit of tinkering with the sound settings of my OEM system of the Grandi10 and the results are excellent. Since you are not looking at a subwoofer like bass then just change the bass, mid and treble settings, and it might do the trick for you. Sorry if the suggestions sounds silly but it worked for me

[Parth46]

Hi S2,

Thanks for your guidance. I've honestly tried tweaking the OEM bass, treble and even fader settings - you're right, the sound quality does improve by a decent margin but still nowhere close to how I'd like it.

Seems like a front setup upgrade to components is the only option for me, as outlined by Der Alte and Saurabh above. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Thanks.

[agspins]

Hello Folks,

I am about to take delivery of Hyundai Xcent S (O) and the car comes with OE music system which is similar to that of Grand i10, which has nothing much to talk about. SQ is similar to that of Grand i10, no difference at all (so-so).

I would request the gurus to guide me in upgrading the system. In this phase of upgrade, i wish to go in for better speakers, sub and an Amp without changing OE System, Read it as warranty issues and currently non(easy) availability of steering control to aftermarket head unit interface.

My requirements are better sound quality with strong & clear bass. I have something on my mind (pardon my limited knowledge of ICE), which is as following:

Front: Focal Kit 165A1 6.5" Components.
Rear: Focal Kit 165A1SG 6.5"
Amp: Rockford Fosgate Prime R250 4 channel amp
Sub: 12"er with slim enclosure (Focal, Kicker or Similar) read it as space saver.
and an obvious decent wiring kit.
The above setup would set me back by 30-35K.

Please help me out with anything better in similar budget. Thanks in advance for your inputs.

Cheers.

[devilwearsprada]

I would recommend a Gladen Sub if you are looking for good SQ. Also, a 250.4 might just not be sufficient for the focals.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by agspins

... Hyundai Xcent S (O) ... Front: Focal Kit 165A1 ... 30-35K. ...

Check with a couple of other dealers - this doesn't sound VFM for the sound it will put out. There are better speakers and amps available that will cost you totally 10K less at least.

First audition the speakers and sub - and audition with all tone controls flat (dealers tend to pander to most customers' jhin-chak instincts, with artificially boosted settings; it is not necessary your tastes are the same).

'Slim' enclosures usually have a few compromises, and cost more (just because they are rarer than the regular subs - no other reason). All speakers and subs don't sound the same (some definitely terrible), so just going by brand name is a folly. As is the expectation that a higher priced piece of equipment must be better. Choose wisely.

[vezj420]

Looks like I've stumbled upon the right thread! I recently took delivery of an Xcent SX(O). While I love the features and look of the stock HU, the speakers' volume, bass levels and overall SQ leave much to be desired.

I have a fairly good idea of what I need to get done, and would prefer to swap out all speakers at once (with comps in front and coax's in rear) with an amp and sub following at a later stage.

However, if I had to make the above changes in (very) gradual stages, are the following feasible?

1) Replace front speakers with good components and move stock front speakers to rear doors. The OE front speakers are decent enough to act as temporary rear coax's.

2) Add an amp directly without any changes to the stock speakers. Are the grand i10/XCent speakers capable of handling amp'ed inputs?

3) Adding two rear coax's to the parcel tray whilst retaining the stock OE rear door speakers. Is this even recommended to do at all? If an amp had to be added for this kind of setup, do I need a 6-channel amp?

Sorry for the newbie-like questions, but would appreciate if someone could call me out on the above, unconventionally-staged upgrades!

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by vezj420

... However, if I had to make the above changes in (very) gradual stages, are the following feasible? ...

2 and 3 are not right. Go ahead with 1.

[hotstuff]

Originally Posted by Parth46

... I have a Grand i10 Asta .... I just want to upgrade ... without an HU change, which might lead to warranty issues.

I am considering a similar upgrade for my Gi10 and have sorted out most of the fitment plans. However, there is one small niggle that needs to be confirmed before I go ahead with getting everything wired.

Since I am planning on using amplifier(s) for better SQ, how do I get the 'Remote' lead to work for the amps ?

I did search on the web and there are several articles mentioning options for wiring the 'remote' lead to alternative sources if your HU does not have that option / you are retaining the OEM HU. But couldn't find any Hyundai specific pages; and also, most of the articles have 'suggestions', couldn't seem to find someone trying out the suggestions and confirming that everything works.

• Are there any T-bhpians who have succesfully added amp(s) to an OEM HU ?
  
• If yes, how did they get the 'remote' lead to work ?
  
• Does anyone have the wiring diagram / user manual for the i10 Grand OEM HU that shows what are the connectors it has on the rear panel ?

* Not sure if I am searching with the wrong key-words, couldn't find a thread on T-bhp which answers my questions. If there is a thread that I have missed, please point me towards the same.

* For those wondering why all this brouhaha about the 'remote' lead; the 'Remote' lead is a single wire that connects from the amp to HUs (which have that option). This lead will tell the amp to switch on / off in sync with the music system. If the 'remote' lead is not connected, the amp is always on, leading to faster battery drain.

* The lack of RCA outs on the HU is a non-issue. The amps I have come with a high-level input option, so I can connect the speaker outputs directly into the amps.

Ps. There are threads where amps have been added to OEM HUs (See below), but not clear on how the amp wiring (specifically the 'remote' or amp on/off control wiring was done; Hence this post.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sound-...e-upgrade.html

[kingofmyworld]

Originally Posted by hotstuff

I am considering a similar upgrade for my Gi10 and have sorted out most of the fitment plans. However, there is one small niggle that needs to be confirmed before I go ahead with getting everything wired.

Since I am planning on using amplifier(s) for better SQ, how do I get the 'Remote' lead to work for the amps ?

You can take the remote lead from anything that works as soon as you turn on your ignition. Like your cigarette lighter for example.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by hotstuff

... Since I am planning on using amplifier(s) for better SQ, how do I get the 'Remote' lead to work for the amps ? ...

Check your HU pinout. The 'Remote Turn-on' is a signal provided by the HU for both motorized antennas as well as amps. This should be available at the harness adapter.

While you can use the ACC signal or 'Charger' power as signal any time, this will not turn off the Amp if you switch off the HU for any reason while driving.

[vezj420]

so a quick update on my Xcent ICE'ing...

Went in for an eagerly awaited speakers' upgrade today! Decided to go for replacing both fronts and rears together, instead of staggering it out. With a budget of around Rs. 15k, here's what I got at EVO Bangalore:

a) Focal LSS Integration 165 components (6.5" speaker, conical-type tweeter, no external crossovers) - Rs. 8,500/-

b) Auditor 6x9's (200W peak, 80W nom.) in rear parcel tray - Rs. 5,000/-

Installation, wiring, custom parcel tray work and front door damping was Rs. 2k to bring the total to Rs. 15.5k. Regarding the parcel tray work - I realized that the bottom of the parcel tray is a metal plate which would have to be cut to accommodate the 6x9s. Got it done after calling Hyundai to make sure that no warranty would be voided.

Very decent setup if I do say so myself for the price. I was initially disappointed with the bass response of the 6x9s and the over-treble of the Focals when I went to collect my car at the workshop. However, with a bit of tuning from the EVO proprietor, the setup started sounding great! The Focals really do bring out all the instruments and soundstage while the Auditors provide a lot more bass (and volume) than the stock speakers.

It's still sad to note, however, that the stock HU needs to be pushed to a 30+ volume level to bring out the life in these eager speakers. Perhaps an amp or HU upgrade is in order in the future...

Will try and post the WIP and finished pics I took over in the Sound off forum!