About to order online 6.5" components -- Out of these, best choice?

[Chromatic]

Hi,.. I've been lolly gagging around for a few weeks now on learning and comparing speakers.. it's time to just order. So here's a list of what I'm considering..

First: this is going into a 2008 Nissan 350Z.

Second: They are going into factory locations without modification other than spacers on mids.

Third: Factory specs are 6.5" Mids in doors per usual,.. Factory speakers are 10watt Clarions (paper weights),.. that from the factory have a 1" spacer built into them on the front. Thus clearance from front mount back is very shallow. WITH a 1" spacer speakers that are 2.5" barely clear, so have to keep this in mind.

Fourth: Factory tweeters are .75 (3/4") not 1". But, plenty of people have had some sets with 1" tweeters fit in the factory location using factory grill without an space problems. I'll try to order something where the tweeter fits, but if it doesn't.. I'll hesitantly modify as little as I have to , to make it fit. But the 6.5" door speakers must fit in that shallow space,.. not putting pods or extending the factory grilles. (Goal of this is to keep it factory looking).

Fifth: I like lots of treble,.. so I may have an ear that likes the "harsh" tweeters,.. but to be safe I am trying to find a tweeter that is silk and/or cloth.. Trying to shy away from really harsh tweeers.

Also,.. the factory tweeter location is not optimal. It's "Off Axis" in the Sail panels: Here is a picture of the factory Sail panel with tweeter :

Here is a list of speakers that people have fit (or haven't) in the factory slot one way or another from 2010 forum post in the 350Z. (Thought it might help give some idea of what would fit and what wouldn't)

Boston Acoustics

Pro 6.5 - Fit over gutted stock speakers

From: lbz

CDT

ES 620z - Fit with a 1" spacer

From: ohfourzee

EF61-FG - Does not fit, Magnet does not clear window.

From: Peak350

Diamond Audio

S600S 6.5" - Fit over gutted stock speakers.

From: Kuhan

DLS

Iridium - Fit with 0.5" Spacer

From: 16psibrick

MS6A - Does not fit, Magnet does not clear window.

From: sintaxeror

UP6i - Fit with 0.5" Spacer

From: sintaxeror

Focal

Focal 165 VRS - Fit with 1" spacer

From: Roper215

Focal 165 K2P - Does not fit, Magnet does not clear window.

From: Roper215

Hertz

HSK-163 - Fit with 1" Spacer.

from:adamtaylorpcb

Infinity

Perfect 6.1 - Fit with 1" spacer + 5 layers Dynamat

From: KManZ

Reference 6010cs - Fit with 1" spacer

From: teh215

JL Audio

JL audio VR 650 CSi - Fit with 0.5" spacer

from: fatalus

MB Quart

ESA-216 - Fit with 1" spacer

from: Spork

Phoenix Gold

RSD65CS - Will not fit without some cutting and spacer

from: phandango

Pioneer

Premier TS-D720C 6.75" - Will fit with 1" mdf spacer, or 1/2" mdf + supplied pioneer spacer.

from:35oZephyR

Polk

SR6500 - Fit with 1" Spacer

from: KManZ

Rainbow

SLC265.25NG - Fit with 1" Spacer and included ring.

from:350ZREDLINE

Rockford Fosgate

Punch P162S - Fit with 1" spacer

From: sssza

On to the speakers I'm considering purchasing:

CDT - 61cv's (I've heard CDT's are all good.. so if you have some shallow mount, or other CDT 6.5" components, feel free to chime in.)

Rainbow SLC 265.25 NG's (Dated, so may be hard to find)

JL C2650 Evolution C2's

Alpine SPR-60C's

Rockford Fosgate T165-S 6.5-Inch Power Series (These fit even with the 1" tweeters)

There are more,.. just can't think of them off hand. But you get the idea here.

Thing is, I'm literally about to pull the trigger on ordering a set. You can see this is a mid-range budget,.. Cheaper the better, but I can spend up to $225-250 if the speaker warrants it. Oddly enough it seems some of the better options are $100-150 a pair.

And, I will be running an amp that will be capable of putting out 120watts RMS @4ohms to these speakers. Ideally I'd like to run 70-100watt RMS speakers to give the amp a little headroom, but technically will go up to 120watt RMS speakers if I have to. Out of personal preference I'd like to not exceed the 120watts RMS of the amp with the speaker.

I know I've posted a similar question, but this is the final one. Give your thoughts here,.. and I understand it's going to be different recommendations from different people. But again to re-hash:

Component Speakers for a Nissan 2008 350Z for Front,.. 6.5" mids and 3/4" tweeter (can squeeze 1" tweeters in , in some applications).

Wattage on speakers RMS should range between 70-100watts RMS (per speaker) preferably.

For the low end I am running a JL Audio 8" sub in sealed enclosure @ 150 watts RMS. Amp will be either CT Sounds, or Kenwood eXcelon (The CT sounds is a/b and much larger, the Kenwood is Class D, and fits much better.)

Thanks for any last minute input and I am not stuck on any brands here.. not brand loyal.

Click to read more...

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

i'd say with shallow mount in mind, go for the type Rs from that list, because from my experience, they generally have pretty harsh tweeters to my ears and i hate them because of it lol. Midbass is good, midrange is clarity is decent enough.

 

[pickup1 5,000+ posts]

With or without bose

With or without navi?

 

[Chromatic]

With or without boseWith or without navi?

Without Bose, and Without Navigation.

I have a Pioneer AVH-P4100DVD headunit installed already. AVH-P4100DVD - In-Dash Double-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver with 7" Widescreen Display | Pioneer Electronics USA

So it's the base speakers, cheap clarion speakers.. without the factory sub of course.

 

[Chromatic]

i'd say with shallow mount in mind, go for the type Rs from that list, because from my experience, they generally have pretty harsh tweeters to my ears and i hate them because of it lol. Midbass is good, midrange is clarity is decent enough.

Well, I don't necessarily want Harsh tweeters lol. The Type R's have Silk tweeters, I thought that meant they were more on the soft side?

What do you think about the:

Rockford Fosgate T165-S 6.5-Inch Power Series ?

Are they a good set? Or do you just not really know anything about them? I know these fit in the car, even the 1" tweeter fits. Have good reviews.

The Type R's run 110Watts RMS per speaker,.. while I can push it,.. that's at the edge of what the amp can do.. Probably going with PPI. I see your speakers are Type R components,.. you may have been who recommended them to me? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Well, I don't necessarily want Harsh tweeters lol. The Type R's have Silk tweeters, I thought that meant they were more on the soft side?
What do you think about the:

Rockford Fosgate T165-S 6.5-Inch Power Series ?

Are they a good set? Or do you just not really know anything about them? I know these fit in the car, even the 1" tweeter fits. Have good reviews.

The Type R's run 110Watts RMS per speaker,.. while I can push it,.. that's at the edge of what the amp can do.. Probably going with PPI. I see your speakers are Type R components,.. you may have been who recommended them to me? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

i actually recommended the jbl ms-62 along with the image dynamics ctx 6.5 cs. Let me tell you, i have the JBL ms-62s right now and the titanium dome tweeter is miles better then the type R's silk dome. Probably the only titanium ones i'll ever like. details in the JBLs are extremely nice and clear and its not really harsh at all, very buttery. With the type Rs i always have to eq down the 6khz region but my ears are extremely sensitive to sibilance in speakers compared to average listeners so my sound signature preference might be different then yours.

i only recommended the type Rs because you said you like a little bit more sibilance in your tweeters.

 

[Slobalt]

Out of what you said the type R's but I would have to say image dynamics ctx 6.5 cs is a better choice if you can fit them. I have rf t1 675s which I like but thats because I wanted something that would be loud and I would not recommend for sq. The jl c2 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/thumbsdown.gif.d22f25895e9b40f2300c953691dacfa2.gif and i have never heard the cdt in person so thats my input.

 

[Slobalt]

I just seen you like a bright tweeter what kind of music do you listen to?

 

[Chromatic]

I just seen you like a bright tweeter what kind of music do you listen to?

Well, I like the treble settings higher than most,.. That's the only way I can equate that I might like a "bright" tweeter. Then again, I don't want something that is going to give me a headache 15 mins into a drive. I think going with a silk/soft tweeter is probably "Safe" for me.. I can push the treble up in the headunit for any extra "brightness" I want. I guess I'd rather "err" on the side of normal than too harsh.

Oh and music -- Rock, Alternative mainly. Like 311, Dave Mathews Band, Pearl Jam, Chevelle, Led Zeppelin, and so on.. no rap, no country.

 

[Chromatic]

Decided to go to the two remaining Car audio shops in town. A bit disappointed. The first one seemed like he didn't have the time of day for me,.. he didn't know if I wanted to spend 5 grand or 500 bucks.. I expected him to recommend what he sells obviously,.. but he literally had one set of components in 6.5" .. they ran something like 45watts RMS I believe. Bottom line,.. he didn't want to discuss what I wanted for sound,.. and just pushed the typical you need two 10" subs back here, and this set of components (only ones he had).. and this 4 channel eXcelon amp that's $500.. and that'l be oh.. umm,.. $1550. So I went to the other shop 5 miles down the road. Guy has no storefront, just basically a counter with an install bay,.. that's fine. This guy is the real deal,.. has trophy's from competitions everywhere.. if there was 1, there was 250 trophies. Been in business since 1980 or so.

This guy seemed like he was passionate about car audio. But,.. still didn't quite get the concept that I wanted just a little punch from a sub and a pair of components up front. He was nice, talked to me a while,.. and when I mentioned I had a pair of MB Quart Coaxials from the 90's that were made in Germany he was like What?? You don't have those in anything? I was like nope, just have stored them. He said, that's what we'll put up front, and then we'll put another set of tweeters in the A-pillars. I was like, so coaxials with a 1" tweeter in the door, then another set of 1" tweeters up higher? He said, yes absolutely.. you want that. Ok,.. still on board with him.

Then I ask about sub.. I was like, I just want something like a factory premium system with an 8" thump,.. nothing major. He says no, no.. You need this Memphis 10" sub, and this 5 channel Kenwood amp (again a $500 amp).. And we'll put 500 watts RMS on that sub. I was like, hrmm. I mentioned the compartment behind the seat that I could get a custom box that had .66 cubic feet to fit perfectly and put an 8 or 10" sub in it. Again emphasizing I didn't want major bass. He said,.. nope. That will sound like crap. He said you have to put it in the hatchback,.. and said it'd be $150 for the box (which is just a little box that doesn't fill the area under the strut bar). I was like okay, I understand it will sound better that way, but I'm looking to not use the trunk and this spot is big enough. Then he's like and we will put some Memphis 6.5" mids behind you in the factory slots run off the Pioneer AVH-P4100DVD (I have installed already).

I mentioned I was working with $1000 here.. he totalled it up and it's $1500. I was like, (in a humorous way),.. well I guess $1500 is the bottom mark to get anything done. So I said,.. just hypothetically.. If I bought my own equipment and brought it in for install what would you charge for a set of components up front, the sub, and and amp install. He said $500.

So.. that's pretty much shut the door on NOT installing this stuff myself. For $650 I can get better speakers, custom boxes, better everything.. and save oh almost a grand. No offense to these guys,.. especially the second guy I talked to,.. but you'd think they'd want to make a sell in this economy. If someone comes in saying I just want to upgrade from two 10watt factory speakers, and I can spend $1000.. And they make a point several times during the conversation about it,.. I'd figure out how to put some components up front and a sub and amp in for a grand. Shrug, I don't know.

Sorry, had to vent there. Was hoping for a possible good solution at one of these PURE car audio shops,.. but I'm not going for worse speakers, lower wattage amp, and $1000 extra basically just for them to install it with their equipment.

The first guy when I asked about how much to install 2 speakers in front, amp, and sub.. said.. Will you be providing the wiring? I sort of paused a second,.. and said well, I can.. I suppose that will save me money. Then he said,.. ok $450.

Apparently these MB Quarts I have from the 90's are different than those today.. as they were made in Germany and are apparently better quality. His eyes lit up when I mentioned them. Shrug.

 

[Chromatic]

Out of what you said the type R's but I would have to say image dynamics ctx 6.5 cs is a better choice if you can fit them. I have rf t1 675s which I like but thats because I wanted something that would be loud and I would not recommend for sq. The jl c2 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/thumbsdown.gif.d22f25895e9b40f2300c953691dacfa2.gif and i have never heard the cdt in person so thats my input.

I thought CDT was made by Image Dynamics,.. Guess not.

So you don't think the Rockford Fosgate T165 s T1 Power 6 5" Component Car Audio Speaker T1652S T1652 S | eBay

Are good sound quality? Because they , with a 1" tweeter,.. fit in the factory enclosures which is a big plus.

And the Image Dynamics CTX 6.5 cs sounds good review wise.. I just don't have a clue how to tell what fits and what doesn't in this car. To me it seems you pretty much use a 1" spacer whatever you get on this thing (the factory 10watt speakers use a 1" spacer).. So 1" spacer takes the image dynamics which are 2 and 3/4" top mount, and puts them at 1 and 3/4" .. simple math no? Would that not fit?

I still haven't really found any absolute specs on the depth that fits on this 350Z,.. When I post on a 350Z forum and don't right away say ok thanks for that 1 speaker recommendation , buying them.. other people are coming in and trolling saying I'm asking questions about speakers and answering them at the same time, etc. Maybe it's just that forum, who knows.

But, I'm ready to get the ordering started,.. cause the quote I just got were outrageous.. I can install this stuff.. if it takes me a week it's worth it.

I could start another thread about the Sub.. but people tend to get upset if you start more than one thread -- So, do you guys think it's a mistake to buy this Custom box that fits in the factory sub location, that fires downward?

Nissan 350z Vehicle Specific Sub Enclosure 1-10"

Throw a JL 8" or 10" in it and be done with it?

Guy at the shop I was at said it would rattle the heck out of the car? Think so?

I truly appreciate all you guys advice here..

 

[Chromatic]

Out of what you said the type R's but I would have to say image dynamics ctx 6.5 cs is a better choice if you can fit them. I

I've looked more into the Image Dynamics CTX component set you mentioned.. and according to sonicelectronix website they "fit" my car.. Heh, now how accurate that is who knows. But.. That's good enough for me. I'm sure it's with a one inch spacer at minimum. I plan on just gutting my stock speakers and using them as the spacer for two reasons.. 1) They are 10 watt Clarion paper cone crap.. not even worth keeping. 2) I think the speakers will center up better in the slots using the factory spacer that is literally built INTO the factory speakers (hence the reason I have to gut my speakers out of this "spacer").

The price is right.. they handle 100watts RMS.. sounds good to me.

Reading reviews I'm getting two things:

1) Tweeters are bright (harsh) -- So set them on -3 when installing. For a SILK dome tweeter it's a little odd they are this bright,.. but many people are saying it who use them.. so they must be. Doesn't worry me. I can set them on -3 on the crossover, and drop treble in the headunit a bit if they really start to make my ears bleed. Worst case scenario I buy some additional tweeters to replace them,.. doubt that's going to happen.

2) The other mention from people in reviews is they don't have much low end bass/mid bass. That they work and blend great with a sub, but just putting these in as the only speakers might be disappointing for people not running a sub of some sort for the low end. Not a problem for me since an 8 or 10" sub is part of the install for me.. but overall people say they are really clean.

These are now #1 on my list. I'll give it through tomorrow to see if anyone else has a reason not to order these, or a better set for the vehicle.. but if nothing else it looks like this is what I'll order tomorrow night.

So guys,.. Image Dynamics CTX 6.5's cs -- Sound like a winner ?

 

[Slobalt]

CTX has my vote

And the RF's aren’t bad they just don’t handle complex music well, whenever I turn heavy metal or more complex rock songs on it seems like the tweets mash everything together at higher volumes.

 

[pickup1 5,000+ posts]

Demo/Display Component Sets for Sale - Phass/Hybrid/Image Dynamics/ARC - Car Audio | DiyMobileAudio.com | Car Stereo Forum

Any of those work?

 

[mt3130]

Decided to go to the two remaining Car audio shops in town. A bit disappointed. The first one seemed like he didn't have the time of day for me,.. he didn't know if I wanted to spend 5 grand or 500 bucks.. I expected him to recommend what he sells obviously,.. but he literally had one set of components in 6.5" .. they ran something like 45watts RMS I believe. Bottom line,.. he didn't want to discuss what I wanted for sound,.. and just pushed the typical you need two 10" subs back here, and this set of components (only ones he had).. and this 4 channel eXcelon amp that's $500.. and that'l be oh.. umm,.. $1550. So I went to the other shop 5 miles down the road. Guy has no storefront, just basically a counter with an install bay,.. that's fine. This guy is the real deal,.. has trophy's from competitions everywhere.. if there was 1, there was 250 trophies. Been in business since 1980 or so.
This guy seemed like he was passionate about car audio. But,.. still didn't quite get the concept that I wanted just a little punch from a sub and a pair of components up front. He was nice, talked to me a while,.. and when I mentioned I had a pair of MB Quart Coaxials from the 90's that were made in Germany he was like What?? You don't have those in anything? I was like nope, just have stored them. He said, that's what we'll put up front, and then we'll put another set of tweeters in the A-pillars. I was like, so coaxials with a 1" tweeter in the door, then another set of 1" tweeters up higher? He said, yes absolutely.. you want that. Ok,.. still on board with him.

Then I ask about sub.. I was like, I just want something like a factory premium system with an 8" thump,.. nothing major. He says no, no.. You need this Memphis 10" sub, and this 5 channel Kenwood amp (again a $500 amp).. And we'll put 500 watts RMS on that sub. I was like, hrmm. I mentioned the compartment behind the seat that I could get a custom box that had .66 cubic feet to fit perfectly and put an 8 or 10" sub in it. Again emphasizing I didn't want major bass. He said,.. nope. That will sound like crap. He said you have to put it in the hatchback,.. and said it'd be $150 for the box (which is just a little box that doesn't fill the area under the strut bar). I was like okay, I understand it will sound better that way, but I'm looking to not use the trunk and this spot is big enough. Then he's like and we will put some Memphis 6.5" mids behind you in the factory slots run off the Pioneer AVH-P4100DVD (I have installed already).

I mentioned I was working with $1000 here.. he totalled it up and it's $1500. I was like, (in a humorous way),.. well I guess $1500 is the bottom mark to get anything done. So I said,.. just hypothetically.. If I bought my own equipment and brought it in for install what would you charge for a set of components up front, the sub, and and amp install. He said $500.

So.. that's pretty much shut the door on NOT installing this stuff myself. For $650 I can get better speakers, custom boxes, better everything.. and save oh almost a grand. No offense to these guys,.. especially the second guy I talked to,.. but you'd think they'd want to make a sell in this economy. If someone comes in saying I just want to upgrade from two 10watt factory speakers, and I can spend $1000.. And they make a point several times during the conversation about it,.. I'd figure out how to put some components up front and a sub and amp in for a grand. Shrug, I don't know.

Sorry, had to vent there. Was hoping for a possible good solution at one of these PURE car audio shops,.. but I'm not going for worse speakers, lower wattage amp, and $1000 extra basically just for them to install it with their equipment.

The first guy when I asked about how much to install 2 speakers in front, amp, and sub.. said.. Will you be providing the wiring? I sort of paused a second,.. and said well, I can.. I suppose that will save me money. Then he said,.. ok $450.

Apparently these MB Quarts I have from the 90's are different than those today.. as they were made in Germany and are apparently better quality. His eyes lit up when I mentioned them. Shrug.

This sounds exactly like the experience that I had with the shop near me. I told them I wanted components in the front, coaxials in the rear, and a single 10. My quote came out to $2900, and that's keeping the stock head unit, using a prefab box, and no sound deadening.