Top 5 components
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Bronze Member Username: UcfsaxmanOviedo/orlando, Fl Post Number: 46 Registered: May-05 | What are the top five component speakers in the 300-400 dollar price range(150-250 ebay price range.Which of these would be the best for the money. Keep in mind they might have to be the cheaper line of some of these companies. JL Audio(vr,xr) Infinity kappas Diamond Audio Mb Quart ? I'd like to spend about 200 on some speakers off eaby. |
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Silver Member Username: ScubasteveAnnapolis, MD Post Number: 225 Registered: May-05 | what is "best" is a very subjective question. Try and listen to as many of these component sets as you can. |
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Bronze Member Username: UcfsaxmanOviedo/orlando, Fl Post Number: 47 Registered: May-05 | Yes you're exactly right thanks,I'll have to find some place thats sells some of these brands. |
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Silver Member Username: JustintoxicatedPost Number: 105 Registered: Jan-05 | DLS, Diamond, CDT also make some great components you can get in that price range. Dunno if you can find DLS on ebay though. |
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Bronze Member Username: Supraspyder420Sammamish, Wa U.S. Post Number: 56 Registered: Jul-05 | Focal has good component speakers. Very good SQ |
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Silver Member Username: Mikechec9Chicago/atlanta Post Number: 497 Registered: May-05 | DLS Dynaudio Focal SEAS Morel CDT |
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Silver Member Username: Mikechec9Chicago/atlanta Post Number: 498 Registered: May-05 | if you get a chance, i have been told Zapco's new line are great too. |
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Silver Member Username: Mikechec9Chicago/atlanta Post Number: 499 Registered: May-05 | woops. scratch that. i'm sleepy and completely missed the price part, lol. i would look into the lower lines these companies have to offer (i got the top dls 6.3 for 600). also, i agree w/the infinities |
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Silver Member Username: Mikechec9Chicago/atlanta Post Number: 500 Registered: May-05 | "Dunno if you can find DLS on ebay though" yeah, i got mine there. you just have to keep looking because they flash them from time to time. this is cuz they are not "supposed" to be selling them online. |
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Gold Member Username: IlluminatorPost Number: 1056 Registered: Apr-05 | Were they worth it? |
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Silver Member Username: Mikechec9Chicago/atlanta Post Number: 506 Registered: May-05 | speechless. the epitome of excellence. they run 900-1000.00. gotem for 560 and some change. i highly recommend all of those i suggested. however, i would never pay full price for any components that high. the only reason i bought them for 600 is because i would spend more settling for less and eventually buying them later from dissatisfaction. |
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New member Username: FirlefanzPost Number: 3 Registered: Jul-05 | One word to focal, they do have fine systems but sometimes the tweeter is getting very aggressive, especially with amps that produce a very clear ( not so warm) sound. Have had the Utopia 136 W and the tweeter was a pain. You may find them on ebay europe pages. The DLS is a fine system no question. Ever thought of Phase Evoultion CFS or Rainbow? |
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Silver Member Username: ScubasteveAnnapolis, MD Post Number: 228 Registered: May-05 | what does a pair of Rainbows go for? I didn't find anyone selling them online. |
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New member Username: FirlefanzPost Number: 7 Registered: Jul-05 | @ scuba steve depends on what you are speficly looking for: http://www.powernetshop.at/pd1113605016.htm http://www.bigdogaudio.de/pi732852214_8.htm http://shopping.lycos.de/search/rainbow_slx_265_lautsprecher.html |
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Gold Member Username: Jonathan_fGA USA Post Number: 4296 Registered: May-04 | "what does a pair of Rainbows go for? I didn't find anyone selling them online." Rainbow References are $7,000 for 2 ways, $10,000 for 3 ways  Platinums are around $2000 others can be found here: http://www.iqcaraudio.com/rainbow/index.htm http://www.speedsound.com/caraudio.asp?pg=products&grp=27 |
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Silver Member Username: Mikechec9Chicago/atlanta Post Number: 516 Registered: May-05 | i always forget one, lol. i agree w/the harshness of the focals though. however, i think that is why options are so great. some people can appreciate the extra liveliness from the utopias while others prefer the arguably bland neutrality of the Dyns. i personally like the DLS b/c they are right smack in the middle, imo. but just like the SEAS Lotus might have relatively low extention in the highs and lows, i think that eq's, and processors as they are, go a long way to help perfect the relative inadequacies of ANY of the above stated drivers., i.e., you can't go wrong. although, i agree that if you spend that much on them, you want them to match your taste as close as possible, if not perfectly. (i didn't know the rainbows go as high as 10g's. that's a car, or two.) |
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Gold Member Username: Jonathan_fGA USA Post Number: 4297 Registered: May-04 | As far as the components above go, I'll try to give you an idea of how they sound. The Focals can be very neutral, but being an inverted dome, the tweeter has odd dispersion and is very difficult to get the installation right. Another thing that boils down to installation. Midbass has a lot of output and is stronger than a lot of components, not as airy and natural as others. Midrange is clear and liquid sounding, very pleasing. The SEAS components are excellent and the midbass is one of the most detailed out there, but low end extension isn't quite as good as others and bass tends to be a little dry. Upper end requires a notch filter to tame the resonant peak of the magnesium cone. Good news is the x-over does the work for you. Somewhat neutral sound, not harsh at all, accurate midrange reproduction, and neutral tweeters (even the metal dome) to match it. Drivers are very dynamic. Dynaudios are very warm, airy, and neutral. They are also quirky with their install, while they will work in doors or other locations, to bring out their best requires custom mounting and experimentation. Their strong point is the transparency of the drivers. They can disappear better than nearly any car speaker out there, and don't color the music as much as most others do. All the detail is there, but they aren't aggressive with the detail as others are, it doesn't jump out at you. Lower bass is performed well and is very accurate, but it is more airy and not as authoritative. Most of the general population would prefer a punchy midbass. DLS is smooth and natural in their sound reproduction, similar to the Dynaudios mentioned above, but a bit more lively. Upper midrange tends to be a bit dark due to a rolloff, but not by a lot. Bass reproduction is strong and accurate. Tweeter is very smooth. Set isn't harsh by any means either. Morel is similar to Dynaudio, which makes sense as they license a lot of Dynaudios technology. Sweet and warm sound, very strong bass performance. Overall very neutral performance, similar to that of Dynaudio. CDT is also known for natural sounding speakers, they use mainly Vifa drivers in their component speakers. Their crossovers are what make the systems what they are, they are very good sets for the average installer, especially the braxials. CDT is geared more for people that want great sound, but don't want to do an extensive installation to get it. Not saying that a custom installation won't bring that much more out of them. MB Quart makes great components, but as Focal, they are controversial because they are difficult to get the tweeter right. Smooth, detailed midrange reproduction, tweeter is very detailed, but bright by many people's ears. All in all, though, the end result is determined by the installation. Installed optimally, these components will sound similar to one another in the fact that they will give clean, detailed sound reproduction and good imaging. The overall sound character is determined by many factors, the surrounding vehicle and installation location determines it more than anything, though. While all the speakers have a different character, you have to determine whether the components you're considering will work well in your application. You'll get better results choosing components that work well with your installation than you will just choosing what sounds good. There are many methods to get great sound, and that is the reason these manufacturers have different engineering principles. What sounds harsh or dull in one vehicle may be just right in another, determined by the environment and also the ears. |
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Silver Member Username: Mikechec9Chicago/atlanta Post Number: 526 Registered: May-05 | extremely informative and well stated Jonathan. i'm saving this on my "favorites." How about the rainbows. could you by chance break those down (if time permits)? also, the notch filter. i'm a bit hazy regarding it. |
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Gold Member Username: Jonathan_fGA USA Post Number: 4300 Registered: May-04 | Oops, forgot those Really depends on which drivers you're talking about, but overall the Rainbows are very natural and dynamic, think Focal Utopia with a soft tweeter for the upper end models. If you've ever heard the SEAS excel home drivers (paper coned ones), then you'll have an idea of what Rainbow drivers sound like. They're very clean and neutral, strong bass output, accurate midrange and smooth tweeters. Seems to be characteristic of all high end sets |
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Gold Member Username: Jonathan_fGA USA Post Number: 4301 Registered: May-04 | Notch filter is a LCR circuit that is designed to take a "notch" out of the frequency that the driver resonates at. The component values are determined by the DC resistance, resonant frequency, and the Electrical and Mechanical Q of the driver. Simply put, in this specific case this is a circuit that is used to tame the resonance of the magnesium cone, it dampens response at that frequency so that the resonance of the driver doesn't affect crossover operation (and result in fatiguing midrange resonance, even past the X-over frequency). |
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Silver Member Username: Mikechec9Chicago/atlanta Post Number: 528 Registered: May-05 | where would we be w/out you Jonathan. experience and magazines wouldn't cut it w/out these forums and their members. thanks |
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New member Username: FirlefanzPost Number: 8 Registered: Jul-05 | I can only agree to Jonathans statement. To calulate: http://www.lalena.com/audio/calculator/seriesNotch/ Either the high ended focals which have a better tweeter than the TN 51, or combine them with a morel tweeter. But the Utopias are not built anymore (still selling), since they started up the Beryllium series. Or look for a nice Rainbow compo. I still use the Focal 136w as MID and HI (LOWs are 2x Phase Audiophile w 6,5), but due to original mounting space in my car (bmw 316) it sounds awfull when it comes to mids and hights. The tweeeter had to be lowered a lot. So shortly everything is goin to be in the doors and the focals will be replaced by 10 cm Phase compo. |
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Gold Member Username: Jonathan_fGA USA Post Number: 4307 Registered: May-04 | I like the idea of a Beryllium tweeter over the TN 51, the resonance is high enough that harmonics aren't a big issue and they do give a smoother sound while still being extremely detailed. Overall I prefer the Dynaudio drivers, especially with the Esotar tweeter. The esotar is just so smooth and sweet sounding, it works very well in a kick panel. Probably my favorite conventional tweeter, also one of the largest. |
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Bronze Member Username: FirlefanzPost Number: 15 Registered: Jul-05 | Haven't had the chance to hear the Esotar. But have heard the BE Kit 6,5 in a Focal factory car at a convention in may. The crossover are really worth to take a look. The sound wasn' that great but I think this was due to the installation. Beside 2300 EUR is out of range for my bugdet. But i prefer a smooth more warm sound, that why my Focals have to go. Over here a lot of Scan speaks (Exact) are installed, they are getting more and more popular. They have a nice aluminum housing for the tweeter an can be use from 2 kHz up. Starting above 400 EUR/ 430 USD. |
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Bronze Member Username: SsoonrDallas, Texas Post Number: 54 Registered: Mar-05 | opinion of the boston z's? |
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Silver Member Username: Mikechec9Chicago/atlanta Post Number: 567 Registered: May-05 | not personally impressed w/boston z's. in fact, i havn't been impressed w/bostons since about the time tweeter/hifi buys picked them up. i think the z's seem cheap and fragile (particularly on account of their bulk) compared to the likes of the above stated cmpnts. i know they got one of the CES awards the year they came out. they just didn't wow me the way the name boston used to. i only listened to them in shop, so i can't give an extensive opinion. used to appreciate the pros though, w/or w/out the punchy bass. |
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Silver Member Username: TboltCollipark, GA Post Number: 303 Registered: Dec-04 | Has anyone heard the xxx components? |
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nosyt Unregistered guest | I'm interested in picking up a component system for my '94 Pathfinder. I'm looking to put out about $200 on ebay for a set, you guys mentioned a few names up there but are there specific models you personally recommend for CDT, Focal, etc? I'm asking because there are several different models up on ebay. What are your opinions on the Alpine type R setups? |
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Bronze Member Username: FirlefanzPost Number: 24 Registered: Jul-05 | What size of speakers are you looking for? Are you looking for front and rear, or a good 2 way compo for the front? Or coaxials? With 200 USD you might get one out of the polyglass or access series of focal. Generally for the focals you would need to invest more. |
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nosyt Unregistered guest | My mistake, I'm looking for a good 2-way comp. for the front. Currently I have no amp but have full intentions on investing in one soon enough. Would I be able to power some Infinity's w/o an amp temporarily? Your personal preference is Focal over Infinitys? Thanks |
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Bronze Member Username: FirlefanzPost Number: 27 Registered: Jul-05 | I can't give you an answer, because i haven't heard Infinity. So if i would say Focal, it would just not be objective. If you have a chance to hear/get them Rainbow SLC 265: http://www.bigdogaudio.de/pi1222664331_9.htm?categoryId=38 or a Phase CFS 165.25 http://www.ue2kserver.de/shop/product_info.php?cPath=67_79_96_275&products_id=72 5 As said above you might get a problem with the Focal tweeter cause its quite agressive (my taste). Generally I wouldn't buy speakers which I havent heard, since everybody has a different taste. |
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Silver Member Username: Msully701Connecticut US Post Number: 231 Registered: Apr-05 | I have infinity kappa perfect components and they sound amazingly good, very good SQ can easily blast them and they stay good on SQ |
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nosyt Unregistered guest | I've decided to go with the Infinity Kappa Perfects and some Q-logic kickpanels for my pathfinder. I'm still undecided on the amp at the moment. Will I need any additional wiring or misc. things to complete installation? |
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nosyt Unregistered guest | I've decided to go with the Infinity Kappa Perfects and some Q-logic kickpanels for my pathfinder. I'm still undecided on the amp at the moment. Will I need any additional wiring or misc. things to complete installation? |
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nosyt Unregistered guest | I've decided to go with the Infinity Kappa Perfects and some Q-logic kickpanels for my pathfinder. I'm still undecided on the amp at the moment. Will I need any additional wiring or misc. things to complete installation? |
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nosyt Unregistered guest | I've decided to go with the Infinity Kappa Perfects and some Q-logic kickpanels for my pathfinder. I'm still undecided on the amp at the moment. Will I need any additional wiring or misc. things to complete installation? |
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nosyt Unregistered guest | I've decided to go with the Infinity Kappa Perfects and some Q-logic kickpanels for my pathfinder. I'm still undecided on the amp at the moment. Will I need any additional wiring or misc. things to complete installation? |
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nosyt Unregistered guest | Oh crappola, excuse me for that. :/ |
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Bronze Member Username: FirlefanzPost Number: 31 Registered: Jul-05 | The link below shows examples of what you could do. Just take a look at the pictures, you see how the wires have to be run and stuff like fuseholders. The sub is not a must, but maybe later. http://www.hifi-forum.de/viewthread-77-4962.html Alos take a look a other posts regarding to original cables within this board. |
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nosyt Unregistered guest | Dirk, thanks. I am thinking of picking up an MTX 404 to power these and a 10" sub later on. The amp itself is $130 shipped and that's right about where I want to spend. Are there any other recommendations for the sub$200 range of amps? |
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Bronze Member Username: ThugshizzLong Beach, California Post Number: 22 Registered: Jan-05 | I have a integra hatch and I want some 6.5 speakers for the front , I already have two 12' subs for the rear. What speakers do u guys recommend ? Does a component system make a big difference when u have subs or would coaxial speakers work just as fine ? Coaxial speakers are more on my prince range and I have never attempted to hook up a component system. So im looking fo a pair of 6.5 below the $200 range. Does the infinity kappa component sound way better than the perfect component or is not worth spnding the extra loot? give some sujjestions , thaks |
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