Kenwood xxv-04s for rear soundstage

[D Rock 10+ year member]

I've been looking at kenwood xxv-04s oversized 6.75 components for the rear of my car lately. Would these sound good with Crystal SSCS-6 up front? Or are the kenwoods front only speakers and should I just stick with some 6x9s in the rear.

My only two options really are rear components(I've hardly ever heard of doing this) or 6x9s.

What do you guys think?

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[thefunkybunch 10+ year member]

i've been greatly disappointed in those kenwoods in general, for the money you could get a much better soundign speaker. and personally, my feeling is that unless you're running 5.1 rear speakers should be deleted. all they do is pull your soundstage behind you. music is recorded in stereo, meaning 2 channels... left and right. not front left, rear left, front right, rear right, etc. just left and right. to reproduce it accurately, you only need a left channel and a right channel. you don't go to a concert and stand backwards to the stage through the whole show, do you? same principal applies here.

in 5.1 you need something, but even then the only thing the rears really play is just echo's and stuff. the only time i've ever had rear speakers was when i was running 5.1. in all my other cars, a good solid front stage with a ton of power is more than sufficient //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

just my .02

 

[D Rock 10+ year member]

Thanks for the reply. For 200 dollars they are no good? I'm kinda disappointed to hear that. I do have a 5.1 HU but not sure if I'm really going to play anything thats going to be broadcasted in 5.1. I pretty much have to run rear speakers as this will be a show car and it would look stupid without them. (67 Camaro, you can see speakers through the rear glass)

Any suggestions for rear fill then?

Thanks,

Derek

 

[Gary S 10+ year member]

Thanks for the reply. For 200 dollars they are no good? I'm kinda disappointed to hear that. I do have a 5.1 HU but not sure if I'm really going to play anything thats going to be broadcasted in 5.1. I pretty much have to run rear speakers as this will be a show car and it would look stupid without them. (67 Camaro, you can see speakers through the rear glass)
Any suggestions for rear fill then?

Thanks,

Derek

The first reply is right... if you are not going to send the rears a surround signal, the rears will hurt your imaging, don't do them.

On the other hand... you say your deck is 5.1.. that's Dolby Digital.... does it have regular" analog Dolby also (in your car setup, for 4 speakers, it would have to have a 4 - channel option, also called "phantom center" [no center speaker necessary])? If so, any stereo signal will sound good with rear surround, if levels are matched well.

If it will handle 4 - channel/phantom center Dolby, I would recommend getting a matching set of speakers for the rear... we would not think of having different speakers for right and left channels, so why mix rears? Plus, the Crystal's probably cost less?

I've had surround sound in my cars since 1988.

 

[D Rock 10+ year member]

Yes I THINK it has both modes, 5.1 and 4 channel. Ok, thanks for the advice, I'm still just trying to read and learn as much as I can.

Here is the HU

http://www.clarion.com/us/en/products/2005/audio/source_units/cd/DXZ955MC/us-en-product-pf_1133851137422.html

Its the only part of the system i've bought so far. Is it dolby or am I just dreaming? It says it on the faceplate.

Derek

 

[Gary S 10+ year member]

I clicked the Dolby logo on the Clarion page for your radio, here is what it says:

olby ProLogic II: Transforming Your Sound Into Virtual 5.1- Channel Surround
Dolby Pro Logic II is a matrix sound decoding technology developed by Dolby Laboratories that decodes any twochannel audio source, such as a CD or radio broadcast, and outputs it as 5.1- channel sound. Clarion was the first to incorporate this innovation, which brings the sonic experience of a live concert right into the car. And since it’s equipped with a Center-Width Control and a Matrix Mode that simulates the center-channel speaker using the front L/R speakers, you can reproduce a quasi 5.1-channel surround sound effect from a standard fourspeaker setup. Users also have additional modes to choose from, all of which were created to enhance the listening experience of your vehicle.:

- Yes sir, you are in business! That's the 4 - channel / phantom center surround type which works on any stereo (you won't hear anything from the rear on Mono AM radio) source, including music and movies (results vary from recoding to recording... some music will have a a lot of rear channel information, some very little, some only ambiance.)

I would recommend an identical Crystal set in the rear. And you will need separate amp or amp channels for the rear. Play with the ajustments... at first, like with all new toys, you will probably want to turn / fade the rear levels up too loud, LOL... but as you calm down, try setting the rear level so that they just accent the front sound-stage, but don't overpower the fronts... set up properly, it can widen your front soundstage... with great speaker placement, such as kick panel placement in the front, my sound-stage extends to the side mirrors! It's possible. Also, sometimes it will give you the illusion some sounds are coming from the rear. The effect will vary from recording to recording. Enjoy.

 

[D Rock 10+ year member]

Awesome, I'm getting so excited now. Thanks for the info. I'm going to do a little more info on speakers before I decide 100% on something. Thanks for the help.

Derek