# Looking for new 6.5" component audiophile grade speakers...advice?



## justicepool (Feb 5, 2011)

I am getting ready to do my first system in years. I'm very much old school and just ordered a set of Dynaudio Esotec System 242 GT 6.5" component speakers for $829. After reading a thread in the old school forum about old school bias it got me to thinking. I've had Dynaudio as the best possible car audio speaker in my mind for over 20 years......hmmmm....maybe there is something better or just as good to try now. 

Any thoughts or suggestions? I've been out of the loop for several years now with car audio.


John


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## Alrojoca (Oct 5, 2012)

Hertz Audio HSK components or ML series, Focal K2 model. Or maybe some Hybrid components from Parts Express.

Your Head Unit or sound processor would play a bigger roll on the best sound you will get from any speaker since in some cases you may not use the passive crossovers when using a DSP, in fact some speakers in the $300-500 range may give the expensive speakers a run for their money if played with properly set active crossovers from good DSP's or HU's compared to expensive speakers being used with their passive crossovers


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## Bluliner (May 16, 2011)

justicepool said:


> I am getting ready to do my first system in years. I'm very much old school and just ordered a set of Dynaudio Esotec System 242 GT 6.5" component speakers for $829. After reading a thread in the old school forum about old school bias it got me to thinking. I've had Dynaudio as the best possible car audio speaker in my mind for over 20 years......hmmmm....maybe there is something better or just as good to try now.
> 
> Any thoughts or suggestions? I've been out of the loop for several years now with car audio.
> 
> ...


Dynaudio speakers are a bit picky with how you install them. Mount the tweets off-axis and I think you'll be in heaven. Aim them right at you and they don't sound to pleasing. The speakers and the crossovers are very top notch, I wouldn't lose any sleep not knowing I had "the best". 

Aside from materials used, speakers really haven't come all that far. What really has changed is in the DSP/carPC realm.


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## Viggen (May 2, 2011)

Very pleased with my hertz Mille/ML components.... 

Not a clue how they compare to other brands.... Did my research and everything I read pointers to to these as being the best at their price point. They do cost several hundred bucks more then what you were looking at but might be worth a shot.

Also been a fan of old school stuff.... That was until my old adcom amp fried itself and half of a component set. Went with pheonix gold elite amps..... Awesome stuff


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## MacLeod (Aug 16, 2009)

I dont know, I still think Dynaudio make some of the best stuff around. Morel and Focal are also favorites of mine. I love Scanspeak's sound but its hard to get their stuff to work in a car unfortunately. Seas is also a hard brand to go wrong with. Their Lotus Reference line is pretty superb but pricey as hell. If I could **** money, that would be the first ones Id want to consider. 

If I could fit the Scanspeak Revelators and make them work in my doors, they would be my overall first choice along with their Illuminator tweeters which I think are the best on the market. I just love the Revelator's sound and while theyre hard to make work in a car, theyre the best to my ears.

Maybe the Scan tweeters along with the Seas Lotus Reference 6" mids would be a combination hard to beat albeit at a high price.


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## bark424 (Feb 16, 2013)

on the flip side of that, . i haven't used a“ mobile specific" driver in years. I would gladly put my sb acoustic 6.5's, my vifa tweeters and the passive crossover my brother designed up against ANY component set in the $8-900 range. There is a lot more to speakers and acoustics than 98% of the stereo heads out there understand. with our combined 70 years experience, and his 20 some diy kits out there. one of which is the top selling kit at meniscus and another has been named the #1 kit in the world. he tells me what to buy, I install it, and then he sets back with his laptop and measuring equipment and designs the xo. You could buy the best drivers out there but with the wrong xo you could easily make them sound like crap, but also you could spend $160 on drivers like me and having someone that really understand xo's can make them sound like a dream. the money I saved on that as opposed to going active could probably put gas in my car for a year. I guess the print I'm trying to make is.... it's your money you do what you want with it. I just want you to see some other options. You don't need to break the bank to get some pretty awesome sound. BTW....engineers that made scanspeak famous are the exact group of engineers that design for SB acoutics.


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## BuickGN (May 29, 2009)

I think you've already bought one of the best component sets out there. Enjoy.


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## justicepool (Feb 5, 2011)

BuickGN said:


> I think you've already bought one of the best component sets out there. Enjoy.


Ditto. I am looking forward to it. I've also decided to let a very talented installer that is a frequent contributor to this site take care of the install.


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## necrophidious (Aug 14, 2007)

MacLeod said:


> I dont know, I still think Dynaudio make some of the best stuff around. Morel and Focal are also favorites of mine. I love Scanspeak's sound but its hard to get their stuff to work in a car unfortunately. Seas is also a hard brand to go wrong with. Their Lotus Reference line is pretty superb but pricey as hell. If I could **** money, that would be the first ones Id want to consider.
> 
> If I could fit the Scanspeak Revelators and make them work in my doors, they would be my overall first choice along with their Illuminator tweeters which I think are the best on the market. I just love the Revelator's sound and while theyre hard to make work in a car, theyre the best to my ears.
> 
> Maybe the Scan tweeters along with the Seas Lotus Reference 6" mids would be a combination hard to beat albeit at a high price.


Sorry if I'm threadjacking here, but can you elaborate? I had no issues at all with Rev's in my doors, just required a bit of trimming (not any deeper than most 6.5's). From a tuning perspective they required surprisingly little eq, and sounded great even being off axis. Just curious why you described them as hard to make work in a car, and wondering if I just got really lucky with my install. To the OP, I have heard the Dyn's - they are great drivers as well and I am sure you'll be pleased with them.


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## MacLeod (Aug 16, 2009)

necrophidious said:


> Sorry if I'm threadjacking here, but can you elaborate? I had no issues at all with Rev's in my doors, just required a bit of trimming (not any deeper than most 6.5's). From a tuning perspective they required surprisingly little eq, and sounded great even being off axis. Just curious why you described them as hard to make work in a car, and wondering if I just got really lucky with my install. To the OP, I have heard the Dyn's - they are great drivers as well and I am sure you'll be pleased with them.


Well cause they're low Qts usually means they need to be in an enclosure to work best and you won't get very good midbass and low end performance out of them running IB. Now there is a 8 ohm 5.5" Rev with a .41 Qts so that would work well. 

What Revs are you running? Trust me, I would LOVE to be wrong and be able to run a set in my doors so if you can prove me wrong, it would make my day.


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## BuickGN (May 29, 2009)

How low is low Qts? I ran the Esotar 650s IB in my doors and they had a great pop to them and also dug deep. Fs was a low 39hz so maybe that had something to do with it. I believe Qts was in the low low .4 range. My current 9" midbasses have a .6x Qts and in just the midbass frequencies they sound surprisingly similar except for output.


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## necrophidious (Aug 14, 2007)

MacLeod said:


> Well cause they're low Qts usually means they need to be in an enclosure to work best and you won't get very good midbass and low end performance out of them running IB. Now there is a 8 ohm 5.5" Rev with a .41 Qts so that would work well.
> 
> What Revs are you running? Trust me, I would LOVE to be wrong and be able to run a set in my doors so if you can prove me wrong, it would make my day.


I'm running the 18w4531. They are IB in the doors, no enclosure. All 3 of the MECA judges at SBN commented on how much midbass there was - I was even marked off by one of the judges for having too much. They are crossed at 60hz/12db, and have no issues at all playing low. Maybe the small MINI door they are installed in (with lots of deadening) is acting as an enclosure and shaping the response more than I thought? I was concerned about the low Qts when selecting drivers, but they work great.


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## MacLeod (Aug 16, 2009)

necrophidious said:


> I'm running the 18w4531. They are IB in the doors, no enclosure. All 3 of the MECA judges at SBN commented on how much midbass there was - I was even marked off by one of the judges for having too much. They are crossed at 60hz/12db, and have no issues at all playing low. Maybe the small MINI door they are installed in (with lots of deadening) is acting as an enclosure and shaping the response more than I thought? I was concerned about the low Qts when selecting drivers, but they work great.


That's good to hear. Guess I'll need to start saving for a nice set of Revs for my doors.


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