Rainbow Component Sets

[Kevin Boyer 10+ year member]

I'm still trying to decide on what to put in my new truck and came across these on woofersetc.com

http://www.woofersetc.com/p7109/CS-265-P-Vanadium--Rainbow-Profi-Vanadium-65"-2Way-Component-System.htm

Has anyone had any experience with Rainbow comps? From what I've been reading, their equipment is top notch, and that includes their amp lineup as well. I've been going back and forth between DLS and Hertz, and now I throw this into the mix. But, I want to make sure I cover everything before I make a decision.

Kevin.

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[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

Rainbow = goodness

 

[MmatsDude 10+ year member]

expensive? lol

 

[Kevin Boyer 10+ year member]

misfit...I'm beginning to be a believer. Everything I see and read about the Rainbow line is amazing.

Kevin.

 

[DarkScorpion 10+ year member]

From what I've read, Rainbow components are top notch and you can't go wrong with them, besides the price. Do you have a good headunit and good amps to power them?

 

[Kevin Boyer 10+ year member]

I figure I'll build everything around these if I decide on them or another Rainbow comp set. What would you suggest for a HU and amp? This will be my first set-up in 4 years so I'm a little out of the loop. I don't listen to cd's much anymore. I use my iTouch 99% of the time, so I think I would lean more towards a HU like the Alpine iDA-x305 I think. But I am open to any and all suggestions. I'm still undecided as to whether I'm going 2 way or 3 way.

Kevin.

 

[DarkScorpion 10+ year member]

It'll be very hard to correctly set up a 3-way set up so I suggest you stay 2-way, but either way you go I'd suggest you go active. DIYMA might be a better place to go if you want to talk about SQ, but if you want a double din head unit w/ navigation, I can tell you you're going to have to get an external processor since there are now DD Nav units w/ built in active crossover capabilities. There's a huge selection of amps, so just read up. Some of the popular 4-channel amps I can think of off the top of my head (you need either a 4-channel amp or 2 2-channel amps to go 2-way active) are the MB Quart DSC4125, AQ4x90, and Sundown SAX-100.4D, but there is a HUGE selection of SQ amps (think Zed, Audison, McIntosh, etc.) that you can read up on that would pair very nicely with your comps.

And about using your itouch, most headunits will sync up w/ your itouch, so don't limit yourself to headunits specifically centered around ipods/iphones/itouches

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

I'd look into the Arc Audio SE amps if I were you, OP. You seem to be able to afford nice things. In my opinion, they don't come much nicer than Arc's SE line...

 

[Kevin Boyer 10+ year member]

Man....I AM out of the loop. My last set-up 4 years ago was MB Quart Q series I believe, 3 ways. But I've decided to keep this system small and clean, so that's why I'm leaning towards the 2 ways at this time. I'm lost on the whole "active" thing. By your description, if I want to go "active' I need a 4 channel amp, or 2 -2 channel amps to accomplish this. With 2 -2 channel amps, one amp would be for each door where the speakers will be placed, with each of the 4 channels going to power the 4 individual speakers?? Then with the 4 channel amp each channel of that amp would do the same thing as the 2-2 channel amps right?? Hopefully I didn't confuse you with all that.

No navigation unit for me. Just a HU. I've been looking hard at the Audison amps. I really like what I have read on the web, and in the various forums. Although the Rainbow's have caught my eye also.Thanks very much for the advice. I will try to keep up as this progresses.

Kevin.

 

[DarkScorpion 10+ year member]

Well, when doing an active set up, you've REALLY got to take your time reading and researching. In a nut shell, an active set up is this: a set up which allows you to actively control the crossover frequencies and slope of all your speakers so you can fine tune your system. Many Active setups also allow you to control time delay, so you can basically tune your set up to account for all the structural deficiencies of installing hi-fi speakers in a car. The reason you need a 4-channel amplifier or 2 2-channel amplifiers is becuase each speaker will get it's own channel on the amplifier.

Say you have a four channel amp - in an active set up, each channel on the amp will power a single speaker - 2 woofers and 2 tweeters. You will NOT be using the passive crossovers that are provided with your component speakers. Your head unit/processor will control all the settings and tuning. On your headunit/processor, it's common to see these RCA outputs: Left front, right front, left rear, right rear. In the case of an active set up, these will actually serve as: left woofer, right roofer, left tweeter, right tweeter. These outputs will go to the amp which will go to all 4 speakers. If you haven't figured it out, that means you can control all 4 individual speakers in an active 2-way set up!

There are is quite a good selection of active-capable headunits on the market right now. I'll give you a few to look into in a bit, I need to look up model numbers and such, but it's only the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Kevin Boyer 10+ year member]

Now I understand. Whew, that was a mouthful. But....I do understand now. Thanks again for the explanation. Here's a list of the 2 way comps that I am contemplating at this time...

DLS UP6i 2 way

Rainbow CS 265.25 2 way

Hertz HSK 165.4 2 way

That's basically the ones I will build the system around. Just not sure which one it will be as of yet. And as I said before, I'm looking at an Audioson SRX 2s for an amp to build upon.

Kevin.

 

[DarkScorpion 10+ year member]

Here's a nice article about active vs passive: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_9_4/feature-article-active-speakers-12-2002.html

Here's a list of some active-capable HU's, but some of these are a bit old.

Alpine:

9887

9815/9813

9835/9833

9855/9853

7998/7997?

Pioneer:

880PRS

860MP

960MP

Eclipse:

CD8454

CD8053

CD8443

CD8455

CD7000

CD7100

Clarion:

DRZ9255

DXZ775USB

It doesn't have all of hte latest and greatest head units, but from that list the Alpine 9887 and Pioneer 880PRS are VERY popular headunits for people seeking an active setup.

From the speakers you listed, I really don't know which one is the "best" since I've never messed with those specific speakers, besides what I've read on the UP6i (which has been nothing but good) //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif Seems like you can't go wrong w/ any of those, though.

 

[kmanian 5,000+ posts]

I had profi van 365s and regret selling them. great comps, pricy but you will like them Im sure if your not put off by the price

 

[Kevin Boyer 10+ year member]

That is quite the list, but definitely food for thought. I like what I see with the Alpine 9887. I see there are a few floating around on e-Bay at the moment. My biggest goal now is to decide on what speaker line I want to go with. The problem is, I can't find fault with any of them, which makes my decision even more difficult. I would love to match the speaker I choose with an amp from the same manufacturer. It's not imperative, but I've always been under the impression that it does make a difference in performance, or am I crazy!! I think I'm leaning more towards the Rainbow's or the Hertz right now.

Kevin.

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

Matching up equipment doesn't yield better performance. There's nothing wrong with matching equipment, though. If you like Rainbow's comps and amps, that's fine. Hell, the iPaul amps are sexy. Rainbow also has subwoofers. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif