Image Dynamics CTX65cs' tweeters. On-axis or off-axis?

[brandonloserkid 10+ year member]

I asked this in the speakers forum, but no answers. I was hoping I'd get something here.

I know that some people swear by on-axis, and some by off-axis. I know some sets perform better than other on-axis and vice versa.

Does anyone have experience with the CTX65cs'? What sounded better in your vehicle, on-axis or off-axis?

Thanks in advance!

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[TaylorFade 10+ year member]

Wire them up and try them in different spots and you tell us.

 

[brandonloserkid 10+ year member]

Wire them up and try them in different spots and you tell us.

Trust me I plan on it. I was just curious to see if anyone had any input.

 

[TaylorFade 10+ year member]

Trust me I plan on it. I was just curious to see if anyone had any input.

If you were planning on testing different spots anyway then the thread is moot. Highs are entirely too subjective to really get much valuable information from other's opinions.

But good luck.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

it's not that tweeters are subjective as much as they are heavily install dependent.

on- vs off-axis has much more to do with the rest of the installation - the vehicle, the woofer locations/aiming/response, the tweeter location, the availability of processing (level and T/A), etc.

start by sharing pics of the inside of your vehicle. we need to see the dash/apillar area in relation to the seating.

do you want a one-seat T/A car or a two-seat car (with or without T/A)?

we localize high frequencies based on level. so when you point them at you, you'll localize to the closest one unless you attenuate it (with crossover settings or amplifier settings). this is one of the major reasons mfr's put tweeter level adjustment. to account for on- vs. off-axis and the necessary attenuation desired to get a soundstage.

consider these things, post pics, and we'll go from there.

ideally, using velcro and testing locations helps if you know what to listen for.

when in doubt, slightly off-axis, aimed at the opposite passenger is a nice starting point.

 

[brandonloserkid 10+ year member]

it's not that tweeters are subjective as much as they are heavily install dependent.
on- vs off-axis has much more to do with the rest of the installation - the vehicle, the woofer locations/aiming/response, the tweeter location, the availability of processing (level and T/A), etc.

start by sharing pics of the inside of your vehicle. we need to see the dash/apillar area in relation to the seating.

do you want a one-seat T/A car or a two-seat car (with or without T/A)?

we localize high frequencies based on level. so when you point them at you, you'll localize to the closest one unless you attenuate it (with crossover settings or amplifier settings). this is one of the major reasons mfr's put tweeter level adjustment. to account for on- vs. off-axis and the necessary attenuation desired to get a soundstage.

consider these things, post pics, and we'll go from there.

ideally, using velcro and testing locations helps if you know what to listen for.

when in doubt, slightly off-axis, aimed at the opposite passenger is a nice starting point.

Thanks for the reply.

I don't have pictures of my vehicle right now, but I find a few online of my year/model/features. I hope these will give you a decent idea of the vehicle.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

so the factory locations aim up at the windshield - they are almost completely off-axis to the near seat and somewhat off-axis to the far seat. looks like they are trying to hit the windshield, then rely on that reflection to give you a center sound stage.

the main concern with replacement tweeters is that they would need to be installed behind the factory grills to take advantage of the attenuation the grills provide to the seats. if you flush mounted a tweeter there, you'd get a stronger off-axis signal which would sound worse.

 

[brandonloserkid 10+ year member]

so the factory locations aim up at the windshield - they are almost completely off-axis to the near seat and somewhat off-axis to the far seat. looks like they are trying to hit the windshield, then rely on that reflection to give you a center sound stage.
the main concern with replacement tweeters is that they would need to be installed behind the factory grills to take advantage of the attenuation the grills provide to the seats. if you flush mounted a tweeter there, you'd get a stronger off-axis signal which would sound worse.

I'm not very happy with the stock tweeter locations, at least with the stock tweeters of course. I haven't purchased my front stage amp yet so I haven't been able to try out positions. I'm thinking the A-pillars either pointing at my own ears, or a combination of the passengers and my ears (driver side pointing to the passenger left ear, passenger side pointing to the driver's right) might yield better results. That's just going off installs I've done in the past in similar vehicles. Although it's been **** near 9 years so my memory may be off.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

i would agree with your idea.

 

[brandonloserkid 10+ year member]

i would agree with your idea.

Thanks, I ordered my Image Dynamics Q450.4 today so it should be here (hopefully) by the end of the week. I'll probably order 30-40ft2 of Damplifier Pro as well today and start laying that out as soon as possible.