The Ultimate In-Car Entertainment System

You must have figured out that we at Tech 2.0 are doing an ‘on the road’ series, with each writer talking about some aspect of portable tech. I wondered what to do with my beat (audio/video), and then it dawned: why not get the whole system into a car?

I’m not just talking about audio; I like pushing it all the way, so I decided to have a video system and a gaming console. The car’s backseat could double as the couch; and it basically makes the whole AV entertainment system portable. This setup is perfect for both car fanatics and tech fanatics, but I’d say being both a car and tech fanatic is the ultimate!

Before we start, I must tell you this is not just theory; we actually went on the road and interviewed a top-notch professional installer. His name is Ajay Kamath, and he’s chief of operations for an outfit called Hermit Audio . The company is the distributor for high-end audio brands for both home and car, and each brand mentioned in this article was made available by Hermit Audio.

We shot a video of the process of installation at the company outlet in central Mumbai, with Ajay providing some valuable gyaan as he did up the car. The car was provided by Sound Factor, an authorized dealer of Hermit Audio. Be sure to check out the video and photo gallery!

Audio System
Our main car stereo head was from Pioneer, but more about the head later. For the audio we used Ground Zero through and through, from the speakers to the amps and woofers. For design purposes we placed the amps inverted in MDF cabinets with a thick plastic transparent covering, to expose the interior electronics.

No coaxial speakers up front; we had a crossover for separating the mids and tweeters, both of which are attached on to the doors. After all, sound quality is of topmost priority here. In the rear we had 6x9 speakers and finally the 12-inch dual monster subwoofers.

Now, all of us who own cars will no doubt have an audio system installed. I’m talking about really going all the way by putting in video and gaming as well, so the next time you get a bonus or raise you can check these killer brands out, and soup up your chariot.

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Video and Gaming System
Here we’re talking about upgrading and adding on to your existing car. Any car in the market can be installed with a video/gaming system. If your car comes with a tamper-proof head unit, there are many ways to upgrade the setup – by using specialized interface kits, by transmitting signals via radio signals (FM modulation), or by using the stock audio and just adding the components required for displaying video.

Gaming consoles can be tucked away anywhere, provided the cables of the remote reaches the desired seating position. This is not an issue with newer consoles that have wireless controllers. Just make sure you avoid places that are most susceptible to bumps, like points over wheel arches and towards the extreme rear of the car. The mounting should also be such that the disc loading mechanism is easily accessible.

Since all game consoles are designed to run on AC power, an inverter of the console’s rated power consumption will be required to provide power supply to the unit. Once the console is powered up, you can route the audio-out of the console to your audio system and the video to the display devices. Head units/amps often have digital inputs, and these can be used for true surround-sound in the car if your console supports this.

Speaking of components, for the video system we incorporated a head with a motorized pop-out screen from Pioneer (model 4950 DVD). For gaming we used a PS2, though you can use an Xbox360 if that’s what floats your boat – or car, rather. We also included another tilt-down screen from DUB Mag Audio, proving conclusively that inbuilt ‘factory’ screens are not indispensable to enjoy video.

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Top Brands
These are some of the best brands in India that you can consider if you intend to splurge on in-car entertainment.

• Head Units/ Source Units: Alpine, Clarion, Eclipse, Pioneer, Panasonic
• Speakers: Illusion Audio, Ground Zero, JBL (Power Series and above), Morel, Focal, Dynaudio
• Subwoofers: Illusion Audio, Ground Zero, JL Audio, JBL (Power Series and above)
• Amplifiers: Steg, Ground Zero, Alpine, Audison, DLS
• Cables, Capacitors, Installation Accessories: Monster, Stinger, Ground Zero, Tsunami
• High Performance Batteries for Car Audio: Stinger, Ground Zero

Prices
If you have around a lakh and a half rupees to spare, you can go ahead and pimp your wagon with the equipment we’ve recommended. Here’s the cost break-up for our car:

• Front speakers (Ground Zero Titanium 6.5” components): Rs 7000 per pair

• Rear speakers (Ground Zero Titanium 6x9” 3-way): Rs 6000 per pair

• Subwoofers (Ground Zero Radioactive 12” 500W RMS): Rs 12,000 x 2 pieces

• Amplifier1 (Ground Zero Titanium 4-channel): Rs 12,500; used to run all four speakers

• Amplifier2 (Ground Zero Titanium monoblock): Rs 18,000; used to run both subs

• Cables (Ground Zero 4-ga amp wiring kit): Rs 5000

• Head Unit (Pioneer 4950 DVD with motorized touchscreen): Rs 30,000

• Overhead Screen (DUB Mag Audio 10”, roof-mounted): Rs 15,000

• Sony PlayStation 2: Rs 7000

• AC/DC inverter: Rs 1000

• Damping material (Noise Kill 1.5mm self-adhesive damping sheets) Rs 150 per sq ft

• Enclosures/Other fabrications/Installation charges: Rs 5000

So that’s my take on having fun on the road. Of course, it would not have been possible without Ajay and the gang at Hermit Audio and Sound Factor, so I’d like to offer them all due credit. Check out the brands if you guys want to take your AV technology on your drive, or watch the video below for now…