SSA Evil6.5 Information

[Jcsaudio]

Ok so I'm looking at 6.5" mid woofers that are SQ oriented (for whatever that means) for my CX5. I'm considering the SB Acoustics SB17MFC35-4 6.5" Poly Cone Woofer or the SSA Evil6.5 mid woofer. I'm going to run these active either from my JL TwK 88 DSP or purchase an AudioControl DM-608 to do the same. The SB aren't really suited for car door use but will work like many home audio raw drivers. HIVi makes some mid bass woofers that may also work well for car doors.

My issue is with the SSA Evil 6.5 and the lack of information and support. These have been out for a year now I think, yet I cannot find much for reviews or third party support information other than on their website. I've tried calling SSA yesterday morning and couldn't get through (assuming they were closed) but left a message. On paper these look really good and the price is certainly right but I'd rather spend more on a driver that is proven than waste $105 on drivers that I can't return if they are too good to be true. I don't trust reviews from the owners site because they can pick and choose what they want to display in their favor. I know for example Sonicelectroix screens theirs as they have never put up a review that I left as negative. In my searches I've read some threads where the person bought the SSA Evil6.5's, said they would post their follow up review after installing them, and then didn't follow up with their review on them (not a good sign).

Two of the three vehicles I have are running active 2 way 2 channel setups with subs and mostly home audio raw drivers with great results. I plan to use my Pioneer Stage 4 PRS-D4200F amplifier good for 75 watts RMS into 4 Ohms or 300 watts RMS bridged to run the woofers and tweeters active with a DSP. I wanted to ask SSA if 75 watts RMS is adequate to drive these speakers to their potential or if more power is recommended as they are rated for 125 watts RMS. I want a mid woofer with good mid bass and clear midrange and will band pass them likely 70 hz - 2600 hz depending on the vehicle acoustics and tweeter I end up using in the end. I have some Morel MTD 12 tweeters I plan to start with but if I don't like those than I may end up getting another set of SB Acoustics tweeters as I really like those. I have REW and a mini DSP microphone to tune with as I've did before and can also do a near field response graph to see how they perform in my car door compared to my other mid woofers as an apples to apples reference.

Thanks

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[ronin1717]

I've had both of the speakers,

Imo the ssa are a mix of a pa and attempting to be a sq driver

it gets loud and has detail. not much character if that makes sense... any bass is non existent.

I've read they need much power to shine and the 90 rms I was giving could be the case. also the build quality on mine and another pair I've seen was sub par

 

[slikrider20 10+ year member]

I too, have had both.

For my application, the SB (I actually have the NVX equivalent because I wanted spring loaded terminals and such) suits me much better. Running them off of a Zapco 4 channel at 80wrms. The EVIL's really do need gobs of power to perform. But they are also a little cheaper.

 

[slikrider20 10+ year member]

By the way, you'll like the Morel's. I believe those are the same tweeter as found in the tempo sets. If so, I had the exact setup. You won't be disappointed.

I think the SB drivers with those Morel tweets would be the way to go for you.

 

[ronin1717]

yes mine are also the nvx version.... imo they're the easy choice

unless you wanna throw power at the ssa and try your on results

 

[Jcsaudio]

Thanks guys, that is what I needed to hear. I'm running the Morels now off the cheap crossover set that came with my original component set from 4 years ago. The MTD 12's are ok but need to hear them with a proper active setup first.

 

[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

The evil 6.5s have been out 2-3 years. There is all the info one needs on them online. Not sure what u mean by that. With the power you have crossing them as low as 60-70hz will not be an issue. They are pretty nice mids all around. ScanSpeak Classic 6.5s are also a solid choice for a mid driver. Paired with a set of Seas Neo tweets would make for a very nice FS.

 

[slikrider20 10+ year member]

I wouldn't cross the evils below 80hz. They don't like playing down there.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

200+ watts per evil and you will be good. Otherwise get something else. Their RMS ratings need to be adjusted lmao.

 

[Jcsaudio]

The evil 6.5s have been out 2-3 years. There is all the info one needs on them online. Not sure what u mean by that. With the power you have crossing them as low as 60-70hz will not be an issue. They are pretty nice mids all around. ScanSpeak Classic 6.5s are also a solid choice for a mid driver. Paired with a set of Seas Neo tweets would make for a very nice FS.

Do you have/used the Evil6.5 yourself in your vehicle or is this just your opinion based on what you've read online?

There is information online yes, but not in the form of supporting information such as third party objective or comparative with some real empirical testing. No frequency response graph, Le not shown, no RTA near field graphs, no professional reviews, incomplete follow up reviews, and so on. With scanspeak drivers I can find all of this for example and their quality/consistancy from driver to driver has a good reputation. Same with most of Seas, SB Acoustics, HiVi, AudioFrog, Foundtech, and Dayton Audio for good or worse. I'm not knocking SSA reputation as a company as we all know their American made line of subwoofers are excellent. Some of the other forum threads I read in my search for information turned into pages and pages of flame wars with people defending or knocking SSA instead because there were some knuckleheads making snide comments and ignoring the original thread starters question. Hopefully that doesn't happen here.

 

[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

Do you have/used the Evil6.5 yourself in your vehicle or is this just your opinion based on what you've read online?
There is information online yes, but not in the form of supporting information such as third party objective or comparative with some real empirical testing. No frequency response graph, Le not shown, no RTA near field graphs, no professional reviews, incomplete follow up reviews, and so on. With scanspeak drivers I can find all of this for example and their quality/consistancy from driver to driver has a good reputation. Same with most of Seas, SB Acoustics, HiVi, AudioFrog, Foundtech, and Dayton Audio for good or worse. I'm not knocking SSA reputation as a company as we all know their American made line of subwoofers are excellent. Some of the other forum threads I read in my search for information turned into pages and pages of flame wars with people defending or knocking SSA instead because there were some knuckleheads making snide comments and ignoring the original thread starters question. Hopefully that doesn't happen here.

Check history of my post 2013-2014 and you would see I have used every piece of equipment I listed above. As far as listed rta's and whatnot they must be taken for what they are. Pre break in, in optimal settings which is not what a vehicle will provide. Most companies listed above built drivers without even the thought of being used in a cars environment. As far as SSA i have no love or hate for them so to push or damage their rep would be purely a waste of my time as IDC.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Do you have/used the Evil6.5 yourself in your vehicle or is this just your opinion based on what you've read online?
There is information online yes, but not in the form of supporting information such as third party objective or comparative with some real empirical testing. No frequency response graph, Le not shown, no RTA near field graphs, no professional reviews, incomplete follow up reviews, and so on. With scanspeak drivers I can find all of this for example and their quality/consistancy from driver to driver has a good reputation. Same with most of Seas, SB Acoustics, HiVi, AudioFrog, Foundtech, and Dayton Audio for good or worse. I'm not knocking SSA reputation as a company as we all know their American made line of subwoofers are excellent. Some of the other forum threads I read in my search for information turned into pages and pages of flame wars with people defending or knocking SSA instead because there were some knuckleheads making snide comments and ignoring the original thread starters question. Hopefully that doesn't happen here.

the SB acoustics neo tweeters I bought had amazing specs on paper but translated to vastly inferior performance to my pair of 50 dollar massive audio CT2 tweeters. In the world of car audio where vehicle acoustics will throw EVERYTHING off, you cant really trust madisound's graphs too much because thats not similated in a car which is utterly useless.

 

[Jcsaudio]

Curious to know which model SB theater you used and how much off axis you had them Jeff? Also curious to know what and how much power you put on them and if you EQ'ed and time aligned them? I bought the Peerless NE25VTS-04 1" Silk Dome Tweeter originally because they too had great specs on paper and good reviews on parts express yet my wife and I found them flat and lifeless (best I can describe these) if that makes sense. They do however have great detail.

I totally get the vehicle acoustics situation when it comes to graphs and I merely use them to give me a rough idea of where their cone breakup starts and how the bass performs in comparison to other drivers hopefully using the same method, which I know doesn't always happen. I think of it as a snapshot of information that maybe tells me 15-20% of what to expect in a real application. I also weigh heavily on many positive or negative reviews on boards such as this one to help me form my own opinion. The more information I can gather, the better I feel about a purchase. It's all one can really do other than buy and try, which I've done many times, and also been disappointed or surprised many times too. Always constantly learning something new each day and so now I'll have to look at those Massive tweets.

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

Ok so I'm looking at 6.5" mid woofers that are SQ oriented (for whatever that means) for my CX5. I'm considering the SB Acoustics SB17MFC35-4 6.5" Poly Cone Woofer or the SSA Evil6.5 mid woofer. I'm going to run these active either from my JL TwK 88 DSP or purchase an AudioControl DM-608 to do the same. The SB aren't really suited for car door use but will work like many home audio raw drivers. HIVi makes some mid bass woofers that may also work well for car doors.
My issue is with the SSA Evil 6.5 and the lack of information and support. These have been out for a year now I think, yet I cannot find much for reviews or third party support information other than on their website. I've tried calling SSA yesterday morning and couldn't get through (assuming they were closed) but left a message. On paper these look really good and the price is certainly right but I'd rather spend more on a driver that is proven than waste $105 on drivers that I can't return if they are too good to be true. I don't trust reviews from the owners site because they can pick and choose what they want to display in their favor. I know for example Sonicelectroix screens theirs as they have never put up a review that I left as negative. In my searches I've read some threads where the person bought the SSA Evil6.5's, said they would post their follow up review after installing them, and then didn't follow up with their review on them (not a good sign).

Two of the three vehicles I have are running active 2 way 2 channel setups with subs and mostly home audio raw drivers with great results. I plan to use my Pioneer Stage 4 PRS-D4200F amplifier good for 75 watts RMS into 4 Ohms or 300 watts RMS bridged to run the woofers and tweeters active with a DSP. I wanted to ask SSA if 75 watts RMS is adequate to drive these speakers to their potential or if more power is recommended as they are rated for 125 watts RMS. I want a mid woofer with good mid bass and clear midrange and will band pass them likely 70 hz - 2600 hz depending on the vehicle acoustics and tweeter I end up using in the end. I have some Morel MTD 12 tweeters I plan to start with but if I don't like those than I may end up getting another set of SB Acoustics tweeters as I really like those. I have REW and a mini DSP microphone to tune with as I've did before and can also do a near field response graph to see how they perform in my car door compared to my other mid woofers as an apples to apples reference.

Thanks

Ok, a couple of things I can address really quick. First off, I apologize we are a bit understaffed and your phone call was missed. Our main guy processing orders and grabbing the phone has been out sick, so I apologize. Our customer support has never been an issue, I work at it 7 days a week to keep up with everything possible.

 

As for proven, please check the glowing reviews the SSA Evil65 continues to get. Personally, I feel they are very proven. We do not take back used items as we are not Wal-mart for example. The car audio industry simple does not allow that kind of profit to allow that, it would sink us in no time flat. I am not sure what you are saying about not a good sign, please check the reviews both on the site, on the SSA forums, on other forums, on facebook etc. If you have any specific questions, I am always available to help out.

 

Side note, in one of our demo vehicles, the MOREL MDT 12's are paired with the Evil65's until the custom pods for the Evil1s are completed.

 

[denim 5,000+ posts]

I've had both of the speakers,
Imo the ssa are a mix of a pa and attempting to be a sq driver

it gets loud and has detail. not much character if that makes sense... any bass is non existent.

I've read they need much power to shine and the 90 rms I was giving could be the case. also the build quality on mine and another pair I've seen was sub par

Just to clarify, we are not trying to make the Evil65 a PA driver at all. That is not the design or the intent of it. The underhung motor design with phase plug, can give some people the presence of dryness, as in lacking warmth from distortion (aka lack of character). The moving mass is very light and the Evil65 is quite at home with as little as 15 watts. I used multiple amplifiers during prototyping and a tiny class-D 2 x 15w was one of the amps.