Help me out of this "SONY" Mess


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27 Mar 2008 :Got the Keys of our new Zen Estilo.Was really excited and couldn't wait to install a proper music system.We had a Maruti Omni earlier and all it had was a Maruti supplied Kenwood HU and 2 Speakers in the rear.The first thing that came to my mind was Sony.After owning n number of Sony products that became my first priority.Car dealer also had Sony products but they were no longer in production so i opted out of it.

(Day 2) 28th Mar:Drove to nearest Sony Authorized Center which was a 5 min drive away from my house.Got my uncle along as well,he's an audiophile.
After reaching the place i started selecting the products for the car.

The Installed ICE Components are as follows.
CDX-GT470U Headunit



Rear Speakers XS-6942A



The speakers too were out of production,there was a pioneer set available with him.But the Pioneer had no bill/Warranty,My Uncle kept telling me to go for the Pio but the bill/warranty issue kept me away from it.And Ultimately Sony was my only option.

Front Speakers XS-GTF16252



This is all my dad agreed to pay for,dad was least interested in investing for a Music system.At that time i agreed (as if i had a choice,it was either this or nothing)

The Sub and Amp were gifted by my uncle.He said that these are required for having a better output.

Subwoofer XS-L124p5



Amplifier XS-ZR6022 2 channel amp



Cables RCA everything is Monster Cables.This again was uncles decision,
I was shocked to see the difference in the quality and the size of the cables Sony had provided and Monster cables.He told me wires are as important as any other component in the entire system.

The sub woofer was installed on the parcel tray with the rear speakers.

I was really happy with the entire setup.
After a Week the parcel tray was bent as it couldn't handle the weight of the woofer.
Uncle to the rescue again,he took me to Santacruz where his friend owns a ICE shop.
I was blown away looking at speakers and Woofers of Companies like Infinity,MTX audio,Kicker all brands i had never heard of.He put a new parcel try and a new enclosure for the Woofer.

The Bass was now much more clear and tight then before.But we(uncle and me) were not satisfied with the output of the system.

So i started googling,going through forums to find out what was wrong.
The Answer i got everywhere was the same.
The problem was Sony [shock].
There was nothing i could do except ICE the whole car again.[cry]

So now i need your help guys to help me configure my ICE Setup.
I'll prefer a Step by Step Upgrade as i'll be spending my own pocket money.
The HU also started skipping after about 1.5 yr use[frustration]
Got it repaired from Sony (Under Warranty).But i mostly use the USb.

So I have a Budget of 10K for the first step of Upgrade.
Save me Guys!!
 
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See Addy don't go for a pioneer as you know a mutual friend of our's (Varun)is having a bad experience because pioneer music systems don't have a slot for headsets and a USB slot and it had cost him 10,000 Rs/- last november.
Instead try for Blaupunkt,Alpine or Panasonic.
 
Thread Starter #4
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See Addy don't go for a pioneer as you know a mutual friend of our's (Varun)is having a bad experience because pioneer music systems don't have a slot for headsets and a USB slot and it had cost him 10,000 Rs/- last november.
Instead try for Blaupunkt,Alpine or Panasonic.
Dude that is an Aux-IN.

Lets wait and watch what the ICE experts have to say.

@ racerdabba dude my budget is 10K will an alpine fit my budget?

I'm not sure about Pio 6050 but a Pio 5050 was available under exchange for 4.5K!!
 
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@ rengade:

1) first you need to change your HU. go for pio 4050/5050/6050 without any apprehensions, they give the best value for money. they would cost you around 5000-6000 under exchange.

2) then change the front speakers to JBL components. will cost you around 2500-3500 under exchange.

3) next replace 2 ch amp of sony with 4 ch amp, again from JBL. will cost you around 5000 under exchange.

4) then, exchange sony subwoofer with JBL subwoofer, would cost you around 4000 without sub enclosure. use 2 ch of amp to power your front compos & bridge 2 ch to the subwoofer.

5) if you still have money, replace rear sony speakers too!


the reason i recommend JBL is because they are the cheapest & the best. even better ones are ground zero, infinity & illusion but they are more expensive.
 

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dude! i am a sony lover, i got sony products for my ride and trust me, i am sweeping them off one by one out of my car, sony isnt a good pick in car audio systems.
go for pioneer HUs and jbl sub and amps if you have a fixed economical budget :)
 
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Arun

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See Addy don't go for a pioneer as you know a mutual friend of our's (Varun)is having a bad experience because pioneer music systems don't have a slot for headsets and a USB slot and it had cost him 10,000 Rs/- last november.
Instead try for Blaupunkt,Alpine or Panasonic.

10k? He was taken for a ride then. I don't recollect any Head Units which support headphones. Pioneer offers USB support in 5050 and 6050.
Blaupunkt is all show no go. Forget about Panasonic!


@Raj_5004
Addy mentioned, it is a phased upgrade. I think, first the HU, then the front speakers will be replaced. Next the woofers and the amplifier.
By the way, how much does the ///Alpine HU cost?
 
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Your first upgrade should be the HU.

Then the front compos
then the amps. then the subs.

leave the rear as it is ( as it is , it spoils the soundstage)

10k? He was taken for a ride then. I don't recollect any Head Units which support headphones. Pioneer offers USB support in 5050 and 6050.
Blaupunkt is all show no go. Forget about Panasonic!


@Raj_5004
Addy mentioned, it is a phased upgrade. I think, first the HU, then the front speakers will be replaced. Next the woofers and the amplifier.
By the way, how much does the ///Alpine HU cost?
Alpine 9887 would be close to 20000.

Panasonic is actually better than blaupunkt and all.
I've heard it.

Woofers should be replaced after the front compos.
 
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Thread Starter #10
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Your first upgrade should be the HU.

Then the front compos
then the amps. then the subs.

leave the rear as it is ( as it is , it spoils the soundstage)



Alpine 9887 would be close to 20000.

Panasonic is actually better than blaupunkt and all.
I've heard it.

Woofers should be replaced after the front compos.
@ Abhinav
I didn't get this
leave the rear as it is ( as it is , it spoils the soundstage)
rear spoils the soundstage??.

Now Alpine is out of my budget,
I have a budget of only 10K max

So which Headunit should i go for? (Plus a 2 rca or 3 rca HU)???

What is the cost of a panasonic ??
 
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@ rengade:

1) first you need to change your HU. go for pio 4050/5050/6050 without any apprehensions, they give the best value for money. they would cost you around 5000-6000 under exchange.

2) then change the front speakers to JBL components. will cost you around 2500-3500 under exchange.

3) next replace 2 ch amp of sony with 4 ch amp, again from JBL. will cost you around 5000 under exchange.

4) then, exchange sony subwoofer with JBL subwoofer, would cost you around 4000 without sub enclosure. use 2 ch of amp to power your front compos & bridge 2 ch to the subwoofer.

5) if you still have money, replace rear sony speakers too!


the reason i recommend JBL is because they are the cheapest & the best. even better ones are ground zero, infinity & illusion but they are more expensive.
Then according to Raj i can get the HU and components in the first step itself.

Also I have an option of getting ICE parts from Dubai.
Will it be a better option??
 
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@ Abhinav
I didn't get this
leave the rear as it is ( as it is , it spoils the soundstage)
rear spoils the soundstage??.

Now Alpine is out of my budget,
I have a budget of only 10K max

So which Headunit should i go for? (Plus a 2 rca or 3 rca HU)???

What is the cost of a panasonic ??
A 3 rca is preferred because you have open options later on.

the front components make a soundstage and imaging. ( which should be dead centre and on top of the dash).

When you have sound coming from rear, it mixes with the sound from front and the max sound is somewhere near the handbrake.

So your sweet spot is the handbrake and obviously you cannot get your ear to the handbrake level. so it is not recommended to put rears until you have people sitting or some other reasson.

There are panasonic in the 8k region. Or you can get pioneer.
 
Thread Starter #13

Renegade

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A 3 rca is preferred because you have open options later on.

the front components make a soundstage and imaging. ( which should be dead centre and on top of the dash).

When you have sound coming from rear, it mixes with the sound from front and the max sound is somewhere near the handbrake.

So your sweet spot is the handbrake and obviously you cannot get your ear to the handbrake level. so it is not recommended to put rears until you have people sitting or some other reasson.

There are panasonic in the 8k region. Or you can get pioneer.
Got it now,no wonder why i felt that the front co-axials was not recognizable when the fader was on center.

I want to Upgrade the HU ASAP.
Also going through other forums i came across Clarion DXZ785USB which costs 5.5K.Any clue how this HU performs??

@Raj you have a Pio 5050 HU right,can you give me some info on their Performance and SQ
 
Thread Starter #15

Renegade

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What !!! [shock]

Is this a new one or used??

If new i will buy two :)

I just enquired & it came to 16,000 in India!
I came across a guy on another forum,he said that he got it for 5.5K.
The price on the net was about 199$ but it is now discontinued.
I am asking a friend to check if its available in Dubai.If it is available at about 5-7K i'll order 2 for you as well [lol!]

Here you go check this as well Price listing at Amazon
 
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