looking for a set of 6.5 component speakers, recomendations?

The JL C5s are solid if you like a really laid back sound.

Image Dynamics CXS is also a really good set.

The $400 budget can get you a nice set. Of cdt, hertz , phd ,,arc audio ,dls , and zapco it's best to try and listen to some installed preferably then decide what sounds good to you

phd italian made

but to let you know i would take that 400 bucks and buy some deadener etc. the sq is all in the install

Depending on the particular area I am working on and desired level of results, bass monster, SQL, SQ, daily driver, all out competition build, performance car where control is an issue....I vary my methods and materials accordingly.

I) Mat products, focused approach used just where needed will give great results and save weight and cost. The level of the build will determine how much is needed, more to follow when I have a bit more time but for now, best bang for the buck, read this,

How-To

II) Foam Products, best I have ever found is Ensolite, some sell it with a made up name with a highly inflated price, I call it what it is because I do not own it. For those wanting the best results, least weight, lower cost, USE IT, for those wanting the best no matter how much mat, how much weight, how much money, USE IT, see the HOW TO guide in the link above. I recommend 100% coverage on every single hard surface you can put it on including under the dash and at least some around the grills on your door panels.

III) Acoustical foam, though you can use Ensolite on everything and should I like to use it all over inside the dash, allowing for air flow, and behind larger trim panels like the rear qtrs in a wagon, hatch, SUV and if it will fit back wall of trucks near the cabin vents. This is the least expensive but quite effective foam I know of, you can use the thicker version as well. I use it for computer desks, some inside the computer case after I use mat and Ensolite, then around the computer if any noise issue. I have enclosed but had vents for heat around air compressors and other noisy shop equipment as well as mat and Ensolite as required.

Parts Express

IV) Alumalite, 6mm aluminum skinned, plastic honeycomb sheets, a sign industry product I have used for years making race car splitters, etc....making a huge diffuser for my latest race car out of it. I used it for the Vette audio packages I sell as I can make a speaker baffle going from a 10 to a 6.5" driver, wrap it in PS Ensolite and have a very very solid mount, sealed, looks good behind the C6 grills, and only weighs 4.5 oz! Huge access holes in the doors, 11 oz filler panels, tweeter mounts for those wanting stock locations, less than 1 oz and covered with Ensolite as well. I have used it in places like the huge access hole in the hatch door of our V8 4runner, no mat needed, just a bit of foam, BIG reduction in road noise, barely any added weight, struts still work just fine....I also used it for our new Duramax dually doors for the huge access holes, really helps stiffen the air space up, much easier than other methods to do so.

V) Aluminum Channels, used when dealing with really large areas, weight control, etc. Mostly I use the $10, 8' ones from Lowes(I actually buy 20 at a time from a supplier for less) it is made for trimming 1/4" wall panels, etc...On really large areas, big bass energy involved, etc...I might use heavier gauge. I like to use it or heavier, or sq like my Duramax build as using Pro Audio mids with 400 watts per driver, to angle brace behind the stock sheat metal as close to the speaker mounting hole as possible. I just screw through the sheet metal into the aluminum. I have used multiple pieces like in my old Taco that had 600 watts per door for the dual midbass drivers.

For large areas like the rear sides of the Scion TC project car we build I used long sections the length of the rear qtr up to the front(and only) side doors by shaping it over a tire working on the contour of the body from the outside to get it to fit well. Then using commercial grade window glazing double sided tape bond the rows of channel to the inside of the body skin.

This allows for much less mat needed, the cost is not cheap but not expensive, the Scion had such a huge area and would flex in and out about 1/2" when just running a single 15" sealed sub and it was a race car as well as an audio comp street car so weight was a critical issue. (we took a 2900lb car, caged it, used a huge amount of expanding foam, hundreds of hours of work, ended up 250 lbs lighter than stock with nearly full interior, AC, etc and it was FAST and LOUD at 136.4 db on music for 2 minutes average) See expanding foam below.

VI) Expanding Foam, I only use Pur Fil, made in Germany, expensive but a superb product, we used 360 liquid oz filling ever void in the Scion TC including complete and huge C pillars down and over the wheel wells. It was a long nasty week of work and not likely to be done again but it was part of how we build the tC into what it was. It made the car so stiff it felt fully caged, it almost hurt your hand to shut the doors it was so solid...then we caged it, like a rock!

VII) Silicone Sealer, I use it on overlapping trim panels seams, just a tiny bit, on problematic door pops, sometimes around the door trim panel and door to fill in the void, done right it looks great, etc......brake light sockets, just a little stops rattles but can still be serviced.

VIII) Tie Wraps, where ever needed, one nice use is door lock rods that run close to each other, a snugged but not tight tie wrap will stop the rattles but let the rods move properly. Wiring, etc...anything that can will move and can lead to resonance issues so do something to prevent it.

IX) Undercoat spray, liquid deadeners, etc....I them a little hear and there but not very often as many areas that are hard to get to do not really need anything done to them anyway, small surefaces, tight corners, do not resonate easily, if find Ensolite does all I need in most cases. I will go over a few more things I have used them on a bit later. With liquids deadeners it is OK if you have the time to do all the prep, drying time between coats, etc, most do not, that is why I do not sell them as I find them a pain to use for little benefit if any over just laying down the mat type products as needed.....they have a huge profit margin for those that do sell them though

X) Baltic Birch Plywood, I have not used inferior MDF in the last ten or more years..BB is half the weight, stronger, etc...I built a 2.2 cube sealed 15" sub enclosure with it using layers of 10mm as needed per area, internally braced, fiberglass bottom but bell shapped as hammered out the floor of the TC to get the space, depth and stiffening results needed. I was able to minimize the materials so the total weight of a very very solid enclosure was just 20lbs. Single Arc 15, 1kw amp, after stiffening up the sides of the TC with aluminum channels so the did not flex, at all, is what I used to hit 136.4 db for the 2 minutes average on music beating all but one vehicle that had double the same setup in gear in an SUV big sq box that barely beat me. All the bass monsters blew up, burnt up, blew fuses, whatever, we both beat them all as they could not actually play music that long or did not know how to operate their systems so they could

XI) MLV, catchy sounding name eh? Hard to work with, costly, heavy, I find I can do what I need with the methods and materials above so why bother with a difficult product. If I have a serious resonance or heat issue on a floor I use mat/foam/mat/foam on those particular areas, very cost and performance effective and very easy to do and saves money. My other methods work elsewhere just fine for most applications. There are cases where it is a viable way to go but most simply can get by without it.

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Out of all the materials listed above I supply two of them because I feel it is all most really need from a sound deadening supplier. I am considering a hybrid mat product but the packaging is a serious issue as it needs to look great as a hood liner, etc...one sheet of mat/aluminum/mat/Ensolite, costly but very very effective for certain applications but not many areas would need it as most can be done for less cost with just mat and foam products.

We are reconsidering MLV but only after some serious testing is done with it when the right install comes along. If we do carry it there will be proper info on the real needs for it to help prevent orders where not really needed.

The other products are easily sourced by most, can get just what you need, etc, locally.....Alumalite being the exception, we might offer it as some time, still considering it.

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I hope this helps you in many ways and one is to buy less product, get what you really need for the job at hand and go have some fun

XII) Door Seals, I have tried a few things over the years...One was using the rubber strip that is pressed into the groove to stretch and hold window screen into the frame slid inside hollow door seals. Another was Window glazing grade double sided tape under the seals. I have heard of nylon thing gauge rope fished through hollow ones, it would be a bit hard to do. For the screen window stuff I have used electrical conduit lub to ease the insertion, kink of like using KY Jelly for tight, ,if you are into such things

Package # 1 -------- 20 Sheets of RAAMmat BXT II (37.5 sq ft) and 3 yards of Ensolite IUO Peel and Stick Foam (41.625 sq ft) - RAAMaudio Inc.

so you want to install and buy this package to get the most out of your speakers if you are spending 300 bucks on speakers it will be a waste without deadening

 

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KHA 2005 Scion tC with Audison and Hertz

example of a quality install //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

PHD - Audiophile Systems

info on phd which mylows10 is a deal iirc

JBL MS-62C 6-1/2" Component Speaker System

crazy price on these jbls they are reg 300 new

JBL MS-62C 6-3/4" component system at Crutchfield.com

JBL MS-62C (MS62C) 6-1/2" 2-Way MS Component Car Speakers System

look at reviews

Re Audio XXX6 5c 6 5

powerful speaker geat midbass

the cdt components are very nice as well , all hand made in cali. no assembly line for any of the cdt lines

cdt's are nice also its is what i run in my car hd-62's

As said

PHD FB

CDT HD

JBL MS 62

HAT

For $299 plus shipping, you can get a PHD Fb 6.1 kit shipped to your door. Mike the US rep also ships very fast and has wonderful customer service, the most caring sales person I've EVER dealt with.