# old JBL GTi vs new JBL GTi (60th anniv. edition)



## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

so sonicelectronix has these:
JBL GTi 60th anniv.

Does anyone know if they are the 'same' as the old ones that folks seem to rave about? same build quality, power handling?

Thanks.


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## will. (Jul 7, 2015)

CSEmoses said:


> so sonicelectronix has these:
> JBL GTi 60th anniv.
> 
> Does anyone know if they are the 'same' as the old ones that folks seem to rave about? same build quality, power handling?
> ...


I own the 660 set. I just got some older c608 sets yesterday that I will compare against. From what I understand, the older models before 660 have less linear xmax but have lower FS and also slightly less cone area.

I will likely be posting the older 608s for sale soon if anyone is interested

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

errr, what does less linear xmax mean to a listener?


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## Lycancatt (Apr 11, 2010)

not much overall, but for someone looking to listen loud, more xmax is better..but only at the extreme upper end of the volume knob.


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## will. (Jul 7, 2015)

CSEmoses said:


> errr, what does less linear xmax mean to a listener?


It means the difference between getting a boner or staying soft ..

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

uhhh ok, thanks bub


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## undone1 (Sep 30, 2008)

CSEmoses said:


> so sonicelectronix has these:
> JBL GTi 60th anniv.
> 
> Does anyone know if they are the 'same' as the old ones that folks seem to rave about? same build quality, power handling?
> ...


In short..yes..they are the ones..clearing the stock for the 670's...

660 and the 670 are identical according to the manuals..


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

Are 608s considered "real" gtis? They never seemed the heir to all the previous and later gtis to me


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## will. (Jul 7, 2015)

dcfis said:


> Are 608s considered "real" gtis? They never seemed the heir to all the previous and later gtis to me


I'm not really sure. The build and design is totally different. I can't say either way, I haven't heard the 608s yet

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

I know it's ... very subjective, but how would a pair of these 60th anniv. GTi compare to something like HAT Legatia? 

sigh, i'm honestly finding that with companies like audiofrog, HAT, and a few others that there is so much quality car audio available these days.


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## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

one last thing, why do i not see these anywhere on Official JBL Store - Speakers, Headphones, and More!


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

CSEmoses said:


> so sonicelectronix has these:
> JBL GTi 60th anniv.
> 
> Does anyone know if they are the 'same' as the old ones that folks seem to rave about? same build quality, power handling?
> ...


Yes, the set that you linked to is the same as the "original" 660GTi component set. It is a fantastic set for the money. IIRC, the 670GTi has a different set of passive crossovers, no waveguides for the tweeters, and just one set of grills for the 6.5" mids (the 660GTi has both Carbon Fiber & Leather trimmed grills).



CSEmoses said:


> I know it's ... very subjective, but how would a pair of these 60th anniv. GTi compare to something like HAT Legatia?
> 
> sigh, i'm honestly finding that with companies like audiofrog, HAT, and a few others that there is so much quality car audio available these days.


Yes, it's mostly subjective, but tested (objective) specs are important and reveal a lot about the capabilities of a particular driver (speaker). See Link below. There are a lot of fantastic speakers available these days. IMO, here's how I would rank these component sets if you are going with a 2-way front setup, irregardless of price:

#1. Audiofrog GB60 + GB15/GB10 tweeters. The GB60 6.5" mids are somewhat of an evolution of the 660GTi mids (using similar but newer/improved technology and specs according to Andy Whemeyer, owner of Audiofrog, who was formerly at Harmon/JBL). The GB60 mids will need less tuning/EQ out of the box IME compared to the 660GTi mids. Excellent support & customer service.

#2. JBL 660GTi set (including the 60th Anniversary version). EXCELLENT set at the current price and would be very hard to beat. You may be just a *bit* underwhelmed with the lower midbass output at first, but if you have a DSP or active EQ these drivers have the linear excursion and low distortion capabilities to provide excellent, clean, lower midbass...and are fantastic in every other area as well. Not sure about customer service these days.

#3. H.A.T. Legatia L6v2 Mids & L1 PRO/L1 R2 PRO tweeters. I'll be honest and say that I don't have any personal experience with the latest iterations of the L6 mid drivers. I've only used the L6 v1 and L6 v2 versions. AFAIK, not much has changed in the motor or topology of the L6 midwoofer drivers. IME, the L6v2 will provide excellent midrange, and decent midbass, with some EQ/Tuning for both, but IME they didn't have quite the potential in the lower midbass that the JBL 660GTi or AF GB60 do. Again, I'm referring to previous iterations of the L6 mids, so??? The L1 Pro & L1 Pro R2 tweeters are really nice, but I've tended to stick to a few of the top end Scanspeak tweeters and the Hiquphon OW1 tweeters for all of my setups...and that goes for my setups I've had or have with the AF GB60 and JBL 660GTi mids. H.A.T. offers excellent support & customer service IME.

For me, tweeters are the most subjective, meaning it really comes down to personal preference of what you like best (as long as they offer solid objectively-tested performance). IMO all of the tweeters listed above are very, very good, and to make a good decision it really comes down to your specific install/speaker locations and Crossover points with the midrange you choose.

Speaking of objective speaker testing, check out member _ErinH_'s speaker testing website which has tests of most of the speakers that you are interested in here.

www.medleysmusings.com


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## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

Thanks for taking the time to write that. 
The linked website doesn't work. Probably got take out by the AWS outage or something.

I did have a chance to hear a set of audiofrog components a few years ago. They were ... about $850usd at the time. No idea on model number...
In a demo board  ... they seemed like they were missing something in the middle of the sound. Not sure how to explain it. Must have been a tune or something. 

How do the tweeters compare between the all of these three? are any of them 'harsh' or really 'bright'? 
FWIW, I'm coming from Hertz HSK-165, which did sound really good - but could be bright / fatiguing / harsh at times. They were active, and tuned via BIT1 by a reputable shop/installer fwiw again.

This time around, i'm a bit older, and I think i would like something more natural / neutral / smooth / warm / <insert your name for that sound here>.


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## Elgrosso (Jun 15, 2013)

660 and 670 are indeed the same except what bbfoto listed, I have some T/S in my build somewhere if you want to check.
At $500 it’s a steal!
(560 are also very good)


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## adrianp89 (Oct 14, 2007)

I've had a chance to grab these through my work on accommodation/clearance for under $300 - they have been sitting in their briefcase for a year now. Eventually they will get put in.


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## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

now that is a good value


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## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

Ahh, i guess that website was down. medleysmusings sure rates the JBL GTi660 driver extremely high on the list.


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

C 660 GTI were annyversary edition and by design and materials on much higher level compared to 600 gti and later C608 gti. This also reflected on the price difference between C 608 and C660 gti.


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

LBaudio said:


> C 660 GTI were annyversary edition and by design and materials on much higher level compared to 600 gti and later C608 gti. This also reflected on the price difference between C 608 and C660 gti.



But what about the performance


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## will. (Jul 7, 2015)

dcfis said:


> But what about the performance


Does the gti500 fall into the same bucket? Anyone try those ? 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

it is so very tempting to just buy two sets of those JBL and go from there. 
I want out of this speaker selection rabbit hole damnit!


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

will. said:


> Does the gti500 fall into the same bucket? Anyone try those ?
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


Yes absolutely the old gti500 and the 4s and 6s were excellent speakers chose those over the Boston pros of the day


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

CSEmoses said:


> it is so very tempting to just buy two sets of those JBL and go from there.
> I want out of this speaker selection rabbit hole damnit!


Just remember that there are A LOT of other factors that determine the final sound quality of your system. Yes, really good speakers are essential to achieve top-quality results, but the quality of the install/mounting, speaker locations and aiming, and the "tune" have at least as much importance as the speakers themselves.

Why do you want 2 sets? Just because the price is so good at the moment and/or as a backup or spare set?

Do you still have the BitOne DSP? If not, I would suggest buying one pair of the JBLs (or one of the other sets) and spend the other money on a decent current model DSP.

What year, make, and model of vehicle are these for?

What mounting locations are available for the mids and tweeters?

None of the tweeters that I listed are "harsh" or fatiguing if properly installed and "tuned". FYI, _very_ few shops have personnel that are true professionals and _really_ understand what they are doing when it comes to "tuning". So I'm willing to bet that at least part of your experience with the harshness with the Hertz HSK-165 set was partially due to "a bad tune", or a least a mediocre tune. Usually with some minor cuts with the EQ in the 2kHz-5kHz range will tame most harshness issues with a decent tweeter. In addition, if the tweeters are Crossed Over at too low of a frequency and/or with too shallow of a XO slope, they will sound "spitty" and harsh. This is due to high levels of harmonic distortion as SPL levels increase. This is usually the case when you are okay with how the tweeters sound at lower to mid-level volumes, but seem to get increasingly harsh as the volume is turned up.

On the MedleysMusings site, the tests that Erin performs on each speaker are done specifically to test the usable bandwidth (Frequency Range) of each driver and determine each speaker's limitations with regards to output levels and distortion levels. This is invaluable information that is essential in properly choosing a set of separate componet speakers that will perform very well when mated together into a coherent speaker _system_, and is one reason he usually offers suggested XO points and slopes for each driver (speaker) in his comments.

Andy at Audiofrog has put a lot of effort into producing a lineup of drivers that will mate together extremely well in a variety of configurations, i.e. 2-way or 3-way front stage, and in various mounting locations.

I doubt that the AudioFrog setup that you heard in the sound/demo board were properly setup. There definitely shouldn't have been anything "missing in the middle" in regards to frequency response and/or imaging. It could have been something as simple as one of the mids and/or tweeters being wired with reversed polarity when they were installed in the demo board. It wouldn't be the first time that I've found this to be the case with a shop's demo board. :surprised:


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## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

bbfoto:

Ah no, sorry all of my previous gear went with the previous car. 

I only think of having two sets to fill in the rear. I don't want NO sound back there. I've done that before, and people in the back seats (prev. car) didn't like it. I'd like to at least have something, and figured what the hell, lets rock it out back there too.

Car is a 2017 Ford Focus RS. (hatchback).

Front:
Mids are kick panel. 
tweeters are "sail" panel, firing directly across the cabin I think.
Rear:
mids are kick panel
tweeters are... mid-door? in front of handle, and a bit above if i recall.


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## CSEmoses (Dec 15, 2010)

@bbfoto check out this post for some details on what can be fitted into my front door/sail pillar. focusrs.org forum post


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