Sundown : Revisiting Component Sets (Mid-Level)

[kkk4 3]

to increase the prestige, I would do a cover plastic of magnet

[sundownz 197]

I will consider a rubber boot around the magnet but I don't think I will do any plastic.

[kkk4 3]

yes! rubber is better

[emh9009 199]

to increase the prestige, I would do a cover plastic of magnet

IMO it just increases cost. If there is no gain in performance on something that isn't seen daily then it's useless.

[kkk4 3]

to increase the prestige, I would do a cover plastic of magnet

IMO it just increases cost. If there is no gain in performance on something that isn't seen daily then it's useless.

to sell a prestige product, also serves this

[sundownz 197]

I should have the new mids in my hands soon to do testing -- I also got the factory response graphs including off-axis that I will get together and put up soon... then we'll do some RTA in my car; which is a very typical install and nothing fancy.

[sundownz 197]

Response graphs of the mid (with off axis) and the tweeter -- the thick vertical line represents the crossover frequency. As you can see it is very appropriate on this set to get a nice response from both drivers :

We will measure them in my car too once the new mid arrives.

[sundownz 197]

I should have the midrange final prototype in my hands on Monday... assuming it is 100% to my liking I will announce pre-order pricing as we have already started to get materials together for the tweeter, crossover, etc.

[Kanaworm$ 292]

Good to hear! I could use some new components.

[edouble101 314]

Looking good

[sundownz 197]

Here is the tweeter plot with off axis included.

[sundownz 197]

I got the set installed yesterday with the final mids in my VW Golf -- sounds fantastic. Much less fatigue than the prior prototype set -- I had it up to my max listening level all the way back from the shop (15 mins or so) with very minimal listening fatigue. I am very pleased with how the set is working out. Both the mid and tweeter are much smoother than the prior set... the prior set sounded good but I found it fatiguing at high levels over long periods of time.

The prior set being what I was working on April of 2011 (which I don't think I posted pictures of)... that set used a woven fiberglass cone and a bit different tweeter design. I did post a shallow set that was very similar which we put in Nick's CRX; but I had a "standard" depth set in my VW.

Little more on my setup... I run them in stock locations with a handful of Audio Technix dampening material on the door (it's already solid unlike most doors so no holes to seal up). I'll get some photos up when I get back to work too... I have an SAX-200.4 on the comp set and my 3x SA-8 v.2 woofers -- so PLENTY of juice on tap. With a correctly configured HPF I do not see any problems running a nice, powerful amp on them like I am doing -- but our official rating will be much more conservative as it has to be flexible enough for inexperienced users.

As of now I have zero EQ work done and I am very pleased; but I do plan to run an RTA and see how the response looks and maybe apply a bit of EQ if I see any major trouble spots due to the vehicle itself (the set itself is super flat out-of-car).

In summary... I am pretty much 100% happy with the performance at the price these are coming in at. I anticipate the price being right at $199 from a dealer even with the mid upgrades we did (so I hit my under $200 target) -- at this price range I think they will be hard to beat if you are looking for a set with a very smooth response with low fatigue.

[kkk4 3]

I want to try them now!! :D

[sundownz 197]

Here are some photos of putting them in :

* The door is already very solid so that is a plus for sure! Crossover is installed on the door itself as well.

* Added some Audio-Technix dampener on all the large flat spots and also behind the mid. Also installed the wooden adapter ring for the mid to the door.

* Some dampener directly behind the mid.

* Made a raid guard out of a few pieces of dampener and some aluminum tape -- this will keep large amount of direct water off the mid. Ambient moisture is really not a concern for the treated paper cone but we don't want water dumping down on it.

* Mid fully installed.

The tweeter is right in the factory location -- nothing special to show there!

I am super pleased with the performance in this price bracket

[sundownz 197]

I essentially have what 90% of people that buy the set will have -- a basic install, with some minimal dampener, typically in factory spots. As you can see -- no crazy install tricks... but the result is still great sound

When I get a moment we'll also do an in-car RTA of it just like this as well.

[onebadmonte 235]

Looking good. Makes me wanna try some out. Wait, don't tell the wife I said that.

On a side note, I just want to say what you are doing here Jacob, showing and sharing the developement of a product is a great move. This is about the best way of being accessable for a company with such a large following.

[sundownz 197]

I've already started production; I am just making sure all the details of packaging and whatnot are ironed out before taking any orders. Production time start to in the USA is about 90 days so that puts them in September.

I made a tiny motor modification on production as well by extended the pole out further to get a few more tenths of a millimeter of x-max. Other than that and the nicer back plate finish with our logo etched in production will be basically the same thing that I have in my car.

[sundownz 197]

Dropped my crossover to 50 Hz @ 24 dB -- I was stacking ~80 on the amp and ~60 on the HU before... dropped HU crossover completely and dropped amp to 50 Hz. WOW what a difference in mid-bass... love it !

I may drop my tweeter to -3dB after more listening as it's mounted so high in the door -- will try to get RTA first.

[Ohjay 116]

Is there any chance that we may see an 8" component set?

[sundownz 197]

Is there any chance that we may see an 8" component set?

Unlikely any time soon -- that is a specialty item and not early on our list of development.

[stiffler style 9]

very interested in these as a replacement for my door speakers. Any further updates?

[sundownz 197]

very interested in these as a replacement for my door speakers. Any further updates?

ETA is next month as of now; once it's firm I'll open pre-ordering.

[CrazyKenKid 64]

very interested in these as a replacement for my door speakers. Any further updates?

ETA is next month as of now; once it's firm I'll open pre-ordering.

2wks till next month eta

[mccleery3 166]

These sound very interesting I've been waiting since comps were 1st mentioned. Anxious to see what the presale pricing will be.

[stealth 113]

interested in these and the neopro 10s in single 4 ohms. any info on those??