6.5s off of HU power- Recommendations?

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

Looking to replace the front door drivers with something that can run off of the HU for now. Open to coaxials or components. Budget is pretty tight, since I don't know what my long-term plans will be. $100(-ish) is about it.

Vehicle is a 2011 WRX 5DR (hatchback) with a Clarion CX609 HU that is about to be installed. HU is 14W RMS per channel according to specs, but take that for what it is worth. Current front speakers are factory components. Mounting depth of around 2" seems fine, but I can't find info on limitations due to tweeter protrusion. A quick browse on crutchfield showed that they list most things with a protruding tweeter as "Does Not Fit," but they could not give details on why, when I called and asked. (Example- Polk dB "slim" 6.5s fit, but the "regular" version does not, despite nearly identical mounting depths.)

Will be adding a small Clarion underseat sub for the short-term (carryover from my last vehicle), but may swap out for an 8" or 10" in a custom box (similar to a JL sealthbox) down the road.

Future options are undecided...

If I buy inexpensive components that sound pretty good, I may amplify what I buy with a small dedicated amp (no more than 50W per channel). If I buy some good coaxals, same deal. If I go with coaxials now and decide that I want more up front, I may move what I buy to the rear doors and upgrade later.

Logical budget choice is Polk dB coaxials (or even components), but I would not be asking here if I had made up my mind.

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[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

I think Massive Audio SX 6 coaxials will suit your needs. They should sound good with HU power but you might find the midbass to be lacking at only 14W RMS per channel. No protruding tweeter and only 1.66" mounting depth.

 

[manny1337 10+ year member]

some polks would do you well.

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

The specs on the Massives look good.

What about the Crescendo CCX65 in coaxial mount? I see thet the tweeter protrusion is 5mm, so I need to see if that will be an issue, but they seem well-regarded.

If I go with the Polks, should I go with the 651s coaxials for now, or go straight to the 6501 component set?

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

If you're doing an amp at the same time I wouldn't hesitate to get components. It's more work to mount them but you get better sound right off the bat. If it's a no on the amp, then get coaxials. They'll be happier with head unit power and you'll be happier as a result.

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

I will be doing the HU-only route first, then potentially adding the amp later.

 

[Wattser93 10+ year member]

Boston S Class are designed for low power systems and sound pretty good. I have some on HU power and have been happy with them.

They won't hold a candle to amp'd comps but for a low budget on HU they're pretty decent. eBay has them cheap.

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

^^^^

Do you mean the SC 65 coaxials, or the SC 60 components?

 

[orinlboy 10+ year member]

My Pioneer D-series comps sound good off my Eclipse Hu with only 13 watts. The tweeters were a bit shrill on 0db, so I put it on -3db on the crossover. Sounds pretty sweet now.

 

[kevin lu 10+ year member]

For $100 you can get this PIONEER TS-D1702R 6 3/4'" COAXIAL 260 WATTS NEW 2010 - eBay (item 280612755850 end time Jan-13-11 13:03:56 PST)

or this Diamond Audio D661i 6-1/2" Component Car speakers hipow - eBay (item 300411401057 end time Jan-20-11 12:43:07 PST)

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

^^^^^^^^^

How do those sound?

 

[thisistiny 10+ year member]

The specs on the Massives look good.
What about the Crescendo CCX65 in coaxial mount? I see thet the tweeter protrusion is 5mm, so I need to see if that will be an issue, but they seem well-regarded.

If I go with the Polks, should I go with the 651s coaxials for now, or go straight to the 6501 component set?

go with crescendo. I have nothing but good things to say about them. love how they sound and they look sexi. DDDD

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

go with crescendo. I have nothing but good things to say about them. love how they sound and they look sexi. DDDD

I spoke with the Creschend folks and they do NOT recommmend running them off of HU power. I may try it anyway, but they are likely to sound lousy if I never amplify them properly.

Also, i am lazy and would prefer an in-line crossover to the seperate crossover, but it is not a non-starter.

 

[*SlappinAzz*]

I spoke with the Creschend folks and they do NOT recommmend running them off of HU power. I may try it anyway, but they are likely to sound lousy if I never amplify them properly.
Also, i am lazy and would prefer an in-line crossover to the seperate crossover, but it is not a non-starter.

I love my crescendos, so much that i ordered two more sets. I ran the first set on head unit power for awhile, no problems. They sound very nice for the price.

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

How about the PGs? RSD65cs - Phoenix Gold 6.5" Component Speaker System

Better, worse, same versus the Crescendos?

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

I have considered upping my budget a bit and going with Rainbow SL165s.

Thoughts?

 

[liar2 10+ year member]

I, too, am in this same position. Don't really want to add an amp so I'm looking for a pair of decent components. I've been looking at the alpine type s, boston acoustics, and a few others. I'd ideally like to spend around $150 or less. Would you all recommend the same speakers?

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

I, too, am in this same position. Don't really want to add an amp so I'm looking for a pair of decent components. I've been looking at the alpine type s, boston acoustics, and a few others. I'd ideally like to spend around $150 or less. Would you all recommend the same speakers?

I added the Rainbow SLX265 to my list if options, even though it was out of my initial price range. As mentioned above, I also considered the SL165 coaxials, but I'd rather keep the tweeters high in the doors. I hate wiring (I spent enough days doing that in my younger days doing my shadetree installs) but I also hate paying someone else to do it, and I don't really trust that I'll get the install that I want.

Even though they break the original budget, it might be a better option to wait until the weather warms up and just add a small amp (I have an old RF 100a2 in the garage) and go with components, then upgrade my amp later when I upgrade my substage. I may even go with the SLC265 if I go this route, but the SLX would be better if run on HU power in the meantime.