Boston Pro60 vs. JL Audio ZR650-CSi

[BroncoHound 10+ year member]

First off, let me apologize to you guys. I am sure those of you who are the guru's of this forum tire of seeing hundreds of "noobs" posting "which is better" threads all day long. I've been searching and reading all day though, and am about cross-eyed and i have yet to see a particular thread that directly answers my question. So let me thank you all in advance for any guidance you can provide. Here is a bit of background that leads to my question:

I am assisting my father build a decent SQ sound system for his work truck, a 2005 Dodge Ram Quad Cab 3500 dually CTD. I know just enough about car audio to be dangerous. I am also passively looking to upgrade the current setup i have in my '99 Chevy S10 ZR2. My fathers truck is currently taking priority though. I have a new Alpine CDA-9883 for the truck with iPod interface. I am a BIG fan of Alpine headunits and their iPod interface, so this deck is DEFINATELY what is going in the truck. I also have a bluetooth module that is going to be installed with the H/U so the bluetooth will be powered through the H/U. I am a JL Audio fan in general, and have a 300/4 already to power the components. I also already have a 500/1 that is going to be powering 2 JL Audio 10w3v3 driver's in a ported enclosure, tuned to 35hz. None of this is going to change unless, after install, my father wants to change/upgrade a particular area then we will move forward accordingly. What i have left to decide on is components. Now, the Dodge truck has the factory 4 speaker system, but has the dash vents for the 7 speaker system that is available (basically 3 tweeter holes in the dash, one on either side of the dash, and a smaller one in the center). I intend to run one nice set of 6 1/2" components in the front stage, mounting the mid in the factory 6 1/2" openings in the front doors, and the tweeters in the dash openings. I plan to mount the crossovers against the back firewall with the 2 amplifiers, behind the back seat. I plan to leave the rear door 6 1/2" speakers stock and push the fade forward to the point where i can barely hear any sound coming from the rear speakers so as not to disturb the imaging and soundstage.

I have heard a few Boston Acoustics component sets before, and have been quite impressed. I have never heard the Pro60 series before, however. I have also read quite a few positive reviews about the JL Audio component sets and, as stated before, am a general JL Audio fan. I am pretty much sold on one or the other here, so am not as much asking about any other brands that are better as i am asking about those who have experience with both of these and can give feedback. If there is a CLEARLY and UNANIMOUSLY better solution in the same price range, however, i am willing to entertain information regarding it as well as how and why it is so much better.

To give a bit more information, the song my father will base everything on is "In A Gadda Da Vida" by Iron Butterfly. It is my fathers favorite song, and the full length cut (~17 minutes long) provides the highest of highs during the guitar solos and the lowest of lows with the drum solos. Aside from some 60's darker rock, my father listens to almost exclusively older country (Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, etc).

On a side note concerning my S10 setup, i am looking into replacing the Infinity Kappa 3-way 6 1/2" coaxials in my doors and Infinity Reference 4x6 plate speakers in my dash with one of the 6 1/2" component sets mentioned above as well. I will likely be mounting the tweeter in the dash, replacing the plate speakers, and mounting the mid in the stock 6 1/2" door location. They will also be powered by the JL Audio 300/4 amp i have currently running my mids and highs, and are complimented by a JL Audio 12w6v2 sub mounted in a ported box tuned to 30hz. I am also primarily an SQ chaser, though i like my music LOUD. Oh, and i have an Alpine CDA-9856 with iPod adapter. I am a bit of a schizophrenic when it comes to music tastes, as i listen to a wide variety of music. On any given day i could listen to Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard, George Strait, Nickelback, Godsmack, Nirvana, Metallica, Green Day, Kid Rock, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, 50 Cent, Nelly, James Blunt, and Christina Aguilera. Would either of these component sets be more prone than the other to providing a good sound for all types of music as opposed to focusing on a particular genre? Also, is the 300/4 going to be a problem with pushing too much power, since they are going to only be pushing one set of components in each truck and will likely be bridged in order to do so, thus putting 150w RMS to each side? Are there any other options available to "dumb" down the amplifier so they aren't maxing out the speakers? I figured i could always wire the stock rear speakers in my father's truck to the amp so it would only be putting out 75w RMS to each speaker, but am unsure what to do in regards to my ZR2.

Again, i would like to thank anyone who can provide some positive imput. I realize most of you read these forums and participate because it is your passion and you do it for fun. You do not get paid to answer silly noob questions like mine and do so out of your desire to help others in your field of interest. I want you all to know it does not go unappreciated.

-Bud

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[BroncoHound 10+ year member]

Another quick little question. I was browsing on JL Audio's website and i came across this, it seems to be pretty close to what i am looking at doing in my S10.

http://mobile.jlaudio.com/pdfs/SYS_3.pdf

Would a 3-way component set up front allow me to use my 300/4 more safely (bridged to each of the crossovers)? The diagram shows a 300/2, but i can't see how it would be any different if i bridged my 300/4. Thanks again for any imput.

 

[thefunkybunch 10+ year member]

either of those component sets will take 150rms with ease, properly tuned. a 300/2 is actually a pretty ideal amp for either set. i've got a lot of experience with the pro 60's, as well as a good bit of experience with the ZR's. now if you were comparing the boston Z's against the jl ZR's, i'd say the boston Z's hands down. in my jetta i had the Z6's, biamped off a GT22 on the mids, and a GT20 on the tweets. sounded phenominal. i did an install in another jetta, same year even, with the ZR's off a 450/4 and even after a whole lot of tuning, the boston's still sounded much more warm and natural, and had substantially more midbass.

but comparing the pro60's to the ZR's, it's a tough call. for your dad, i'd probably say the ZR's, simply because they are a bit warmer than the pro's. don't get me wrong, the pro's sound awesome, but the ZR's would be a lot less fatiguing on the highs end listening to country where you'd be more apt to want a warmer sound. a 300/4 biamplifying those would be ideal. be prepared to spend a good bit of time tuning the components though, because there are a lot of adjustments on the crossover before you mount them and put the seat back in. after that, you can EQ if necessary.

for your truck i'd probably recommend the pro's, simply because they will play considerably louder than the ZR's. and playing a wide variety of music, they'll do it all with flying colors. not quite as much midbass as the ZR's, but still enough to satisfy nicely.

be sure in both installations to deaden the living piss out of the doors. it will make or break how either set will sound.

your dad's ram should be 6x9's in the front doors, and 5 1/4's in the rear doors. even though the grill in the front doors is round, it's a 6x9 behind it //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif there's acres of room under both the front seats to hide the amps. not much of anything behind the back seat, unless you're talking about the back of the tub under the backrest of the rear seat where it's flat.

and i wouldn't automatically put the tweeters in the dash. experiment with some double sided tape and see where the tweeters sound the best before you find a permanent home. the oem location isn't always the best location. it can really mess with your imaging having the mids way down low, and the tweets in your face (Especially in your s-10).

 

[joelb 10+ year member]

I agree 100% with you on this one... funkybunch

I love Boston's and they are known for their very crisp highs. In the end though, you dad has to like the speakers. It has to match his preference for his music. You really need to sit down and listen to those speakers with each type of music he likes in order to determine which one he will like. I know my dad would not like my Boston Pro's since the highs are so sharp. Try and find a local shop to listen to them in person.

Good Luck...