$500 Budget. Active 3 way frontstage

[lrgnation 10+ year member]

I want to run a active 3 way front stage off an external processor/crossover/eq. Was thinking something like the audiocontrol DQXS with a 2xs and running fully active or running active midbass with passive midrange/tweets.

My current thoughts were

CDT m6 off jl 300/2

CDT hd-4/drt26s off 300/4

I am also interested in Focal and Rainbow. But I am still unsure,

which 3way speaker setup,

 

which xover/eq/processor setup?

 

fully active or not?

Any help is great

Thanks,

Kevin

Also Going to be going for a Sound Quality install and keeping my stock Headunit for now so i want all eq adjustments and xover setups external from my H/u. Also going to be running a 500/1 and 12" W6 or SSD for sub stage.

Click to read more...

 

[96MaxGLE 10+ year member]

Is the $500 just for the drivers? IMO, it would be impossible to do it having to buy amps, eq, and xovers. If your not willing to swap your H/U your gonna spend a good chunk of your budget in processing.

A good place for a lot of reviews and advice on various active combos, go over to http://www.diymobileaudio.com . Not saying ca.com isn't helpful, b/c it is.

A good budget x-over is the Coustic XM6 or XM7. The audiocontrol x-overs require chips, with the exception of the digital units, to change the settings, which you have to purchase from audiocontrol. I would take a look at some Dayton or TB drivers (since your on a budget) @ partsexpress. Rainbows are EXTREMELY nice speakers (PM 6spdcoupe w/ any questions about those)

Bottom line...if you've never run active, and you only have $500...you have 2 options

1) Save more money, and get something you'll be happy with for a while

or

2) Try 2-way active first...you'll learn a lot about tuning and imaging, and with the knowledge you gather start planning a 3-way

 

[lrgnation 10+ year member]

Is the $500 just for the drivers? IMO, it would be impossible to do it having to buy amps, eq, and xovers. If your not willing to swap your H/U your gonna spend a good chunk of your budget in processing.
A good place for a lot of reviews and advice on various active combos, go over to http://www.diymobileaudio.com . Not saying ca.com isn't helpful, b/c it is.

A good budget x-over is the Coustic XM6 or XM7. The audiocontrol x-overs require chips, with the exception of the digital units, to change the settings, which you have to purchase from audiocontrol. I would take a look at some Dayton or TB drivers (since your on a budget) @ partsexpress. Rainbows are EXTREMELY nice speakers (PM 6spdcoupe w/ any questions about those)

Bottom line...if you've never run active, and you only have $500...you have 2 options

1) Save more money, and get something you'll be happy with for a while

or

2) Try 2-way active first...you'll learn a lot about tuning and imaging, and with the knowledge you gather start planning a 3-way

I think I phrased it wrong. I have $500 to spend on drivers.

Processing and what not is about $4-700.

 

[96MaxGLE 10+ year member]

$500 is defiantly doable then. And you made me type all that $hit 4 nothing //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/furious.gif.fc81ca146dbff91fede3ed290dbc4f4c.gif

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

I would start out two way active and build on that for three way active. That is my what I am doing.

 

[theothermike 10+ year member]

^

true, pm 6spdcoupe (don) or djdillidon (don)

6spd for rainbows, ask him for like a cal 25 silk tweeter, and some germanium mids or something, dj for cdt, ask for maybe some es06 or 07 stuff.

 

[lrgnation 10+ year member]

Thanks Guys..

I think I might have just decided on the CDT's and satnet642 crossover. I'll run the m6 active and run the others active later. For right now This system should be loud and clear hopefully. Thinking about just getting the Audio Control DQXS

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

don has one of the cal25s pretty cheap IIRC that and the morel

 

[theothermike 10+ year member]

no dissing any cdt owners / dealers, but imo, now hearing the cdts, i bet the rainbows arnt as laid back and i would prob buy them if i could control time. It may be due to my lack of midbass, as i have heard many cases happening with the hd-6, but ur getting the m6, so let me know.

Mike

 

[lrgnation 10+ year member]

no dissing any cdt owners / dealers, but imo, now hearing the cdts, i bet the rainbows arnt as laid back and i would prob buy them if i could control time. It may be due to my lack of midbass, as i have heard many cases happening with the hd-6, but ur getting the m6, so let me know.
Mike

And I have a space for an 8" midbass too... so sizing down to the 6.5" seems liek an interesting decision. I may search for some 8's.

 

[T3mpest 10+ year member]

If your going fully active then why bother with CDT? All it is is rebadged vifa drivers for the most part.

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

processor = alpine PXA-H701 and RUX-C701

http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=PXA-H701

http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=RUX-C701

drivers? well. hell.

image dynamics CD1-e horn loaded compression drivers - ebay maybe? id forum? id store?

http://www.imagedynamicsstore.com/idstore/image-dynamics-controlled-dispersion-speaker-system-p-120.html

midrange? maybe some CX62's or another quality 6.5" midbass that would play up to ~1.5 khz... not sure on that tho.

http://www.imagedynamicsstore.com/idstore/image-dynamics-cx62-high-definition-midrange-drivers-p-56.html

 

[lrgnation 10+ year member]

processor = alpine PXA-H701 and RUX-C701
http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=PXA-H701

http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-en/products/product.php?model=RUX-C701

drivers? well. hell.

image dynamics CD1-e horn loaded compression drivers - ebay maybe? id forum? id store?

http://www.imagedynamicsstore.com/idstore/image-dynamics-controlled-dispersion-speaker-system-p-120.html

midrange? maybe some CX62's or another quality 6.5" midbass that would play up to ~1.5 khz... not sure on that tho.

http://www.imagedynamicsstore.com/idstore/image-dynamics-cx62-high-definition-midrange-drivers-p-56.html

I think I might just run the rux off my cda-7995 and take teh shaker crap out.

 

[expo5.0 10+ year member]

i would run the id horns (i have a few sets- and like them even the cd1-e are great) down low with some 8" woofers and maybe just an "imaging" type tweeter up top (passive x-over for that)

that is unless you just don't have the space etc. (such as my mercedes) where i went with 3-way due to not wanting to fit anything larger in my kicks than the vifa dome mids (which do sound amazing btw, and really make it easy to fit kicks due to their shallowness)

 

[expo5.0 10+ year member]

i would run the id horns (i have a few sets- and like them even the cd1-e are great) down low with some 8" woofers and maybe just an "imaging" type tweeter up top (passive x-over for that)

that is unless you just don't have the space etc. (such as my mercedes) where i went with 3-way due to not wanting to fit anything larger in my kicks than the vifa dome mids (which do sound amazing btw, and really make it easy to fit kicks due to their shallowness)

as far as processing-

audiocontrol all the way