looking for new 6.5" comps

exalted512 · July 2004

aight guys...since i only have half of my original mm6 speakers...and only 3 speaker are currently working...im in the market for some 6.5" comps
looking for all suggestions
i will not be buying from crutchfield...probably not sounddomain either
right now im looking at acaraudio.com
my only thing is i will be buying from some sort of reputable company, even if not authorized
my budget is $200
MIGHT go up...not more than 230 though...and i really dont think thats very likely...unless its a big powerhandling jump
heres a link to what im looking at:
http://www.acaraudio.com/default.php?cPath=23_43
im not looking that in depth tonite b/c i probably should be asleep by now for work tomorrow...
but the ones that stick out are:
Diamond Audio M361
Focal 165A
JL Audio VR650-Csi (aint a bad deal when theyre on a website like this)
MB Quart RCE 216

this is not in depth...just stuff that sticks out...ill be looking at more online places later
diamond--great speakers...diamond is an awesome brand...more pwr handling than the focals...its 1st
focal--easily the best sounding speaker...but only 60 watts rms...i dunno if my amp can even put out 60 watts rms with the gain all the way down...
mb quart--best of the power handling--vince said he hated the ones he put in the caddy...this is a big if...it looks appealing because of the pwr handling
jl-nice pwr handling, not a JL fan...i really doubt ill be getting these...just another option
also...looking at onlinecarstereo as well...just looked and already noticed the focals are $10 cheaper than acaraudio
id really like to get the focals...but im worried about blowing them and/or not being able to keep up with 1kw of bass which will be much louder when i get the brahmas
actually, i dunno if the diamonds are 75 or 150 rms...if theyre 150 im getting them more than likely...theyre 160 at onlinecarstero
or maybe even the diamond m661
it says rms power:200-170 rms
thats exactly how it is on onlinecarstereo...why it goes from big to small...i dunno....but theyre 230...
heres another link
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/CompareItems.aspx?CompareItems=12637,13263,11704,12638,11041,11905,12177,12428,12431,13552,13368,12999,
comparing a bunch
well...im going to bed...ill think about this more and shop around more tomorrow
-Cody

exalted512 · July 2004

ive added more...
http://www.cdtaudio.com/hd42_cdt4.htm
the hd-62
now im leaning towards it...
i can get them from mainstreetaudio for $215
ive also upped the focals to the 165 v2 since i found them for 230
http://www.cbrstereo.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=164
still...only 75 watts powerhandling
its not going to do me any good to have great sounding speakers when i cant hear them...
couple places where im looking:
http://www.infinitecaraudio.com/cgi-bin/icastore.cgi?user_action=list&category=Components%3B6%201%2F2%20Inch%20Component%20Sets&start=50
http://www.cbrstereo.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=196&Page=4
http://www.mainstreet-audio.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=1&Category_Code=comp6

off to work...im going to have this on my mind all day now...lol
-Cody

AustinKP · July 2004

Might want to check out the JL XR's. Over at CAF, they are very highly recommended, take a lot of power, and sound very nice. Also, don't forget to check out Adire's Koda comps. If you already have tweeters you like, you could just get the midbasses for pretty cheap. It'd be cool to have all Adire speakers in your car.

MacLeod · July 2004

Ive listened to all those speakers and Ill tell ya what I think.

The Focals are the best sounding overall. They are super smooth and almost golden sounding. Ride cymbals sound almost good enough to eat. And these will easily handle 100 rms.

The MB Quart Reference is a little brighter than the Focals but not to the point of irritating. They are excelptionally detailed and overall sound great. They will easily handle 125+ rms.

The Diamond Audio is about as bright as the MB and just a smidge less detailed. The thing I didnt like that much about the Diamonds is they are a little glassy at times. Nothing major, in fact they still sound better than the MM6 (the M661s) and can handle around 100 rms.

The JL Audio TR and VR is no better than Polk gear. If youre going to go with JL, go with the XR or else youll be taking a step down in my opinion. The XR however are great. They arent as smooth as the other ones but not nearly as bright. They have plenty of detail but their selling point is they have a lot of midbass. After all they are made by the subwoofer masters and so you can expect a lot of excursion out of em. They are very good speakers. As far as power handling, they say 75 rms but they are made to go with the 300/2 amp which is 150x2 and there are a lot of competitors that use XRs and 300/2 so you should be ok.

Bottom line is that all high end speakers are going to be able to handle a lot of power. It all depends on how you listen. I mean you dont get in your car and start it up at 150 mph do ya? Same with speakers. Just take care with the gains and youll be fine with any of these.

exalted512 · July 2004

i cant get the kodas for cheap
the XRs are over my budget @ $265...cant find them anywhere for less than 230...i really didnt want to go over $200
i looked again and its not the hd62 cdt's...its another type that i cant find on the cdt website...it has no specs or even a picture of them on mainstreetaudio...
also, i have 2 difft. tweeters...1 DX series and 1 MOMO series...so i cant just buy mid basses
and if i did have 2 matching...the 1 momo tweeter in the truck is slowly dying
100 watts isnt enough...it really isnt
my momos are getting ~220 watts and seem to blend quite well with my subs...but the brahmas are going to get much louder than the momos are...
the diamond audio m661 @ $212 are number one on my list...i havent done much research yet...so pretty much anything goes at this point
truthfully...i dont care if theyre better than the momos...just 'as good' is great...these new speakers are just 'filling in' until i get a set of dls iridium or dynaudio 3-ways sometime next year...or the year after
but having 2 difft. tweeters and only 1 mid bass currently working is awful...lol
-Cody

MacLeod · July 2004

I havent heard DLS yet but I have heard a ton of rave reviews on em. It appears they are the new up and comers in the CA world.

The Diamonds will be a great choice. They can handle a lot of power and do sound really good. However, dont sell the MB Quarts short. I know some people on here poo-poo them all the time but they are awesome speakers and have more SQ wins than you can say grace over. Also, they can handle as much power as the Diamonds. On the MB Quart Forum, the resident guru there is a multi champ SQ comp winner and runs Quarts and claims the Reference will handle 150 all day long.

exalted512 · July 2004

well...i think ive decided on the diamonds
http://www.cbrstereo.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=891
at $227 and 170 watts RMS power handling
20 watt more power handling than the momos
goes 4Hz lower at 4Khz higher and has a sensitivity of 91 compared to the momo's 87
i think i made the right decision--they seem to meet my needs better than the others
ill probably order after the first...but i dunno
i might order from onlinecarstereo intead...its 229 there and ive shopped with them before
thanks for your help
-Cody

gatemplin · July 2004

They are a little over your budget, and maybe too late, but have you considered the upcoming Extremis woofer from Adire with XBL^2 or the new sets from resonant engineering? Just throwing out other options.

exalted512 · July 2004

its almost impossible to get adire or resonant engineering for cheap off of websites...$230 is the absolute limit...not willing to spend more than that because i will be getting new speakers in a year or so...they will be 3-ways and i dont want to do any modifications to my current truck...so im just going to get a simple 2-way comp. set to replace the battle-ridden momo's
thanks though
-Cody

AustinKP · July 2004

Wow, those diamonds are pretty. I'm sure you'll be happy with them Cody.

LittleCar_w/12s · July 2004

Wow, those look really good, not too much pizzaz, and more output. Sounds like a good choice, I am not familiar with their durability or history, but I'm sure it won't be a loss.
-Jerry

MacLeod · July 2004

Diamond Audio are excellent speakers. They are only 6" mids as opposed to the standard 6.5" so they arent the midbass kings but as far as good, clean, detailed sound they are awesome.

They are in my top 5 of favorite speakers and about every third day I am convinced they will be the ones I buy!

neomagus00 · July 2004

i like the higher powerhandling combined with higher sensitivity...

exalted512 · July 2004

Originally posted by MacLeod
Diamond Audio are excellent speakers. They are only 6" mids as opposed to the standard 6.5"

they are 6.5s...
and neo,
sensitivity can be quite misleading...since difft. companies measure it differently
that, plus it doesnt really mean it will be louder, theres a lot of other factors that contribute as well; motor, spider, materials, etc
-Cody

MacLeod · July 2004

Im 99% sure they are 6 inchers. Ive been down to my local Diamond Audio dealer a million times drooling over these things. I wouldnt lie to ya bro.

exalted512 · July 2004

says 6.5" diameter on the diamond website
but i might not be going with them afterall...i might be able to get some DLS 6.5 comps for pretty cheap...so ill have to see how that pans out
-Cody

Systems · July 2004

if you looking for something to just kinda hold you over till you get your new ones, i have a dx component set that ive only used for like 3 months or so...

exalted512 · July 2004

thanks, but the whole idea of new speakers gives me this tingly feeling inside...and i already have a DX tweeter...lol
im going to bed...i didnt get in from work til 10:30 tonite...14 hour day...joy
-Cody

Systems · July 2004

well they could match...lol

MacLeod · July 2004

THEYRE 6 INCH SPEAKERS DAMN IT!

j/k

I vote you should definitely go with the DLS! I really want to know how they sound. Ive been hearing a lot of great things about them but have never seen an actual review or know anybody that has them.

And I know exactly what you mean by a tingly feeling. Right now you wouldnt buy a set of DB or MM speakers if you could get them for $25! Youve got a taste of having high end speakers and you wont take any less!

bknauss · July 2004

Originally posted by MacLeod
THEYRE 6 INCH SPEAKERS DAMN IT! j/k

I vote you should definitely go with the DLS! I really want to know how they sound. Ive been hearing a lot of great things about them but have never seen an actual review or know anybody that has them.

And I know exactly what you mean by a tingly feeling. Right now you wouldnt buy a set of DB or MM speakers if you could get them for $25! Youve got a taste of having high end speakers and you wont take any less!

DLS definitely makes some good stuff (at least speaker-wise). I had a 3-way comp set in my car and stock locations and it sounded pretty damn good.

exalted512 · July 2004

macleod,
http://www.diamondaudio.com/MobileAudio/products/dsp_popupProductInfo.cfm?id=56
look under dimensions in the last column
Dimensions
Mount Depth: 2-1/8"
Diameter: 6-1/2"
Tweeter Dia: 1"
ill accept your apology along with a 'JL sucks' at any time:D
i was already decided on the m661s but you guys got me started up again...lol

heres links to the speakers im still considering
$215...Diamond M661
http://www.diamondaudio.com/MobileAudio/products/dsp_popupProductInfo.cfm?id=56

$250...DLS MS6
http://www.dls.se/english/speakers/ms6.htm

$235...DLS R6A
http://www.dls.se/english/speakers/r6.htm

on either of the DLS models...i will have to turn the gain down pretty far
if the MS6 was around $220 id probably grab them...
i have no idea what the retail on the DLS series is...
but the guy im getting it from quoted me $750 for the iridium 8.3 series...which i will be getting later on...point being, they retail ~$1400
http://www.dls-america.com/ultimate1.htm
and if i go with this guy i get a warranty from DLS...
id venture to say its b/t the ms6 and the m661
the dls will sound better...right now thats pretty much the only advantage...that and theyre 1db up on the sensitivity to the m661
the diamonds are better than the momos...so either way im getting better speakers...but they have a much higher power handling which in turn means theyll blend in better with the subs
not to mention theyre $40 cheaper and that the DLS is over my budget...
also...i will be getting the 8.3s in a year & a 1/2...so im not really looking for spectacular since either way, theyll be getting replaced sooner or later
also, if i went with the diamonds id have a little more experience with more companies than if i were 2 get the DLS now...and again later
im going to email the guy i would get the dls speakers from and ask him how long they warrant their speakers for
decisions decisions...

macleod, i know you like to keep up with the SQ comps and such
heres a link for DLS, on their first page it tells you some about their winnings
http://www.dls-america.com/
-Cody

exalted512 · July 2004

going a vacation til next thursday...ill have a lot of time to think about this...dont miss me too much guys
-Cody

MacLeod · July 2004

Its not going to be the same around here without ya bro. Maybe I can fill your shoes.

Let me try:

{ahem}......JL sucks!....I dont care what the magazines say, theyre all in on it!.....You need 25,000 watts to each sub or you aint ****!.....JL sucks......more power!!!

Howd I do?

And on those Diamonds? Go to the link you gave me and look at the bottom under "description". It says SIX (6) inch component speaker! Neener neener neener!

Yeah, I put a lot of stock in competition results. To me, if a product is able in competition then it must be the goods. Those are way impressive stats for DLS SQ competitors. It seems as though DLS is coming up really quick. Scott Buwalda is a multi-champion-grand-poo-bah-guru SQ winner and has a bad **** Altima setup and he runs all DLS.

I think there is a dealer nearby me. I may have to take a field trip with my trusty Dream Theater CD and give em a listen.

exalted512 · July 2004

throw in a set of adire kodas in the mix
http://www.sound-foundations.us//catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1
http://adireaudio.com/Files/cut%20sheets/Koda%20Component%20Set%20Sales%20Brochure.pdf
i trained you well young grasshoppermacleod
soon you will be on your way to bashing JL every chance you get and getting 2 1600 watt subs and a 3000 watt amp to power them
then, and only then, will you graduate from grasshopper to praying mantis
*bow*
and btw...it doesnt matter what the bottom of the page says...look at the diameter
polk says the mm6 is a 6.75" driver and its not...
well...ill talk to you guys later...i have to get up in 3 hours to catch a flight in san antonio at 5 am
-Cody

tgaddis · August 2004

You should check out the CL-61's. Ive heard only great things from them and just bought myself a set. Their RMS rating is 90 watts but i know people running 150 on them with no problem. You can get them for $150 shipped w/ 3 year warranty from CDT

bknauss · August 2004

Cody, out of curiousity, who did you get the quote from on the DLS stuff? Was it someone local or someone that lives in the Atlanta area with an email that starts 'expert240sx'?

exalted512 · August 2004

someone i know on another forum, his name is Dave
im still really stuck on this one...
im thinking the Diamonds right now...I'll decide by tomorrow
-Cody

MacLeod · August 2004

Since youre in the $250 neighborhood anyway, why not try the new Polk components. Ive heard them and love em. That way you could still post on here with a clear conscience!

exalted512 · August 2004

wanted to try something new...
im going with the m661s
-Cody

MacLeod · August 2004

Good call. Ive heard them several times and in actual cars and they are damn fine 6 inch (:p ) speakers. Its one of the speakers I keep going back and forth to. My pick changes daily. From the Polk for the vaule and detail, to the Diamond for the smoothness, to the MB Quart for overall balance and the JL XR for the midbass.

I guess itll depend on which one is my favorite on the day I come up with the cash!

Itll probably be the Polks, cause theyre going for $255 on SoundDomain right now and as soon as I have $255 I doubt Ill be able to wait to save up the $75 more for the Quarts needless to say the $100 for the Diamonds or $130 for the JL's.

looking for new 6.5" comps

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