[forbhaskarm]

I had been religiously following the various ICE journals about Linea/Punto Emotion(ally), but was either not able to make up my mind or perhaps was quite confused. After much analysis (and perhaps partial paralysis) & deliberation, I finally managed to get some oomph into my Linea. The decision was as quick as the snap of a finger.

How it all happened
Fortunately, a day before, I wrote a query to Vineet (Ghost_Rider) about a product which makes it possible to update the existing OEM HU to a new model whilst still retaining use of the stalk/steering wheel audio controls in FIAT LINEA/PUNTO - CTSFA004 CAN-Bus steering control adaptor Steering Control Adaptor - Car Audio D . But Vineet drew my attention to the fact that I will lose Blue & Me which was a No-No.

Instead, the solution he suggested was --
- Blaupunkt 4/5 Channel PnP amplifier
- Direct fitment
- No wire cutting
& I was sold on it immediately.

Immediate question in my mind
What about the availability of these amps in Delhi-NCR? I had previously checked with the Blaupunkt Delhi distributers & none of them had any clue about the PnP amps. Again, fortunately, Vineet had already worked it out & he confirmed its avaialbility with 'Driven - Mr. Rana'.

Options available with Driven
I had the option of auditioning the 4 channel amp - Blaupunkt THA 475 PNP as well as the 5 channel - Blaupunkt THA 555 PNP. For a novice like me & with the Xenos comps installed in my car , I noticed a sharp improvement in the sound quality from the previous setup but no 'real' difference between the two amps. Moreover, the difference in price was also a no-brainer. Hence I opted for the 5 channel one as I wanted to keep my options open for a later date installation of a sub.

Installation experience
The installation was done at Driven, East of Kailash. It was well co-ordinated by Vineet. Thanks again, Vineet. Mr. Rana confirmed that he had never done any PnP installation ever. I think, I will safely take the pole position for the first PnP amp installed in a FIAT Linea/Punto in T-BHP. The amp auditioning was very straight forward (real Plug n Play) & did not take much time. I made my choice as early as 20 minutes from entering the shop. But as I had asked for re-installation of the front comps (previously installed) & clean installation of the amp, it took me a couple of hours for end-to-end installation, testing & signing off.

I must say the workmanship at Driven is above par than most other installers that I have ever experienced with any of my cars. Time taken for an installation job may perhaps be a little more than any other average Joe, but then its very neat, they use professional tools, no 'jugaad' stuff. I was impressed.

Hiccups
While wiring the amp, the guy came back with the only bad news.
"Sir, The amp will always be powered on"
Me puzzled "Why ?"
"Sir, the amp is drawing its power from the HU which gets constant power supply (Blue & Me is responsible for this). So even if the key is turned off/removed, there will be power to the amp."
"hmmm OK. Whats the solution ?"
"Sir, I will plug in a switch to power the amp on & off"
"No way dude?"

A quick call to Vineet & the solution - "connect the ACC from the car's fuse box to the amp".
Result - The amp powers on & off with the key.

Amp specs
-Blaupunkt THA 555 PnP
-Number of channels : 5 Channel
-Max. Power (Watt): 840
-Max. Power 5 Channel @4 Ohm (Watt): 4x110+1x400
-High-pass filter crossover frequency (Hz): 10 - 250
-High-pass filter edge steepness (dB/Octave): 12
-Low-pass filter crossover frequency (Hz): 50 - 250
-Low-pass filter edge steepness (dB/Octave): 12
-Pre-equipped for Plug & Play: Yes
-Ignition supply: Yes

Additional Accessory included
-Cable remote control: Yes (lets user control the BASS output through a wired remote)

Salient features
-No alteration to OEM wiring
-Easy installation - pure plug-n-play
-Compact size - 4.1 x 33.5 x 15.9 (cm)

Cost splitup
Mr. Rana was quite generous to extend a discount to me, perhaps as me & my car were the guinea pig for this install. . Final dent to my pocket --
-Amp - 12.5k
-Wiring Harness + kit - 7k
-Miscellaneous - .5k

Result
There is a tremendous improvement in the sound quality. My yardstick of measurement - earlier when I used to crank up the volume beyond 11 or 12 on the mark, there used to be no music - only harsh noise. After the installation, there is clear music & the sound is quite pleasing even when at 26 or 27 on the mark (max. level being 30). However, Vineet is of the opinion & I concur that -
1. there is a lot of scope for further tuning - hopefully we do it over the weekend.
2. the Xenos comps have to be replaced
3. Possibility of adding a sub for that thump, sometime later

I hooked up a couple of subs to test the setup & it sounded sweet.

Stage 2
Will come up in due course of time --
- Replace the existing Xenos comps with much better ones
- Plonk a sub

Here are the pictorial details. Apologies as the quality is not good - captured using a 1.5MP camera phone, but kind of portraits the overall install. Enjoy !!

[ghost_rider]

Hey Bhaskar,
I'm just glad it worked out well. The dilema of iceing the E+ variants of Fiat had been plaguing many of us for the fear of losing Blue&Me.

I remember having endless discussions with Pranava999 and DerAlte in the forums about this and one of the solutions was the Blau PNP way. But it was ridiculously expensive back then(about a year ago) and was just out of my budget.

We do need to sit and tune the amp for sure, and I'm sure NKapoor777 would love to join us. He's next in line for the Blau PNP for his Punto E+.

cheers

[forbhaskarm]

Originally Posted by ghost_rider

Hey Bhaskar,
I'm just glad it worked out well. The dilema of iceing the E+ variants of Fiat had been plaguing many of us for the fear of losing Blue&Me.

I remember having endless discussions with Pranava999 and DerAlte in the forums about this and one of the solutions was the Blau PNP way. But it was ridiculously expensive back then(about a year ago) and was just out of my budget.

We do need to sit and tune the amp for sure, and I'm sure NKapoor777 would love to join us. He's next in line for the Blau PNP for his Punto E+.

cheers

Hats off to you for suggesting & pushing me for this setup. I will get the car next week & we can finish the unfinished business.

[gigy]

Nice amplifier for the size to power output. i blew mine due unknown reason.
The way it is mounted though could have been inverted so as the cable connectors remain pushed inwards rather than hang outwards.

[nkapoor777]

Originally Posted by ghost_rider

We do need to sit and tune the amp for sure, and I'm sure NKapoor777 would love to join us. He's next in line for the Blau PNP for his Punto E+.cheers

Yupp, count me in. Just give me a buzz and I'll reach you. Not on the weekdays though.

Originally Posted by forbhaskarm

Hats off to you for suggesting & pushing me for this setup. I will get the car next week & we can finish the unfinished business.

Look forward to hearing the setup Bhaskar. Cheers!

[sukrit7]

Congratulations, Bhaskar. I too will take the plunge shortly. I never knew you'd got this done until I met Mr.Rana who told me someone on the forum had ice'd a punto emotion pack.

You say the amp powers off and on with the key, does that mean that the system won't work without ignition. The punto has a feature by default which allows you to use the system without the key,do we lose that feature ?

[rishi_kapoor]

Very neat job. COngratulations, enjoy your new ICE.

[forbhaskarm]

<p>

Originally Posted by sukrit7

Congratulations, Bhaskar. I too will take the plunge shortly. I never knew you'd got this done until I met Mr.Rana who told me someone on the forum had ice'd a punto emotion pack. </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>You say the amp powers off and on with the key, does that mean that the system won't work without ignition. The punto has a feature by default which allows you to use the system without the key,do we lose that feature ?

</p>
<p>Thanks Sukrit. Well the system does power on without the ignition - so no change in BlueNMe function, only the sound is heard when the key is at the MAR (acc on- half ignition) position perhaps like any other car.
BTW, I spent an entire late afternoon/evening with Ghost_Rider(Vineet) tuning the amp to send optimum signals to my not so good compos. Thanks Vineet.</p>

[pranava999]

Congrats!! Nice to see the Emotion variants in the forum are getting iced now. Hopefully some day soon I will too.

Yo Ghost how u been? Long time mate...

[eagle_bush]

AFAIK from the manual of the THA 555 PnP input doesn't need a remote wire to power it up.
The amp is intelligent to turn on with a High Power Input. Manual specifically says that a remote power wire is not needed!

I got my amp, now waiting for my Punto to arrive to install it the very first day!

Any suggestions on a nice sub for this amp?

[Mindgrinder]

can i fit a JBL amp and component in this system or does only this works?

[eagle_bush]

Originally Posted by Mindgrinder

can i fit a JBL amp and component in this system or does only this works?

You can fit a JBL amp, but you would need an additional LOC (Line output converter). Speakers are upgradeable to components even with the existing setup.

[Mindgrinder]

Originally Posted by eagle_bush

You can fit a JBL amp, but you would need an additional LOC (Line output converter). Speakers are upgradeable to components even with the existing setup.

thnx Eagle_Bush, i guess then sticking to PnP seems good. Minimal connections prevent more hardware failures to deal with.

[Mindgrinder]

Originally Posted by Mindgrinder

thnx Eagle_Bush, i guess then sticking to PnP seems good. Minimal connections prevent more hardware failures to deal with.

Hey this is PnP means plug and play, do other AMPS like JBL And GT series...do the require wire cutting?

[UKR]

Originally Posted by forbhaskarm

Final dent to my pocket --
-Amp - 12.5k
-Wiring Harness + kit - 7k
-Miscellaneous - .5k

Is the pnp 555 amp really available for 12.5k? From the info that I got, it comes to around 25k. Also anyone aware of where I can source this in Bangalore?