Just a post for those interested in ICE options for the Neo. What I have in my car:

- Sony CDX-GT800
- Kicker KS65.2 2-Way Components (Front)
- Kicker ES65 Coaxials (Rear)
- Kicker KS-80 8" Subwoofer
- Planet Audio EC20 Electronic Crossover
- Kenwood KAC846 4Ch Amp (driving front mids and sub)
- Audio Sysyem Twister F2 2Ch Amp (driving front tweets)
- Good cabling all round
- Dynamat everywhere

Total Cost: Around RM8k including installation and tuning.

Sony goes to rear speakers direct. One pre-out goes to crossover, and then is split three ways to front mids, front tweets and the sub. Both amp and sub are in the boot, and the crossover is under the driver's seat (there is a very nice recessed hole for it there. Perfect size).

I made a mistake at first. I set my budget at around RM3k, and then went to Quest Audio in Subang Jaya, and he gave me a system matching my budget (but still using factory head unit, and not including the Kenwood amp, which was a gift from a friend). It was improved, but the sound was nothing like what I was expecting. I wanted excellent clarity and fidelity, with good overall punch and soundstaging.

Two weeks later I went back to him and changed the head unit, thinking that was the problem. It improved things slightly again, but I just couldn't get the sound I wanted.

Finally I realised I would have to spend a lot more than I anticipated, and I went to KF Audio in Aman Suria. They added the second amp and the crossover, ripped out all the wiring and put good stuff in and ran my fronts full active. They also tuned the system.

I have had this for two months already, and it is very very very good. All the settings on the head unit are off (EQ is flat, time correction, soundstating tuning and loudness are all off) but it still sounds wonderful and is exactly what I was looking for.

I think my next step will be to upgrade the fronts to 3-way components (from Focal or DLS), upgrade the subwoofer and then the Kenwood amp, and then I will be done.

Hope this helps any Neo owners thinking of playing with their ICE!

Any questions please ask.

Just to say the magic ingredient in my setup is that I am running my front components full active, and that the tweeters have their own dedicated amp. The clarity and punch you get from the tweeters is amazing, and you can make out all the little details and hear the decay of the instruments - this is what makes the system very nice if you ask me.

Is your sweating a good thing or a bad thing?

Thanks for the feedback.

The Sony HU I have is their most high-end model. I agree that Sony have mostly catered for the budget market in the past by producing substandard units, but the one I have is very good. Or at least I think it is. The tuner in particular is the best I've ever had (and I've had high end Alpines, Pioneers and a JVC).

The 8" sub might not be deep or powerful, but it is very tight. And I like a good tight bass. Also, my car is a hatch (boot and passenger cabin are not separated by a wall), and a small car, so even though it's only an 8" sub (it's a tube though) it works pretty well. I may change it though, just to get better all-round quality, but I probably won't get one bigger than 8".

Siemen served me. Nice chap.

LOL of course I accept. Did I ever say I didn't accept? Mine is not a super-duper high-end system, but I guarantee it sounds better than you guys expect. Your ability to judge is limited by the fact that you haven't heard the system, right? Have you heard a Sony GT800? If not, why do you assume all Sonys are made equal? It's not as great as a high-end Alpine, sure, but at the end of the day the HU checked off all the criteria I wanted. Not cheap either - RM1800! But I'm happy with it. And before you judge and say "RM1800 should have gotten Alpine!!!" - have you heard this Sony? The same principle goes for everything else in the car.

I asked the tuner at KF about his opinion on the setup after he had finished installing and tuning everything, and he said it was very good already. Anything beyond this would be creeping into expensive high-end territory, and for a high mid-range setup it was sweet.

Still a lot of room for improvement though, which is why I continue to welcome comments, even though I have a right to disagree, especially if you have no direct experience with the components I'm using.

Just to say that I am considering upgrading the HU, front components and the sub, but I am not sure if it would be worth it. Of course I can get better sound, but where do you draw the line?

Kena poison already.

LOL. Now thread must get closed? Let me explain what happened.

1. I said what I did in my car

2. Some people commented that the stuff isn't all that great and it can be improved

3. I agreed, but I explained why I chose the things I did. I also said I was considering upgrading all those things anyway. And I thanked people for their feedback.

4. Some people accuse me of flaming and not listening (!!!! What did I say?)

5. I replied to those people.

That's it. No harsh words or anything - just misunderstanding and misinterpretation. No need to close anything.

Haha.

No he didn't say that - he did say there was room for improvement, but 8k system how to compare with 15k system?

And KF Audio are very good and very famous in the Malaysian ICE crowd for their quality installations and tuning, so I trust what they tell me.



I would have gotten a 12" sub in the first place, but I'm worried about my boot space! As it is almost got no boot left. So I got the 8" on a two-week trial, and was surprisingly happy with it. To get the "tightness" on a 12" I would have to spend a lot of money, so not sure if it's really worth it.

Thanks. THIS is constructive feedback.

I'm interested with the 9". I'll check with him on that.

My crossover is active - no passive crossovers anywhere in my system.

What is the "steg"?

Yeah nothing exciting about the new Sony range, but I must admit the FM tuner is very good compared to all the other HUs I've had in my previous cars (including two high-end Alpine and JVC units). The sound is not earth-shattering, but it is decent enough. As it is I think the SQ is bottlenecked by my speakers anyway, so I won't consider changing this until I change the front components.

Thanks.