Jump to content
tcnotch

4-18'S 20K Watts Need suggestions on the mids and highs

Recommended Posts

I'm building a 99 2dr Tahoe with 4 DC level 6 18's with 20k watts going to them, and I need some suggestions on the mids and highs. I have an Eclipse 7200 mkII head unit and an Audision bit one laying around that I will be using. I lalso have a DD C2 and an Alpine pdx 150.4 that are not being used that i can use or I might just buy new amps.

I need a front stage that will keep up with the bass and not sound horrible. Thanks

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

pyle pro wave super tweets

just get some PA mids and call it a day.

That should match the ess que from your substage

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Addictive Audio "Krome" PA speakers, and Selenium ST200 supertweeters.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

pyle pro wave super tweets

just get some PA mids and call it a day.

That should match the ess que from your substage

:lol:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

"Supertweeters" are a terrible idea in any situation.

HLCD (actual car audio designed horns, none of the cheap pro audio crap) and 8"-10" pro audio mids is about the only real viable option.

Indeed. Finding the space to do a ported enclosure for those mids would be hugely helpful as well.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm surprised to see people recommanding Pyle, Audiopipe, Eminence,etc... to anyone looking for loud speakers. The choice is so limited ?

Personnally, I hate how those sound, but I've never heared any "pro audio" speakers sounding good in a car.

A friend of mine received some 8 or 10" Sundown neopro, and he seems to like them a lot, but I did not listen to them yet.

What are the good options in the market actually ? I'm not looking for cheap, but for good & loud sound.

Any good JBL mids these days ?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have been wanting to play with these since they came out:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=294-828

A set active with a few hundred watts and an efficent set of tweeters would be alright, might not sound horrible if executed right... I am not a fan of the horns though, I know alot of people like them, but I would still go for a higher efficiency, liquid cooled conventional driver, or something semi-horn like these:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=277-084

I used the MD-37's before, they were similar but with ferrofluid (iirc). They were bulletproof and very loud...

Bottom line, nothing is going to keep up with 4 18s and 20K at fulltilt, except for those retarded South American walls of sound for Carnival... You also have to realize you are looking at at least $1K for the front stage if you want to do anything decent, and this assumes mediocre amplifers/processing...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Personnally, I hate how those sound, but I've never heared any "pro audio" speakers sounding good in a car.

It is in the execution and driver quality. Anything Pyle, and anything with a "supertweeter" is going to sound like ass. Some of the more reputable manufacturers (Eminence higher end stuff, RCF, B&C) make drivers that sound and measure better than "car audio" offerings. They are usually more efficient. THis sometimes comes at the expense of low end extension.

Again, most people throw this crap together to be loud, not sound good. It is like going to Walmart and expecting the 25yr old meth addict that works in the Audio/Video section to help you pick the accesories for your H/T install and then wondering why nothing works...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The only super tweeter that I'veheard and actually liked were from Rockford. They sound good for what they are.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

u can make pro audio speakers sound good in a car , enclosure type , bandpassingprocessing & plenty of clean undistorted power is the key here

personally i like when its done in a 3 way configuration : highs , upper midrange , lower midrangemidbass

like already said above the goal of doing this is really to keep up with a 150+db bassline & not really for precision sq

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm surprised to see people recommanding Pyle, Audiopipe, Eminence,etc... to anyone looking for loud speakers. The choice is so limited ?

Personnally, I hate how those sound, but I've never heared any "pro audio" speakers sounding good in a car.

A friend of mine received some 8 or 10" Sundown neopro, and he seems to like them a lot, but I did not listen to them yet.

What are the good options in the market actually ? I'm not looking for cheap, but for good & loud sound.

Any good JBL mids these days ?

As 95Honda said quality "pro audio" drivers are every bit as good as any other driver on the market and significantly better than most any car audio marketed driver. They give up low frequency extension in exchange for efficiency, but in terms of distortion and other factors there are very good quality driver to select from.

Eminence is a good value, 18sound, Faital, B&C, Ciare, BMS, etc all make quality loudspeakers. JBL's pro audio line are always top quality in performance and design. The JBL 2118H (8") and 2123H (10") are great drivers with a long history of being used in vehicles especially by the Team JBL guys.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

like already said above the goal of doing this is really to keep up with a 150+db bassline & not really for precision sq

Just to clarify; it is entirely possible to design a "precision SQ" car audio system out of pro audio drivers. It has been done dozens of times. More times than not their performance is superior is almost every regard to the speakers generally used in this hobby.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm surprised to see people recommanding Pyle, Audiopipe, Eminence,etc... to anyone looking for loud speakers. The choice is so limited ?

Personnally, I hate how those sound, but I've never heared any "pro audio" speakers sounding good in a car.

A friend of mine received some 8 or 10" Sundown neopro, and he seems to like them a lot, but I did not listen to them yet.

As stated above that was an installation/integration problem not a reality of the drivers.

More times than not their performance is superior is almost every regard to the speakers generally used in this hobby.

Definitely the case. There are a TON of great pro audio options. However in order to be "loud" they give up bandwidth and then confuse the people that seem to use them. The real problem is the mentality of those that buy them, not the drivers themselves.

The only super tweeter that I'veheard and actually liked were from Rockford. They sound good for what they are.

And what they are is crap. Just goes to show a good installation can even polish a turd.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

"Supertweeters" are a terrible idea in any situation.

HLCD (actual car audio designed horns, none of the cheap pro audio crap) and 8"-10" pro audio mids is about the only real viable option.

Indeed. Finding the space to do a ported enclosure for those mids would be hugely helpful as well.

Thanks for all the replies

Besides the Image Dynamic's horns, which i can't seem to find anymore what other HLCD are there? I have never used horns before and im not sure i can even fit them under the dash on the pass. side because of the a/c components. Is there anywhere else they can be mounted if i can't fit them under the dash because it seems that super tweeters aren't they way to go.

For midbass I was looking at using 4 Digital Designs VO-M8's or the Selenium 8W4P's unless anyone has some better options. As far as a ported enclosure for them not sure i can do that as they will be in the doors. I also have to build a center console to replace the small cheap factory one but i dont think putting speakers in it whould be a good idea sound wise.

Edited by tcnotch

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Find them used. ID has minihorns which have less depth. USD makes horns but they are spending. This guy has some old Illusion Audio horns which are good but metal bodies so they are heavy, price is a little high but a good option for horns: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/car-audio-classifieds/134026-fs-full-body-illusion-audio-horns-w-de500-motors.html

Personally I wouldn't trust either of those mids you have listed. IMO much better options out there from brands previously mentioned in this thread.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For midbass I was looking at using 4 Digital Designs VO-M8's or the Selenium 8W4P's unless anyone has some better options. As far as a ported enclosure for them not sure i can do that as they will be in the doors. I also have to build a center console to replace the small cheap factory one but i dont think putting speakers in it whould be a good idea sound wise.

I would NEVER buy a mid that doesn't publish it's T/S parameters. It's super cheap to measure them and when they don't post it's because they are hiding something. Perhaps they are somewhere, but I've never seen them for the DD. As for the Selenium, they are terrible at being a midbass. If you needed a midrange then fine, but for midbass use I'd look for something that has a complete different range.

As for what, naming brands would be useless as the size and who makes what model will depend completely on the space available and what you are mating them with. Step one is to figure out if you can fit the HLCD's, until that is done it is pointless to even think about mids IMO.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for all that info, guys !

That's exactly what I was looking for !

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You don't need midbass assuming you'll primarily be playing rap stuff when you demo. Midrange PA speakers will be fine. I run Selenium mids and Crescendo XST supertweeters, also have some Pyle bullets that others have hated on and more then likely have never heard. My front stage keeps up with 160dB's of bass and sounds pretty good when playing real music. That's about all you can ask for when doing a build like that.

Setting up xover points/slopes and some EQ work help a lot, as does NOT overpowering the crap out of the speakers. I prefer to run more speakers then necessary with modest power levels.

Everyone can throw out their opinions on what will/won't work but I've done a LOT of these set ups and speak from experience....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Everyone can throw out their opinions on what will/won't work but I've done a LOT of these set ups and speak from experience....

Just because you've done something before doesn't mean you've done it right.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Pyle bullets that others have hated on and more then likely have never heard.

Funny thing is you are comparing your FTW sound with a sampling size of one or only exposure to things not done well. That or you have no ear.

And making it funnier everyone you are trying to refer to either is running pro audio gear or has run plenty in the past. Strategy and implementation should follow needs and compromises be chosen instead of being a bad side effect of not knowing.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hell of a quote at the end there m5.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hell of a quote at the end there m5.

There are a ton of compromises in car audio, welcome to one of the worst acoustical spaces possible. Really sad when that isn't realized and decisions are made based on misinformation and lack of knowledge.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×