KevMac

OK here's my gear.

Head Unit Kenwood KDC-9090R

Power Amp Kenwood PS301T

Speakers Kenwood KFC-HQ167DB

Well I'm not happy with the speakers. Bass is OK but mid and treble is a bit harsh even after messing about with the settings.

Also the amp starts to clip at about level 23 but the head unit can go to 35.

Anyway any ideas for new speakers around 300 Euros (about 210 Sterling).

I want to get some really good speakers that'll last for years.

Thanks in advance.

Luke

Kev

There is a pair of Bostons for sale here on scoobynet. These are fantastic.

here they are !!

[Edited by Luke - 3/11/2003 10:53:11 AM]

[Edited by Luke - 3/11/2003 10:54:36 AM]

Luke

I know they are not new.....But I wouldnt worry about that to much if they are looked after

KevMac

Thanks Luke,

I'll have a look at them but I want to get a group of recomendations and then research them all.

Any one else got some speaker favourites?

Shifty

Focal & Diamond are always well regarded. I've been quite happy with a set of Focal Polyglass component that cost £150 about five years ago, but have just bought some Diamond M561 components to replace them. Not installed them yet, so can't give a personal opinion on the sound quality !

Steve.

scoobymantyper

A brand i have always been very impressed with is Xtant. Not very easy to get hold of in the uk and very pricey but worth every penny. I have Xtant 6.5" and 4" speakers up front running as a three way and the sound is awesome. The stuff is geared towards sound quality but they go very loud and very clear.

Si.t

yeah, forgot about them, they made some (and still do) really good amps, very unique

KevMac

They all sound (groan) good, folks, but I think I'll have to stick to more mainstream stuff as the ICE range is fairly limited in Ireland.

What about the ICE range that the Clifford alarm people bring into Europe (can't remember the name offhand)?

scoobymantyper

Clifford alarms have been bought out by Directed. They make good gear and goes loud. This stuff has been springing up all over the spl circuit. Their amp 1100d is a cracker.

Si.t

Where are you in Ireland? I'm over in Cork in 2 weeks for 5 days and go over there a couple of times a year. I don't mind bring a box for a fellow car audio enthusiast!!

cheers

rb5 286

iTrader: (2)

ur saying that ur amp is clipping at level 23, i take it u mean the level is ur head units level.

are the gains on ur amp turned right up? might be a reason ur amp is clipping!!!

KevMac

Hmmm, interesting Rb5 286.

Yes, the head unit can go to 35 but it is clipping at 23.

I can't actually get to the gain switch on the amp because of the way it is postioned under the passenger seat at the moment, but when I can, any advice how to set up the gain switch on the power amp?

And on a different note can I safely take out the seat without setting off the side airbags?

steve McCulloch

How odd..

My stereo goes up to 35 but I would'nt put it up over 25/26 as i'd probably crucify the Dynaudio Speakers that are running off my genesis amp (bridged to allow about 170wrms each side )

Yep some good names, I have Alpine 7969R - basic stuff with digi time correction which I dont use...

Can swear by the Dyns.. had a set of Focal Poly whatsit in front and rear and have removed and gone back to the old favourite Dynaudio as they can take a lot more volume than the Focals.. Focals didnt need anywhere near as much Amp power as the Dyns..
One interesting thing is that the crossover on the Dyns is much more of a pain to get fitted under the door than the tiny crossover on the Focals. One thing to also note is that the DYN tweeter sound is less harsh than the Focals.. I've also heard the Diamond and Polk systems. which are also good, but I would'nt swap them for Dyn even if I was paid to have them..

I had clipping at one point on my amp but a 1.5 Farad seems to ahve resolved that issue... the clipping destroyed 3 sets of speakers in all so it nees to be sorted

DubaiNeil

I am running the Focal Polykevlar 165K's in the front of my MY02 Scoob saloon, powered by 2 channels of a Rockford Fosgate Power 500 amp. This provides a very smooth sound, with excellent dynamics. Prior to the RF amp I had Alpine V12 (350 I recall) which killed itself after 4 years and three countries!
The Alpine was 'more' audiophile and in combination with the Focals was a bit harsh for me.
I also have 4" Focal two ways in the rear doors running from a small Aplpine V12 (I don't know why,as I can't hear them!) and 2 x 10" Alpine subs in the boot running from the third bridged channel of the RF amp.
One thing to verify is the mounting depth of the door housing, as I ended up having to cut away the door cards and using spacers to ensure the window cleared the speaker magnet at 'full down'. The OE speakers are the thinnest things I have ever seen!
If the other brands listed are shallower these may be easier to fit in a stealth manner. I ended up making a speaker grill myself to cover the hole in the door card.
Re the clipping of the amp, it is best to amplify a 'low' signal a lot with a proper amp (i.e run higher gain on the amp) than it is to use a lot of volume on the head unit (IMHO:. If you look at the technology (and price!) of the amp, compared to the head-unit which has to do everything else as well, which would you think has more signal integrity?

goonasuk

Focal are good, but "best" is a highly subjective thing

well best in my opinion



[Edited by chiark - 3/21/2003 10:26:16 AM]

[Edited by goonasuk - 3/21/2003 6:05:53 PM]

Si.t

the secondhand bostons are the entry level, but are very good - i fitted these in my brothers' golf a while back. It really depends how you like your music, being very general, thebostons are more laid back compared to the focals, which can be a bit hard, but absolutely sing when pushed and vocals sound superb through them. What i would do is stick to the speaker manufacturers like these; focal, dynaudio, boston, polk momo, and, if u can afford it, the new genesis three way component system at about £2400

The best system I have heard was genesis amps, alpine hu and dynaudio fronts and jl sub; read into that what you will, but you'll notice each name (except alpine) is pretty much focused on a particular area rather than making a full range of system components.

Just do basic checks like looking at the speaker build, I've seen JL fronts that were priced near 300 that had very little depth compared to the focal polyglass at almost half the price.

The other thing is to run good speakers off a amp that'll do them justice, I don't know what the signal to noise ratio is on your amp, but some sound smoother than others, with nuch greater headroom, so you may get these sounding better by loking at the amp as well. When i bought my separates system for my home stereo a few years back, the amp i bought originally went back because the B&Ws were too toppy, and after an upgrade to better amp there was a noticeable difference with better bass and all round sound.

cheers

[Edited by Si.t - 3/12/2003 12:46:41 AM]