[the.vrbc]

Hello BHPians,
Hope everyone is having a pleasant day!

I LOVE good tunes over a long drive; it is somewhat therapeutic even. But the Jimny while it makes for a very fun car for my needs mechanically, is an utter and total disappointment in the Car Audio category.

I’ve read through and consumed as much information as I could get prior to writing this post and here are the basics I’ve picked up :
1) Get a REPUTED HU.
The Jimny’s OE HU has been tweaked beyond worlds to produce atleast half decent sound through the extremely cheap paper cones that the stock comes with, not to mention the bass roll-off to protect this wonderful set up from blowing out as well
2) Damping is essential to create the right sound stage; Foaming if you have the budget.
Damping is being offered at various price points and I’m honestly quite confused. A local reputed installer who do the jobs themselves quoted 50-60K for just damping the 5 Doors. On forums however I see mentions of people saying don’t go above 20-25K for damping all over even.
3) Installer is KEY; Good installation components is Mandatory.
No Boss+Labour shops since Audio tech is very vast and needs lot of skill and knowledge which regular labour cannot pull-off
I’m based out of Bangalore, Karnataka and would LOVE to get some good suggestions from the forum.

Equipped with this “Blanket” knowledge, I found one installer who seemed very passionate and do all their jobs themselves - EB Bass in Sheshadripuram.
I had a detailed discussion with them and they seemed to be nice genuine folk but priced quite a bit on the higher end due to their long time in the business and they receive primarily high end clientele from the looks of the cars they work on.
Now, I don’t mind paying for expert labour but I also don’t like the feeling of maybe being ripped off. So suggestions and feedback would be golden!

Lastly, the Setup (after having a preliminary discussion with the installer) : 3-way Active
1) Pioneer Android HU
2) Morel Virtus 603 3way component Front
3) Morel Co-axial Rear
4) Helix V8 DSP+Amp
5) 5 door Damping

6) JL Audio 10” Sub + Brazzo Monobloc Amp (likely for later)

My Sound preferences :
Clear & Crip Vocals, Tight Bass over a well spread Sound-stage AND I like HIGH volumes.

My Questions :
1) Is this setup well paired? Is anything over kill / not necessary?
2) Is 50-60K for just damping worth it?
3) Active vs Passive - How big a difference does it really make IRL?
4) Any feedback on the Audio installer from your experience with the same and/or any suggestions to more in Bangalore.

And finally, thank you for your time!

[flipflop]

If you are primarily going to be driving I would skip the rear fill. Rear fills are extremely tricky to tune and get the soundstage upfront.
Damping is a must. Please do not miss out on good soundproofing

Good luck

[SNayak]

I am in the process of upgrading my Jimmy’s audio and progressed a bit on the same. I have done damping of all five doors and upgraded the speakers to JL audio 650 components and added a Sony amp to power the same. It’s already sounding nice however not clean. So next planned upgrade is a DSP and a sub woofer. Let’s see how it goes

[Sbk__Audiophile]

Let me post some info regarding Jimnys audio upgrade.

The problem with Jimnys audio is 2 things as far as I know.
1. Crap output from headunit
2. Speaker size not 6.5”

The headunit should be the first upgrade in Jimny.

Ill post an upgade from my installer below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBq9cq6z...d0ZmVpc2V6cTA3

Damping is very important as well as the angling of the tweeter. Like flipflop said i wont recommend giving much focus on the rears.

Ive been using Morel Ovation 6 which are above the virtus. I wont say they are value for money speakers so do check with other installers in the budget. Theyre power hungry so check how much the V Eight DSP is gonna go with it.

The setup i put above was sounding good the installer said as the cabin was a bit smaller and the speakers really went along with the pioneer headunit. Again its a basic setup bit good one and no risks of wiring issues from inexperienced installers, plug and play. Ill post further suggestions if required.

Cheers.

[Sbk__Audiophile]

Originally Posted by SNayak

I am in the process of upgrading my Jimmy’s audio and progressed a bit on the same. I have done damping of all five doors and upgraded the speakers to JL audio 650 components and added a Sony amp to power the same. It’s already sounding nice however not clean. So next planned upgrade is a DSP and a sub woofer. Let’s see how it goes

Heaunit was the issue. Add a pioneer 9 inch thats my suggestion. Sony amp is only going to amplify the signal its getting.

[Sbk__Audiophile]

Originally Posted by the.vrbc

...
My Sound preferences :
Clear & Crip Vocals, Tight Bass over a well spread Sound-stage AND I like HIGH volumes.

My Questions :
1) Is this setup well paired? Is anything over kill / not necessary?
2) Is 50-60K for just damping worth it?
3) Active vs Passive - How big a difference does it really make IRL?
4) Any feedback on the Audio installer from your experience with the same and/or any suggestions to more in Bangalore.

And finally, thank you for your time!

1. I wouldn't say it is well paired. The morel mid-bass is not going to be happy with 75W. Maybe another 3 way set should do the trick. Also you can pair any components as you're running active so don't restrict yourself. Consult more installers that's what I'd say. The virus 603 is not very popular for 3 way setups as far as I know.
2. Basic damping is necessary (20k min). It's not about money. I use morel and ousail damping sheets and only done min. Also seen Dr. Artex blue charging double so please let us know what's quoted for 60K.
3. I'd say head unit is most important here. Staging is impossible in passive. DSP always helps and getting one from helix is a go to thing. Installer also has a huge role. Refer passive vs active video from sound in youtube.

https://youtu.be/vdopiqUGjUg?si=1O0qONASX27fUy0A

Note from Support:

There were several typos in your post. Kindly proof-read posts before submitting. Thanks!

[the.vrbc]

Originally Posted by flipflop

If you are primarily going to be driving I would skip the rear fill. Rear fills are extremely tricky to tune and get the soundstage upfront.
Damping is a must. Please do not miss out on good soundproofing

Good luck

Roger that on the damping, guess the steep price is just a way of life for the audiophile!

I tried a setup with the rears switched off and it just didn’t sit right with me for some reason so that is unfortunately not an option for me although I agree this is the consensus of most people doing pro audio on a budget.

[the.vrbc]

Originally Posted by SNayak

I am in the process of upgrading my Jimmy’s audio and progressed a bit on the same. I have done damping of all five doors and upgraded the speakers to JL audio 650 components and added a Sony amp to power the same. It’s already sounding nice however not clean. So next planned upgrade is a DSP and a sub woofer. Let’s see how it goes

That’s a nice progression of gear getting into this vast ICE world!
Would you mind sharing how much the damping costed you and what material you opted for?

[the.vrbc]

Originally Posted by Sbk__Audiophile

Let me post some info regarding Jimnys audio upgrade.

Thank you for sharing the details!
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get back to you on PM since I’m a new member here still under restrictions

[SNayak]

Originally Posted by Sbk__Audiophile

Heaunit was the issue. Add a pioneer 9 inch thats my suggestion. Sony amp is only going to amplify the signal its getting.

Will the DSP not help in detune the Factory Fit audio output and provide as per the needs ? That was the only reason why I was thinking to add the DSP in the setup. Your insights will help me here.

Also I was planning to add the mid-ranger speakers of 3 inch in the setup to get more clarity. You have any suggestion here ?

Thanks in advance in your response.

[Sbk__Audiophile]

Originally Posted by SNayak

Will the DSP not help in detune the Factory Fit audio output and provide as per the needs ? That was the only reason why I was thinking to add the DSP in the setup. Your insights will help me here.

Also I was planning to add the mid-ranger speakers of 3 inch in the setup to get more clarity. You have any suggestion here ?

Thanks in advance in your response.

Dear Snayak,
The DSP is not something that functions as you mentioned. In case you run it without any media controls directly wired maybe aux or coax its possible, which is never ideal. Again that also depends on what chips they are running.It will not detune but only play with the signal supplied from the headunit.

Also dear more the number of components more the clarity is a wrong idea. Basics should be good enough.

This is a basic speaker and not something for 3 way. Connect the speaker to good headunit and that should solve your issue. Or later upgrade to a 3 way set. Dont run active until the dsp has signal good enough. Also post the photo of the sony amp

[flipflop]

Originally Posted by the.vrbc

Roger that on the damping, guess the steep price is just a way of life for the audiophile!

I tried a setup with the rears switched off and it just didn’t sit right with me for some reason so that is unfortunately not an option for me although I agree this is the consensus of most people doing pro audio on a budget.

If tuned correctly, just the front way will give good clarity and focus. It’s not about the budget. All my set ups have only been front speakers and no rears

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-e...s-chennai.html

This is my previous car

[SNayak]

Originally Posted by Sbk__Audiophile

The DSP is not something that functions as you mentioned.

You may be right. My understanding on DSP comes from another good thread in our forum where it is mentioned that DSP can help to detune the factory audio setting. I am referring this thread - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-e...t-version.html (Upgrading your OEM Car Audio using DSPs (budget version))

In case you run it without any media controls directly wired maybe aux or coax its possible, which is never ideal. Again that also depends on what chips they are running.It will not detune but only play with the signal supplied from the headunit.

Sorry did not understand this part.

Also dear more the number of components more the clarity is a wrong idea. Basics should be good enough.

The idea of adding the mid range speaker was to get the vocal and sub woofer to get the low frequencies.

This is a basic speaker and not something for 3 way. Connect the speaker to good headunit and that should solve your issue. Or later upgrade to a 3 way set. Dont run active until the dsp has signal good enough. Also post the photo of the sony amp

Don't want to change the 3 month old car's HU to ne honest. I know changing HU might be best option. Also have a doubt whether I would get all the harness required for this new HU and the inbuilt settings that Suzuki provides with the current HU would be preserved. I have got Sony GS4 Amplifier and also Nakamichi ndsk4285au DSP. Also have procured a 10inch sub woofer I.e. Gladen M10 with jimny specific JL sub woofer stealth box. Planning to power the Sub woofer by combining the two channel of Sony amp or to go for a Mono Amp.

Also the Nakamichi DSP has an inbuilt Bluetooth and I can use this to by-pass the HU I believe.

[Sbk__Audiophile]

Originally Posted by SNayak

You may be right. My understanding on DSP comes from another good thread in our forum where it is mentioned that DSP can help to detune the factory audio setting. I am referring this thread - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/car-e...t-version.html (Upgrading your OEM Car Audio using DSPs (budget version))

Yes it may be able to tune and play with equalizers.But that's not going to help with the signal quality. What it gets is what it's gonna tune. That's why it's highly recommended to run music from good streaming services and FLAC.

Let me break it up for you. Ive seen this issues in Jimmy's only. The output will seem to crash more the volume goes up. This is why the headhunt takes the blame. Not the signal quality is deteriorated more you go concert volume.

In your case you connected speakers to headunit which should have sounded good. Now the speakers were sounding bright as the 165s have a brighter tone and the bad signal would make you dissatisfied. Now you try to improve the signal by adding a sony amp (which is a good and and you should retain it) and it still is irritating you quite a bit. Do correct me if Im wrong.

The idea of adding the mid range speaker was to get the vocal and sub woofer to get the low frequencies.

Don't want to change the 3 month old car's HU to ne honest. I know changing HU might be best option. Also have a doubt whether I would get all the harness required for this new HU and the inbuilt settings that Suzuki provides with the current HU would be preserved. I have got Sony GS4 Amplifier and also Nakamichi ndsk4285au DSP. Also have procured a 10inch sub woofer I.e. Gladen M10 with jimny specific JL sub woofer stealth box. Planning to power the Sub woofer by combining the two channel of Sony amp or to go for a Mono Amp.

Also the Nakamichi DSP has an inbuilt Bluetooth and I can use this to by-pass the HU I believe.

Let me show you the Pioneer headhunt. This is the only clean looking one so id recommend this.



Now coming to the setup the Sub and the Amp is quite good. If you're insisting in going 3 way Id recommend taking a passive set of 3 way for the front, say a hertz Mille Pro for around 30K INR. The blend and tonality should match when selecting individual components.Also going active would need another 4 channel. The signal quality of DSP also matters.

Cheers to the build.
Regards.

[SNayak]

Originally Posted by Sbk__Audiophile

Let me post some info regarding Jimnys audio upgrade..

Yesterday I managed to get the DSP and the sub installed in my Jimny. The sound is much better now but still not to the expected levels. The bass produced is not to my expectation and my installer says it's because of the crappy headunit. So @Sbk__Audiophile now I fully understand what you said in the beginning. The head unit is the actual culprit behind the poor audio quality in Jimny. So the replacement is a must if you are looking for some good sound. So that's next in my plan

As you had pointed regarding the Pioneer headunit that you have experience in installing in Jimny. So my question is if the canbus is available for Jimny and also all the steering controls and the mic works with this Pioneer unit ?

Also any constraints that you see for changing to this Pioneer head unit that you had used I.e. DMH-AP6650BT ?

Cheers.