...than a regular 4x6 2 or 3-way? I realize that round speakers are more accurate, but for, say rock-music, are they a huge improvement? TIA.

 

Not sure, but I took a different approach. I have a 2 piece component system consisting of a 4x6 mid/upper-base in the dash and it's tweeter mounted on the a piller at ear level. An active crossover filters out the low base to the 4x6 to help prevent needless base distortion. Works great and especially effective when competing with the road/wind noise inherent in my convertible.

 

yah for that size speaker its the only way to do it, i've bought a couple non component 4 by 6s and finally got around to going with infitti kappa plates and ill never go back just my opinion

 

Thanks for the input! The plates obviously have built-in cross-overs, correct?

 

if it is in the dash of a thirdgen most of the time a 4x6 plate wont fit. the a/c ducts are formed to go around the speaker magnet right in the middle of the mounting point for the speaker. you might have to take the plate apart to get it to fit since the magnet is off centered. At least i always had to with 4x6 plates.

 

Using the right technique with a heat gun (be sure to cool all the surrounding area usually with wet cool rags), you can gently heat the the air duct until it becomes soft (you don't want to melt it). Then with a shaped block you can apply pressure and slightly change the shape of the duct to allow more room. When it cools, it will retain the new shape.
This is trick performed in some install shops, but only do this at you own risk.

 

So I guess my question should be: Will a 4x6 plate be worth the aggravation versus a regular 4x6 coaxial? Thanks!

 

I've owned Infinity Kappa, Lanzar plates (the old Lanzar when they were a well respected company) Kenwood's, Pioneers, and a generic set of GS Redline 4X6's. Out of all of these the GS Redlines sounded the best and they weren't plate speakers. If you're not running an amp on them you'll never notice a difference. Even if you are running an amp you'de probably be hard pressed to know which was which.

 

Thanks for the honest review. I don't want to spend unwarranted time and effort for very little gain. If the difference was night and day, I'd do it...
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I would probably be going with Infinitys either way. How high-end is your system?

 

Unless you are building a nigh end system, stick with the 4x6

 

I noticed quite a difference switching from coaxials to component. In my situation, getting the high frqz (tweeter) up higher at ear level really helped improved my system's front stage clarity, especially when competing with the white noise created by the wind with the top down.
However, the sound dynamics of a t-top or hard top is quite different and my experience may not apply to those interiors.