[Neil Roy]

Hi BHPians,
I have already posted this query in our forum before I chanced upon this discussion. Need your help and opinion.
I have an audio related issue with my 2016 Cruze LT. The OE setup sound quality was good, way above average sound quality of OE car systems. I replaced the OE audio HU with JVC KW-V41BT( In dash video player with Bluetooth) and the sound quality has dropped drastically. I tried changing the polarity of speakers and the audio setup to no avail. This is the first time in my ownership experience with 6 cars that the OE HU has performed better than after market MNC brands.
My question is, is the Cruze HU that much more advanced than a 27k after market HU? Sound quality is very important to me(as is the budget) hence is speaker upgrade mandatory for JVC if i need better sound? The OE cruze comes with 6.5 Inch speakers for all four doors + tweeters on the pillar. Any advice/ suggestion is welcome.

[yogeshnaik]

Hello Guys,

I am used to Alpine CDE 134ebt, JBL 649 components + JBL 8" subwoofer powered by Rockford Fosgate Prime 70x4 RMS Amplifier. The audio quality is divine here.

Have a problem with the following configuration:
Car: Chevrolet Spark LS
AHU: Sony CDX-GT470
Front speakers: On dashboard speakers (Sony)
Rear speakers: Pioneer 250W (6"x9") Ovals (Original Pioneer) fitted in a smaller MDF Box

The sound is ample, good mid bass, lows are not much. Any advice to improve the acoustics?

My thinking is:
1) To go for a 2 channel amplifier in bridge to power a sub-woofer. But I feel the Sony AHU is not doing the right justice as well.
2) Go for Alpine CDE 110 (simple AHU) and no subwoofer, at least the audio clarity will be good.

Thanks.

[Hondaism]

Hello folks,
Was thinking of getting a pioneer avh 4100 nex from USA, priced around $540. My questions are -
1. Does pioneer give an international warranty
2. How or will I be able to upload India maps into the gps navigation system?
3. Are there better options available which I should be looking at around the same price range?
4. Please also recommend an active subwoofer for under seat placement.

Would I need add ons like couplers etc for the steering controls on the Isuzu Vcross to be operational?

Thanks in advance.

[yogeshnaik]

My answers are inline to your queries in [Ans]: below

Originally Posted by Hondaism

Hello folks,
Was thinking of getting a pioneer avh 4100 nex from USA, priced around $540. My questions are -
1. Does pioneer give an international warranty
[Ans]: Pioneer AHU purchased in US, does not have International warranty. In fact nothing happens to AHUs. They are well built.

2. How or will I be able to upload India maps into the gps navigation system?
[Ans]: The maps should be downloaded from the same provider for country wise say India, and can be uploaded into flash. I did it once.

3. Are there better options available which I should be looking at around the same price range?
[Ans]: You are in an ocean of AHUs in US. Please see Clarion, Alpine and lastly Kenwood. From my perspective, I would suggest Alpine, which is Devine. Low end Alpine is equivalent to High end Pioneer. Alpine has Audiophile quality, build wise and audio quality wise. There is a lot of difference when you play MP3, AAC on Alpine when compared to others.

The current Pioneer AHU that you selected is also a good choice. In Pioneer we have more features when compared to Alpine. After all most important is Audio/Video decoding quality when compared to features.

4. Please also recommend an active subwoofer for under seat placement.
[Ans]: Look for a flat one, again I would recommend Alpine if you have more budget else stick on to Blaupunkt.

Would I need add ons like couplers etc for the steering controls on the Isuzu Vcross to be operational?
[Ans]: I believe you will have a slot for it. Most Head Units Steering remote do have headers standard one adopted by manufacturers.

Thanks in advance.

[Hondaism]

Originally Posted by yogeshnaik

My answers are inline to your queries in [Ans]: below

First of all thanks for the quick reply.

Could you please elaborate further on the GPS map upload part. What exactly do you mean getting the maps uploaded from the same provider?

[yogeshnaik]

Originally Posted by Hondaism

First of all thanks for the quick reply.

Could you please elaborate further on the GPS map upload part. What exactly do you mean getting the maps uploaded from the same provider?

The NEX AHU which you are referring to has its own operating system, so depending on the phone type you are connecting, the OS goes into that mode. As of now it can adapt iPhone & Android.

So if you are planning to buy this AHU, the maps for India need to be updated purchased in India on to your phone for offline navigation. Some phones might require Cellular Network for A-GPS support for quick locking. For Apple you need Apple CarPlay developed by Pioneer. It is Android Auto for Android phones.

[amitpunjani]

I have lost of remote control of my SX4music system. The stero is the same as it used to be in Gen 1 swift dzire. Can anybody pls. guide from where is can procure another one apart from MASS.

Thanks

[garry.brant]

Hi,
I have recently installed Infinity Ref C6500cx components in the front doors. I am not able to get the correct settings for bass from these speakers. The highs and clarity levels are awesome but just not able to understand what I would have to get the correct bass from these speakers.

My rear Polk Coaxials are sounding better than these at this time.I tried to enable to bass boost from AMP and the bass was very distorted , not tight.

Please suggest if there is anything in the crossover or on the amp or on the HU needs to be done.

[Mashblue]

Originally Posted by garry.brant

Hi,
I have recently installed Infinity Ref C6500cx components in the front doors. I am not able to get the correct settings for bass from these speakers. The highs and clarity levels are awesome but just not able to understand what I would have to get the correct bass from these speakers.

Please suggest if there is anything in the crossover or on the amp or on the HU needs to be done.

These speakers cannot handle bass, best is to use a subwoofer for the low frequency notes and set these components at high pass filter around 100-125hz and enjoy the sound quality. Trying to push more bass by using bass boost, eq etc will blow these speakers.

[garry.brant]

Originally Posted by amitpunjani

I have lost of remote control of my SX4music system. The stero is the same as it used to be in Gen 1 swift dzire. Can anybody pls. guide from where is can procure another one apart from MASS.

Thanks

Any good car accessory shop would be able to source that for you. Happened with me when I had SX4 , got replacement for 700 bucks.

[heydj]

Please recommend damping sheet for my car. I have Skoda Rapid, at the time of install there was no vibration but now on left side doors on particular frequencies rattle can be heard.

Most of the times with minimal techno and deep house rattle is observed.

[garry.brant]

Originally Posted by heydj

Please recommend damping sheet for my car. I have Skoda Rapid, at the time of install there was no vibration but now on left side doors on particular frequencies rattle can be heard.

Most of the times with minimal techno and deep house rattle is observed.

The best is Dynamat , if you are not budget constrained.
For a limited budget, you may opt for Scosche, Hamaan or Fatmat. Please ensure you also damp the internal side of the door for extra thump.

[harsh79]

Head unit change or Mosconi 4 to 6 DSP?

Current setup running off the OEM AVN head-unit includes:

Front - Flux Audio BC 261
Rear - Rainbow DL-C6.2
4 channel amplifier - Rainbow iPaul 4.300
Mono amplifier - DD AM1
Subwoofer (sealed) - Rainbow SL-S12
Scosche line out converter

Head-units being considered - AVH-X5890BT, AVIC-F970BT

Due to the lack of a well finished dash-kit, the head-unit upgrade remained shelved till now. The newly sourced and refinished dash-kit is far better than what's available over the counter but I'm still not fully satisfied with the finishing.

Now the dilemma is, should I surrender to the refinished dash-kit and go in for a head-unit change or keep the OE head-unit and go in for a Mosconi 4 to 6 DSP?

What are the benefits of a head-unit change over a DSP and vice versa?

Please help me with this conundrum.

[garry.brant]

Originally Posted by harsh79

Head unit change or Mosconi 4 to 6 DSP?

Current setup running off the OEM AVN head-unit includes:

Front - Flux Audio BC 261
Rear - Rainbow DL-C6.2
4 channel amplifier - Rainbow iPaul 4.300
Mono amplifier - DD AM1
Subwoofer (sealed) - Rainbow SL-S12
Scosche line out converter

Head-units being considered - AVH-X5890BT, AVIC-F970BT

Due to the lack of a well finished dash-kit, the head-unit upgrade remained shelved till now. The newly sourced and refinished dash-kit is far better than what's available over the counter but I'm still not fully satisfied with the finishing.

Now the dilemma is, should I surrender to the refinished dash-kit and go in for a head-unit change or keep the OE head-unit and go in for a Mosconi 4 to 6 DSP?

What are the benefits of a head-unit change over a DSP and vice versa?

Please help me with this conundrum.

Hi ,
I can understand what you are going through , because at one point of time I also thought to change the HU in my i20.
What ever dash kit you will buy , would not by better than the OEM factory finish. + you will have more room to play with a DSP. Your car will retain the total stock look and the sound quality will be awesome if you get a good DSP like boston or bose.
+ you will also retain all your steering controls with a DSP. (though you can get connectors these days, but why spend on that..?)
+ by installing a DSP nobody will get to know how expensive of a system you are running.(Safe from thieves trying to break glass to steal HU)
+ you can remove cross overs for you components and run them from the EQ as DSPs have the ability to assign specific crossover set points and db slopes for specific drivers

You can check out:
Rockford 363
Audison Bit Ten
Audio Control lc6i
Mosconi 6to8
Zapco DSP Z-8
these are all really good and have positive reviews from all over the world.

[harsh79]

I'm leaning towards the DSP but don't want to spend so much just for the sake of a 'jugaad', to avoid changing the HU. If you can understand, what I'm trying to put across..

Which upgrade of the two would deliver better results?

Will the head-unit still remain a weak link after the DSP integration?

How will the sound get affected with regard to each of the upgrades?

Will I still need to fiddle around with the inept balance menu on the current AVN head-unit, if the 4 to 6 is added?

Isn't there a loss in quality when using high level inputs to the DSP?