Choosing Speakers

[robob2 10+ year member]

I have pretty much settled on the JL audio 500/5 amp. I like the all in one approach and I'm not that intereseted in tons of power for the sub, I just want decent quality sound at a decent price.

I enjoy cliasic rock, some jazz and have recently started to listen to a little classical. I was originally thinking about JL XR 650 CSi for the fronts and JL VR690 CXi for the rears. I've listened to the XR's locally and they sound nice to my tastes. I thought them to have a full sound and not harsh in the high end. The online prices for these add up to about $450 or so.

Then I came here and heard about Rainbows and CDT.....

I've gotten information on the CDT EF-61, the Rainbow SLC and CMX lines, along with their 6x9 coax counter parts for the rears and was hoping those here might be able to offer some feedback or advice. ANyone compare any of these or have any words of wisdom about these choices?

Thanks!

Bob

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[kaneo13 10+ year member]

In the past I have owned coaxials and components in both the TR and VR line. I was always impressed with the quality of JL speakers. If you want to get a 5 channel amp you could also look at other options. The 500/5 is a quality amp but doesn't have the best output. I would definitely want to feed the XRs more than that amp will give them.

 

[nate2587 10+ year member]

focal, rainbow, cdt, and cadence they are all pretty good speakers sound quality is really good on all of them. whatever you choose i would stay with a component set of speakers

 

[robob2 10+ year member]

In the past I have owned coaxials and components in both the TR and VR line. I was always impressed with the quality of JL speakers. If you want to get a 5 channel amp you could also look at other options. The 500/5 is a quality amp but doesn't have the best output. I would definitely want to feed the XRs more than that amp will give them.

The JL has 100 watts per channel on the fronts, do you think I need more than that? I generally listen at a moderate level am I'm more interested in sound qaulity as opposed to level. Plus, I believe the XRs are rated at 70 or 80 watts per channel, would I really want to give them more?. Do you have any AMP recomnedations?

Bob

 

[robob2 10+ year member]

focal, rainbow, cdt, and cadence they are all pretty good speakers sound quality is really good on all of them. whatever you choose i would stay with a component set of speakers

For the fronts, I'm only looking at components only. For the rears I was thinking about coaxials as it's only for fill. Do you think the entry level Rainbow is comparable to the JL XR650?

Bob

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

What is your overall speaker budget, not including sub?

[edit] nm.... see below

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[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

If you're planning to pay avg internet pricing of $250ish for those XR650's, do yourself a huge favor and upgrade to the Rainbow SLC265 (about $230) or the SLC265 Kick (about $280).

PM PremierAudio and 6spdcoupe for each of their latest pricing, as they are both dealers.

 

[azngotskills 10+ year member]

I thought my Rainbow SLC 265 sounded better in my car than all the mid-line speakers available for me to hear on a soundboard such as the JL XRs....PM 6spdcoupe //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[kaneo13 10+ year member]

The JL has 100 watts per channel on the fronts, do you think I need more than that? I generally listen at a moderate level am I'm more interested in sound qaulity as opposed to level. Plus, I believe the XRs are rated at 70 or 80 watts per channel, would I really want to give them more?. Do you have any AMP recomnedations?

Bob

100W RMS for these speakers would be just fine. It is better to overpower speakers and set the gains on the amp then underpower them.

I am running a 5 channel Audison amp (LRX5.1K). It gives out 160W x 2 to the fronts, 50W x 2 to the rears, and 750W x 1 to the sub all into 4 ohms. I am from Canada so I can't compare it in price to the 500/5, but it is great bang for your buck. If you wanted to save some cash you could get the LRX3.1K and skip the rear fill (it has the same specs as the 5.1K but without the 50W x 2).

I think this amp combined with the XRs and a 12" sub would be a nice little SQ system.

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

I think this amp combined with the XRs and a 12" sub would be a nice little SQ system.

Agreed. But with SLC265 or SLC265 Kicks it would be a better SQ system. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[Savstyle 10+ year member]

sold the jl speakers. IMO they dont sound anywhere near as good as the SLC's. as for the amp its your choice

 

[Gary S 10+ year member]

That JL Amp has a very unique feature... it has a L-R or rear fill switch which will send a surround signal to the rear speakers. Highly recommended.

Although not necessary, I would use identical speakers front and rear if possible (You would not use two different speakers for left and right, why do it in the rear... think about it).

 

[MiniVanMan 10+ year member]

With that amp you'd be insane not to go active. The crossovers on that amp are wonderful, and you can save a ton of money over going with a prepackaged component set.

Just a thought. 100 watts to mid and 25 watts to a tweeter is great.

If you need rear fill, then you can always use head unit power for that.

 

[konechiwa 10+ year member]

Agreed. But with SLC265 or SLC265 Kicks it would be a better SQ system. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

SLCs rock

x2

 

[DejaWiz 5,000+ posts]

With that amp you'd be insane not to go active. The crossovers on that amp are wonderful, and you can save a ton of money over going with a prepackaged component set.
Just a thought. 100 watts to mid and 25 watts to a tweeter is great.

If you need rear fill, then you can always use head unit power for that.

Agreed! Forget rear fill and use the amp to go active with front comps.