[Bass&Trouble]

Originally Posted by razor4077

But, it turns out they know of a way to make the music system work even WITHOUT the HU!!! I wouldn't have believed it, but my driver had seen them do this with his own eyes.

You can do that with a lot of Pioneers. Its very simple actually, there's a spring loaded switch like thing in the front that depresses when the panel is put on, thus activating the unit. If you keep that pressed with your finger, the head unit will start operating. You cant change volume or any other settings though.

[razor4077]

Is it the same for Alpine HUs?

[cooldude1988765]

Originally Posted by razor4077

I had removed the sub and HU faceplate when I had given them the car. But, it turns out they know of a way to make the music system work even WITHOUT the HU!!! I wouldn't have believed it, but my driver had seen them do this with his own eyes.

That sucks
Any idea how they managed it though.

[razor4077]

@cooldude: read B&T's post above.

[razor4077]

After 2 years of living peacefully with a splendid ICE setup, the urge to upgrade has hit me. This was caused by a combination of 3 factors:
1. My other ride, a Scorpio, needed some ICE, and since it would never be a very high quality setup given its acoustics, it seemed logical to port the setup from the Lancer to it and upgrade the Lancer ICE.
2. I stumbled across a couple of very good deals online, and fortunately found someone to carry these back to India from the US.
3. Upgrading is always nice, isn't it?

So the Alpine CDE 9881 head unit, JBL 75.4 amp and JBL GT4-12 sub are now in the Scorpio.

What I am planning for the Lancer...
Already purchased:
- Clarion DXZ785USB head unit
- Infinity Reference Series 611a Mono amp

Already have:
- Illusion Electra EL6.1 component speakers: may upgrade these
- Ground Zero TA 4.120MK2 - 4 channel amp
- Stinger 8 gauge amp wiring kit

Need to get:
- A subwoofer to match up to the Infinity mono's output of 456W@4 ohms/ 657W@2 ohms. Choices are pretty limited, given that my budget is around 15k for this, give or take a bit. I've managed to shortlist two subs so far - Ground Zero Radioactive Series 12XD-AL and the IDQ 12 V2 D4. Any personal feedback on either would be welcome, and do I have any other options?
- Wiring for the monoblock. 4 gauge most probably.
- Damping for the boot and parcel tray

There will be no rear fills. I had rear fills before, but found them out of place in the overall setup. And since I drive the car myself, and there are generally no back seat passengers, rear fills can be easily avoided.

The front components will be driven by the 4 channel amp in bridged mode. So, each Mid-bass & tweeter pair will be driven by 2 channels.

Any suggestions/comments welcome. I will be doing this upgrade gradually, over a period of time.

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by razor4077

Need to get:
- A subwoofer to match up to the Infinity mono's output of 456W@4 ohms/ 657W@2 ohms. Choices are pretty limited, given that my budget is around 15k for this, give or take a bit. I've managed to shortlist two subs so far - Ground Zero Radioactive Series 12XD-AL and the IDQ 12 V2 D4. Any personal feedback on either would be welcome, and do I have any other options?
.

I think IDQ 12 would not come in 15K as they retail around 20K. Maybe you can go for IDV3 12". They are also really good.

[abhinav.gupta88]

i'll suggest the ground zero. It does the job brilliantly. Would gel well witi the illusions too.
Won't you be requiring a 4 gauge kit now?

[razor4077]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

I think IDQ 12 would not come in 15K as they retail around 20K. Maybe you can go for IDV3 12". They are also really good.

Well, I was actually hoping to get my hands on an IDQ V2, which is hard to source nowadays in this part of the world. They are readily available in the US, but there's no way I can get anyone to carry back a sub for me!

Originally Posted by abhinav.gupta88

i'll suggest the ground zero. It does the job brilliantly. Would gel well witi the illusions too.
Won't you be requiring a 4 gauge kit now?

Would love to get an audition of the GZ Radioactive series, but there aren't any installs in Kolkata. But they are definitely being considered.

4 gauge kit? Yea - had mentioned this in my post. Was thinking about a DB also. Let's see.
By the way, from what I gathered from the other threads on power cables, the main reason why cables meant for domestic/industrial use (Finolex, Havells etc) were not that recommended for cars is that the sheathing is susceptible to melting/damage in the high engine bay heat - am I correct? Now if the battery, for whatever reason, was shifted to the boot, this problem would be eliminated, isn't it? Or are there any other issues with cables like Finolex?

[abhinav.gupta88]

there isn't any issues with the finolex cables. I have been using it and so is panky12345. No problems at all. Plus i think shuvc has the gz sub in his car. Do check witi him too. For using db, you'll have to use a 2 gauge from the battery to the db and from the db use 2 4 gauge wires. Or maybe a 4 gauge for the mono and a 8 gauge for the 4 channel.

[razor4077]

All the GZ subs in Cal are from the Titanium series. No Radioactive ones. Ajay - can you confirm?

[razor4077]

Phoenix has been stripped of all her ICE. Apart from the damping and wiring, everything has been taken out.
It was sad to say goodbye to the excellent Illusion Electra components. Hands down the best set of component speakers I have heard in the sub 10k category. No flaming please - this is as per my hearing tastes, and I am sure others may have different choices.
Laid back and smooth with a solid punch from the midbass is how I would describe them (apparently the new EL6.1 has been improved even further). I believe I was one of the first (if not the first) Illusionized Calcuttan, and inspired several others to go for the same speakers.
I was in two minds about selling them off, because now I will have to seek out a worthy successor to the Electras. I'd like to stay within the family, but its big brother, the Carbons, cost 5 times more!! Although, anyone who has heard the two set of speakers tell me it's worth the price. So Carbons are in the shortlist, but what other speakers I can consider in a similar, or slightly less, price range?

What came out:







Illusion Electra EL6.1 components. Sold. What next??




JBL GTO 75.4 4 channel amplifier. Moved to the Scorpio






JBL GT4-12 subwoofer in a sealed box. Moved to the Scorpio. What next??




Alpine CDE 9881 head unit. Moved to the Scorpio

What remains:



Noisekill damping for the front doors




Stinger Pro SWK8RS 8 ga wiring kit


I loved this setup. I won't pretend it was anything like a proper SQ setup, but that was the general direction it pointed towards. The JBL amp and Electra components made a fabulous combo, and along with the sub, provided some very nice, tight and fast bass. Vocals, strings and such were sweet and not harsh/bright. I am no audiophile, but I do appreciate good music, and I spent a lot of time and effort to tune the setup to my taste.

The Lancer is one the better cars in the country to ICE. The build is pretty solid, and one feels nice and enclosed inside. The soundstage is good and rattling of plastic/metallic parts is minimal. Good damping definitely helped this further. I have found that the car's inherent build qualities and the listening enviroment that it provides does make a big difference to the quality of ICE.


Now, regd. the upgrade - as I have mentioned already, some pieces of the puzzle are already in place. I will update this thread with pics in the near future. There are two major acquisitions pending - the sub and the front components. This upgrade will be a long drawn exercise... I have lots of time in hand to audition products (provided I can) and look out for good deals. Any suggestions are welcome.

[shuvd]

What this car actually needs is a heart transplant!!

[razor4077]

Originally Posted by shuvd

What this car actually needs is a heart transplant!!

No arguments there. Wait and watch

[abhinav.gupta88]

Carbons are really worth spending 30k.
They are pretty amazing.
Bi-ampable as well.
Try if you can get a set of Luccents and i assure you, you won't miss the electras.
They are like the proper upgrades from a set of electras.

[razor4077]

Well, it's 35k now which is roughly $700. Now that is some serious dough. I was doing some looking around, and there are quite a few options available online at that price point and below. If someone has had any experience with some such brands (eg: DLS, Rainbow, JL etc) please do share your feedback.