Building a new system--high-end speaker recommendations?

joeyc · Post by **joeyc** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:28 pm

lol, whizzer cones rule! my roadmasters and boss's BOTH have whizzer cones!! they rock!

Post by **GlassWolf** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 7:35 am

Jonathan wrote:Dustcap that functions as a tweeter? Sounds just like a whizzer cone to me
haha j/k. Haven't seen or heard those yet.

See: KEF Uni-Q technology.
tweeter mounted on the end of the center pole in the middle of the midrange cone for imaging purposes.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 9:12 am

True, there are integrated coaxials, the Morel Integras are an example, SEAS makes one in their basic lineup too.

Dustcap that functions as a tweeter, and one voice coil in the driver (as opposed to "tweeter mounted in place of dustcap" and the drivers using separate motors) just sounds like a whizzer cone to me

haha

zt33l · Post by **zt33l** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:54 am

Thanks for everyone's opinion--it definitely broadened my knowledge on a variety of different brands. I have a lot to think about but I'll post up the progress of my system as I install everything.

zt33l · Post by **zt33l** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 8:20 pm

Well, I finally installed the speakers in my vehicle. Instead of using the McIntosh MC4000M amplifier, I decided to go with the Zapco Reference 650.6 for now since that was all I needed at the moment. It's currently running in three channel mode (150watt x 2 for front stage, 350watt x 1 for a future subwoofer). It's being fed the from a Alpine CDA-9815 through a Zapco Symbilink SLB-U Balanced Signal converter. Installed in the door in factory locations was a set of Focal Utopia 165W (6.5", TN51 tweeter). The tweeter is mounted on the door panel (where the side view mirrors are), slightly angled towards my dash. I can provide pictures if needed--it's nothing fancy. All new speaker wiring was ran and installed. These were all installed in a Mercedes CLK (W208).

What do I think of everything?
The TN51 tweeters are extremely harsh, especially at high volume levels with the crossover set at -4 db. I tried to balance it through equalizations through the HUs built in Parametric EQ but it still is a little bit too harsh for me. I heard that I might have better luck installing the tweeters in the kick panel but I don't know how much that would help.

Does anyone have any recommendations?
If I consider them harsh, should I consider upgrading to the TN52 tweeter or should I try installing the TN51 tweeter at a different location? Should I go with a different brand all together? Should I bring it to a professional shop to see if they can tune it any better then I have? Should I run the speakers using my amplifier's crossover and not use the focal one so I can independently adjust the gains? Should I bi-amp the speakers to do this?

There are so many things that I can do but I don't know exactly where to start. Any feedback, input, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

William from NOLA · Post by **William from NOLA** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 9:43 pm

Are they just harsh or too loud at certain frequencies?

If they are just too loud at some frequencies, I would invest in an EQ. The head unit's EQ never seems to really give you the adjustment you are looking for.

Installing the tweeters off axis some will lighten the load, too if you want to go that route.

JeremyC · Post by **JeremyC** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 12:13 pm

Yeah I have the 52s and they can be a little harsh, but with a little work they aren't to hard to tame.

I would start with your install location. Take some double sisded tape, and just start playing with them. Try firing them at diffrent angles, moving them to diffrent places (keep the EQing to a min) and just see what you figure out.

Once you think you have found the best spot, do a little EQing, and see were your at. If you don't like it, grab the tape and play with the location some more.

Once you get it set to your ears, then permanatly mount the tweets, and tweak the Eq again.

I will be honest I hated the way my tweets sounded the first time I heard them, but I knew they could sound better. So I started playing, and was really happy once I finally got them set.

zt33l · Post by **zt33l** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 12:18 pm

Perhaps I will try repositioning them before buying a different set. It's a good thing I only took a dremel to my factory tweeter panels (which are relatively cheap). I know every car is different, but how did you end up mounting your tweeters Jeremy?

Ryan from Ohio · Post by **Ryan from Ohio** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 2:46 pm

CAL25 tweets

They are the cats ass.

JeremyC · Post by **JeremyC** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 3:59 pm

My first install they were in the kicks (after trying a few other locations), but I am in the process of relocating them to the a pillars.