Some legit advice for front stage/speakers

[BreakingBad]

Ive posted a few times over the months asking for some advice as far as what to get, and the responses i normally get are "hertz" or "rainbow".

i have a 18" XXX. the bass is overwhelming, and i need to upgrade the front stage immediately, especially when i go from the 1.5kw amp to the 3kw amp i want.

first, i hear all this about passive, active...active is too much work for me. i love music, and high quality music, but it's not a hobby. if building systems and perfecting them was a hobby of mine, i would def go active..

i was hearing a lot of good things about rainbow, hertz....RE also has their RE and XXX lines of speakers. any experience with these?? i bet the XXX's are amazing on the midbass.

these would be going in an 05 chevy trailblazer. i've heard that the door panels are not good enclosures, so what are my options? fiberglass kickpods or something?

so.....for someone who just needs to be "up to par" with the amount of bass i'm putting out, what would you all recommend? music is mainly variations of rock and rap. not a big fan of trance or anything like that.

a.) would any of RE's line be good to go with (re or xxx?) or should i look into hertz or rainbow? midbass is very important to me, as the majority of the music i listen to either has that punchy midbass or that deep rolling rumbling bass.

b.) the setup...whats probably the easiest way to go? i can have a local shop do that work. kickpods? any other ideas?

thanks to anyone who gives some decent advice..

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[pinoywitboom 10+ year member]

since your already running a 18" xxx and looking into re comps aswell, i say grab 2 sets of the xxx comps. since youll have it profesionally installed you can go ahead and put them both in the doors if you want a cheaper way out get a set of kickpods and put the other set in their and the other in the doors. should be enough to keep up with that 18" //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

you want to keep the front up with the bass? the loudest comps I have ever used were the Rockford power series comps (t162s in 6 1/2 model). Pair that comp set with a rockford power amp (t3002 or t400-2) and you will be set. They get LOUD and clear. Gotta be paired with a rockford amp though or from my experience the mids aren't eq'd right

 

[James Bang 5,000+ posts]

10" midbass here I come.

 

[BreakingBad]

Good input so far...but still a few questions..

A.) Would RE's XXX even FIT in my door panels? And correct me if i'm wrong... doesn't it sound better when you build a seperate enclosure for them (ie kickpops or the like) or when i have it professionally installed they make it so that the door panels actually support and make the drivers sound good?

The XXX's depth...i dont know if they would fit in my door panels...

B.) How much power? I don't want to go above and beyond, just enough to fully power them to keep up with the 18.

C.) I'm not really worried about rearseating/rear components because i rarely have anyone sitting back there, and it's a trailblazer not a yukon or navigator where the seating area is huge.

 

[Here-I-Come 10+ year member]

With the XXX 18" out back, I would look into a 3 way front stage. I would look at something like a 8" midbass in the doors and a 5.25-6.5" in the kicks with the tweeters or mover the tweeters to the a-pillars if the right drivers are used. I would look at the Hybrid Audio L8, L6, L1 or L1 pro. If you need a passive crossover Scott at Hybrid audio can help you with that.

Now if the L8 is to deep for you doors. Look at a Hertz Space 3 way with the Space 8L, 6L and space 1. You will have no problem with mounting depth and these are great sounding speakers.

 

[UCF52 10+ year member]

I would think it will be very hard to find something to keep up with an 18" XXX @ 3,000 watts.

 

[Here-I-Come 10+ year member]

I would think it will be very hard to find something to keep up with an 18" XXX @ 3,000 watts.

Honestly you would be surprised.

But tuning is key. The XXX's are nice sounding subs, and you sound have no problem with making it do what ever you want it to do.

What head unit and/or head unit and processor are you using.

 

[BreakingBad]

well right now, its just a basic alpine 9843 or some ****. one of those 9845 or something. whenever i get the comp's upgraded and get an amp and whatnot for them, i want to get an in-dash and i was looking at this:

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=168550&i=500IVAW505&tp=75

eventually.

i just want something to keep up somewhat. i dont want to have the LOUDEST, most BANGIN front stage you know...and i'm pretty sure RE XXX comps would do it, powered properly, but at the same time...what type of install? should i just do them in the door panels or is there another option like kick pods or something?

 

[BreakingBad]

I would think it will be very hard to find something to keep up with an 18" XXX @ 3,000 watts.

well, you're right. but when you have it up that loud, you're not looking to sound "good". you're looking to bang harder than a mother****er.

but when you turn the volume up a few clicks, where you got some lil wayne on or some jeezy, you want to listen to the music and have some nice bass with it. then there are those times where you crank it up and just slam...

 

[DidUHearThat? 10+ year member]

I would suggest gettting a single pair of good speakers rather than 2 cheaper sets. Yes, two cheaper sets will get loud, but for the same money you can get better speakers and IMO cleaner/flatter sounding speakers are easier to hear clearly at lower volumes than cheap speakers while screaming loud.

If your looking for both clear and loud, then you must get quality high wattage speakers. Passive crossovers works very well at low power, but at high power most passive crossovers can't cut it. In my experience Dynaudio makes an excellent crossover that can handle high power. I havent' heard the morels, but I'm sure they are similar. But your going to spend alot of money for top o' the line crossovers and drivers.

Going active lets you power the drivers directly without a passive crossover and you can make the same drivers louder, and possibly cleaner. At high power levels, I think active will give you more bang for your buck.

I suggest you go active with the best 2 or 3 way componets you can afford.

 

[LiMarc 10+ year member]

Good input so far...but still a few questions..

A.) Would RE's XXX even FIT in my door panels? And correct me if i'm wrong... doesn't it sound better when you build a seperate enclosure for them (ie kickpops or the like) or when i have it professionally installed they make it so that the door panels actually support and make the drivers sound good?

QUOTE]

Check out Proper Door Sound Deadening and You Its could help you out with this.

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

You can def fit 8's at the least in those doors.

My advice for 2way would be something that can take some serious power....

For 2way I like Rainbow Powerline CS set.

3way...Dynaudio System 362.

Both drivers and passives can take some juice. I'd lean towards the 3ways as that dome midrange can be flushmounted and the extra drivers will help keep up and cut through that bass.

 

[BreakingBad]

my main thing is, i'm not trying to drop over $500 to make the front stage... the XXX's are expensive, but i could prob get a good deal on those.

what i want:

clear highs (i'm not an audiophile, but i can DEF notice differences in music and i enjoy hearing those sounds you cant hear on normal stock speakers)...and midbass. my 18 CRUSHES the low end, but higher end bass is there...just not where it should be. i actually have the 18 in a sealed box (after a long discussion about it here) but i may also get a ported box built, probably tune to 32-34hz range. i definitely have the low end, but the high end is just not there..

and some are right...i need good midbass, but i dont know if i should just grab up the XXX's and call it a day, or if i should take a different route..

 

[shpatb 10+ year member]

just get a set of boston pro's or the z's... they're well worth the money.