An always popular question around here is what type of splits fit in a Magna/Rada/380.

As always we want the best value for money. And a great fit. Good dash mounts play a second place to fitting in a sail pod IMO..

I'm after another set of splits for the 380, but theres no harm in turning this into general component speaker discussion.

Depth, ability to run off a head deck, and fitting kits. As well the features of a crossover, like Tweeter DB adjustments for the models with the 6.5 low in the door should also be taken into account..

I'm currently looking into a Morel set, seem like awesome value for money, good for a 380, not sure on the Mounting position for a Magna though.

http://www.mobileelectronics.com.au/products/reviews/affordable_65_two_way_components_review/

Pics of Tweeter mounts other than standard are most welcome....

AMC member Dreamflyer recently made a very good comment that went somethng along the lines of "if you just want noise, anything under $300 should do the trick" refering to front splits for cars (assuming RRP).

Morel have a very good reputation in the home/audiophile market & no doubt, in automotive also.

However I have never been a great fan of polyprop/poly cones in general, yes they do provide good damping & low colouration compared to say cheap paper cones, but I have always found them lifeless & dull tonally. They generally exhibit poor stiffness in the outer edge of the cone making them prone to distortion. Obviously the higher spec'd poly/composite types are better in this regard.

Good paper composite cones or even woven fibre cones are far better in general for efficiency, low colouration/distortion & better tonality.
In the tweeter department, I generally prefer quality textlie domes over metal dome tweeter types as they tend be softer & not as clinical and cold in their tonalilty, although there are some pretty awesome sounding metal composite domes these days.

Auditioning speakers is one of the most important things to do IMO.
As with anything, buying sound unheard is always a big risk. I remember being really impressed with the look & apperance of quality with one of Pioneer's higher end split systems which I considered buying back in the day, that is until I actually auditioned them and was let down by their thin sound. Actually, I couldn't believe how ordinary they sounded, and that was despite the fact that they were hooked up to a pioneer head unit & seperate pioneer power amp.

Personally, I'm running the earlier series infinity Kappas front & rear from a couple of years ago which are very impressively spec'd & bought them new for a fraction of their retail value. Coupled with a JL audio 12" sub/cab & seperate amp powering the whole she bang, sounds pretty epic.
Front tweeters are mounted in a compact pod & fit snug behing stock Verada tweeter housings.
From what I've read, the newer & current Kappas aren't a patch on the older series.

One of our fellow MEASA members was running Morel Maximo's and boy do the sound great nice, my vote personally would be for the Crescendo Opus 1's or or bump the price bracket up to $400, and then you have the opportunity to purchase a set of Crescendo Opus 3's which would have to be one of the best sounding set in its price bracket easily. The downside of the Morel's and the Crescendo is the tweeter mounting, each would require some sort of custom fabrication.

Focal have released their new range in the "IS" name, they have some IS 165 Splits coming in about $299, these might be some nice ones for anyone to audition, with a phase plug the distortion figures might be lower than previous models, with quite the high sensitivity over 92db these would be ideal to run of a factory headunit, the tweeters if they are the same size as their old ones (an email to tech support would fix this) then they would fit straight into the sail pods. I notice they brand the old tweeters as just basic "metal" dome tweeters but this time around they look to be marketing as "aluminum" so im not sure if they will be as harsh as their old tweeters were but they give you plenty of attenuation to knock them down so that's great.

This is how subjective music quality is, ADM above was not a fan of the Poly cones, I have the Focal 165V2 which has the Polyglass cone and I loved them, the Polyglass cone series were known to have great bang for buck but unfortunately for me putting them in a 3rd gen lost that midbass, transfer them into a VY Commodore with even less door prep and they hit quite hard especially just running them off the headunit.

What a lot of people need to keep in mind is if they are running a factory headunit of even a cheap $99 the quality starts at the source, its amazing what a quality headunit can bring to the party, hell putting an Alpine 9887 in my girlfriends VY really brought the $130 set of Sony Splits to life.

You raise a good point there peaandham. Sound is very subjective.
ADM this thread is about value. No one will find perfection in 500, 1000, $5k worry of 2 ways or 3ways.

The point is trying meet a budget and getting the best sound you can for as little dough as possible.
I agree the cheap metal tweeters are way too bright. One of best ways to get better sound in a car comes for free. Ditch the mp3's in favor of wave (or lossless)if your head unit supports it
I'd always recommend soft domes/silk tweeters in a value range. Of course they get better as the dollars increase.

So I was able to score the Morel tempo 6 splits for under 300 for the 380, coupled with a pdxf6, and 8450 from pioneer. I can't wait install them this weekend. I check later to see if they do in the verada sail pod.

Yes it's a big amp, but Alpine had a sale.
Still one of the best amps for value, IMO, remains the Jay car 4 x 100 watt class AB amp.
Bridging the rear channels netts you about 400 watts @ 4 ohms to run a sub.

At least we aren't bragging about our rear speakers ;).

This is how subjective music quality is, ADM above was not a fan of the Poly cones, I have the Focal 165V2 which has the Polyglass cone and I loved them, the Polyglass cone series were known to have great bang for buck but unfortunately for me putting them in a 3rd gen lost that midbass, transfer them into a VY Commodore with even less door prep and they hit quite hard especially just running them off the headunit.

There's cheap poly cones and then there's Focal!! The poly cones I'm refering to are the softer polypropelene types you generally find in the budget end of the car audio drivers, which are somewhat different to Focal's poly glass composition anyway.
Having said that, I'm suprised how often they used in mid end car audio systems. Sheesh!!! :-S



What a lot of people need to keep in mind is if they are running a factory headunit of even a cheap $99 the quality starts at the source, its amazing what a quality headunit can bring to the party, hell putting an Alpine 9887 in my girlfriends VY really brought the $130 set of Sony Splits to life.

Agreed, which is why if one can afford it, to install the best possible amplifier & wiring for their budget. IMO you can never have a front end (HU) or Amplifier that's too good.

As it stands, I'm not totally satisfied with the sonics of my 5 channel Eclipse amp & I'm looking to switching to a better quality amplifier set up. Probably go to a class AB amp for splits/rears & mono block class D for sub. (My Eclipse amp is class D which is fine for subs but not the best sonics for front splits IMO)

Still one of the best amps for value, IMO, remains the Jay car 4 x 100 watt class AB amp.

At least we aren't bragging about our rear speakers ;).

I dont have any rear speakers so I can I brag about my holes?

The Jaycar amps, Ive heard, only heard that the quality of them are slipping abit? I still think it remains good value, however I purchase most of my stuff 2nd hand, picked up a Rockford 300x and 700x which I have in my car now for $300 including postage, now these were old school Rockford Amps, so I bought them on the basis that being hand built in the USA means for a real small price I can pick up something that does the job quite well, and they do.

I know the Jaycar Splits have dropped in quality over the past couple of years, for $130 you used to be able to get a real real good set of splits with $50 worth of sound deadening in both doors and they sounded great, shame the ones today are made to the same standard, but hell they still might sound good for the price.

One thing I do look at when looking at quality is finding something with a Silk/Soft dome tweeters, since our ears theoretically are more sensitive to the frequencies that are handled by the tweeters I would prefer something soft, these may not be as detailed as their metal counter parts but something too bright just makes it too unpleasant to the point where you have to reduce level of the tweeter so your detail is compromised anyway. Not that you will get them in many car audio drivers (HAT im sure are the only ones that use them atm) are ring radiator tweeters, alot of people dislike them, I love them, the Vifa XT25's if your doing a DIY setup under $50 a pair and are up there with Scanspeak Illuminators/Rev's depending on what you have them playing of course.

You raise a good point there peaandham. Sound is very subjective.
ADM this thread is about value. No one will find perfection in 500, 1000, $5k worry of 2 ways or 3ways.
The point is trying meet a budget and getting the best sound you can for as little dough as possible.

Yes, I agree with you & peaandham that sound is very subjective as we all don't process sound the same so what sounds great to my ears may sound crap to someone else, irrespective of how how technically correct the specs & measurements seem. I've had many a polycone drivers in car installs before (including some home made home hi-fi loud speakers) and have never really been totally happy with their sound. But hey, that's just me.
Did you audition the Morels or are you buying them sight unseen? Just curious.

As for the second part,who mentioned anything about perfection?? That didn't come from me.
My point about value was in auditioning speaker systems & then finding a great deal on those speakers.
In other words, if my budget is $300, why just look at units in the $300 RRP category when I could could find something better that's usually more than $300 RRP but get a good deal ? (online, clearance sale, closing down sale, new old stock, second hand etc...)
That's exactly what I did with my speakers:
Quote by ADM: "bought them new for a fraction of their retail value" That (value) WAS my point!

The morels were 380, I got the for 280.00 which was good deal * Price comparo (http://www.amazon.com/Tempo-Morel-6-5-Component-System/dp/B003F2U79O)

I've been looking for about 4-6 weeks, and tried out probably 10 or so sets.. Alpine Focal Pioneer Fusion:eek2: JVC Audison Response JL OA. I wanted to try out Dyn and Hat but couldn't find them, and they ( probably, I assuming ) out of the budget...

Bought my own CD along just to make sure I got the content I like right..

I had a good look at the fitting kit, and its quite comprehensive, There are plenty of mounting options in the 380, the A pillars are so thick, without getting out some putty or FG.. I think its quite a nice car to attempt an SQ sedan in.
As per usual I'll using Monster speaker cabling.. I definitely think that's the reason my tweeters in the magna are so highly regarded.

Hopefully I'll catch up with DeviousVRX and try the tweeter in his Pod, Mine are glued in.. It will be awesome to try and get a great value split that ticks all the boxes, to recommend to other AMC'ers to audition. Who knows, I might even drop it an SQ event for S&G's.

Shoot have you tried running active using DIY/Home Audio drivers? Im over the moon with how me $90 a pair midranges sound, my $50 a pair tweeters a phenomenal, and my midbass' at $260 are ones with the absolute lowest distortion figures in their range and sound excellent.

It would require some custom fabrication but I think some SB Acoustics SB17 Mids and SB29 Tweeters would make you happy.

No, I'm all good, the speakers I have I'm very happy with, I have no problems with midbass, no doubt you'll have more :) And I'm really happy with the way it looks and performs. And I have no problem with the volume I can reach.
But its nice to know that I'm not crossover dependant anymore...
You have the 99 PRS ($ 1699.oo Retail now) which IIRC you acquired preloved....

That's the whole thing about Audio, and possibly refering to dream flyers comments, spending at least 700 deck to get a decent sound is way over the top, I spent 400 in mine (magna), and now I can spend $200.00 on speakers and compete with 700-1500 speaker sets, Advanced class see it all the time. I saw some compete and win advanced with 200.00 dollar bookshelves pulled apart and install in door..

I was recommended to compete when I had a $300.00 dollar deck ( that had TA and Burrbrown Dacs) Sub CS2338 splits from response Xdemo ($50.00 bucks) and a $50.00 sealed Pioneer 12" sub, all running off the Response amp.... That sounded wicked.
So to say that need to spend that amount to get great sound is nieve to say the least, I sold audio at Harveys, I know what sounds nice, but more importantly, matching gear to peoples requirements, is the trick, and of course, the all important installation..

What is the point? Seriously... If your going the distance for splits, why cheap?
. You could just put "better" quality 6.5s in for half the price difference of your "cheap" or "bargain" components...
If your spending 300 on 6s, and 300 on components, why not spend 450 on 6s and ditch the components for the same quality??

I'm not sure, maybe I'm missing something, but "cheap" and/or "value" in sound, simply does not work. Period. I'm happy to be ripped apart for this viewpoint, but that's my 2c...

..
You have the 99 PRS ($ 1699.oo Retail now) which IIRC you acquired preloved....

Nope brand new, Street Sound And Vision in Keilor did me a deal I could not refuse. I understand why alot of people use Car Audio drivers and thats fine, I mean a reason why alot of my suggestions will be coming back to Crescendo Components is because the Expert Class in MEASQ Vic was dominated by the 3 Way Crescendo front stage, the reason I use DIY drivers and run active is because I am chopping and changing so often, DIY drivers are cheaper and in my opinion you can spend a lot less to get a lot more out of them, but they do also come with their draw backs.

If you do the research there will be components sets that will butcher other twice their price on the market, and thankfully one of those sets are the Maximo 6, but alot of it will be designed around looks to attract alot of mainstream buyers in and hell its a proven method so why not? I always did like the Hertz ESK165 and to this day even after their re model they still seem to be doing quite well, even the Ebay rip offs dont sound too bad.

What is the point? Seriously... If your going the distance for splits, why cheap?
. You could just put "better" quality 6.5s in for half the price difference of your "cheap" or "bargain" components...
If your spending 300 on 6s, and 300 on components, why not spend 450 on 6s and ditch the components for the same quality??

I'm not sure, maybe I'm missing something, but "cheap" and/or "value" in sound, simply does not work. Period. I'm happy to be ripped apart for this viewpoint, but that's my 2c...

I dont understand what you are getting at? Look at what is in bold, it makes it sound like you are saying is why buy two sets of speakers? But no one has suggested it as far as I can see. All im replying too is Shoot asking about good value/performance components for the front doors of a Magna/380 nothing else no mention of another set.

Also good value and performance does work, it can work in anything, research the Fountek FR89EX, Vifa XT25, SB Acoustics SB17, these are 3 drivers that come to mind that are well worth what you pay for them, but they are still cheap, and performance is excellent.

No problem at all. I respect your opinion.
Are you suggesting to drop the splits idea and just run 6.5's orv6.5 coaxial (combined tweet and mid)
This 300.00 street priced head unit posted amazing value.
The sound on this unit is crisp and warm. It's great value.
http://www.mobileelectronics.com.au/products/reviews/jvc_kd-r926bt_din_cd_tuner/
Is basically the same unit for sale now in the FS section with 380 extras and a double din version.
Whilst the is probably a new model out now. The new one would finally be worth a look for any one wanting great clarity on a budget.

I'm not sure, maybe I'm missing something, but "cheap" and/or "value" in sound, simply does not work. Period. I'm happy to be ripped apart for this viewpoint, but that's my 2c...

It's not about buying cheap quality at a cheap price (that's not value, that's just getting what you pay for) It's about bang for your buck.
The point of the discussion here is getting quality at better than RRP or finding components that are exceptional performers for their price category (ideally both)
These days you can buy components well under RRP quite easily. All it takes is a little bit of time finding the best deals.
For example, if I was to buy my car speakers (not including the sub/cab) for full RRP I would've paid around $700 instead of the $340 which I ended up paying (brand new sealed in the original boxes).

It's not about buying cheap quality at a cheap price (that's not value, that's just getting what you pay for) It's about bang for your buck.
The point of the discussion here is getting quality at better than RRP or finding components that are exceptional performers for their price category (ideally both)
This^ Is exactly the point, sometimes, which is the point of the thread, You can still get speakers that are not discounted, and still get great value, but you didn't get a/to bargain.
Quite often in retail, when are RRP is set, they wont sell at that price because a competitor has something else that represents better value. This is usually known as 'GO Price'. Of course there other reasons like EOL (end of life), damaged, exdemo promotions, price matching, and genuine sales

These days you can buy components well under RRP quite easily. All it takes is a little bit of time finding the best deals.
For example, if I was to buy my car speakers (not including the sub/cab) for full RRP I would've paid around $700 instead of the $340 which I ended up paying (brand new sealed in the original boxes).
That's where you got a bargain, and consider them to be great value.

I did see, while I was looking at speakers, pioneer splits on sale, while they appeared to be a bargain, they didn't offer much in the way great value, sonic capabilities per dollar spent.
But I have also recently bought an alpine PDXV9, while at there 899 retail, they didn't offer much in the way of value at the time, but for 550, they were excellent value, and a bargain...

What I'm basically trying find is a great value set that I can drop in the 380, but also a set I can recommend, which is also a huge question around here, that have a good sonic signature, play low bitrate stuff and be very forgiving, and are non fatiguing for continuous use, are easy to set and install, without going over the top on price. therefore offering great value, even if you didn't get a bargain.
Quite often in retail, if something in retail is able to hold close to its retail, its usually very exclusive, or worth every cent, or both.

All im replying too is Shoot asking about good value/performance components for the front doors of a Magna/380 nothing else no mention of another set.
I couldn't find anything else that stood out so well as great value for money, that ticked all the boxes.


Also good value and performance does work, it can work in anything, research the Fountek FR89EX, Vifa XT25, SB Acoustics SB17, these are 3 drivers that come to mind that are well worth what you pay for them, but they are still cheap, and performance is excellent.
I'm glad you dropped in a options to investigate, as with your other post, there is a relatively cheap H/Unit on the market that will run active, make the suggestions for the individual driver purchases some thing that really needs to be considered seriously. If you can spend under 200.00 dollars on speakers and have them sound exceptional, purchasing an active capable deck, like a DEH80PRS from OS ($400.00 ish) one of the best value sets you could ever consider.

For about $400, you could get the P80RS from overseas other wise the JVC KD-R926BT at $399 since it has time alignment its probably the best buy that you can get off the shelf at your local Autobarn or JB Hi Fi, these both are great units no doubt the Pioneer would be better, these will give any front stage the quality it deserves but I hope alot of people do not forget about the importance in sound deadening and sealing service holes to get the best available midrange and midbass out of the door driver. All it takes is a small pack of dynamat, small sheet or 3-6mm MDF, duct tape and some cleaning agent. I honestly would rather run some $130 Sony Splits in Sound Deadened doors that run a set of Hertz ESK165's in a door without the treatment, no kidding thats how much of a difference it makes.

Also for anyone interested FHRX in Sydney, the shop who probably turn out the best installs in the country, they have a constant specials page, they keep adding and adding, there is a set of Maximo's being run out and you just simply email them for a price, otherwise theres plenty of other great specials.

http://www.fhrxstudios.com.au/specials.asp

I think that's Marty, he has an account here. They have some seriously nice gear, and I saw that offer while looking, but I shopped with the local store, where the support is spot on! Looking at doing the install tomorrow, after a sub/amp install in a mates wifes car, she wanted more bass after I attacked his soundstage.

Yes it is Marty he has an account on quite a few forums, super nice bloke to deal with and has helped me out alot in the past.

And Marty @ FHRX Studios has been doing a good job for many years. MEA used to be called Car Audio Australia (CAA) and I remember seeing his work on there in my early days of membership. I joined about 11 years ago.

And Marty @ FHRX Studios has been doing a good job for many years. MEA used to be called Car Audio Australia (CAA) and I remember seeing his work on there in my early days of membership. I joined about 11 years ago.

I know we have gone off topic a little but hes still one there. Pop in say Hi, he goes to the effort of putting up quarterly photo galleries of all the work he has been doing and some of the work he has had to fix, have a look hopefully it will scare the pants off people who think they shouldn't listen to me :p

http://www.fhrxstudios.com.au/photogallery_bad.asp

I know when I look at those threads, I thought to myself, "theres probably a couple of things I can do better than I am now".

I reckon your post is very relevant, of there's a list of easy to avoid mistakes, and examples of how to do it right, that's only leads improving the value of your kit, and best of all, it can be done over time, so the hit to the pocket ain't all that hard.

Within a couple of days I'll accumulate some recommendations from here, I'll link the original post in the start of the thread.

I know myself and others will appreciate it in the future, but it sure looks a bit trepidacious at the moment.
Scary word for me, never used that one before, of it even exists, lol

Google says trepidacious exists.

Honestly If I had any deadening jobs coming up I would do a write up on it, as now I have all my methods pretty much down paint from what paint to use, what sealant I use, where to mount the cross overs etc, there is one on MEA but I feel the AMC crowd could use one related to Magna's, however I think the one on MEA is perhaps a lancer, but thats not important :p

Well I finally got around to fitting the Morel 6.5's, with tweeters on the A-Piller (on the 380) and the tweeter would have very little trouble going into a Rada tweeter sail.
I delayed it a week to find a woofer that didn't take up much room, its, now, in about 13.5 litre box, tiny....

Anyway, I can recommend those Morels, hands down, it took very little effort in getting them sounding great. It's hard to describe the sound they have, its almost a romantic LP record sound without the scratching, they are very, very listenable without being at all fatiguing or bright, I think it's the spot between 2500-3500 Hz where it's softened up, and makes them appear to be tuned without you lifting a finger. Smooth was a word we used often.
I really like the build of the tweeter, the crossover was a bit on the cheap side, and the woofer build was disappointing for the price. But the sound makes you forget all that, easily.
If you consider your ear to be mature or cultured or Discerning. Try them. They sound a lot better in the car, than they do on a sound board.
I have tweaked it a little with a 8 band EQ first, +1 on the first four (up to 1500Hz) last three down -1 (5000+). with the 2000 Hz flat. Even with a simple Bass Mid High EQ, Bass +1 High -1, these would sound really nice.
I was a bit miffed with the crossover, very simple, with a 0 or +3Db tweak on the tweeter, I really would have liked a -3 Db.

Going in the 380, I ran a 16Ga cable though the door harness rubber, and it to about 1 min each side :woot:. I wish the magna was so easy.
I had to fashion to MDF Rings, and I used some sound deadening goop as a sealant between the ring and the door, and the ring and the speaker, makes for a very good sealant. I didn't go the full deadening, I just attacked the main resonating parts of the door, mainly the skin, the frame itself has very kittle flex, it was trade off for door weight, cost and time. It's like the promotional desk bell the Dynamat, they use a 1 CM strip mutes 90% of the sound of the bell.

And for the record I mounted the Amp on a carpeted board for about 25 dollars Material costs, with enough left over to make the MDF speaker rings, and recover the sub box, (came with a second hand Sub ( $80.00 )), which I had to reduce in size and reseal the air leak. I set the gains at 1/10th pre install, and didn't have to move them.

iv had good experiances with hertz speakers ,im currently running the older model of hi energy 6.5 splits it stock vrx mounts ,sounds great over stock , only running of the head unit at the moment but they are very power hungary being 125 watts rms each ,when amped they all around sound great(they were in a previouse car running of a bridged blaupunkt gta400) there resonably priced you can get a set for under 500 if you look around.

only problem with mounting is the size of the drivers with a 69mm mounting depth ,they dont touch the glass in the window however it you close the door with abit of force with the window down you can sometimes hear them contact.