[flipflop]

In Car Entertainment has always been a non-negotiable upgrade for me. Right from early 2004 till date, every car that I have owned has had an aftermarket music system installed in it. Let me state here that I don’t change my wheels often. When it comes to buying a car, I do my own research, analysis and even if my decision on what car may not go well with my immediate others, I stick with it. This time, I chose to buy a Kia Sonet. I do wonder if the name "Sonet" hooked me.

I have always believed and treated my car as my solace, my own space, my escape and my quick vacation from the mundane - my absolute inner sanctum. And for me, the quality of music in my inner sanctum takes precedence and priorities over everything else. No matter the cost of the vehicle itself.

Having known Mr Karthik of SpeedFreaks, Chennai for well over a decade, and having had him do my previous installations, the moment I took delivery of my Kia Sonet, I went straight to their new showroom in Ambattur to have a discussion regarding my set-up. Allow me to state here since high end audio has always been a priority for me, I have searched high and low for the best installers in India – having personally visited many teams across many states and cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta, Pune, Bangalore, Kochi – there is no question that Karthik and Speedfreaks are the best of the best in India, and I am fortunate that they are in the same city as I am.

I was very clear as to what I was expecting. I wanted a musical sounding system. I did not want it to be analytical or bright or whatever else, but I wanted to get fully immersed in the musicality of the genre I listen to, which is primarily ARR songs.

I always have had the habit of choosing my speakers first and decide on the other components to tailor or compliment the choice of speakers. At that point there were four options that Mr Karthik gave me.

SPEAKERS

1. Audiocircle pro line: Mr Karthik was even kind enough to hook a new set for me to try it out and have a demo. I did like them a lot.

2. Audison Thesis: Since I had already used them in my older car, I wanted to try out something different. Also the new thesis range has undergone a major cosmetic change, and I was not sure how they would sound.

3. Brax: There was a Brax Demo vehicle that was built and I had the opportunity to listen to it. I liked it quite a bit.

4. Focal Utopia M: I had not listened to them. But Mr Karthik had really high words of praise for these.

I wanted to read more upon them and informed Mr Karthik that I would need sometime to get back on the same.

After a few days, after doing extensive research on online, and with a sheer leap of faith in Mr Karthik, I took the plunge and placed the order for the Focal Utopia M

The decision on the DSP was already made. I wanted a Brax DSP. And the same was ordered, but since the waiting period was about two months we decided to use a brand new helix ultra which I already had as an interim option. I will elaborate on the difference between these two DSPs in a later reply to this thread.

The choosing of the Amplifiers was done in a jiffy. The sheer SQ quality of the Groundzero Reference Amps output is a joy to behold. And they can be run as a class A biased too. So we decided on one 4Xs and 2 2Xs Groundzeros.

The 4XS is running on fully biased class A setup and powers the Focal Beriliyum Tweeters and the Midrange. One 2XS powers the Mid Bass and the other one Powers the Utopia Sub.



The car was fully damped and the noise levels inside the cabin is now very low, with absolutely no rattles or anything else whatsoever. I’d like to add here that sound proofing and dampening in car is based on science, not on the amount of material used and areas covered. Many installers will try to dampen the entire car wherever there is space to do so. This is not the correct way. Over dampening does have a detrimental effect on audio output and must be done with precision and only where needed.

There was very minimal but very effective fabrication that was done on the door pads where we installed the Mid-bass. As such the door is the worst possible place to install a midbass. Most high end installs prefer them to be installed in the Kicks - on the floor where you see the hump near the accelerator. However, that was not an option on the Sonet. So the mid bass grill that came with the car was cut. The door was reinforced to be stronger and the actual magic was in the angling of the Mid-bass. The picture may not do any justice behind the science, the measurements and the effort that went into this particular fabrication. But the result is amazing and it feels as if the sound staging went to a whole new level of perfection.





I am really happy with what was achieved and know for sure that none can match the quality, output and the perfection of this install but Speedfreaks. At the end, its not merely the quality of products that count, but the installation and tuning, angling and the science behind the positioning and achieving precision audio output.

A big shout out to Mr Karthik and his team for their absolute dedication to perfection. A heartfelt thank you and shout out to you, sir!

What I have in my car is truly an experience and cannot be expressed in words or by pictures. I would love to share this experience with any serious connoisseurs of audio on this esteemed forum and invite those teambhpians to have a listen.

Pictures courtesy of the ace photographer at Speedfreaks. I am really bad at taking pictures.

Products:











Sound Dampening and Sound Proofing









Post Installation

















Mod note, please change car in heading to Sonet, typed Seltos by mistake

[AdityaDeane]

Wonderful updates! I just wish that you would have posted a small pre and post Audio/Sound experience video or audio file for us to appreciate the difference that such an advanced setup makes in automobiles! I'm sure that even the road noise and outside sounds would have become non existent with all the damping upgrades. Enjoy your drives and audio life...

[flipflop]

Originally Posted by AdityaDeane

Wonderful updates! I just wish that you would have posted a small pre and post Audio/Sound experience video or audio file for us

Thank you!

I wish I could show case the audio experience but it cannot be done as the experience of the audio will be determined by the speakers you use and not what’s in the car.

[Sufficient_shop]

Noob question: Does this void the car warranty?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by flipflop

I am really happy with what was achieved

What I have in my car is truly an experience and cannot be expressed in words or by pictures.

This is what matters the most . Big congratulations, Flipflop and thank you for sharing your install with us. I am myself a huge music fan and have tunes playing in the background for 12 of my 16 waking hours. Would love to hit you up and check out your ICE in person one day.

I know the figure in the thread title will pop the eyes of many BHPians, but hey, it's your money and it's up to you to choose how to spend it. As long as you are happy with the end result, it's all that counts. People spend 3 crores on a new car, 20-lakhs on a solitaire, 5-lakhs on a designer bag, 1.5-crores on a wedding, 10-lakhs on a first-class flight ticket....

If I was as crazy about SQ as you clearly are, I'd rather spend 29-lakhs on an ICE system that I'll enjoy everyday than put the same money in two international holidays, jewellery or a designer watch.

Please share a video!

[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by Sufficient_shop

Noob question: Does this void the car warranty?

You ask the dealer this question, he will shout and say yes!! If there has been any work done on the cables, the manufacturer will deny warranty.

[vattyboy]

Congratulations.

Now your car must be sounding better than the nearby discotheque.

29 lakh is a crazy amount, Never saw someone investing 29 big ones to improve the Sound quality.

All the pictures and speakers are looking crazy.

If we talk about the desktop and laptop industry, the overall setup of an Alienware seems like this.

[flipflop]

Originally Posted by GTO

Would love to hit you up and check out your ICE in person one day.

Thank you GTO! It would be my absolute pleasure and honour to have you audition the system, even more so because you seem to enjoy your music too! Please do hit me up if you are in Chennai

Originally Posted by vattyboy

Congratulations.

Now your car must be sounding better than the nearby discotheque.

Thank you! Not quite the sound I tried to emulate.. its more a studio - concert type of sound in the car.

Here's the wiring diagram of the set up for those who are interested

[Yesterdaysnews]

I have been lucky enough to have had a chance to experience the OPs system in his car. It is indeed a spell binding and most amazing experience which words, videos and pictures cannot even start to describe.

Great write up FlipFlop, and thanks again for letting me audition your car for extended hours! I found it very difficult to hand the car back to you indeed and was really thinking of bolting with the car and seriously looking at how to get to the far east - Thailand or beyond with it!

[Ry_der]

29 Laks Rs for audio upgrades!! And that too on a Sonet. I am out of words. You could have arranged a private show of some popular singer for that much money.

Have you got the setup covered under insurance? If not, please do it ASAP.

[rajeevsulu]

Very few people live their passion, they just exist!! You, dear sir, have chosen to live!! Kudos. That is a beautiful setup that you have. Enjoy!!

[flipflop]

Originally Posted by rajeevsulu

Very few people live their passion, they just exist!! You, dear sir, have chosen to live!! Kudos. That is a beautiful setup that you have. Enjoy!!

Thank you very much. That’s indeed a very special compliment.

[Raghu M]

Man, I read the title thrice. I mean literally. A Sonet costs what on the road? And then the upgrade. OMG. The phrase YOLO was coined by someone who might have come across people like you! You got guts. When I say people like you, it's not offensive, I mean it really. I wouldn't dare to do it! I am a married man who has all calculations in mind as to what can 29 lakhs get me. Gold, real estate, MFs and maybe draw my retirement closer.

[Yesterdaysnews]

Originally Posted by Raghu M

Man, I read the title thrice. I mean literally. A Sonet costs what on the road? And then the upgrade. OMG. The phrase YOLO was coined by someone who might have come across people like you! You got guts. When I say people like you, it's not offensive, I mean it really. I wouldn't dare to do it! I am a married man who has all calculations in mind as to what can 29 lakhs get me. Gold, real estate, MFs and maybe draw my retirement closer.

I think GTO addressed this point bang on in his post. If the OP had purchased a Kodiaq or a BMW or Volvo, we wouldn’t have thought too much about it on these lines. Flipflop is very clear that he loves true Hi Fi audio, and that his car is his space. He is living his dream. And like you said, it takes a whole lot of guts to do something like this, for sure!

[revsperminute]

True passion right there. I could ogle at the craftsmanship for hours.

For someone who often drives to another city in the middle of the night just to listen to music in the car, I get where you come from. Kudos to you for backing up the talk.

Coming from a family which has always enjoyed good music, I often get confused looks when I say my sound system costs more than some entry level hatchbacks but hey your thread will definitely make me sleep better at night now. Can’t put a price on passion.