Best 6.5 component auto speakers for sound quality?

All you need over a car marketed passive set is an electronic crossover, well and two more amplifier channels. Eq and DSP are not limited to just raw drivers only, and they're not required for either raw or drivers or passive systems.

I used a Pioneer Premier DEH-880PRS deck that had a built in 3 way crossover, eq and time alignment. It only cost about $300. Plus I saved money buy not buying an a passive set, so I could use any mid or tweeter I wanted.

We really could argue this all day. This is one of those "grab a beer" arguements.
 
DSP is for those afraid of sawzalls (proper speaker placement)

When I was competing in IASCA I used to set up for the RTA part of scoring with a radio shack digital SPL meter on a tripod set on the drivers seat and a CD with sweeps of the applicable test tones. Rarely scored beneath most of the guys who used RTA's.

Funny enough tho a car that is tuned to be perfectly flat usually sounds like ass.

You're way behind the times there.
 
We really could argue this all day. This is one of those "grab a beer" arguements.

I'm not really sure what there is to debate, but if I'm missing something, I'm open to debating it if need be.:D

Are you saying you only need Eq and DSP with raw drivers, but not passives?

I'm not at all against Eq or DSP, I think it helps every car system, passive or not. I just said it wasn't an added cost just for raw drivers, and it isn't necessary for those that don't care enough to use it.
 
Almost any high end speaker can be good if you know how to measure speakers to get the proper crossover point for it's mounted location.

If you get down to it tho, most car audio companies do not spend much time perfecting these because you never know where it is going to be mounted and most just want it loud with 130db + LF. I found a lot of companies do not have TS params for any driver over a woofer. Kinda lame in my book.

From the early 80's until 2000 I installed car audio and when there was certs (about 90') I was a MECP Master. I liked the Boston Pro stuff, JBL, ADS and so on.

Car audio to me is just a waste anymore as someone will just try to steal it.
So I just went home audio instead. Besides I get much better imaging inside my house!!

Now I only listen to talk radio in the car!:boring:
 
I'm not at all against Eq or DSP, I think it helps every car system, passive or not. I just said it wasn't an added cost just for raw drivers, and it isn't necessary for those that don't care enough to use it.

I think the better designed crossovers have good compensation for both the problems of their drivers and the phasing of them when installed to spec. You don't get either with raw drivers. And unless you know the response and the given reactance of a driver, you can be pretty sure it's not flat or is peaking somewhere.

Not really arguing one way or the other. Just one of those things I like to discuss face-to-face.
 
Almost any high end speaker can be good if you know how to measure speakers to get the proper crossover point for it's mounted location.

If you get down to it tho, most car audio companies do not spend much time perfecting these because you never know where it is going to be mounted and most just want it loud with 130db + LF. I found a lot of companies do not have TS params for any driver over a woofer. Kinda lame in my book.

From the early 80's until 2000 I installed car audio and when there was certs (about 90') I was a MECP Master. I liked the Boston Pro stuff, JBL, ADS and so on.

Car audio to me is just a waste anymore as someone will just try to steal it.
So I just went home audio instead. Besides I get much better imaging inside my house!!

Now I only listen to talk radio in the car!:boring:

Too true, on all fronts. I listen to my fair share of talk now too. But there are plenty of days I really like to crank it up!
 
I think the better designed crossovers have good compensation for both the problems of their drivers and the phasing of them when installed to spec. You don't get either with raw drivers. And unless you know the response and the given reactance of a driver, you can be pretty sure it's not flat or is peaking somewhere.

Not really arguing one way or the other. Just one of those things I like to discuss face-to-face.

I think the most I've seen in a passive crossover design is a zobel network, which active systems don't need, and different level adjustments for the tweeter level. You can accomplish that with the gain control of the amp, or level adjustments from the head unit if it has a built in crossover, or whatever processor you use. Some very high end passive sets may include more, but you can duplicate it with an active setup with eq.

I feel that there is nothing a passive crossover can do that an active system with eq cannot do. But there are things an active system can do that a passive system cannot. You can time align an active systems mids and tweeters separately to correct for the install locations, you can change the crossover points, you can change the slopes, you can overlap or underlap the crossover points, you can change the output levels continuously, they aren't fixed, and you can swap the mids and tweeters at will without worrying about whether a passive crossover is suitable for them or not.

In my experience, an active system has a lot more advantages, and it's a plus that often good raw drivers cost a lot less than many equal passive car-fi systems.
 
All very good arguments. But definitely I think at the very least an EQ and some method of RTA is needed to use raw drivers. And probably necessary anyways even for a passive setup. I guess you were more right all along :D
 
You're way behind the times there.

Well first off this was in 1998, so.... but if you think fiddling around with DSP's, EQ's and RTA's is the more modern solution than putting the speakers in the optimum position for pathlengths for the listener, I completely disagree.
Your post seemed to be critical without much elaboration so you're not giving much to go on.
It was my experience when competing in IASCA and USAC that installs relying heavily upon DSP processing were those whose install philosophies centered around stealth or factory position driver placement. Those of us less afraid of butchering the car up, with driver placement being the prime goal, didn't require mutilation of the musical signal before it hit the drivers.
I mean like this:

batvette3.jpg



batvette4.jpg


If the criticism was concerning the use of RS SPL meters and test tones well that was all about getting the required points on the RTA section of your score sheet. 30 possible, I never scored under 19 and I think my high was 25, average about 22. No competitor in my division at any show ever beat my RTA score by more than 3 points IIRC and as often as not they scored underr me- and all used the typical $4k piece of equipment doing so.
 
That looks like a rockford fosgate symmetry in the center there, so you were using a DSP or not?
 
If you get down to it tho, most car audio companies do not spend much time perfecting these because you never know where it is going to be mounted and most just want it loud with 130db + LF. I found a lot of companies do not have TS params for any driver over a woofer.

Also the 'mids' are pretty much designed to be on an infinite baffle anyway, so have massively high Qts to prevent them bottoming out with more than half a watt. So there isn't much to do with them other than isolate the rear as best you can.

Going back a few years, I had some Rockford Fosgate components with silk dome tweeters which sounded pretty decent.
 
The Rockford’s T2652-S is one of the great component speaker on the market . The Rockford’s T2652-S is very good and even affordable set of 6.5 component speakers which comes with tweeters and crossover controls included. It features with all known Rockford’s patents like VAST (Vertical Attach Surround Technique) or ICC (Integrated Concealed Crossover) and it is easy to install. The power is 200 Watts which is more than enough for decent in car stereo system and most users. The users reported that the sound quality is exceptional and they are a great addition to any car system and can play any type of music.
 
Stereointegrity.com

The true underdog of the SQ world, one competitor recently replaced his 6k dollar component set with these. And they are the most affordable drivers out there.

People who have not heard these would think Rockford sounds good.

Contentment is destroyed by comparison.
 
MBQuart was my go-to back in the day. Been a few years - not sure how their lineup compares today. Maybe worth a look.
 
Old thread is old.

My favorites have been Focal, CDT and Dynaudio. I had one car with Focals in kick panels and another car with CDTs in kick panels. The CDTs were more visceral and the Focals were more detailed.

I never had a pair and am not a fan of horns in general, but I heard a pair of Image Dynamics in a nationally-competing Impala many years ago and I was absolutely blown away. Not sure they are still doing stuff like that and it is quite a commitment, but it was an experience!

Another guy basically used all the drivers from a pair of B&W 801s.
 
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I'm looking to seriously upgrade my mobile car system.

I am looking for 6.5 inch component speakers which put out clean quality sound.

I have heard Polk SR series and really loved them, sound quality was far and above anything else I had auditioned.

Problem is that Polk does not make these masterpieces any more.

So what do I audition to fill the void left by the Polk SR series?

I need to get two pair of components, and while cost is considered, I am willing to pay more for audiophile sound quality.

I have heard of Dynaudio and Focal, but have not auditioned either of them and am not sure of what models to look for.

Your considered expertise and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Head unit: Panasonic CQ-TX5500W
Amplifier: Not yet chosen???

Cheers

Hi 89grand, It is very easy to pick the top one from searching online. Recently, I have written an article about this topic. This may help you to pick the best one. Here is the article- http://automobiledecor.com/best-component-speakers/

Please write about the article and your opinion. Thanks
 
Easier to just go pick through my spare room, or the garage... always seem to come back with something worthy via that process. Of course, it did take decades of squirrel/nut activity to get to that point. Just wish I'd had more disposable income back when we were able to get Dynaudio raw drivers @ wholesale price from Just Speakers.

John
 
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