Best speaker for a convertible?

[fubar1764 10+ year member]

I'm trying to put together a system for a '91 Lotus Elan convertible and have had conflicting advice. So, let's put it out there:

What's the best speaker (price not an issue) for a convertible and why?

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[b0mbrman 10+ year member]

I'm trying to put together a system for a '91 Lotus Elan convertible and have had conflicting advice. So, let's put it out there:What's the best speaker (price not an issue) for a convertible and why?

Are you planning to sit in your driveway w/the top up or get out there and drive it like the sports car it is?

If it's the latter, you can probably forget about getting great sound.

Push lots of power to your front stage, top heavy speakers (e.g. dedicated midrange & metal tweet in a kick panel), rear--or even headrest-mounted--speakers (imaging //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif), lower your standards, and call it a day.

 

[azazel 10+ year member]

fubar,

I drive a Mazda Miata so I'm in a very similar situation to you. I'm building a Dayton component set for my car - but I just discovered that the midwoofer won't fit.

Make sure you have an amp if you want to be able to hear it, top down, at 70 mph. I have a 400W Profile amp that will be pushing my components. It's probably more than necessary, but I like headroom.

Concentrate on front stage if you can. Rear (if you have any) is worthless, unless you have headrest speakers. If you DO have headrest speakers, many convertible owners have found them to be quite satisfying. http://www.performancebuyers.com has some very reputable headrest speakers called the MAX-5. You'll be able to hear your tunes at just about any speed.

Some people have also installed subs behind the seats and on the rear shelf (if you have one). Personally, subs and all the things that go with them add too much weight to the car. I will be racing my Miata next year and I'd rather not go that route. I don't know what your personal performance expectations are.

Don't let the fact that you drive a convertible limit you too much though. All you have to know is that you're going to have to make it louder //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[fubar1764 10+ year member]

LOL, b0mbrman! No, she's not going to sit in a driveway or in a garage. Cars are meant to be driven, not collected!

azazel, thanks for the thoughts. I'm not going to race her, but on occasion, she'll get autocrossed. My purpose is to get beyond the stock Sony "underpowered kazoo" sound. I've already fashioned a wind baffle for her to keep the wind from slapping back. I'd rather keep the electrical stock so I'm probably going to go with low powered amp, like a Zapco 2x50w amp into 4ohms or somewhere thereabouts to power 2 way components (amp discussion isn't appropriate in this fora, and besides, I need to decide what speakers first!). I might consider 3 way if there's that much of a difference in sound quality (the car is set up for 3 way, 6" in the rear but can fit 7"). Cutting into the panels isn't an option for me as part for her are extremely rare (542 imported only, 4000 manufactured worldwide).

I've heard CDT is amazing enclosed but not good when the top is down. I've also heard Boston 5.5 is bulletproof, and given a convertible, the titanium tweeter is preferrable (like b0mbrman has advised). Another friend suggests the Alpine X types (SPX-137A/R).

What's to do?! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

Cheers!

Jack

 

[azazel 10+ year member]

I'm not going to race her, but on occasion, she'll get autocrossed.

Autocross IS racing! That's what I meant by racing. Weight is pretty important.

There isn't a big difference between 2 way and 3 way speakers. I think you'll find a much larger selection of 2 way components on the market.

 

[Dj-torn 10+ year member]

My opinion is 50WRMS might not be enough if you are doing 70MPH. I would suggest 125WRMS

As far as speakers go, i would suggest that you find a high end car audio store around you and bring along your favorite cd Listen to all the speakers they have and narrow down you selection to the company that produces the sound that you are looking for. Once you know what you are looking for in the speaker (Bassy, Mid/flat, earpiercing high, etc), you might find it easier to select a speaker.

IMHO speaker placement is going to be key for you. You will want to place you tweeter high and aim them infront of you and not at you, so that the sound is carried to you and not away from you. (Thats my personal theory, i could be right or wrong about this)

Thats my $0.02

 

[azazel 10+ year member]

My opinion is 50WRMS might not be enough if you are doing 70MPH. I would suggest 125WRMS
As far as speakers go, i would suggest that you find a high end car audio store around you and bring along your favorite cd Listen to all the speakers they have and narrow down you selection to the company that produces the sound that you are looking for. Once you know what you are looking for in the speaker (Bassy, Mid/flat, earpiercing high, etc), you might find it easier to select a speaker.

The 125W RMS will only give you a little more than 3dB of loudness over the 50W, so I don't think it crucial.

Listening to speakers at the store is always a good idea, but to get a better idea of what they'll sound like in your car, bring a very large box fan with you and have it blowing on you while you listen //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Amfibius 10+ year member]

I have a Porsche Boxster, and I have:

Pioneer DEX-P9R + DEQ-P9R HU+processor

Butler TDB 475 (75W x 4 amp)

Dynaudio MW160 + MD130 (running active)

Doors sound deadened with Dynamat Extreme

This is an absolute killer system with a lot of bass. There is a big difference in sound with the top up and the top down. Top down = forget it. It is top heavy with no bass and too much treble. Top up = great sound. I think I will have even better sound if I bought the optional hard-top but I don't like it - too expensive and too much trouble to remove.

You need something with a LOT of bass because you lose bass with the top down. Then again, I don't like everyone else hearing my music so I tend to turn it down when I take the top down. YMMV.

 

[thefunkybunch 10+ year member]

i put a set of boston's in a murcielago and a single 10 for low end. it sounded fantabulous. everything went in stock locations because there were 50 of that particular car made worldwide... and i really wouldn't want to do anything irreversible!

if you plan on a small amplifier, then go with an efficient speaker and you'll be fine. iirc there is room in that car behind the seat to put a small sub just to get a little low end punch and fill out the bottom end.

 

[Savstyle 10+ year member]

My opinion is 50WRMS might not be enough if you are doing 70MPH. I would suggest 125WRMS
As far as speakers go, i would suggest that you find a high end car audio store around you and bring along your favorite cd Listen to all the speakers they have and narrow down you selection to the company that produces the sound that you are looking for. Once you know what you are looking for in the speaker (Bassy, Mid/flat, earpiercing high, etc), you might find it easier to select a speaker.

IMHO speaker placement is going to be key for you. You will want to place you tweeter high and aim them infront of you and not at you, so that the sound is carried to you and not away from you. (Thats my personal theory, i could be right or wrong about this)

Thats my $0.02

well i have an eclipse convertible, i have rainbow soundlines in my doors. Doors are undeadened and comps arent amped. 85 on the highway i can still here every bit of my music. tweeters are pointed directly at me, and i have silk tweets. when it comes to convertible, t-tops, or anything to that sort, id take a silk over a metal

EDIT:and if money isnt an issue get the high line of the rainbows, cant think of model number but they very very nice

 

[fubar1764 10+ year member]

Funkybunch, you know your cars! My sentiments exactly for why I don't want to cut the panels. Plus, I get the added ignominity that Lotus provides zero support for its cars. At least you have Volkswagen AG on your side! What set of Bostons did you go with? Amp?

azazel, you're right of course. But, since I'm not using the Lotus as a dedicated autocrosser, added weight isn't a terrible issue - keeping the electrical stock is (and thus minimize frying the car)!

Dj-torn, nice avatar! Now how did you convince them to do that for you? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif My issue with going to a store is typically, 1) I know more about sound than they do (equipment as well as engineering, but for home only) which usually makes the credibility of sales next to zero, 2) sound works differently in smaller spaces moving at 70mph with the top down, and I have zero experience in cars, 3) I don't know the equipment out there for comparison as well as reputation for durability. So what's a pro-sumer to do?! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/uhoh.gif.c07307dd22ee7e63e22fc8e9c614d1fd.gif

Amfibius, to clarify, I'm not looking for WOW-sound. I think I'll be content with getting rid of the stock Sony "kazoo" sound. My expectations aren't unrealistic - I'd just like to hit 80% of the best I could possibly get, 80% being the point of diminishing returns in my experience with home audio. I'm hoping that there's that rare gem that few have heard of which maximize bang/buck, like Vandersteen speakers or Theta amplifiers in home audio.

Niggz89, why a silk dome? I would imagine that with wind noise, the higher frequencies will get distorted much more easily, thus a bit of harshness might be in order. . .or am I *//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif ss-backwards?

Everyone. Thanks! I appreciate the discussion!

 

[thefunkybunch 10+ year member]

i sent you a pm

if you go to a reputable store, you may find more knowledge there than you may think. stay away from CC or BB as they tend to usually be just a bunch of punk kids that really don't know what they're talking about, but if you go to a shop that specializes in high end stuff, the experience and knowledge tends to get a lot better. shop around, listen for what you like. listen in cars if you have the opportunity. you're the one that has to listen to it, not some salesman. everyone's ears are different. i love my Z's, while you may think they sound terrible. it's all a matter of opinion, and yours is the only one that really counts.

 

[chadillac3 10+ year member]

Hey Jack,

I replied to the PM you sent. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Beat_Dominator 5,000+ posts]

I have Boston Rally's with about 150w of their maximum 250 and they can deffinately make you deaf. I drove to CA on the highways with my windows down the whole way and volume and clarity was never an issue.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[fubar1764 10+ year member]

Any comments on CDT ES-643?