# Ultra Subs SS-6 Componets



## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

Well, this is going to be my on going thread for my Ultra Subs SS-6 comps review. These are the comps that I won in the vendor give away. The Ultra website for these comps can be found here. My thanks goes out to IamMurph and all of those at Ultra as well as Ant for the Second Skin trunk pack. I will use the deadning in the FJ install. I say on going because these will be in two different vehicles and used in two different ways. I'll be updating the thread as I get the comps installed into the second vehicle and be giving my on going opinion as well.

The first vehicle that these will be going is in my car, a 2002Saturn SC2. I know, laugh it up, but it cost me $6000 and it gets 36 mpg. Done laughing, good, now on with the review. Currently (well up until today) installed I have the Seas 18RNX mids with the LPG tweets running active using my Pioneer 860mp as the x-over. The amp I am using is a Phoenix Gold Xenon 100.4, 4 channels at 100+ watts a channel. Traditionally I have been very pleased with this set up, but it seems I am always playing with the settings. It seems I just can't get it just right. To start off the Ultra comps will be a direct drop in replacement for the Seas and LPG's. They will also be run active.

Anywho, let's start off with some pictures. Here are the Ultra mids, they seem pretty beefy. Not too much to look at, but I kinda like that. I like when a company puts the money into the sound of the speakers, and not the cosmetics.










Take a look at the rim of the speaker. The top layer is a plastic guard piece I am guessing. The second layer is the basket itself, and the third (bottom) layer is my favorite. It's a foam gasket of sorts. I found this to be very cool! I don't think I have ever tested a speaker with a foam gasket on the mounting side before!










Here is the back side of the speaker. Nothing too fancy, but you can see the foam gasket a little better.










Here is the mid mounting system. Pretty standard from what I have seen in the past. Simple yet effective.










Here is a pic of the tweet in it's mounting cup.










Backside 










Here is the tweet mounting system. I always worry about this when I buy comps because I never really know what to expect. No two companies seem to do this the same way and don't really elaborate on how they do it. After playing around with these I like the mounting options. I will most definitely try to flush mount these in the FJ. They do rotate around in the mounting cups a little so aiming them is pretty easy.

So, that's it for the initial pics. Next post is the install pics.


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

After taking the initial pics I dug in and tore apart my doors to do the install. Here are a few comparison pics and the install pics.










Ultra on the left, Seas on the right. Notice the difference in size. The Ultra is a 6.5" and the Seas is a 7".










The backside comparison. Notice the difference in motor size and the vent hole. I'm not sure what that has to do with anything, but there is a difference.










And a side comparison shot. 










Here are the tweets. LPG on the left and Ultra on the right. After playing with both of them I actually like the Ultra mounting options a lot better. They are much easier to aim.










And here are the install pics. Here are the mids installed on the spacer that I made to compensate for the depth of the Seas mids. I probably could have removed them, but I didn't want to rip up the ensolite. After installing the mids I made sure that there was still a good seal all the way around the speaker and the spacer. All is good.










Here is a shot of the door without the door panel. All of the holes are for mounting of the door panel. Notice the ensolite that is falling off. I resprayed that so hopefully it won't come off again.










And here is the finished install. Notice the tweet in the sail panel. It's not flush mounted, but it is solid and will do for now. I used the mounting system for the Ultra and I was able to aim these.

That's about it for the pics. I'll start another post with my initial thoughts and keep going from there.


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

Now on to the initial thoughts of the sound these make. That is what we are after right? I'll start off with the technical stuff. Here is how I set the x-over points initially:
Sub (LPF) 63hz with a 24db slope and reverse phase
Mids (bandpassed) HPF 63hz with a 18db slope
LPF 2.5khz with a 12db slope
Highs (HPF) 2.5khz with a 24db slope

After a little tweaking here is where I ended up leaving them:
Sub (LPF) 63hz with a 24db slope
Mids (bandpassed) HPF 80hz with a 18db slope
LPF 3.15khz with a 12db slope
Highs (HPF) 3.15khz with a 24 slope

I may play around with them a little more but I think I'm close.

So, how do they sound?? Well, initial thoughts are they are damn nice!! Right up there on par with the best stuff I have ran. First CD in was Alice In Chains - Unplugged. I was doing a lot of tweaking with this so I really didn't give it a fair shake but it sounded really good. The plucks of the guitar strings were present with authority, but not overpowering. Layne's voice shined as always, and overall the CD sounded good.

Next I threw in the DIYMA SQ CD as I call it. First song I played was Dire Straights - Money for Nothing. HOLY S#*@!!! The drums were right in front of me, with authority! The voices were at eye level in front of me, DAMN!! This was what I was hoping for. Loud, and clear with authority. Just sonic bliss. I played this song about 4 times through before I made myself try something else. 

After that I listened to Fleetwood Mac, Clapton, The Eagles, and that one some about Keith Don't Go or something like that all with similar results. Even the Dr. Dre track sounded really good, but made me realize something. I had to turn my sub down. For some reason it was getting overpowering. After a few little tweaks it just seemed to blend right in. So, I had to go back to Dire Straights to see if it effected that bliss. Nope, The authority of the drums seemed to shift from behind me a little bit to in front or slightly to the side. I actually like this a lot better.

Next I threw in some Days of the New. This is my safe CD. I have listened to this sooooo much that I seem to know every note by heart. I started off with Provider, and as always it sounded great. This song starts off slow with a single guitar then kicks into gear with Travis Meeks vocals. The guitar sounds soo damn good with this set. It seems to shine even more with the Ultra's than with the Seas for some reason. 

After that I tried many of my favorite songs and found myself just listening to the music. Somewhere in there I stopped trying to pick apart the speakers and just enjoyed the music. This IMO is one of the highest compliments I can give these. Seriously, this is why I have dumped all of this money into a sound system is to just enjoy the music I love. I'm very pleased with this set so far.

A few notes before I end the initial review. At first I thought the tweets were less harsh that the LPG's but after listening to them I thing they are a little brighter. Maybe it's the different x-over settings, maybe not but I think I'm going to have to EQ these down a little bit. And speaking of EQ'ing, after tweaking here and there it looks like I am a lot close to having a flat EQ than I had before. I'm a hell of a lot closer to dead center than I was with the Seas and LPG's. I'm not sure what that means, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

So, there is the initial review. I'll update this in a week or so with my findings, then in two weeks or so I'll transfer them to the FJ and use the passives. I'm looking forward to the next few weeks, so far these are everything I have hoped for!!


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

Someone is asking great question on another forum and I think I should update this thread with them.

Q: I am curious as to more of a comparison with what you took out... 

A: Well, the mids seem to blend with my sub better and have more authority. I have noticed that the bass has moved more in front of me than ever before. This is something I have always had a problem with, I just can't seem to blend the Seas in with the sub. And the tweets seem more bright to me. I'm sure this is something I can EQ out with enough time, but right out of the box they are bright. I would not say they are harsh though. I had some of the first RE RE comp sets and those mother's were HARSH! These are no where near that, just a little to high for my liking. Like I said in the review though I after some EQing I am closer to a flat EQ curve than I ever have been. These don't seem to take much EQing to sound good, unlike the Seas and LPG's. It seems I am always tweaking stuff with them. With the Ultra set I feel like I can get it tuned in after a bit and just leave it alone.

I hope that helped! Let me know if you guys have anymore questions! 


Q: Were the initial settings what you were using with the Seas/LPG setup? If not, do you have those as well. Also, did you change your gain settings and if so how were they set?

My main curiosity stems from the fact that I have found the CA18 to be about the easiest 6/7" mid to blend with a sub that I have ever played with. Not at all that I don't believe in your setup it is different, but I'd like to know why since there are many people that can benefit from easy to use drivers.

A: Yes, the initial settings were what I was using with the Seas and LPG combo. Perhaps the problem I have with blending the mids and the sub is completely my fault. I'm kinda self taught and in no way do I blame the drivers I am using. I would seriously blame myself before them. Then again it might be the sub, and not that there is anything wrong with it, but maybe I just can't make it blend using the Seas. Dunno, but to my untrained ear the Ultras just seem to blend better.

As far as the gain go I did not touch them. I expected that I would have to, but left them untouched for the initial playing and just kinda left them where they sit. I did go from all 8 ohm drivers to all 4 ohm. One would expect that I would have to turn them down a touch, but I guess I just don't get that carried away with the volume knob. Also it speaks volumes to the great sensitivity rating on the 8 ohm Seas drivers. Interseting huh??!!

Great questions, please keep up the inquisition. This is how I learn!


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

does anyone know what these sell for ? I see the manufacture lists them for $499...


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## mr1spd (Jan 5, 2009)

So in your honest opinion are they worth the 499.99?


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

mr1spd said:


> So in your honest opinion are they worth the 499.99?


Well, I'll save that judgment until I have tried them in the FJ with the provided passive x-overs. So far though I am very pleased.


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## mr1spd (Jan 5, 2009)

I can respect that but I would definitely beat the living hell out of them. "Tusk" Fleetwood Mac. A little " Lies" from Korn. And try the song "Forever" by the band "Hurt" off the album "Vol. 1". Then of course some Pink Floyd and some Tool. The Hurt song is good a wide range of stuff.


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

mr1spd said:


> I can respect that but I would definitely beat the living hell out of them. "Tusk" Fleetwood Mac. A little " Lies" from Korn. And try the song "Forever" by the band "Hurt" off the album "Vol. 1". Then of course some Pink Floyd and some Tool. The Hurt song is good a wide range of stuff.


I have that Hurt CD, I'll be sure to throw it in.


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## mr1spd (Jan 5, 2009)

I've seen them and concert and met them great guys. Good to hear you have heard of them most people just look puzzled when you say the name and surprised when they hear it.


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## 91dime (Dec 17, 2008)

Like mr1spd said, try some Tool, thier drummer is very technical. The intro to ticks & leeches is a good track from drums, but there are many others. Great review, I have been throwing the idea of going with prs720 comps, but these seem to have what i am looking for.


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## BauderExtreme (Mar 13, 2009)

gentlejax2 said:


> does anyone know what these sell for ? I see the manufacture lists them for $499...


That is what they sell for.


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## Ultrasubs (Mar 13, 2007)

Hey guys !!!
Congratulations Mr. Tibbs on winning the ULTRA SS-6 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you enjoy my babies !
I come from a Retail background and still own a store to this day.

When it gets to the point that you pay $899+ for a nice set of speakers that sound great but BLOW UP with the smallest amount of "indiscretion", it does become annoying.

The ULTRA method of doing things is PURE PERFORMANCE DRIVEN.
What makes the products unique is how the perform, not how they look.
I think many of us have grown past the Audiobahn type product that glittered and that was about it.

The more you live with the speakers, the more you will see what I'm talking about in SOUND BEING WHAT MATTERS ..........
Maybe try Roadhouse Blues by the Doors, Santeria and then switch gears and throw in Intergalactic from the Beastie Boys, throughout the whole song is a high & low tone that alternates in the song that gets lost when a speaker set up has too much "here and there".

Realistically, if you spend FOREVER tuning and tweaking you can get ANYTHING to sound good but there will be somewhere where you will find a weakness or a hole.

GREAT speakers out of the box make it much easier to get what your supposed to without always messing around with tone settings from song to song. 
Well enjoy them and if anybody has ANY questions, please ASK.
It is not "normal" in the business to ask questions or have access to the person who designed the product, normally you can just talk to the marketing department LOL.

Thanks,


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

It would be great to see how these fare against the top contenders in their price range, as well.

Off the cuff, I'm thinking Polk SR (right about the same price), and the Pio 720's (a bit cheaper.)


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## Philbert (Apr 2, 2007)

Any potential for an initial launch group buy discount?


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## Philbert (Apr 2, 2007)

fourthmeal said:


> It would be great to see how these fare against the top contenders in their price range, as well.
> 
> Off the cuff, I'm thinking Polk SR (right about the same price), and the Pio 720's (a bit cheaper.)


Also a comparison with the Hybrid Audio Clarus line, which is similarly priced direct from the manufacturer.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

I personally cant imagine what a set of comps sound like that are worth that much money...I have old ads stuff which I bought new and it sounds fine to me and they were expensive back in the day so ...I guess these new comps can be worth every penny...I just dont have the bank to buy such things any more..


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

gentlejax2 said:


> I personally cant imagine what a set of comps sound like that are worth that much money...I have old ads stuff which I bought new and it sounds fine to me and they were expensive back in the day so ...I guess these new comps can be worth every penny...I just dont have the bank to buy such things any more..


Just a quick glance around and DLS, Diamond Audio, Zapco, CDT, all have speaker sets that retail for more than these. IIRC even the PG Elites retailed for more than these. I guess it's all a matter of what you want to pay for. To be honest this is probably the most expensive set I have tried out, and so far I am pleased. 

Today I played with the x-over point of the tweets and dropped it down to 2.5khz with a 18db slope. That seems to have mellowed the tweets right out. Maybe there was a break in period because these seem to be getting better.


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## mvw2 (Oct 2, 2005)

You'll need to find the range the woofer and tweeter can play separately. Figure out how high and low the woofer can play before noticeably rolling off or getting messy. Then test the tweeter and see how low it can go before dropping off or getting messy. Play them together at 2kHz up to 4kHz and see if you can hear one and then the other start to drop off in response or harshen up. Only a certain range will sound really good. 

As well, level balance the woofer and tweeter together well so one does not overshadow the other. You mentioned strong highs, and it may be because the tweeter is a little loud relative to the woofer. Both output level and time alignment can make a driver stand out unnecessarily.

I love pink noise for EQ work. It's also really good for level balancing a woofer and tweeter together. Plus since it's constant noise, time alignment has no effect, so you can dial in levels and then step to TA with music and see if it only sounded correct because some TA offset was corrected with some output level adjustment. EQing becomes a breeze with pink noise. Work through the entire range and balance out everything. See if you come across any noticeable dips or peaks and see if there are any issues around the crossover point (overlap) and if you find yourself EQing down or up the entire woofer or tweeter range because your levels between them weren't initially set right.

Tweak and tweak again. Spend a lot of time pushing them past their intended operating range and get a feel for both how good they are and how limited they may be in certain areas. I suggest after a while try throwing the Seas woofers and LPG tweeters back in to get a fresh look at them after you get used to the Ultra speaker set. You may notice some new details there were present or lacking that you didn't notice before. Also try the Seas woofer with the Ultra tweeter and the Ultra woofer with the LPG tweeter and see how you like the combinations. You may find that you like a particular hybrid better. As well, mixing and matching hardware can also point towards other specifics you didn't notice before. You also have the option of running the Ultras on one side and the Seas/LPG setup on the other side and directly compare both sides. This too can highly some of the minor/major differences that you wouldn't pick up on separately.


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## JAX (Jun 2, 2006)

mr tibbs said:


> Just a quick glance around and DLS, Diamond Audio, Zapco, CDT, all have speaker sets that retail for more than these. IIRC even the PG Elites retailed for more than these. I guess it's all a matter of what you want to pay for. To be honest this is probably the most expensive set I have tried out, and so far I am pleased.
> 
> Today I played with the x-over point of the tweets and dropped it down to 2.5khz with a 18db slope. That seems to have mellowed the tweets right out. Maybe there was a break in period because these seem to be getting better.


thats why I asked what they sold for...I know what they retail for but that is not what they actually sell for quite often....


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## jbass1spl (Jan 29, 2009)

Hey guys, just catching up I have been working the last two weeks. I like the look of the mids, solid. Although for the price the terminals could have been better. The mid looks almost identical to the Crossfire MB6 midbass driver, and the tweets from inside the mount basket looks alot like the Crossfire Titaniums. I cant remember seeing but what are the size of the Tweets? They look like a 3/4 inch. Also how does the mid driver play at high volume at 80 htz. I find alot of drivers tend to pop, and seem to settle down around 100-125 htz. Are you going to try a set up with the tweets closer to the mid driver? Does the x-over have an off axis or on axis switch setting? A pic of the x-over would be nice. Also, I see mainly you are playing rock /rap? How does county and classical sound? How does the front stage pick up bass responce if you remove the subs? You are running good power to the set, but alot of people either dont have amps (using deck power) or they have a typical 50x2 or x4 amp. I would be curious how they sound with less power.


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## mr1spd (Jan 5, 2009)

I am agreeing with a lot of the posts. When did car audio manufactures think that all people buying car audio were rich. I installed years ago and there was high end and expensive, but it seems like the price of stuff just goes up and up. Sell your items a little cheaper and sell more. If you can buy pro audio drivers for about the same price what justifies spending 500 on a set of comps. What kind of warranty do they have?


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

mvw2 said:


> You'll need to find the range the woofer and tweeter can play separately. Figure out how high and low the woofer can play before noticeably rolling off or getting messy. Then test the tweeter and see how low it can go before dropping off or getting messy. Play them together at 2kHz up to 4kHz and see if you can hear one and then the other start to drop off in response or harshen up. Only a certain range will sound really good.
> 
> As well, level balance the woofer and tweeter together well so one does not overshadow the other. You mentioned strong highs, and it may be because the tweeter is a little loud relative to the woofer. Both output level and time alignment can make a driver stand out unnecessarily.
> 
> ...


I will attempt some of this, these are good suggestions! But, I do kinda feel that running these drivers active is a little unfair, that is not what they are meant for. This is a passive set that has specific passive x-overs with them. That is what I was really going to concentrate on. I kinda feel that running them active might not be fair to them because I might be able to skew the results if I am not dead on with my tuning. That is why I am a little anxious to get these into the FJ and use the provided passives and see what they can do on their own. Running them active in the car was just kind of an experiment I decided to do because I had access to two different set ups. 

And to be right honest guys so far I am really liking the set. I dropped down the x-over point on the tweets to 2.5khz and that seems to have mellowed them down a bit. I took a little drive today with the wife and even she is liking them. She said "It sounds more "natural" than what you had in here before". Even she feels like everything blends better than what I had going on before, and she loves that I have turned the sub down. That tells me two things, 1) the Ultra comps really do sound good and 2) my setup before is too bass heavy. She generally does not like listening to the stereo with us in the car because she likes to talk. Today she was asking if we could put some of her music in. She's even noticing the differences in recordings. Not too bad for someone who hates this car audio "crap"!


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

mr1spd said:


> I am agreeing with a lot of the posts. When did car audio manufactures think that all people buying car audio were rich. I installed years ago and there was high end and expensive, but it seems like the price of stuff just goes up and up. Sell your items a little cheaper and sell more. If you can buy pro audio drivers for about the same price what justifies spending 500 on a set of comps. What kind of warranty do they have?


IIRC, and don't take my word for it but I think the warranty is one year if you just buy them and three years if you have a dealer install them. That's off the top of my head so we might want to check on that.

Again I'll save my thoughts on the price until I get to fully test them out with the provided passive x-over.


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

gentlejax2 said:


> thats why I asked what they sold for...I know what they retail for but that is not what they actually sell for quite often....


Mike,

I'm sorry for that response, looking back it sounded kinda harsh and that was not my intent. What I guess I was trying to say is that it seems that there are a lot of comps out there in this price range. I don't feel that the MSRP price is _that_ out there. Hell looking around Infinity Kappa Perfects have a MSRP of $479!! For $20 more I would go with the Ultra's over Infinity's in a heart beat.

With all of that being said do I think I would spend $500 on a set of comps? I dunno, I guess that would depend on my budget for an install. Do I think these are worth $500? Dunno yet, I'll save that for after I have tested them with the passives.


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

jbass1spl said:


> Hey guys, just catching up I have been working the last two weeks. I like the look of the mids, solid. Although for the price the terminals could have been better. The mid looks almost identical to the Crossfire MB6 midbass driver, and the tweets from inside the mount basket looks alot like the Crossfire Titaniums. I cant remember seeing but what are the size of the Tweets? They look like a 3/4 inch. Also how does the mid driver play at high volume at 80 htz. I find alot of drivers tend to pop, and seem to settle down around 100-125 htz. Are you going to try a set up with the tweets closer to the mid driver? Does the x-over have an off axis or on axis switch setting? A pic of the x-over would be nice. Also, I see mainly you are playing rock /rap? How does county and classical sound? How does the front stage pick up bass responce if you remove the subs? You are running good power to the set, but alot of people either dont have amps (using deck power) or they have a typical 50x2 or x4 amp. I would be curious how they sound with less power.


OK, I'll try to answer some of your questions. IIRC the size of the tweet is 1". The mid seems to play great at hing volumes at 80hz! I did drop it down to 63hz and it did not seem to like it much, but this was with the first settings and I'm not sure if breaking these in for a while will have a impact on that. I'll try it again before I switch them into the FJ. The x-over is pretty standard looking with no switch for the tweet attenuation. I'll see if I can dig up a pick of the x-over for you. To be honest I can't stand to listen to country music. I don't think I will be testing any of that out, but I will try to find some classical and play with. I have not tried to turn the sub off yet and listen to just the comps yet, I'll do that later on in the week. And as far as low power goes, all I can say is that they still sound good at lower volumes. Me and the wife were actually talking about that today on our drive.

I hope that helps, more to come!


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

And here are some pics of the x-over from the give away thread.


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## IamMurph (Jan 12, 2009)

mr1spd said:


> I am agreeing with a lot of the posts. When did car audio manufactures think that all people buying car audio were rich. I installed years ago and there was high end and expensive, but it seems like the price of stuff just goes up and up. Sell your items a little cheaper and sell more. If you can buy pro audio drivers for about the same price what justifies spending 500 on a set of comps. What kind of warranty do they have?


Three year warranty when bought from a dealer.

High end speakers that are made in the usa are going to be more expensive than mass produced speakers made in China. Yes Ultra may cost a little more then some other brands but we believe in quality first.


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## mr1spd (Jan 5, 2009)

I am not pointing the finger at ultra. But other high end stuff that isn't US made and there is a still a prime price for it. The Ultra stuff looks like it is built nice, and I am learning more about the product as this thread goes on. I like the fact that these questions are not only being asked, they are being answered. That helps alot in my buying decision. I am a Union Electrician and support all "Made in USA" products but I still have to ask questions.


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## IamMurph (Jan 12, 2009)

Cost is relative to many factors. I won't get into all of them but lets just say that profit margins haven't jumped along with those higher prices. 

Since you are an electrician let me ask you this. How much does it cost to wire a home today compared to 5 years ago?


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## mr1spd (Jan 5, 2009)

I cannot honestly answer that. When I started as an electrician I wired homes. I do commercial/ industrial now so I do not know, and I am not an estimator. I know the price of items goes up. I understand the cost of items and why they cost. It just seemed for quite a while that car audio prices hiked way up. My 1st set of components were polk audio I believe they were about 160.00 for a 5" and tweet. Now a set of components goes anywhere from 50.00 to well over 1000.00. Like I said before I am not trying to point out Ultra, I always ask questions before even buying anything over 100.00.


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

Question are good, they help me learn!


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## IamMurph (Jan 12, 2009)

I love great conversation and tough questions. I take no offense at all. I have 15 years in the industry and many of the prices have gone down from when I started but many have also gone up. A CD player was $499 and had no internal amplifier. Now a basic one is $99. Is the quality better on a 20 year old cd player? No way no how. Now when it comes to speakers and amplifiers, the technology has gotten better with time. Many companies make a high end and a low end. For me, the value of a product is in it's use. If you are happy with $150 speakers them good for you. I had a pair of $300 Infinity Kappa's and I was deeply disappointed. If I had head the speakers before buying them then I would not have bought them. Heck if I did my research and read reviews then I would not have bought them. We all live and learn/


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## mr1spd (Jan 5, 2009)

true so true I ended up buying a morel hybrid ovation 6" set and upgraded to the mt-23 tweeter. I read a ton of reviews before buying. I am still looking for a good sub and read the forums here often.


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## ANT (Oct 15, 2005)

Ultrasubs said:


> Hey guys !!!
> Congratulations Mr. Tibbs on winning the ULTRA SS-6 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy my babies !
> ...


 
Nice to have a the designer and manufacturere of the product here in the forum to address our members questions directly. 

Thanks for being here Lambros!

ANT


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## Lake Country Customs Mike (Dec 30, 2007)

Not to hijack your review thread but I also run Ultra components in my cars and have been very impressed from day one. I had previously been running a set of focal utopia components and focal kp components in each car. Both now have Ultra. Both sets of focals sell for considerably more than the Ultras do and in my opinion out perform both sets. Rock, Rap, Country, they play it all with clarity and authority. I don't know of many if any other companies offering three year warranties. The customer service with Ultra is out of this world. If you have a problem the engineer is availble any time to talk with you. I am getting ready to head out now, but if anyone is interested in hearing more of my thoughts from experience with these speakers or many other Ultra products let me know. I have tried all levels of his subwoofers in 10" and 12", the components for almost a year now, and will be running the Ultra 4 channel amp starting this coming week. I can't say enough good things about Ultra as a company, Ultra products, or Lambros as a person. It is tough to find *great*companies anymore with decent products. Lambros is definately different from all the rest. I would recomend Ultra to anyone and I do almost daily at our shop. If you don't believe me find an Ultra dealer near you and have a listen for yourself.


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## 12vTools (Jan 15, 2009)

gentlejax2 said:


> does anyone know what these sell for ? I see the manufacture lists them for $499...


These sell for 499 .


oops didnt see this was answered already.


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

Just a quick update guys. I ran into a little snag with the FJ so I still have these in the car, and I'm still loving them. I have a dash kit and a wiring harness for the FJ on the way and it should be here on Tuesday. I'm installing a Kenwood XXV-01D in the FJ and finally ditching the stock deck. So hopefully by the end of the week I should have these installed into the FJ and have some initial thought for you guys. Thanks for being patient with me guys and sorry to the guys at Ultra for taking sooo long. I am enjoying them in the car though!!


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## IamMurph (Jan 12, 2009)

No problem at all. I love the Kenwood XXV-01D. Lets see some more pics when you get it done.


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

THE ULTRA'S ARE IN! I REPEAT, THE ULTRA'S ARE IN THE FJ!! I'm downloading the pics right now ans I'll start the initial review in a bit. Let me start off by saying this has been a huge improvement in the FJ!


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## ANT (Oct 15, 2005)

Can't wait to see the pics!

ANT


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

OK, again we will start off with some comparo pics. I took out some Exile shallow mount comps and replaced them with the Ultra's. Here is a link to the new version of the Exile comps that I took out. And here are the comparison pics:









Both of these comps are 6.5 inch









Guess which ones are the shallow mount!









Backside









Tweets!! Ultra on the left, Exile on the right.









Backside, it looks like I left the mounting bracket on the Exile.









X-overs, notice the Exile's are Bi-ampable.









X-over guts, the Exile has more. I think this has to do with the Bi-ampable stuff.

So, that's about it for comparison pics. Obviously the Ultra mids are a lot more beefy, but they are also not shallow mounts. The Exile x-overs have a lot more guts and are bi-ampable, but the Ultra's seem to hold their own.


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

Now on to the install pics. There are not as many pics here because I simply replaced the Exile's with the Ultra's. The tweeter placement in the FJ sucks ass for aftermarket systems. I plan on making some tweeter pods in the very near future and try to get some better staging. So, on to the pics.









I started off the day deadning the door panels. The doors were already done, but the skins have started to rattle lately. Thanks to Ant and Second Skin for the trunk pack that went along with the contest!









It's not a pretty install, but it gets the job done.









The Ultra mid in the stock location









Full door shot









Tweet in factory location









Factory tweet location

So, there are the install pics. I placed the x-overs inside the door panel and couldn't get a picture. The doors are all sealed up and now they shut with a very authoritative THUMP! Like I mentioned, I plan on placing the tweets in some pods above the dash in the very near future. I never liked them in the factory location, but this was the wife's vehicle. Now that we are married and the FJ is community property all bets are off!:laugh::laugh:


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

And finally the initial review. Well, to say this is a huge improvement would be an understatement. I have finally found all of the midbass I have been missing with the Exiles'!! To be fair to the Exiles though #1 they are a shallow mount system, and #2 I did just install a new headunit. The stock one was just not cutting it anymore. But, today after I did the install I finally set my gains correctly and this has made a huge difference. 

So, listening impressions, well first off I threw in Alice in Chains - Unplugged. Again, same as in the car, this sounds great! The guitar plucks sound clear, the midbass is finally there and the voices sound great! There is a staging issue, but I'm hoping to eliminate some of this with the tweeter pods. I don't blame the speakers for this. Next I threw in my reference CD for the ride home, Days of the New. Again, this is a huge improvement over the Exiles. I know how this CD sounds in the car and the FJ. The car used to just blow this away, now not so much. The guitars really stand out, and again I finally found the midbass that I have been missing. Now that I don't have all the control over x-over points because I'm running active things are a lot less complicated. I have the mids cut off at 60Hz right now with a 12db slope and they seem to be happy. I may try and drop them down a little more just to play with them, but they are doing 60Hz right now with ease. 

So, that's kind of my initial thoughts. I really didn't have a lot of listening time today because of work, but I will try to get some more in this week. So far I am very pleased, these are all I have been hoping for in the FJ. Before I just wanted something in there to please the wife, but now I have taken it over so I have been craving something more. So far the Ultra's are fulfilling my need for something more. I am very happy with this upgrade and will update this thread when Iget some more listening time in.


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## stump (Jul 19, 2008)

Nice set up...Ill be doing a new system for a ute (2 door cab) soon....thanks


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## pagustin (Mar 1, 2009)

Sounds Like I may need to find a place to audition these.

mr tibbs did you play around with swapping the phase on the tweets as they are fairly far away from the mids? It may help the staging a bit, then again who knows it may not. 

P


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

pagustin said:


> Sounds Like I may need to find a place to audition these.
> 
> mr tibbs did you play around with swapping the phase on the tweets as they are fairly far away from the mids? It may help the staging a bit, then again who knows it may not.
> 
> P


I was going to wait until I build the pods and then mess around with the staging. I'll give that a shot though, you never know!


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## snaimpally (Mar 5, 2008)

I'd be interested to know how the Ultra mids stack up against the ID OEM mids.


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## gangstajpimpin (Nov 25, 2008)

i agree with snaimpally... also, maybe against the Hertz HSK-165 set?? (thats what i have )


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

snaimpally said:


> I'd be interested to know how the Ultra mids stack up against the ID OEM mids.


IMO the mids are the best part of this set. The tweets are a little too bright for my taste, but can be mellowed out with some EQ'ing. The x-overs are solid too, but the mids are really shining. I love them!!


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## IamMurph (Jan 12, 2009)

I am glad the Alice in Chains I suggested made a good litmus test for you. I haven't heard or seen a OEM mid but I can speak from my own personal experience. The SS-6 is by far the best component sent I have ever installed or used. My years of installation has brought me Arc, Alpine, CDT, Coustic, Cerwin Vega, Blaupunkt, JBL, Pioneer, Infinity, JL, Phoenix Gold, Pyle, JVC, Image Dynamics, Kenwood, MB Quart and I am sure I am missing a few.In my personal vehicles I have used Clarion, Blaupunkt, Arc Audio, JBL, Infinity, Phoenix Gold, Pioneer and lastly Ultra. Just my personal opinion but the speakers surprised the heck out of me. Even though they don't look flashy and may look similar to a few other brands, I can attest that they are leaps and bounds above the competition.


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## mr tibbs (Dec 18, 2005)

Well, after playing with these comps for over a month I feel like I can finally give my final thoughts on the set. There is one more thing I am going to do, but I'm not sure when I am going to get around to it so I'll go ahead and wrap this up.

First are my thoughts running these active in my car. What can I say, I really, really liked these. I felt like they worked better than my current set up (seas mids and LPG tweets) because of a few factors. Number 1, these were a lot easier for me to blend with my sub stage. For some reason in my car I have always felt like I am fighting to blend the Seas with my sub stage, but not with the Ultra mids. After a few adjustments I kinda felt like the "line" between my sub and the mids just went away. It was very nice to listen to while I had them in there. And number 2, this comp set was very easy to EQ. I'm not a pro at EQ'ing so it seems like I am always making adjustments even after having my set up in the car for a couple of years now. But, as soon as I threw the Ultra set in there and got it adjusted I really didn't have to mess with it at all. Also, using the Ultra gear my EQ was a lot closer to being flat that it has been in many years. I don't really think that it will be the same for every application, but that was the case in mine. The one hangup I had with the Ultra set was the tweet. It was a little bright for my tastes, but I was able to mellow it down with some EQ'ing. All in all as an active set I give this set a solid 9 out of 10.

Now in the FJ I am running them passive using the provided passive x-over. I replaced the existing Exile set with the Ultra's and it has been a *HUGE* difference. I know the Exile set is a shallow mount set, but they were still supposed to have some good midbass. Well, after installing the Ultra's I can tell you that the Exile's were not preforming. Giving them both the same power and the same signal the Ultra's are blowing them away. I could go on and on about what a difference these have made, but I think you get the point. In the FJ the Ultra's are really shining. I'm still having soem staging issues, but this is all about the placement of the tweet. That is what I have to change next. Even though the staging is off I am still very impressed with this set. Again, because of the added midbass I have now been able to blend my sub stage with the front stage. Also, once again I feel that the tweets are a little bright for my tastes, but I have been able to tame them with some EQ'ing. This problem could also be caused by the horrible stock location of the tweets. I plan to make some tweet pods and try to aim the the tweets better and see if this is part of the problem. In the FJ running them passive I again give this set a solid 9 out of 10.

So, after having this set for over a month and playing with them in two different vehicles I give them a solid 9 out of 10. The only thing holding me back from giving them a 10 is the bright tweet. The mids really seem to be the star of this set. They provide very solid midbass, yet blend well with the tweets. I guess this is to be expected from a sub company! After having this set it really makes me want to try out an Ultra sub. After all, that is their specialty! I have really enjoyed this set in both vehicles and would highly recommend them to anyone. And to those who have asked, yes, I do feel that this set is worth the $499 price tag. If you take a look at the competition in this price range I really do feel like Ultra is right where they need to be. It might be a steep price for some people, but I do not feel anyone would be disappointed with this set. 

In closing I would like to thank Ultra subs and Murph for giving me the chance at reviewing this set. And Ant for the Second Skin, that has really killed all of the rattles in the door panels that I had in the FJ. I apologize for the length of time this review has taken, but I wanted to get it right. I hope I have done right by you guys, this has been a blast!!


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## abnrngr1986 (Mar 10, 2010)

Ultrasubs said:


> Hey guys !!!
> Congratulations Mr. Tibbs on winning the ULTRA SS-6 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy my babies !
> ...


PM sent !!!!


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