# Mach 5 MLI-65 6.5" woofer + Alpine Type-X tweeter: Budget active review



## mvw2 (Oct 2, 2005)

Ok, I thought I'd just officially make a small review of the setup I've been running for about a month or so prior to my move to 3-way in the near future.

My main reason for this review comes from my shear enjoyment of this combination. It just works so well together. To boot, it's insanely affordable.

Some basics on the drivers:
Mach 5 MLI-65 6.5" woofer
_T/S Parameters -
Fs = 62.2 Hz
Re = 3.4 Ohms
Qes = 0.68
Qms = 5.69
Qts = 0.61
Mms = 19.1 grams
Rms = 1.31 kg/s
Cms = 0.342 mm/N
VAS = 6.6 litres
Sd = 116.9 cm2
Xmax = 5.5 mm
Cone Diameter = 12.2 cm_
http://www.mach5audio.com/index-2.html









Alpine Type-X SPX-177R tweeter
_T/S Parameters -
Speaker size: 1" (28mm)
Power Handling (RMS): 25 W
Frequency Response (-10dB): 600-60kHz
Sensitivity (@2.83V/1m): 86dB
Voice Coil Diameter: 19 mm
Diaphragm Material: KFR Textile
Diaphragm Design: Ring Radiator
Effective Diaphragm Diameter: 28 mm
Motor Structure: Perimeter Vented w/Faraday Ring
Magnetic Material: Neodymium
Driver Weight: 40g
Depth: 0.6" (14mm)
Cut-out diameter: 1.4" (35mm)
Nominal Impedance: 4 ohm
DC Coil Resistance (Re): 2.80 ohm
Inductance (Le): 0.1 mH
Free Air Resonance (Fs): 950 Hz
Equivalent Stiffness (Vas): 0.004 L
Mechanical Q (Qms): 2.80
Electrical Q (Qes): 1.3
Total Q (Qts): 0.88
Cone Area (Sd): 4.55 cm2
Compliance (Cms): 0.14 mm/N
Moving Mass (Mms): 0.2 g
Force Factor (Bl): 1.6 Tm
Coil Height (Hvc): 1.8 mm
Gap Height (Hag): 2 mm
Linear Excursion [(Hvc-Hag)/2)], (Xmax): 0.1 mm
Magnetic Linear Excursion, (Xmag): 1.1mm
Mechanical Excursion (p-p): 2 mm
_
http://vault.alpine-usa.com/products/documents/OM_SPX-177R.PDF








(borrowed Skylar112's link, oddly have no picks of these)

Cost:
Mach 5 woofer:
$19 per woofer + sh
Alpine tweeter:
$14 per tweeter + sh
Total cost:
~$100

Anywho, on to the review...

*Sound:*
I found both of these drivers to be easy going and pleasant sounding. I sort of want to say laid back, but it wouldn't be correct. The presence isn't actually laid back, rather just smoothed over, pleasing to listen to for long periods of time. I'm speaking of both woofer and tweeter in conjunction as I find both relatively similar in character and match very well. This combination is a great option for those with sensitive ears. There is really nothing that is output that will sound harsh or annoying. To others, this may be their downfall. People looking for the utmost clarity and articulation will be let down as the real fine detail points really aren't there.

_*Tonality:*_
Again, both are similar in sound. Everything comes across pretty neutral, but the smooth nature does provide a slightly warmer feel from both drivers. However, it's not really a factor of strong or overpowering bass. The woofer does have a small dip in the 2-3kHz range that does create slightly muffled vocals and produces a warmer tone. Minor EQing flattens this out and makes for a very netural woofer or a little more makes it more lively. The tweeter is quite sedate in the same manner, nothing really standing out or overpowering, just very mild.

_*Usability:*_
Both drivers provide a nice, broad, and easy to work with frequency range. The woofer plays from essentially 4kHz on down to wherever you want with little problem. Full range is of little problem for the woofer. You can't beat the laws of physics, but the woofer doesn't show any weakness other than some minor loss of cleanliness in sound. It does whatever you want it to, happily. The tweeter, despite being on the tiny side, does offer wide range capability and is usable from 3kHz on up with little problem and hasn't shown me any real hints of strain even at loud volumes. I've kind of settled on a happy point of 3.5kHz between the two, using the available 24dB/oct slope from my HU.

_*Notes:*_
As I said above, this is a pleasant setup, open and broad but easy to listen to. There's an obvious sacrifice of detail for a pleasant nature, but it's not actually a bad trade-off as there is very little to complain about other than the lack of razor sharp clarity. The woofer has great low frequency impact and presense and good excursion and bottom end usablity that shows almost no fatigue even with no high pass. The very usable sensitivity up to 4kHz makes it very versitile and the steep 20dB/oct drop off after 4kHz almost makes any filter not needed. I do think it's a bit cleaner sounding using one though. The 2-3kHz range is the woofer's only real noticable weak point as it does muffle vocals and needs to be addressed to neutral out the tonality. Other than that, there isn't a thing to touch. The tweeter is very similar, not much to touch here, just don't cross real low as sensitivity does drop off and exucursion just isn't there. 3-3.5kHz works great. Yes, the sensitivity is a little low on the tweeter, but it's not bad. I only have it 1dB over the woofers, and it blends well. There's not that much more to say really. It's just a simple, affordable, and very easy to work with pair.


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## ThisWasAndy (Nov 10, 2006)

Nice review, and good timing as I'm looking for a great budget active setup.

Some questions.

Where are your Mach5's and tweeters mounted? What kind of amp/source are you running to power these and how much power are you sending?

And last,
Where did you pick up the tweeter from? I have Alpine type-R tweeters right now, lol. Sorry, I'm noob.

Thanks!
Andy


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## durwood (Mar 7, 2007)

www.pacparts.com

Or PM me. I have a pair forsale


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## SQKid89 (Feb 22, 2007)

This was the setup I really wanted to go with, but Mach5 has been out of these forever. Looks like I'll keep waiting, any news on when they'll be back in stock?


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## vwtoby (Oct 28, 2005)

i was told towards the end of this week


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## mvw2 (Oct 2, 2005)

http://www.gigafiles.co.uk/files/1850/Seas Woofer in Door 2.JPG
in the far bottom part of the door, essentially stock but a built mount. It's nice and solid and lets me run over 3.5" depth which was good when I had the Seas Excels in there.

In the future, it will move to a full fiberglass 3-way setup which will be nice as I can actually angle the drivers. Still, the layout will be very similar to what I have now, but a third one squeezed in there. I just like having all the drivers together. It simplifies everything, and for me, makes a more coherent stage. Everything's still TA'ed to some extent to dial everything together.

I'm suprised Mach 5 is taking so long to get more woofers made. I guess they're not that big of a company, but I'm curious how many people are buying, lol.

Power for me comes from two Cadence Z4000s, both are bridged allowing for up to 300w rms x 4 or to 75w x 8 for whatever. My future 3-way will most likely be 300w x 2 + 75w x 4. It's a nice combo, never find available power lacking, lol. Still, the woofers and tweeters are getting whatever they need to operate at the volumes I listen which for the most part isn't tremendously loud. Both the woofer and tweeter don't seem to care what I give them for the most part. Neither have shown signs of strain at the levels and x-overs I run.

I got the tweeter from www.partstore.com , essentially a copy of www.pacparts.com I don't really know if they're actually the same place or two different places that carry a lot of the same stuff. Availability may vary between each, and the tweeter at partstore isn't listed under the Type-X speaker list but alone, for some reason...


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## Aaron Clinton (Oct 17, 2006)

*THe last I heard the MLI-65s are on their way.*


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## BaMaDuDe87 (Oct 31, 2006)

How much power are you running to those tweets?


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## mvw2 (Oct 2, 2005)

Whatever they want, lol. They're hooked up to my Cadence bridged, so...um...300w rms.  Seriously, they get whatever they feel like. However for the loudness the operate at, probably not that much really. It's been some time since I've adjusted my amps. There is a lot available, but at max HU volume currently, they don't get overdriven, neither my woofers nor my tweeters seem to be overrun. Now I can't say for long term usage though. I just don't listen to my system cranked all that often. I'm pretty easy on my audio system. I don't know. I've just sort of stopped caring about thermal limits. I've just gotten used to just listening for distortion/overexcursion. They usually tell me if they don't like what I'm doing, lol.


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## BaMaDuDe87 (Oct 31, 2006)

I hear ya. Im thinkin about running this setup in my reg. cab truck. I was thinkin about putting 100w rms to each tweet and MLI-65s, but I was also thinking about running all this passive as I just started learning about all this indepth car audio, and move to active later. Could you run this setup without a sub and itll still sound nice?


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## mvw2 (Oct 2, 2005)

Sure. A subwoofer only helps the woofers out. They can easily enough play full range, but you're relying small woofers to move a lot of air and that just doesn't happen. You can get some output back through cabin gain, but you're still stuck with the laws of physics. A subwoofer takes over the necessary bass duties and lets the woofers work a little easier.

I'm not sure which passive crossover you plan on using, but I'd suggest one that has some attenuation adjustability. The tweeter's sensitivity is a little low, so if if you have some adjustments to set it to +1dB, +2dB, +3dB or similar, it will let you blend the woofer and tweeter together a little better. I'd suggest grabbing Alpine's passive crossovers from their Type-X set off www.partstore.com or www.pacparts.com (whichever's cheaper and in stock) as they offer a TON of adjustability. They just aren't real cheap at I think somewhere in the neighborhood of $90 for the pair. Let me check quick...nope $130, lol.
http://www.partstore.com/Part/Alpine+Electronics+Inc/Alpine/732110/New.aspx
I assume it's for the pair, but I don't know. I'd _hope_ it's for the pair, otherwise you might as well build a Type-X set on Ebay instead, get the crossovers + tweeters for $200, maybe sell the woofers to someone here looking for a nice midrange, and put the Mach 5s in place of the Alpine woofer. You could certainly try the Alpine woofer for a bit too and see which you prefer. Another bonus with this route: mounting hardware. 

I don't know. I'd almost stick to just buying the component set and working from there unless you already have a passive crossover waiting to be used.


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## BLD 25 (Apr 13, 2007)

I would like to add that i just installed this same setup, and i really like it. I love the mach 5 woofers, and the fit and finish quality is amazing. This is the first cast woofer i have seen in the 6.5" range, and it seems really beefy like a little sub in the doors. The midbass is the best that i have had so far(others are edi6000v.1, and adire koda 6), but still lacking. I think it is my car, because the ed woofers are now in another car of mine, and they have way more bass.

Also, they seem less midrangy(i just made up a word), and I like that fact. i don't Like tons of midrange, it sounds like someone singing into a coffee can to me. They seem crisper than the other mids i have used also, which is probably attributed to the very stiff paper cone.

I like the match of the tweets with these woofers, because they are both a little low on the sensitivity, so they work well together. The tweeters are nice and clear, and much has already been said about these. 

I have never heard anything seas, scanspeak, etc, but from what i have heard, these are amazing. 


The rest of my setup:

2003 Dodge Intrepid
Tweets mounted in the factory sails, fairly close to being on axis
Mids mounted in doors in factory location
Pioneer p6800mp H/U
Kicker RS5 xover (3500hz crossover, 18db both ways)
Powered by profile amp ~60w

thanks, i hope this is helpful!


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## mvw2 (Oct 2, 2005)

There's a slight dip at 2kHz that creates the laid back midrange. 2-3dB boost at 2kHz will bring that out. You seem to like the mild midrange, so you can leave it as is.

The level of detail is good as the woofer is pretty efficient and makes use of a light cone. The presence is open. However, it actually lacks a little bit of detail overall because the cone is actually a little soft. If you press it with your finger, you'll notice it's actually relatively flexable. It creates a softness to the sound, sort of like a poly cone but not so much.

Feel free to EQ the low end up a little bit. It has a high qts which is very suitable for a door install, and this does help it have good low frequency sensitivity. However, it does still roll off. Depending on the cabin gain, some EQing may or may not be desired. It's something you can play with.

My brother has the EDi6500 set. I'm not sure how different the 6000 woofers are in terms of sound presentation, but I agree with you on the coffee can effect.


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## tcguy85 (Oct 29, 2007)

these Mach 5 mids sound like they would be VERY good mids. i'm temped to try a pair in place of my rsd mids. i have plenty of power on tap for them.


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## mvw2 (Oct 2, 2005)

They're broadly functional and decently priced. I can't say how they compare to the RSD mids though, never heard a set.

From the way people describe the RSD woofers, I would assume the RSD woofers have more midbass sensitivity, just a guess really. Things like midrange response, level of detail, sound characteristics, etc., I have no clue.


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## tcguy85 (Oct 29, 2007)

mvw2 said:


> They're broadly functional and decently priced. I can't say how they compare to the RSD mids though, never heard a set.
> 
> From the way people describe the RSD woofers, I would assume the RSD woofers have more midbass sensitivity, just a guess really. Things like midrange response, level of detail, sound characteristics, etc., I have no clue.


yea i love my mid-bass. even more wouldn't hurt but i think it'd be tough to get much more mid-bass out of a set of 6.5's than what these rsd mids have. i would just have to buy a different set of mids and have less mid-bass. 

i think my next step might be 7's or 8's.


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## BEAVER (May 26, 2007)

I've been considering these mids, as well. I'd like to have the opportunity to compare the to the PRS mids. Has anyone done such a comparison?


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## BLD 25 (Apr 13, 2007)

I really like my mach 5 mids. I have tried playing them with no high pass filter, and they play down low. don't know how they compare to the rsd's though.


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## cbrei1023 (Dec 2, 2008)

Thread revival!!!

I'm getting some of these MLI65s in a trade for my 6.5" SLSs. I have a blue thunder 400x5 (about 60-80x4) and a blue thunder 1502 (about 125x2).

Im gonna start by running a 2-way active system until I get confident enough to install some 3s in the A-pillars. Now my question. If im doing that I want to run entirely off of the 400x5. Will 60-80W be enough for these mids?


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## aV8ter (Sep 4, 2009)

I ran my mids(MLI65s) on 125-130rms per woofer and REALLY enjoyed them on that power.

I would try them on your two channel first before bridging the 4ch to them.

And chances are, you won't be satisfied by 80rms per woofer.


Kevin


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## cbrei1023 (Dec 2, 2008)

I guess I could run off the 2 channel and bridge the 4 channels to the tweets with the gains set way back.


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## 6262ms3 (Feb 27, 2008)

I'd run the 2 channel to the woofers and 2 of the 4 channel to the tweeters. That should be enough power for both mids and tweets, plus you'll have 2 extra channels available for when you want to go 3-way.


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## cbrei1023 (Dec 2, 2008)

6262ms3 said:


> I'd run the 2 channel to the woofers and 2 of the 4 channel to the tweeters. That should be enough power for both mids and tweets, plus you'll have 2 extra channels available for when you want to go 3-way.


I want to go three way eventually. But is it okay to leave 2 channels unused. I always like to have something connected to all channels.


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## aV8ter (Sep 4, 2009)

You can always just bridge the 4ch to the mids and run the 2ch for the tweets. It will just put more wear on the 4ch since te mids are 4 ohm mids.


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