[Dr.Naren]

I had no plans for ICE Upgrade in Baleno. The ICE itch began when I started using the car after a long gap. Thanks to the Gladen upgrade in S-Cross, I found the music below average in my Baleno.

It's the same old story all over again, initial plan was only to damp the doors and upgrade the speakers. I wanted to implement the upgrade in stages...But it just didn't happen

I hardly drive with rear passengers and only the front sound stage is important.

Front Components + Subwoofer + 4 Channel Amplifier + Front doors damping was the final decision.

I am happy with the Gladens in my S-Cross, just wanted to try something different. I considered various speakers in the range of 10-30k and shortlisted 3 of them.

1. Blam Relax 165 RS
2. Rainbow Dreamline dl-c6.2
3. Morel Tempo 6

I had a lengthy conversation with Mr. Muneem regarding the above speakers. The summary was

Blam: Soothing bright
Rainbow: Neutral / Natural
Morel: Warm

I had a budget of less than 60k for the entire setup. Muneem suggested Morel Tempo only if I go with a powerful AMP delivering at least 100WRMS per channel. The other two would work well with basic ones delivering 60WRMS. He also told me that Rainbows and Gladens would sound similar (neutral) and I could try something different this time (Morel or Blam). Blam Relax 165 was slightly expensive but I could get a cheaper AMP and these speakers are rated at 2 Ohms too. Morel was the favorite in our S-Cross group and I read only positive reviews about them on the forum too. So, Tempo 6 it is!!!

Thanks to my fixed budget, I was not in a position to get very expensive amp and sub. Pioneer GM-D8704 was finalized. It's a compact Class D Amp delivering 100WRMS per channel at 4 ohms and 300WRMS in bridged mode. I was little concerned about the whine reported in Class D amplifiers, decided to try my luck on that.

I wanted to go with a 10 Inch sub like in my S-Cross. Gladen M Line 10 was added to the list. I am happy with it in S-Cross and it's not very expensive too, serves my purpose.

Final Setup:

1. Stock HU (I found out it's a very decent one, more on it later)
2. Morel Tempo 6 front components
3. Stock rear speakers
4. Gladen M line 10 subwoofer
5. Pioneer GM-D8704 amplifier
6. Front doors damping (Brazo)

This was well within my budget of 60k

[Dr.Naren]

Installation at Galaxy Kochi:

Muneem was ready to send all the parts and I could get them installed locally. But, I didn't want to take a risk and trust the professional job done by Galaxy. The driver in me was all excited for the 1000 km drive and the audiophile was only concerned about the return trip after audio upgrade

I drove to Kochi from Manipal for the upgrade. The installation was started at 11 30 in the morning and done by 3 in the evening. 4 guys were working on my car and they did a neat job.

Morel Tempo 6 Components









I was actually disappointed with the looks, feel and weight of these speakers. Gladens had a premium feel and obviously heavier. Anyways all these interpretations were put to rest after I experienced the output

Pioneer GM-D8704 Amplifier







Amp under front passenger seat



Bass boost remote: Very convenient location



Gladen M Line 10 Subwoofer in Sealed Enclosure





As seen above, there's decent boot space.

Brazo Damping: Front Doors







2 sheets were used for each door. Thickness is 2.1 mm. They are aluminium butyl sheets.

Stock HU: Fujitsu Ten





Fujitsu Ten are the manufactures of Eclipse car audio systems. Muneem told me it's very decent HU , much better than Panasonic / Nippon / Bosch seen in most of the Maruti cars. Do not regret not buying the Alpha variant now hehe.

How does it sound ?

The music was much better than stock setup. But, I was not happy because I kept comparing with Gladen setup in S-Cross. Morel Tempos didn't sound very clear like Gladens. I did read that Morels get better after running in period, anyways was not expecting a massive difference. I was really excited and mind blown when I was proven wrong. Morels did take couple of hours and they improved a lot. Tweeters sound really sweet, they are placed at stock location. I am liking the warm sound signature. The bass is clean too. I have kept the bass boost at minimum and increase it whenever I feel like, very handy feature with this amp. I haven't noticed any whine and the amp doesn't get very hot. Damping did make a good difference, Oh Yes heavy doors in a Baleno. I will get the rear doors damped after few months. Overall I am very happy with the setup and achieved exactly what I was looking for. Galaxy Kochi team did a very professional installation and Muneem was available all the time to answer any queries. I had got the ICE upgrade in S-Cross done at the same place in December. I am not planning to change HU or install DSP, more than satisfied with the current setup.

999.9 Kms drive was well worth it



P.S: Fuel economy improved on the way back after ICE upgrade!!!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[pavi]

Great upgrade there, wishing you lot of soothing audio miles . I believe an head unit upgrade to Pioneer would even enhance the audio experience. In my books, source is most important, then comes speakers.

I had also done audio upgrade in my Honda City. It was done by 'Naam tho suna hoga' - Zuhaimi (Emperor shop Cochin). Went for door damping, Pioneer DMH-5290BT head unit, Rainbow DL 6.2 components on all four doors, tweeters at stock location, mono amplifier and 12 inch Rainbow subwoofer (enclosed). The experience has been surreal, the drives especially during rains are a different experience altogether. Most important, the songs feel meaningful now, and could hear lot of instrument sounds which I never heard in any songs till now. As you said, natural it is, not very bright, strikes the right balance for my ears. I have done one tuning session after running in, did not do the second one due to pandemic.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by pavi

I believe an head unit upgrade to Pioneer would even enhance the audio experience. In my books, source is most important, then comes speakers.

Yes, it will for sure. I am currently satisfied with what I am having . Stock HU is below average most of the times but the Fujitsu one in Baleno is decent enough. I badly need to upgrade the HU in S-Cross though.

[forester]

That's a very neat setup there, Dr.Naren, especially the fit and finish of the damping sheets and subwoofer.

An audio upgrade is also the top priority for me in my facelift Baleno Delta. While I do have a pair of Memphis components lying from my previous car, I am in two thoughts as to take the plunge or not, considering the workmanship that could hamper the car's warranty / extended warranty.

My requirements would be -
- clean and clear mid and high tones
- no subwoofer as I would want to retain the entire boot space

Would you suggest adding a 2 / 4-channel amplifier to the stock HU, which in the facelift is the feather-touch variety? Even though I hate this unit for lack of any physical buttons, the stock look is rather neat.

Which reasonably-priced amplifier should I be looking at to drive the Memphis components and stock rear speakers?

Also, could you elaborate a bit on the pricing of the Brazo damping sheets please. Many thanks in advance.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by forester

That's a very neat setup there, Dr.Naren, especially the fit and finish of the damping sheets and subwoofer.

Thank you. Galaxy Kochi team did a great job indeed.

Would you suggest adding a 2 / 4-channel amplifier to the stock HU, which in the facelift is the feather-touch variety?

Yes, you can add an amplifier.

Which reasonably-priced amplifier should I be looking at to drive the Memphis components and stock rear speakers?

I don't think you should power the stock rear speakers with an amp. They are just 25W speakers. You can get the basic rear coaxial speakers from Morel / Focal / Infinity for around 5k.

Entry level Pioneer 4 channel amp would be sufficient. Check this out:

https://pioneer-india.in/buy/car-ent...nnel/gm-e7004/

Also, could you elaborate a bit on the pricing of the Brazo damping sheets please.

You would need 2 sheets per door. Price is 1k for a sheet.

Cheers!

[anantpoddar]

That's a neat and clean setup. Loved how the sub is wired.

That's a great amplifier at that price point. No other amp in this range comes close to performance. About the bass boost, I hope you're aware that it boosts only one of the channels, B I think.
I had compared the 8074 against 7004 in my XUV300 and finally went with 8074.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by anantpoddar

That's a neat and clean setup. Loved how the sub is wired.

That's a great amplifier at that price point. No other amp in this range comes close to performance.

Yes, I couldn't find any other decent amplifier in that price range.

I had compared the 8074 against 7004 in my XUV300 and finally went with 8074.

I would have gone with 7004 if I didn't choose Morel Tempos. I have a pioneer amp similar to 7004 in my S-Cross. Anyways I find 8704 better , should have opted the same in S-Cross too .

[aswin93]

A great setup Doc! I saw your post on the "Car Audio advice thread" regarding Polk Audio DB6502 DB+ vs Morel Maximus 602. Any reason not to go with either of these?

I was planning an audio upgrade for my Baleno Alpha for some time now. The things I have in my mind are:

Front: Polk Audio DB6502 DB+
Rear: Polk Audio DB652 DB+
Amp: Infinity Primus 9004A
Sub: TBD (Budget around 8-10k)

and damping on all 4 doors. I am new to this scene, so if you think I could be better of with something else in a similar price range, please let me know!

Cheers!

-Aswin

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by aswin93

A great setup Doc! I saw your post on the "Car Audio advice thread" regarding Polk Audio DB6502 DB+ vs Morel Maximus 602. Any reason not to go with either of these?

Yes, that was the plan. I didn't want to spend more than 30k. Thanks to all the audiophile friends around and mid end Gladen setup in my S-Cross, I ended up spending more

Front: Polk Audio DB6502 DB+
Rear: Polk Audio DB652 DB+
Amp: Infinity Primus 9004A
Sub: TBD (Budget around 8-10k)

and damping on all 4 doors.

This should be decent and you will have considerable improvement over the stock setup. It all depends on what's the best upgrade you can implement in the given budget .

[Blow Horn Ok]

How is the speaker output of the HU is connected to the amplifier? Does the amplifier take in speaker level inputs or you had to install a Hi-Lo converter? Please share a wiring diagram of you can.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

How is the speaker output of the HU is connected to the amplifier? Does the amplifier take in speaker level inputs or you had to install a Hi-Lo converter? Please share a wiring diagram of you can.

Hi-lo converter isn't required as Pioneer supplies pigtail harness. One end of that harness connects to the RCA jack on the amplifier and the other end to the high-level speaker output from HU.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

How is the speaker output of the HU is connected to the amplifier? Does the amplifier take in speaker level inputs or you had to install a Hi-Lo converter? Please share a wiring diagram of you can.

Pioneer GM-D8704 has automatic input signal detection.



Speaker level inputs are used. Few of my friends got confused looking at the RCA cables connected to AMP .

This should make it clear

RCA pin cords came along with the amplifier



Connection diagram

[muneemmk]

Like a4anurag has posted above this model of the pioneer does come with those pigtail RCA connectors so the installation is not messy, it'll auto detect if it's getting a hi-level or low level input and work accordingly.

Polk and Infinity speakers are a bit on the brighter side and not really SQ oriented per se,they go loud ! If you want to tone them down a bit will have to eq them tremendously would look at either one step higher in Polk (Mobile Monitor series) or look at similarly priced products from Gladen or morel(which is currently unavailable),DLS is also a good product to look at for affordable sound quality products (If available that is)