My budget is $350-$400 considering that I will be spending another decent chunk of change on a second amp. I would prefer to buy from an authorized dealer, but I have had good success with companies like ike sound in the past (this puts my budget at around $600 normal retail).

Obviously, I want a good speaker. I don't care a lot about low end, but I want midbass - we all know how useless any 6x9 is in our cars. I will be listening mainly to rock and metal.

I’m not really aware of what speakers are out there, what’s good, and what’s in this price range. I think I’m past the best buy/circuit city peek, and I have no idea what other stores to try out, so I can’t go anywhere to listen.

I've come across two options:
Polk MMC6500s and Infinity Perfects. I would love to buy the Infinities, but every once in a while you will run across a review that mentions their inability to play well below 100 or so Hz while the polks have constant praise in that respect.

I also liked last year’s type-r’s, but I have been unable to find any unused.

Does anyone have any input on either or have a suggestion for another speaker?

 

After some more reading I think a better question would be: what brands do you guys like and what store should I go to so I can listen to everything?

I've heard lots of good things about CDT, but I have no idea what product line(s) I should look at price wise.

 

I don't have much input on this as a good set of component speakers are all I have left to buy, but out of the two you posted, the Infinity piece looks much better than the Polk.

...and it's SO hard to get a solid mix for metal in our cars. Good luck!

 

I personally have the Polk MOMOs, and they sound absolutley awesome. I have them in my blazer right now, becausethe camaro is under construction and winter is fast approaching. But anyway they sound great, my cousin has the Kappas but I dont really know which I prefer, they both sound awesome but not to much difference. I would say Polk for the simple fact that there cheaper, and they sound the same as the Kappas. Good Luck

 

everyone i've ever heard on car audio forums talk about the perfect components, or any infinitys has said they're very clear and crisp, but have ZERO midbass. never heard components, but all the infinity coaxials i've heard, including my 4x6's have pathetic midbass (i know, can't expect any from 4x6 plates but still)

cdt makes very nice components, and shouldnt be hard to find a store where you can listen to them. other good component brands are boston, mb quart, rainbow, arc audio, dynaudio, diamond, focal, and dls to name a few. i was going to buy some rainbow soundline 2 ways but the deal fell through and i decided to just go with new ones, so im waiting a few weeks for my friend to get in the arc audio acs 265 components, which are made by rainbow, basically an upgraded contour mid with a better crossover and the tweet from the rainbow pro's. they run 350. the rainbow soundlines i can get for 250 brand new, under warranty, if you want some.

only thing that sucks about rainbow is that they're made in germany and have to be imported, so you wont find a store that carries them to have a listen. check out arc audio's website, they have a dealer locator and you may be close enough to one. believe me though, i've heard the rainbow soundlines, and even in a so so install they sound INCREDIBLE, and the arc's are that much better.

 

if you want to wait a few weeks, i could get you a set of the arc audios im getting also for 350, those are an AWESOME set and i guarantee you wouldnt be disappointed in any way with them.

 

I could wait a few weeks, but with varrying responces (aside from a lot of peolpe in favor of the polks) I want to listen to everything I possibly can in person. As of right now, Polk and CDT are the front runners. I'm more than willing to listen to other brands, but I'm not sure what I will be able to find in various stores.

I'm really eyeing CDT's EF-61CF.

Since there seems to be a lot of interest, I will post my findings when I have a chance to get to a car audio place (hopefully tomorrow or thursday). Keep the opinions coming

 

Make a few CD's of your favorite music, take them to a car stereo store and listen to them on many speakers... Your earls will tell you...

I would be leary of buying any speaker I hadn't listened to... Just cuz it's been recomended, or is the priciest doesn't mean you will like it... and ultimatley, that's who you're trying to please...

Some examples...A while back, MB Quarts were mostly made of paper... and were winning all these awards... to me they sounded flat... A few years ago, they started making plastic speakers (poly), which to me sounded much better... my friend and I wnet to Sound Advice & listened to a few sets.. the best sounding set was the second to best in price...

Also... do you like soft or hard dome tweeters? Me personally, I prefer hard or titanium... I like brightness, or at least having the option of turning it down as opposed to soft dome tweeters... So my advice, is to listen to them playing your favorite music... your ears will tell you which one you want...

Rafael

 

go to a store that will let you swap them out if you don't like them... plus, I'd stay away from the paper cones... what about the $389 version? they are at least fiberglass.

 

They just have one page for the entire series. If I do end up buying from that series, I will buy the carbon fiber one because I will have the power to drive it fairly well.

Paper is defantly out though due to ageing.

 

best speakers i have ever owned..

MB Quarts

 

http://www.arcaudio.com/arc-05/dealers/new_jersey.htm

 

Yeah, I'd honestly go with the most rigid cone there... the $399 version.

I've heard great things about CDT... but that's where it ends. I have no idea what models are good, or what series to go for.

I know there are some HD models that are supposed to blow your mind away... but I know they are cheaper than these $400 ones... so maybe these are even higher-end?

 

can someone point out the differences between these?

EF-61CF

HD-62/3

Other than $50?

 

wtf... the HD stuff is treated-paper cones... why are those more expensive? I wouldn't get anything that has the word 'paper' in it... I want these to last at least 10 years.

 

Who knows what paper might yeild. It looks like I probably wont have a change to make my trip to the store until monday due to extreme amounts of homework.

 

I'm curious. What the hell store carries CDT? I've never seen CDT anywhere. Only online.

I see Boston Acoustiks, Memphis, Diamond, Infinity, and Polk stuff. MB Quarts is still around, but many of the shops don't even carry much of that brand anymore either.

Even though people say that the Elemental Designs edi6500's are basically re-badged CDT components... which I'm really not too sure... but I looked into it, and they seem to compare to more expensive CDT models..

 

In a few hours I will be cracking out the good old phone book and calling around. I'm going the Arc Audio dealer in edison that 1meanGTA linked to. If they carry Arc stuff, they might have CDT too.

 

I've been to Custom Sounds, Xtreme Sounds, Alpha Audio, R&R Audio, Car Toyz, and pretty much every other audio shop in Austin... none have CDT, nor had I ever heard about CDT until I purchased a NINe.1 from eD... then joined their forums...

what I wonder is... which would sound better--the $399 carbon-fiber cone EF61CF or the $450 HD-62 that's carbon-treated paper cone?

My brain associates HD, and a higher price to better quality... but logic tells me that paper sucks... I'm being torn apart from the inside-out!

 

dont really know, i've never heard cdt comps, just a lot of good things about them, including the hd's. i think jim put the dudes name in here somewhere, theres a guy on caraudio.com that sells hd's new under warranty for around 300, i think even a little under.

let me know what you think about those arcs
also let me know what your retailer sells the acs 265's for, i might just send you some cash and have you pick me up a set, im tired of waiting on mine

trust me, the eD's are rebadged cdts. im pretty sure even the crossover is exactly the same.

 

Don't be afraid of paper cones, especially in the price ranges you're looking. Paper is so popular because it can have a very neutral, natural sound. A stiffer cone, while having many advantages, also has some significant disadvantages that quite often are NOT addressed in the crossover properly in lower priced speakers.

Most component sets use poly cones because they're also cheap, they're durable, and they have upper frequency rolloff characteristics that make it possible for companies to use very cheap crossovers.

But, what it boils down to is that it's got to sound good.

BTW, CDT is available at retail stores, though not to the extent that something like Alpine or Pioneer is.

 

Well Jim, for roughly $400, what do you recommend? You think that the HD62 for $450 (paper,) may sound better and last longer than the $399 EF61CFs?

The paper cones are treated with carbon fiber... if that means much.

 

can someone repost this link? I can't find it... even from caraudio.com...

 

AOL IM: djdilliodon

not positive, but i think thats his name over on ca.com too.

 

Turns out that CDT has a dealer in NJ (scroll down some). The bad news is that they're 80 miles away from where I live. I think I'm going to give them a shout to see what's up. Hopefully I will be able to make it over there fairly soon.

1meanGTA: If I don't like what I hear, I will make a trip over to the ARC dealer. I will post prices if/when I go there.

 

how far is it to the arc dealer? if its not too far out of your way, i would try and listen to them both in the same day, memory is funny with sound.

also, be sure to call ahead and make certain they have the speakers you want to hear, installed in a wall or something ready to be demo'd.

 

if you like what you hear there, this site has the arc's for 310, i just ordered mine for 325 shipped
ought to have them within a week, now im just waitin for the kickpanels to be finished.

http://www.cbrstereo.com/index.asp?P...OD&ProdID=1001

 

what is all this talk about ARC? What do they compare to?

So far, the $300-400 range best-value is CDT HD-62, and eD edi6500's...

never really heard of ARC... what are all the specs, and are there any reviews?

 

arc's acs line is made by rainbow, which makes extremely high end german components (their top of the line is 2k for the set)
the soundline is rainbows 2nd to cheapest component set. the contours were i believe the update to that. the acs's use a slightly modified contour mid, with the tweet from the rainbow pros, which are like $500+ and a tweaked crossover.

i can't find a lot online about the acs's but you can find plenty about the rainbow soundlines, contours, and pros.

http://forums.caraudio.com/vb/showth...hlight=arc+acs

heres a link to an arc vs eD thread, which is about all i could find. their amps are very well known for having ultra low distortion and cranking out power without killing your electrical system.

 

MB Quart or Eclipse for components

 

I'm not sure that HD-62's/edi6500's are the best value in the $300-400 range yet. Again, even if they are to someone they might not be to everyone else. I would worry less about reviews, materials, and what internet people say and more about what speakers sound like. Sure, reviews and people like you guys are great references, but when it comes down to personal taste the best judge is your own set of ears. Who knows, I might end up liking the 'cheap' Polk’s more than anything else.

Good discussion though. Keep it up I didn't know half these companys existed until I posted this thread. You're all defantly giving me more options.

 

exactly, sound is very subjective. with the rainbows/arcs, some people dont like them because its a very smooth, laidback sound. the tweets are silk instead of metal. where your focals, dynaudios, and dls's tend to be more harsh which is what some people like. by smooth and laidback, i dont mean quiet. its just something you have to hear, a very warm sound, which i love, it sounds so natural. i just feel more like my ears are being assaulted when i hear metal tweets played loud. also keep in mind that components will sound a lot different in your car than in a soundboard at a shop.

 

DLS all the way.....

 

did Boston Acustic go down hill too? or are they OK

 

I hear they are expensive now... and good...

or maybe they are just expensive... who knows?

 

no ba's are pretty nice. the pro 60's especially, even though they have that harsh over the top loudness i dont really like. dls's are very nice, the iridium 6.3's are probably the best components i've ever heard but at the price tag.... its insane how expensive those are. (although not as insane as the 2000 dollar rainbows) you can find the iridium 6.2's for 5-600 though.

 

I'm going to be hitting at least one store tomorrow (arc if I get a late start, CDT if I get an early one) and I will visit the other Friday. I will be sure to post my opinions on everything.

 

hell yeah, give us a mini-review of all the models you hear.

 

I just called sounds great (the CDT dealer) and they close at 6. I get out of my last class at 3:20 + driving time (hour and a half) + whatever else happens on the way (halfish hour), which means that I won't have much time to listen to anything today.

I called the ARC dealer in Edison and got a voice mailbox. They don't have an address listed on the website maybe they're just a distributor? Regardless, I left them a message with my cell # asking whether or not they have a showroom that I can audition some speakers in.

Hopefully I will end up listening to something today.

Edit: did some searching for a business called Unexpected Creations (the ARC dealer) in/around edison on google and came up with nothing. I also reverse looked up the phone and wouldn't you know there was no listing. Hopefully they will call me back.

 

ARC = vaporware???


(spooky sounds)

 

I wouldn't have the slightest idea. From what 1meanGTA says, they're related to rainbow. The ARC dealer never called me back but I will still be heading over to the CDT dealer tomorrow. When I was on the phone with them they sounded like pretty nice guys with a decent amount of speakers on display. I didn't ask them about other lines, but hopefully they will have some other good stuff to listen to They said they have both the EF and HD series on the floor, so I will get a chance to listen to both.

 

they're not necessarily related to rainbow, they make their own amps and their lower end component set. but rainbow makes their high end set for them.

 

i have a set of premier 6.5 component sets that honestly sound pretty damn close to my 6.5 kicker sx6.5ss components. the premier pioneer set retailed at $280 where as the kicker set retails at over $1,000.

anyone looking can have them for $150+shipping. very low hours and sound great. you do not have to spend a fortune to have great sound.

 

BLASPHEMY!

Wallets all around the world are crying themselves to sleep because of your inconsiderate remark! Go to your room and think about what you did!

 

It might be true though. Today I will be heading over to tweeter to audition some BA and MB Quart stuff. Once I finish that I’m going to run around and see if I can find some place to listen to the $300 Polks. The only problem is that most places that carry Polk (ie circuit city and best buy) only carry the lower-end Polk stuff. Since all the higher end shops consider Polk low-end, they don’t carry them. Defantly a catch 22. Does anyone have any idea what store/chain would have the Polk MMC6500’s on display? The same can be said about Kandied91z’s pioneer refrence. I have no idea where I would listen to them.

As for CDT, the HD/EF series both sound really good, but I wasn't able to make a good comparison on equivalently priced models because they only had the EF-61CF ($400) and HD-62Z ($650) on the floor. I would have loved to compare the EF-61CF ($400) to the HD-62 ($450). On paper, it looks like both sets have the same crossover and that’s where it ends (different tweeter/woofer). I’m not sure how much the woofer would matter, but I’m pretty sure the tweeter would make a difference. At this point in time I don't find it all that unreasonable that the extra $50 will get a better product even though I would be jumping from the top of one product line to the near bottom of the next.

 

How did those HD-62Z sound? I'm going to be purchasing the HD-62 set (which essetially looks to be the same as the HD-62 minus two 6.5" woofers, unless I am thinking of a different model) and I was wondering if you felt it was worth the price tag as far as sound quality and durability goes. Everyone I've talked to with the HD-62s has said good things about them.

You might want to check out BestBuy. I know they carry a wide selection of crap... I mean Pioneer . Maybe they have some Polk stuff too.

 

They do carry polk, but they only carry the lower end of polk. Tweeter actually surprised me today; they had the momo's in stock. As for the z's, they're defiantly a good speaker, but you might be able to find other things that are better in that price range (read on).

The rest of this post might get a little long... just a quick heads up. I'm also going to make a minor disclaimer: I didn't play with any crossovers, so some speakers could probably be adjusted to sound better/worse to my ear. Also, Tweeter houses all of their speakers in 1 cubic foot sealed boxes filled with fiber fill, unlike the infinite baffle/passive radiator setup most stores have. Everything I listened to played through a JL 450/4 amp.

I went over to tweeter earlier today to audition some speakers. According to their sale's person, that's a pretty rare occurrence (people usually go in and start throwing money around)... I told him that I wasn't looking to buy anything, and just wanted to get a feel over what was out there. I looked over at the speaker wall and was surprised to see brands like focal and JL represented as well as pioneer and polk. As far as I knew, tweeter was fairly selective with who they carried (read I didn't think they had much of a selection). I stood staring at the wall dumbfounded for a little while and then popped a Dream Theater cd into the demo head.

I really didn't know where to start since they had around 20 component sets available for listening. The polks caught my eye since I had been talking about them in this thread, so I fired them up and was generally unimpressed. The best way to put it is that the tweeter sounded harsh/compressed, much like a low quality (64 kbs) mp3 as compared to what I was expecting from listening to the CDT’s earlier. At that point I started random hitting buttons and generally ignored price so that I wouldn’t be biased toward the cheaper/more expensive speakers.

I had it narrowed down to two speakers pretty quickly: JL's TR650-CSi and MB Quart's QSD 216. First let me say that both speakers sound amazing and rightfully so. One retails for $799 and one for $1,299 (keep reading if you just went into sticker shock – keep in mind this is retail pricing).

So it came down to the Quarts vs the JLs. Both are very respectable speakers and both sounded very impressive. The JLs had a slight edge when it came to bass response, but the Quart’s tweeter was hands down a far superior unit. The quarts also had a ‘fuller’ sound. Ever just hear that nice, clean, rich, loud sound that doesn’t overpower you but instead just envelops you and invites you to turn it up more (which I did )? That’s the best way to describe it. Nice, clean, smooth. Defiantly able to handle playing uncomfortably loud (we were getting looks from people in other show rooms and all I had playing were the two speakers).

I ended up buying the MB Quarts over everything else I had listened to (CDT included, but not ARC – I never found a place to listen to them). Why? They beat out everything in their price range pathetically. This does deserve some clarification though. When comparing normal retail to normal retail, the Quarts are a $1,300 speaker. Tweeter and MB Quart parted ways, so Tweeter was unloading all their old stock. I ended up paying about half of that price for a brand new set of speakers. Sure, $500 is still a lot of money, but not when you consider the speaker I purchased. To me it is worth it.

If anyone wants any further info on anything I listened to (focal, etc), I will post to the best of my memory. Thanks for reading up to this point and keep the opinions coming even though I already made my purcahse

If you didn't feel like reading, MB Quart's QSD 216 = winner.

 

what about the CDT stuff? or ARC?

sounds like you got a good deal on the MB Quarts, I really like those speakers.... I was thinking of getting the mb quarts plate instead of the kappa plate at the time... but they were really close.

 

The CDT's are very good speakers, but unfortunately the ones compare to the MB Quarts (ES series, etc) were out of my price range. Had I not gotten the deal on the Quarts, I would have probably gone for JL's TR650-CSi or CDT's HD-62. The CDT's defiantly had a warmer sound, but the JL's sounded better overall (better low end/midbass for a more complete sound). Granted, there was a 2-3 day listening gap and a $250 price difference between the two speakers. If you're looking for a good set of speakers with a retail price of $450, I would guess that the HD-62's are a good speaker (again, never listened to them). I know that the EF-61CF sound great.

I never got a chance to listen to any ARC speakers because whoever/whatever I called never called me back. The only defiant dealer (place with an address) listed on their site is 120 miles from where I live. To me, that's not worth it.

Defiantly look around for a good deal before you settle on a pair of speakers regardless. You might get lucky like I did.

 

yeah rainbows and arcs are hard to come by. my deal on the arc acs's fell through, apparently noone can get them for a few weeks.

last night i ordered the rainbow soundline kick bass (upgraded midbass driver) 2 way set for 300 shipped. should be here in about a week, kicks should be a week or two. i'll have some new pics of my car and system up in the next few weeks. anyone around the area is welcome to come hear em.