Have The Speakers

Eh_nigma · 08-27-2005, 11:04 AM

Hey all...

I've picked up my speakers, the new Reference line from Infinity. I've got two questions though... with the setup I'm going to use... 2 12" subs, 2 6x9's, 2 6" in the doors, and replacing the tweeters with two 3" speakers... all running through 2 amps... first off, what's the best way to get a cross-over for the tweeter/3" speaker setup?

Second question, from what you all know, what would be a good HU to put into the Alero for all this? I'm not overly worried about cost - I would like quality. Every place I go tells me different things and it's starting to get frustrating. Thanks for any help.

mikegett · 08-27-2005, 05:10 PM

Crossovers are the most important and costly part of speaker. For a set of tweets you should ensure that they have a 24db slope. Any shorter and you will get a bad cutoff from the mids to tweets. The real problems is that each tweeter will have its own frequencies that excell. You should contact the manufacturer and see what range they suggest that you place it. If your amplifier is equiped with a variable 24db slope crossover, then use it. Otherwise I would suggest forgetting about a external crossover and get a high end HU with built in crossovers. A decent external crossover will cost you well over a hundred dollars. Eclipse, Alpine, and Kenwood all have nice HU's with built in crossovers. Just be sure that they are 3-way or 4-way acceptable. My 8455 eclipse has three seperate crossover mods. The first is a standard front, rear, and fader with selectable crossovers. The second is a 3-way. One set of RCA's will be set for tweeters, one set for mid or full range, and the third is a woofer. The 4-way option is similar to 3-way but gives bandpass on the mid or rear set of RCA's. Alpine has a new HU with real 4-way giving the user a full four sets of RCA's. Nice, but a little overboard and costly in wiring. With your setup, a 3-way would be sufficient. You will pay more for these HU's, but there will never be a reason for purchasing selective crossovers again. Your components can even be ran active (without crossovers) and tailored to the car. Time alignment and decible gains eliminate any problems of speaker placement.

TheSoundDemon · 08-29-2005, 02:10 PM

I know I'm a little

here...but Mike...your knowledge of this stuff amazes me...you rock man

natedawg9640 · 08-29-2005, 04:26 PM

i have a nice alpine HU

natedawg9640 · 08-29-2005, 07:37 PM

oh i forgot to say that it's for sale too... along with a JL W7 in a box... and a 500 watt JL sub...

mikegett · 08-30-2005, 08:36 PM

Here are a few HU's I would look into if I were you. With the exception of the clarion pro model, all are suggested retail between 600 and 650. Most can be bought on ebay for around three to four hundred if you prefer. In my opinion I have lost way too much on ebay for it to be worth the chance.
I find the alpine to be the most attractive unit. However, I find the crossover and eq to be lacking. The eq is a five band and the crossover is only six postion selectable. A fully selectable crossover is a must in my opion. I will note that the website is a bit vague, so it may be worth checking into it.
The DX model of clarion is probably the most lacking in of all the products. The 3 band parametric eq and three positon crossover is very poor for $600.
The eclipse is obviously my prefered choice. Look at my sig.

But it is hard to deny the stats. It gives you 10 bands of parametric control and fully variable crossovers on all channels. No other HU gives that kind of flexibility.
Next to the eclipse, I find the pioneer to be the second best choice. It is a very attractive HU and offers a 13 band graphic eq. The graphic eq may not be as flexible as a parametric, but 13 bands helps to make up for it. The crossovers aren't fully selectable, but there are seven user selectable settings.
I looked into the panasonic, but to my dismay non of there products even came close to offering the features that any of these did for the price. I was very dissapointed. Good luck on your choices and thanks SoundDemon for the compliment. I guess it means that I just have too much free time on my hands.

http://iweb.alpine-usa.com/pls/admn/item_i...ain=10&p_more=y

http://www.cardomain.com/item/CLADRZ9255
This is probably my favorite HU I've seen. The price is expensive and the crossover should be more flexible but It is just sharp.

http://www.clarion.com/usa/products/source...s/DXZ945MP.html

http://www.eclipse-web.com/cd/cd8455.html
10 band parametric eq

http://www.pioneerusa.com/pna/product/deta...DetailComponent