# 3.5" midrange choice



## Only the best (Mar 20, 2013)

im looking to put two 3.5" midranges in my dash in my truck ran off of an amp. 

I want something of very high quality something louder than 85 db. I listen to my system cranked full tilt at all times so I want something of high quality/no distortion at high volumes...
just lookin to put a little kick in the front for a surround sounding feeling.

my budget is <120


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## haromaster87 (Jan 20, 2012)

Are you putting these in with additional speakers, or just these? You can't expect a great deal of "kick" from 3.5's. Have you seen these?

Dayton Audio RS100-4 4" Reference Full-Range Driver 4 Ohm 295-378

They're listed at 4in, but if you read, it's smaller than 4 in. It has great reviews as a mid. What are you going to be powering the speakers with?


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## Only the best (Mar 20, 2013)

VR3 VRA2 0 100 Watt RMS 200 Watt Peak 2 Channel Car Amplifier Audio Amp | eBay
I bought this a while ago and was going to use that unless I need more clear power


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## tnaudio (Mar 4, 2012)

I can 2nd the Dayton speaker. Great sound out of those.


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## Only the best (Mar 20, 2013)

will they be loud enough?


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## SaturnSL1 (Jun 27, 2011)

You should return that amp or maybe put it in a trash compactor. VR3 may be the worst brand ever.


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## Patrick Bateman (Sep 11, 2006)

Only the best said:


> im looking to put two 3.5" midranges in my dash in my truck ran off of an amp.
> 
> I want something of very high quality something louder than 85 db. I listen to my system cranked full tilt at all times so I want something of high quality/no distortion at high volumes...
> just lookin to put a little kick in the front for a surround sounding feeling.
> ...


As long as you have enough power, maximum output is dictated by displacement, not by efficiency. There are plenty of midranges with efficiencies in the low 80s that can generate more output than drivers with efficiencies in the 90s.

As another poster mentioned, there aren't many 3.5" drivers that can get particularly loud. The old Adire widebands came pretty close though, but they're no longer in production.

If I was trying to extract maximum output out of a 3.5" driver I'd put it in a small vented box (to keep excursion under control) and then high pass it to reduce excursion even further. That'll allow it to play as much as 6-10dB louder, depending on where you highpass it.


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## haromaster87 (Jan 20, 2012)

Gotcha. I looked up the specs on that amp and it looks like it's listed as making 50 watts RMS @ 4 ohms per channel, and 2 total channels. With the right speakers, that is a good amount of power. 

I'm not sure the amount of sound or range you're looking for. You won't get a whole lot if you're just running the 3.5's, but I suppose they could get loud. Do you have room for any additional speakers? Or room for anything bigger?


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

if you are looking for "a little more kick" then a 3.5" is not going to do it. 3.5" is strictly a midrange.

what do you have now? how will this driver fit in system? where do you plan to install it? how do you plan to get surround sound from this?


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## Only the best (Mar 20, 2013)

no I don't needa ny other speakers. I have 2 10" subs (center console box) [2 super tweeters/ 2 6x9s/ 1 8" sub] (in a custom fiberglass box in my roof.... and 2 6x9s in the front doors and 6.5's in the back doors. 

the 3.5 completes my system. I wanted to create a surround sounding effect.

and just because its a bad brand....why throw it away...give me a better reason why it wont work for my application than just "brand name"


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## Only the best (Mar 20, 2013)

the 3.5' speakers are going in my front dash as replacements so I cant relaly build an enclosure for it unless I can put some kind of "cup" on the back of it


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## SaturnSL1 (Jun 27, 2011)

VR3 is trash dude. Especially if you're planning on running all this **** at full tilt for extended periods. The amp will most likely shut down very quickly.

If you want quality products that put out clean power you're going to have to spend more than $30 on eBay.


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

Only the best said:


> no I don't needa ny other speakers. I have 2 10" subs (center console box) [2 super tweeters/ 2 6x9s/ 1 8" sub] (in a custom fiberglass box in my roof.... and 2 6x9s in the front doors and 6.5's in the back doors.
> 
> the 3.5 completes my system. I wanted to create a surround sounding effect.
> 
> and just because its a bad brand....why throw it away...give me a better reason why it wont work for my application than just "brand name"


without a DSP, I dont see how. just throwing a 3.5 in the dash or the door is not going to do it.

yes, but if a "brand name" is known for being garbage, then it is not worth bothering with. you want 'only the best' then dont polute the chain


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## Only the best (Mar 20, 2013)

lol then what would you suggest for the Dayton's? and DSP?


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## BuickGN (May 29, 2009)

As I was reading the OP I was thinking the Dynaudio 430 would fit the bill and is one of the best midranges money can buy. Then I saw the price range. It sounds like in this particular install, it would probably not be the best choice anyway.


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## Only the best (Mar 20, 2013)

BuickGN said:


> As I was reading the OP I was thinking the Dynaudio 430 would fit the bill and is one of the best midranges money can buy. Then I saw the price range. It sounds like in this particular install, it would probably not be the best choice anyway.


how much are they?


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## BuickGN (May 29, 2009)

Retail is around $1,600. Some Dyn dealers are pretty nice about the pricing.


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## jp88 (Jun 25, 2007)

These speakers should work for you
Audiovox RSP 30 Original Factory Replacement Dashboard Speaker 3 1 2" RSP30 New | eBay


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## jcpahman77 (Mar 5, 2013)

My vote, although it does seem like more than a 3" driver is needed
The Madisound Speaker Store


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## Hanatsu (Nov 9, 2010)

Vifa TC9FD18-08. Great 3,5 inchers.

Zaph|Audio


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

BuickGN said:


> It sounds like in this particular install, it would probably not be the best choice anyway.


Lol:laugh:


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## Only the best (Mar 20, 2013)

i ended up looking through my options and just said **** it. Im going to cut the hole out where the speaker is supposed to go so that it will fit a 4" because I couldn't find any 3.5"s that I liked. I bought 2 sets for size reasons. if the bigger one fits then I will use the other pair for computer speakers and vise versa.
this is what I ended up picking
Tang Band W4-1720 4" Underhung Midbass Driver 264-872

Dayton Audio ND105-4 4" Aluminum Cone Midbass Driver 4 Ohm 290-212


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## Only the best (Mar 20, 2013)

SaturnSL1 said:


> You should return that amp or maybe put it in a trash compactor. VR3 may be the worst brand ever.


actually hooked up the amplifier to those speakers and the amplifier works great for the application... don't get me wrong, the build isn't as high quality as most but the amp is working 100% of what I needed it to do

so the vr3... not a terrible amp for a low rms load\

lepai are pretty decent too... but they get hot... really hot


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## TMM (Jun 15, 2008)

+1 for Dayton RS100 or Vifa TC9.

Lepai are good... for the price. Can't expect much for $20.


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## qwertydude (Dec 22, 2008)

SaturnSL1 said:


> VR3 is trash dude. Especially if you're planning on running all this **** at full tilt for extended periods. The amp will most likely shut down very quickly.
> 
> If you want quality products that put out clean power you're going to have to spend more than $30 on eBay.


You know I'm all for cheap amps my current subwoofer amps are Boss and Planet Audio, but even I won't touch a VR3. I bought one before just for kicks that exact one. You can't bridge them for subwoofer use, they have non-existent protection circuitry so instead of shutting down if the output gets shorted you simply burn out the mosfets in the power supply, they don't even blow their fuse before the mosfets burn out. I simply returned it to Walmart after it burned out, luckily Walmart just took it back since it was new.

Trust me, you are much better off simply buying a used amp from someone off craigslist. Any name brand amp just make sure it works.


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## kaigoss69 (Apr 2, 2008)

Still trying to understand how adding speakers in the front will give a "surround" effect. ???


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## Only the best (Mar 20, 2013)

because I have 2 6x9's 2 super tweeters and an 8" sub in the back of my truck on full blast... all the sound was coming from the back of the truck and the 6x9's in the front couldn't even compare to the amount of sound from the back...


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

You don't need any speakers in the back, except subs

Sent from my motorola electrify using digital farts


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## Golden Ear (Oct 14, 2012)

minbari said:


> You don't need any speakers in the back, except subs
> 
> Sent from my motorola electrify using digital farts


Most people that use 6x9s don't mind lots of sound coming from the back...just saying


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