Souch vast differences in opinions - Help me select the correct front speakers

[gringo7718 10+ year member]

I have a Honda CRX and I am looking to improve my front sound stage - which should be easy considering what I have now are some 5yr old 4-way pioneers LOL. I have a decent budget system and I don't want to cut my door panels to mount a tweeter, so I have been looking primarily at coaxial speakers. I have explored the idea of getting components and mounting the tweeter using a metal strap bent in front of/over the woofer but that is not my ideal solution. I have also thought about mounting some 7" marine speakers up front, and found some 7" Kenwoods that peaked my interest. Not sure what to do.

Sound is so subjective. I have experience with many brands of car audio equipment, but usually the low to mid level stuff and I think it can sound pretty decent. I HATE harsh highs and I find that most components are just tuned to high/bright for my taste. Absolutely no metal or ceramic tweeters for me. I like smooth rich balanced speakers. But then I hear some people's opinions and they say Type R speakers are **** and they recommend some never seen before expensive components. I have never heard these exotic high end speakers and it makes me wonder what they are listening to. (morel focal etc.)

I am leaning toward Alpine SPR 6.5 coaxial or maybe even Kenwood 7" 2-ways kfc-x183c

which fit into my budget.

What would you do?

Current setup:

Older Alpine Headunit,

Kenwood 60x4 rms

Polk 6x9 rear

Pioneer 4-way front

Dynamat in key areas

2ch Amp and 12 JL audio Sub.

Click to read more...

 

[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

I don't like nether..

I think we have similar preferences..

fir years I've like Polk for decent budget speakers..

I also like the cdt speakers..

band thing is no-one really makes coaxial I'd consider high end or sound excellent..

another thing is you don't gave much power as well..

let me see if I can find something that fits your liking..

 

[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

WoofersEtc.com - MM651 - Polk Audio 6.5" / 6.75" 2 Way Coaxial Speakers

 

[gringo7718 10+ year member]

Thanks for the suggestion I will look into those and I like the fact they are 2.7ohm, to give the front stage a bit more power.

 

[UnderFire 10+ year member]

You should look further into component systems. The work to mount the tweeter in the dash, pillar, or wherever you may choose is well worth it.

 

[gringo7718 10+ year member]

I'm starting to see that I am limiting my selection with coaxial speakers.

Biggest issue I have is that I need to listen to a set of speakers and really like them before I spend over $100.

I am open to components, and I would mount the tweeter in front of the woofer, kinda like a coaxial.

I have been happy with the pioneers for the past few years, think these would be too bright? Pioneers TS-D1702R

Currently on my list:

Alpine SPR-60 - $107

Polk MM651 - $113

Pioneer TS-D1702R - $87

Kenwood KFC-XI83 - $75

JBL P662 - $99

 

[Papermaker85 5,000+ posts]

that's the reason I recommended the polks..

 

[UnderFire 10+ year member]

I'm starting to see that I am limiting my selection with coaxial speakers.
Biggest issue I have is that I need to listen to a set of speakers and really like them before I spend over $100.

I've heard that Florida has quite a few good shops, just go, and take some time to listen to anything you can find in your price range (Usually about 50-75$ above the online prices.) and find some of the characteristics that the ones you like share.

 

[gringo7718 10+ year member]

After some research, I have several ideas.

1. what do you think of "convertible" Components? (the ones where you can mount the tweeter coaxial style)

2. I have some ideas to mount a component setup without cutting the door panel.

I actually tested this out today with some old MBQuart 1" tweeters I had laying around, and it wasn't half bad. The placement alone seemed to ever so slightly improve the front stage.

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Check out the Hybrid Audio Technologies Imagine series ... they are coaxials with a tweeter that can be remotely mounted if you want. Very smooth sounding, you'd like them.

 

[Why So Cereal? 5,000+ posts]

Pioneer makes some pretty decent budget comps. The tweeter can get bright and almost sound nasal without tuning. after some tuning you can make them sound very good. Very strong midbass. Mids n highs pretty good and tweeter is good with some work.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

most coaxials use very poor quality tweeter material. also, tweeters in the doors, off-axis, aimed at your knees, will usually perform poorly.

the tweeter height sets the soundstage height. that is why many of us move tweeters to the apillars, so sound appears to come from above the dash.

you should listen to speakers before you buy. make the trip, plan a day to visit several shops. it's worth the time and a lot of fun. bring original CD's that you are very familiar with. even listen to them on some nice, high end home audio speakers so you know what they should sound like in the first place. i've listened to my tests cd's on 2 channel home audio systems that are more than $50k (some more than $100k). that is a great way to hear what is possible and know what is really in the recording.

another option on a budget is used. our classifieds section has a ton of options. for smooth highs, people tend to lean toward treated fabric - i.e. silk. but tweeter placement is what determines if it is "harsh" or not. diffraction causes phase interference which results in sound we call "harsh". this is well documented in the Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 7th Ed. by Vance Dickason. PM me for more information or for a copy of this useful reference.

in summary,

1. tweeter placement is more important than tweeter material.

2. listening to speakers is better than subjective opinions in forums for which there is honestly no comparison since the listening environment will be vastly different.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

and one more thing - component tweeters are easily tested before a final location is determined. simply get yourself some velcro and test positions.

you'll need to locate the crossover in an accessible location. the glove box makes a handy temporary location. and it can look nice in a final location as well. example, i did this in my accord a few years ago:

i still had full use of my glove box, along with easy access to the crossover. these Alpine Type-X crossovers had a lot of tuning options.

 

[gringo7718 10+ year member]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the input.

I have my front coaxials mounted like this

Tweeters

I did some work to mount the tweeters today and I think they turned out very well. It has really improved the front sound stage, no damage and easily removable, and the best part of all...... it required 0$ investment. It lifted the sound stage and brought it more "in front" of me and only took about an hour from concept idea to testing. Aesthetically they look great because in a black interior, you really cant see them unless you are looking. These things just disappear and you don't even notice them.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

Glad you experimented and found something you like