New System Review w/ Pics

[chadillac3 10+ year member]

It's that time again...sold the Stratus and got an 04 Mustang GT.

New system consists of the following:

Kenwood Excelon XXV-01D

Boston Acoustics Z6 6.5" component set

Boston Acoustics GT-50 5 ch amp

JL 10W6v2

Now, on to the review!

HU: Kenwood Excelon XXV-01D - This is actually the 2nd unit I've used in this car. I initially tried the new Alpine CDA-9855 and have not loved the Glide Touch. While I managed to figure it out, it's the first time I really felt "confined" when using a HU.

Let's talk about what's in the car now, the XXV-01D. For those who don't know, this is the 25th Anniversary Edition unit.

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-HfkgScakvon/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?i=113XXV01D&search=xxv%2D01

It's the first Kenwood I looked at and said, "WOW, that's a nice looking unit!" There are a LOT of things I like about this unit. First of all, the display is quite nice. It's not quite as sharp as the Biolite, but it's still quite nice and has like 5k colors. The animations I'm sure will impress most who see it. In terms of ease of use, it's no harder than the CDA-9835 I had; just takes a little getting used to. I do like the fact I have buttons and knobs to work with rather than the touch strip of the 9855, which I think would have led to me getting into an accident trying to navigate.

The remote control on the unit is quite nice. Not quite as intuitive as the Alpine remote, but it can do quite a bit more than the Alpine version. For instance, I can adjust the sub level using the remote, a feature I always loved on the JVC and Pio units I used. In addition, once you select the mode to search for songs on an MP3 CD, you can navigate using the remote between all the folders and songs. Definitely a step up from the Alpines in that regard.

As for processing, Alpine wins for the most part. The Kenwood won't do bandpass on the mid, which I didn't mind as I'm biamping the Z6 using the passives. Cool thing is that the Kenwood has 4 PEQ bands for both the front and the rear, so you really have 8 bands to work with. Bad thing is you can't EQ the sub preouts. In addition, the bands are pretty limited and don't overlap, but you can EQ the drivers individually.

To summarize, I really like this unit. I think I might like the CDA-9835 more, but I like the CDA-9855 less. I did try the Kenwood iPod unit, and it blows. Definitely something to be aware of. Really no way to browse at all.

Click to read more...

 

[chadillac3 10+ year member]

Components: Boston Acoustics Z6 - Picked these up from my local Tweeter (thanks to jdohman on here; he's the head sales guy there). Was initially looking at the Pros, but decided to get the top o' the line. I'm bi-amping the set using the GT-50's front and rear channels, giving about 70 x 4 w/ the 3 ohm nominal impedance of the Z6. Mechanically, I don't love these drivers as disassembling them from the coax config took a little effort, and the tweeter plugs aren't the sturdiest, but I managed. However, once these were installed and tuned a bit, I was quite pleased. I'd say this it the best set I've used to date.

They are by no means drastically better than the Lotus Performance, but do have the advantage of having 10x better passives which allow for biamping. I really don't understand why it's not a standard option on any $400+ set. Anyways, with the SQ1 setting the midbass on the set is excellent. The Perfs may have a bit more, but it's not enough for me to really notice, and I have been using the set for 2 weeks now, long enough for me to figure out if I really like or dislike a set. Midrange is fantastic on the set. Male and female vocals are quite clear and seem very life-like to me. While it may be my inability to tune properly, the Lotus Perfs didn't quite have the warmth of this set, and on some songs I just didn't feel like the vocals were quite what I was looking for.

The tweeter is excellent on the Z6. When attenuated properly they are quite detailed while not coming across harsh or bright. Seem to have nice top end (metal tweet) while not having the typical ear killing brightness of a metal tweet, even mounted up in the sail panel.

The mids were mounted in the stock mid location in the door using a 3/4" MDF baffle. Doors were deadeded using Dynamat Xtreme. Did a layer on the outer door, door panel, and obviously the normal metal door panel.

Amp: Boston Acoustics GT-50. 5 channel amp. Got it from Sonicelectronix.com for about $520 shipped.

http://www.bostonacoustics.com/ca_product.asp?ProductID=241&CategoryID=19

The cool thing about this amp is that the heatsink was designed so that the mount could be mounted inverted without any heat issues. There are two fans on the backside of the amp that pull heat off the heatsink for the output devices. I have a couple internal pics of the amp that I need to find and will post later. Amp has dual power supplies which seem to be adequately sized for the rated power of the amp. Overall, no complaints at all about this amp. Fit and finish is quite nice, and it seems very well designed for those looking to put the amp in a tight spot. The sliding mounting feet were very useful for where I put the amp. I actually didn' get the idea of mounting the amp where it is until I read the manual for the amp and took a few measurements. The stock Mach system had a big shelf installed under there, and there were 6 bolts I could utilize for the mounting of the amp rack. Didn't require any cutting or drilling into the metal.

The GT-50 no problems driving my setup. This and the US Amps 5600x are my two favorite amps to date.

Sub: JL 10W6v2 - Also purchased from jdohman at the Tweeter in Frisco, TX. This sub is everything I've been looking for in a sub. Box is a little big for a 10" at 0.9 cubes before displacement, but man o man, is this one SWEET sounding sub. Really smooth response, and sounds clean as hell. Really is the first sub I've owned that blended exceptionaly well with the speakers. I really can't say enough about it; seriously overbuilt, **** pretty, and good output, efficient, and is ear candy. 10/10 for sure. BTW, the box was built by Tweeter at a very reasonable price. For those in the DFW area, I'd highly recommend them for this type of work.

Overall, this is the best system I've owned. Had I kept my 9835 it might have been perfect, but the Kenwood is still a sweet piece. The car was easy to work on, and everything went pretty **** smoothly.

Finally, there's what everyone wants to see:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2040134

The pics aren't great, but they're something.

 

[Kali77 10+ year member]

Very nice!!!

Kali

 

[HeatSeeker 10+ year member]

Nice jorb. Hopefully I'll be getting my 04 stang soon, and have enough time to install my system shortly after

 

[azbass 5,000+ posts]

sweet amp

 

[BeanII 10+ year member]

Hey, do you know if the Boston Amps are being built by audison?

 

[chadillac3 10+ year member]

I've heard that rumor myself, but don't know what the truth is.

 

[Th3 Gr8 On3 10+ year member]

Not bad man, not bad. Especially the head unit. Very nice

 

[chadillac3 10+ year member]

The HU is nice, but the Z6 really make the system. It all depends on what your focus is, but for my tastes, this system is the best balanced and best sounding I've used to date.

 

[Capthook 10+ year member]

Like the new set up.

 

[BeanII 10+ year member]

I've heard that rumor myself, but don't know what the truth is.

Yeah, I'm 99% sure they are. Sweet amps. Which tweeter did you get the stuff at?

Also, I live in Frisco. I bet you are like right around the corner from me.

 

[BeanII 10+ year member]

The HU is nice, but the Z6 really make the system. It all depends on what your focus is, but for my tastes, this system is the best balanced and best sounding I've used to date.

Glad you like those Z6's. Best sounding components on the planet IMHO.

 

[nauc 10+ year member]

looks nice, esp the box

 

[millerscents 10+ year member]

looks good like the hu