neo_styles 10+ year member
AKA Pop Twidget
Aww come on @tat2bass ; some of us here are SQeers! Seriously, though, I understand where you're coming from since not everyone who has a penchant for SQ isn't really on here too often (all things in moderation, right?).
If you're looking for a good all-arounder set of components, I would recommend the following:
JBL MS-62C - I have a pretty decent writeup of my impressions of them on here. They work really well if you properly deaden your doors and EXCEL on playing live instruments like acoustic guitars, drums, etc. Not the best at keeping up with artificial bass, so plan to have a sub stage that doesn't mind being crossed higher (100Hz) to make up for the MS woofer's shortfalls. The tweeters on these are HEAVENLY. Like, seriously, the best metal domes I've heard so far. Do extremely well mounted off axis, haven't had a chance to try them on axis yet.
PHD FB 6.1 Pro Kit - Here's where you get your midbass package. Another great all-around woofer that, if you can't have a sub in your setup, will do well enough with producing a good amount of sub-bass frequencies (I can get it to play with authority down to about 45Hz before it starts falling off). These seem to do a little bit better out of the box on staging than the JBL. I currently run the FB mids with my JBL comps (just replaced the MS mid) and they do very well together.
Focal PS165 - Has already been recommended here and for good reason. This is where the Focals start to get good and are a smart choice for those who can't afford the Power or Be series. Polyglass are also well-done woofers. People do complain, though, that the tweeters on these can be very harsh. In all reality, this component set is very install-dependent. You can't just slap these in the stock locations and expect them to not require a TON of EQ to correct for peaky response. The JBLs, actually, are the most forgiving of a sub-par install with the PHD coming in right behind them.
Rainbow SLC - Yes, the brand is called Rainbow. Yes, it sounds corny. But these German-made beasts kinda do everything extremely well. Gives a much warmer sound than most components in the price range with nice, laid back tweets. I actually miss my Rainbows a lot and am still kinda chasing that sound signature.
Pioneer TS-D1720C - The budget diamond in the rough...if you have the ability to go active. Take away the passive crossovers on these and tweak your settings a bit and both the tweet and woofer really start to shine. Of course, if you can support going active, raw drivers are still your best bet.
If you're looking for a good all-arounder set of components, I would recommend the following:
JBL MS-62C - I have a pretty decent writeup of my impressions of them on here. They work really well if you properly deaden your doors and EXCEL on playing live instruments like acoustic guitars, drums, etc. Not the best at keeping up with artificial bass, so plan to have a sub stage that doesn't mind being crossed higher (100Hz) to make up for the MS woofer's shortfalls. The tweeters on these are HEAVENLY. Like, seriously, the best metal domes I've heard so far. Do extremely well mounted off axis, haven't had a chance to try them on axis yet.
PHD FB 6.1 Pro Kit - Here's where you get your midbass package. Another great all-around woofer that, if you can't have a sub in your setup, will do well enough with producing a good amount of sub-bass frequencies (I can get it to play with authority down to about 45Hz before it starts falling off). These seem to do a little bit better out of the box on staging than the JBL. I currently run the FB mids with my JBL comps (just replaced the MS mid) and they do very well together.
Focal PS165 - Has already been recommended here and for good reason. This is where the Focals start to get good and are a smart choice for those who can't afford the Power or Be series. Polyglass are also well-done woofers. People do complain, though, that the tweeters on these can be very harsh. In all reality, this component set is very install-dependent. You can't just slap these in the stock locations and expect them to not require a TON of EQ to correct for peaky response. The JBLs, actually, are the most forgiving of a sub-par install with the PHD coming in right behind them.
Rainbow SLC - Yes, the brand is called Rainbow. Yes, it sounds corny. But these German-made beasts kinda do everything extremely well. Gives a much warmer sound than most components in the price range with nice, laid back tweets. I actually miss my Rainbows a lot and am still kinda chasing that sound signature.
Pioneer TS-D1720C - The budget diamond in the rough...if you have the ability to go active. Take away the passive crossovers on these and tweak your settings a bit and both the tweet and woofer really start to shine. Of course, if you can support going active, raw drivers are still your best bet.
