Team-BHP - Chevrolet Beat LT ICEd

The car was purchased on 13th March and no modification was done to it except adding tints and keyless entry. Basically the LT is a fully loaded model and comes with almost everything. I loved everything about the car except the SQ of the stereo. The LS variant does not come with integrated stereo but has provisions for installing an aftermarket HU and speakers. But buying the LS would compensate on loads of other features like Auto Climate Control, cool blue interior lights etc etc. I decided that I would upgrade the ICE on the LT, something nobody has done before since this was a new model then.
The HU is an integrated one which plays most of the formats on CDs, USB and AUX in for Mobile phones or external players. The equalizer settings and other features are basically great about this HU. It has a neat volume knob and lots of blue lights around every knob and buttons. Basically the HU has all the basic features and I love it but the speakers throw horrible SQ being paper cone ones. The front stage consists of 4” mounted on dashboard and the rear ones are 6”x4” next to the parcel tray. Speakers would jar at high volume and this put me off everytime I listened to the stereo. Thus began my quest for upgrading the speakers.
Mangalore is not an ideal place to have choice for premium car stereo products. There are hardly dealers or stockists for good brands of car audio. The only heard of names here are Sony, JBL and Pioneer. Honestly I did not want any of these brands in my car. I wanted something different. Team-bhp forums were very useful in knowing different brand names in car audio, some I never heard of in my life. The internet also played a major role in my study for what I wanted. Slowly after a month of study I made my choice.
Installation was done in two phases.
Phase 1
My best friend Reo from Bangalore helped me in sourcing out the stuff from dealers and all due credit goes to him to be honest. The front speakers are Boston Playsmart si403 and rear ones are Polk db461. The reason I went for these are I did not want to mount speakers in any other locations except stock ones. I wanted to retain the practicality of the parcel tray and not use it for mounting 6”x9” as the trend here is. Installation was done by me and Reo at home and it was not much of a struggle.
End result was satisfying, the speakers do not jar, sound is crisp and clear and the mids are tight and highs are clean.
This are the stock rear speakers.

Phase 2
The setup was pretty good enough and it was a joy to increase the volume knob and not hear any jarring. But what I missed the most was the thump. Yes bass, that’s what I wanted badly. The thought of having a Subwoofer thumping inside my car was a dream wanting to come true. Then comes the research on procuring a suitable amplifier and subwoofer.
Basically, I love my music and clarity and SQ is what I look for the most. I wanted the thump but not at the cost of shaking the neighborhood. And most importantly, I wanted to stick to my budget of 20K. Yet again I let myself loose into the ocean of internet and Reo helped me procure the Hertz EP2 amplifier.
Now it was time to decide on the subwoofer. Upon shortlisting I wanted the Rockford Fosgate Prime R1L-1X12 because it came with factory fitted enclosure but sadly there was no stock at the dealers. After weeks of waiting we gave up and decided to hunt for a subwoofer and buy an enclosure separately.
The Hertz EP2 is a 190W RMS amplifier and I was looking for a SVC sub within 250W RMS handling capacity. Finally managed to settle for the Hertz DS300 as it pairs well with the EP2.
In addition to this, I got the amplifier wiring purchased, Soundquest VL series SQK8. Reo sent the stuff by bus and it arrived promptly the next day.
Here are the pictures of the amp, sub, enclosure and wiring.

I would not mind doing the DIY on the amp wiring as I have a fair knowledge but I wanted to leave this to the pros as I did not want risking my car's electricals at the cost of my knowledge (or the lack of it). lol:

There are quite a few decent installers in Mangalore but one shop I really have a good reputation about is Car Decor as I always had a pleasant experience there during the days of pimping my scooter.

I approached the owner and took an appointment for the install the next day and the job got done in 4 hours without any glitch. The amp battery wiring was done in a neat manner and rear speaker level inputs were used to the amp, thus I did not have to fiddle around with the HU's wiring and voiding warranty.

End result - The setup is complete, the SQ is world class and now I got enough thump to shake the neighborhood (well, almost)stupid:

Upon auditioning the setup with my friends they were all happy about it, especially the Chevy salesman whom I know closely, he came up with the conclusion that I 'did the impossible' i.e. ICEing the Beat LT!

Here are some install pics that I could manage. Enjoy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOTORIOUS (Post 2053458)

congratulation !!! :thumbs up

Mind sharing the cost breakup ???

Have two questions through :

What brand is that power kit ???
What brand is that Sub Box ???

Thanks dude, the power kit is Soundquest brand and the enclosure is non branded local made but is of very good quality meeting the subwoofer's recommended specifications.

Cost breakup

Boston Playsmart si403: 1600
Polk db461: 3600
Hertz DS 300: 5500
Hertz EP2: 6000
SoundQuest VL series SQK8: 2000
Subwoofer enclosure: 1000
Installation: 350
Total: Rs 20050

Cheers,
Alston :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pr_007 (Post 2053573)

@alstonlobo, that is an excellent setup man. The blue led's are good but are really too bright.

I hope you are really enjoying the ride with the new ICE setup. Congrats.:thumbs up

Thanks man, yes the setup is miles ahead and better than stock one. The SQ is 'Gangsta' now if I had to put it in one word stupid:

The blue leds actually work as both cosmetic appeal and boot light as I got the stock boot bulb cancelled. After all, blue is the theme of my car's interiors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadra (Post 2053594)

Congrats buddy. I am at present in phase 1 for my spark which is almost similar to your ICE setup.

Kicker 4" front comps
Stock HU
Boston 6*9 coax rears

This produces enough thump which i am liking as of now. I wonder what kind of SQ i would have when i add a good quality amp & a sub (rockford punch series probably)

cheers
Herez my thread

Hi quadra, read your thread a few weeks before. Nice to know you enjoy and you are happy with your setup. Congrats. If I was in your place, I would still add a sub and amp just for that added thump, you know what I mean. It would give you the ultimate sense of satisfaction.

If you are RF fan then suggest you go for the Prime sub that I was initially interested in. And lucky you, got the experts like Satya for consultation. I had to do all my research from scratch being a novice. Did not have a Godfather for ICE lol:

All the best,
Alston

Quote:

Originally Posted by alstonlobo (Post 2053737)

Hi quadra, read your thread a few weeks before. Nice to know you enjoy and you are happy with your setup. Congrats. If I was in your place, I would still add a sub and amp just for that added thump, you know what I mean. It would give you the ultimate sense of satisfaction.

If you are RF fan then suggest you go for the Prime sub that I was initially interested in. And lucky you, got the experts like Satya for consultation. I had to do all my research from scratch being a novice. Did not have a Godfather for ICE lol:

All the best,
Alston

that would be coming soon.

You are a good DIYer buddy. I always wanted to do that but....

Any plans to thump blr ?? lol: