# Average Joe Review: Illusion Audio C6 Carbon



## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

*thick ******* voice*
I tell yew what! I aint getting into all that fancy mumbly jumbly about Q and Fs and slopes and curves and possums, Ima jus gonna tell yew what I thank!


Seriously though, I am just an average dude that used to install stereos for a long time and is now a grease monkey and these are my thoughts on these particular speakers I own.


Let me start off by saying I have never owned anything really special car audio wise before. The best components I have owned were JL Audio ZRs, MB Quart Qs and Boston SPZ60 sets. More often it was the lower end series of the same brands. As a creature of habit I tend to stick with what I know but MB Quart went downhill and Boston is out of the car audio game and I never really cared for the JL. They were nice but not for the price. 

Being that my Bostons were aging and showing it I wanted to upgrade. After much back and forth over what I wanted some people on here steered me to the Illusions. First thought was I didn't like them in the pictures, looked cheap. I was assured otherwise so I threw my money in the air, rammed my head into the door jamb and ordered them. I then sat on my front porch and waited.

They arrived and I was like a fat kid with a new cake, just overjoyed. I opened the box while the mailman was still talking to me and for the life of me couldn't tell you what he was saying as I was asking myself "Is all the sound deadening here? Is the drill charged? Where are those special screws I bought for these? Is the DVR on? Can I install these before dark? 3 hours! Yes I can!"

So I get the box open and see this:



Awesome!
















As I stare at them my first thought is "Hey, that's a nice box!" and then go over the drivers. They are like an Aston Martin. Sleek, beautiful and heavy. I will soon discover they have other Aston martin traits. I notice aside from the one mounting screw blemish on both drivers that they otherwise look brand spanking new. Crossovers never opened, tweeter wires still bundled like new... it was great!
I proceed to give them the best home I can afford. I install them in my 1996 Chevrolet Silverado King Cab but before I do I double layer the outer door skin in Fat Mat, single layer the inner door skin, single layer the door card, bought some FAST rings, replace every single plastic clip and then replaced the doors seals and window seals. Beautiful.






I power them off of a JL Audio 450/4 using only the 150 watt channels and run them passive and set the tweeters at -3 while I tune. Source unit is a Pioneer DEH8400BH and the processor is an Audio Control ESP-2 Concert. Just really a soundstage enhancer from back in the day, when Vanilla Ice was still cool. They are accompanied by a pair of Dayton HO 12" subs powered off a JL Audio 500/1 to take care of the low end. I start with the high pass at 80hz and a 12db slope.

They are in, look fabulous and I am ready to jam! Speakers have other plans. As I said, like an Aston Martin. One tweeter is very very quiet. Well heck. I go through the standard troubleshooting then DVM the tweeter and see its bad. I inform the seller that informs me of his seller that informs me of his seller that informs me of Orca that informs me back the dealer and you put your right foot in, you put your right foot out.... oh wait. So I make the sad face and the seller hooks me up as does the first owner and even the distributor was able to get me a replacement. Yay teamwork!
At this point I would like to point out some special people that have earned my trust and business for life. Coppertone is one of the most stand up guys I have ever had the privilege of talking to. Patient, down to earth and has taste as well as a genuine love of our hobby. That man went above and beyond to help me and even sent me some Focal tweeters while I awaited my illusion replacement.
Tyroneshoes was also a nice guy to do business with and also sent me some TBIs to tide me over. LOL Gotta say, those tweeters are still running strong. I would not hesitate to buy from him again and am 100% confident he did not know the one tweeter was bad. Just one of those things.
Lastly I would like to thank Don of Unexpected Creations. What a knowledgeable dude! He too is a very patient yet very busy man. He took time out of his busy days doing his awesome installs to help me out being as he was the original distributor of the Illusions. He didn't have to do that but since he did I know his customer service is excellent and to me that is every bit as important as the product someone sells. 
Kudos Don, you rock!

Anywho, back to the review. Squirrel! 
So the new tweeter gets in and once again I am like a kid on Christmas morning that can hear the box with holes barking. 
I am oh so careful making sure everything is just so and then begin the tuning phase. Play some test tones, get phasing right, play with the crossovers and EQ and then enjoy. I ended up running the high pass at 63hz with a 36db slope and the low pass at 63hz with a 24db slope.
I start off with well known tunes from Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Talking Heads and a few others. I am blown away! The tweeters are so crisp and clear it almost brings a tear to my eye. So detailed yet not harsh or fatiguing at all. The mids were accurate and reproduced Lindsey Buckinghams guitar to near perfection. Piano and woodwind instruments really shined with this set. Midbass was okay, not as good as the Boston Pros or Hertz ML1600s but better than the Infinity Kappas, Mb Quart Onyx, Focal Polyglass, Boston SLs, Kicker Comps (dunno why I even tried those) and Memphis MClass. 
This became more apparent with current music by Lorde, Lady Gaga, Nero and similar. Just not much punch and what was there was a bit behind me as it was really coming from the Dayton subs.
The tweeters though, oh the tweeters. Angle kisses in a box. So sweet and clean. They did have a couple downsides though. If your recording is not perfect, you will know. They also did not like the hiss of my 8400BH so a new source unit was in order to really enjoy them. 
Now I have spent a week enjoying these speakers and figured now they were a bit broken in so it was time to see what they can do! Well as it turns out, not much. Hmph. Mind you with all the previous speakers and a much more aggressive EQ settings I could and would often listen to them with the volume at 38-42 (out of 62) when I wished to really rock out. With the Illusions I got to 35 before the tweeter protection said "No bueno!" Orca says "That's because the amplifier was putting out too much DC." Hmm, okay. Weird how none of the drivers before or since have had that issue but lets run with that. Or not. (side note, the Orca conversation happened much latter in this whole review)
I resigned myself to having better sound but a bit less output. Okay, I can live with that, lets get that new deck ordered! I sold my old deck thinking the new one would be here a day latter....... so a week latter as the new deck shows up I am once again thrilled to have my stereo back!
I get the deck installed and power it up making sure it was at 0 before doing initial adjustments. Set the high pass to 80hz (as per suggested by this site), make sure the EQ is flat and then add some volume...... some more volume..... hey where are my mids? Great. Recheck everything before suspecting the actual drivers. After all, they did work just fine when I removed the old deck. This is when I touched the passenger cone while the stereo was on and it made sound. A horrible ugly sound but it was sound. Went to the drivers side and it worked when I touched it and worked pretty well until I turn the stereo down and it will stop playing.
So I sat down and proceeded to cry. At this point I wish my lawn was as depressed as I am because then it would cut itself.
I guess the Illusions felt bad because the driver side started playing normally again.... or maybe it was mocking me.
So I cant really give a full review as they refuse to play nice. 
My impressions are as follows:
When they work they work well. Clear detailed highs that have an impressive low end output as well. At low to medium volumes the tweeters are quite spectacular. They are not able to get "loud" but there is only so much that can be done with 89db speakers. The mids are also quite detailed and play guitar, piano and most instruments quite accurately. They do lack any form of kick and in my application required much tuning to get the most out of them, more so than any other speaker I have owned or installed.
I believe with a dedicated 8" mid-bass that these speakers can really shine. That being said, if a 63 year old man farts in a bank vault in Germany then these speakers will freak the hell out and stop working.
I do see many others have had the same issues mine have had but being as mine are third party Orca does not wish to replace the defective midrange drivers.

If they worked all the time I would say they are a pretty good component set. A bit overpriced but good. Even with what I paid (WAY under the g note they want) I believe they should have been better speakers.

As I said I am not a pro. I don't do this for a living and sometimes when I read peoples reviews I just nod and drool while trying to figure out what it all means. I did this for almost 15 years solid up until 2008 but have been out of the game since so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Look for the next review: Hertz and PHD.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

sounds like a wiring issue


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

SkizeR said:


> sounds like a wiring issue


Could be. I cant rule it out being the most obvious thing. On the other hand, I haven't changed a wire (even used the Illusions tweeter wire) for what is in there now and they have been pushed a little bit (read; A WHOLE FREAKIN LOT) harder and seem perfectly fine yet they are rated at 1/3 the power handling. Hmmmm, interesting? Don't know. Others have had identical issues, some repeatedly, but it could also be wiring. 
All I can tell you is I installed how I always install but did not get the result I have always got. I have checked and rechecked and while I am no showman its a clean install. All speakers (and there were way to many) installed before and the few after have not suffered the same fate as the Illusions.
I guess that is all I can say.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

maybe try to bench test em


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

this whole ordeal was so crappy. I was worried I would have the lack of output issue with the woofer as well so I never got to listen to the set. Do the woofers work if you hook them up to your home stereo?


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

tyroneshoes said:


> this whole ordeal was so crappy. I was worried I would have the lack of output issue with the woofer as well so I never got to listen to the set. Do the woofers work if you hook them up to your home stereo?


One mid started to work fine all by its lonesome. After bench testing one (the blown one) is open coil at rest and readings all over the place when touched. The other mid stayed right around 3.7 ohms touched or not. I did not try to "stroke" the cones to see if there were other changes for fear of further damaging the woofers until I had the word from Orca if anything could be done. Now that I know they will not be replaced I can do whatever you want me to do to them. But no, I have not hooked them up to a home stereo to test further. They have only ever been driven by the JL.


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## socapots (Mar 29, 2014)

Sucks to hear man. Reading reviews like this make me wonder if I made a mistake in my purchase of mine. 
Only time will tell.


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## socapots (Mar 29, 2014)

LaserSVT said:


> One mid started to work fine all by its lonesome. After bench testing one (the blown one) is open coil at rest and readings all over the place when touched. The other mid stayed right around 3.7 ohms touched or not.


Like the bad one has a problem with the lead connected to one or both sides of the coil.
Out of curiosity, did you happen to check to see if one of the leads is shorting to the case? 
Not that it sound help fix anything. Just more curious than anything.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

I will check tomorrow. They are on my desk at work.


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

IT'S cap lock..

anyway, here I sit, thought I farted...


sorry about all that, Average Joe.


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

This was pretty much what i expected to hear when I clicked on the link to "review of my C6 carbons"...i don't know why, but it was almost word for word what i expected to read. They are at least named appropriately.

Sorry man...hope it all works out for ya.:worried:


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

socapots said:


> Sucks to hear man. Reading reviews like this make me wonder if I made a mistake in my purchase of mine.
> Only time will tell.


You may have good luck with them, several members have. I still think its an early production issue as it seems all those with problems were also some of the first owners. I don't know if latter ones are standing up better or not.


miniSQ said:


> They are at least named appropriately.
> 
> Sorry man...hope it all works out for ya.:worried:


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## [email protected] (Nov 7, 2010)

Sorry to hear your problems with these.. We have successfully done many installs with them.

Just a note, I would look to move that crossover out of the door. IMO you are asking for further problems. I don't believe crossover networks belong in doors..


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## DLO13 (Oct 24, 2010)

I see the problem. Different speaker wire...


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## UNFORGIVEN (Sep 25, 2010)

I ran my set for 2-3 days and decided they were not for me. 
Like Bing and the guys at SIS many have installed these drivers successfully and are very happy so to each their own.


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

and it's official.


Illusion arc has burnt itself out, retail pricing to reflect growing surpluses in stockrooms...

3.4 months to 20% off.

6.8 months to 44% off.


18 months until new made in China versions hit the market with retail cut in half, chrome on the magnets and gold-plated tweeters replacing beryllium, citing 'quality upgrades'


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## mires (Mar 5, 2011)

cajunner said:


> and it's official.
> 
> 
> Illusion arc has burnt itself out, retail pricing to reflect growing surpluses in stockrooms...
> ...


Such a negative Nancy 

Many other people seem to be perfectly happy with the Illusions including the guys at SIS who have used them god knows how many times. It seems like the ones that actually have problems were from the earlier runs and also keep in mind the OP in this thread is the 3rd owner of this particular set. I don't know how they were used prior or how many times they were installed/uninstalled plus being shipped several times now but I would imagine those things could certainly play into the odds of something being wrong with the drivers at this point.


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## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

here's my 2 cents.

i probably would have sent them back after opening the box. phase plug speakers, reverse magnet, etc. you need to be a tiny bit careful with stuff like dust, plastic, metal, chips/shavings getting into the voice coil. seeing that tapered screw hole would instantly worry myself. once inside, it can sound all messed up, and damage the voice coil. 

good example of buying something and getting it installed locally. you would have had a 3 year warranty. sorry you had to go through this.

i'm also kind of curious on this image.









was the woofer smashed into the foam and not breathing into the door cavity? the next image looks like you installed them differently?


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## [email protected] (Nov 7, 2010)

I am not quite sure what your post says?

There are some new, very promising drivers coming out soon from Illusion. I don't see any arc being burnt out quite yet...

Here is one thing I like about Illusion. I have talked numerous times with the guy who designs them. The guy is not some dude at a build house who throws parts together to make a speaker. He is a home audio engineer. He is in California. He knows what makes stuff sound good. He knows WAY more about things like that than I do. He can stand there with a C6 set and tell you stuff that went into its design that would give you some insight into the depths of thought that went into those drivers. 

There are a number of cars on the west coast that compete with Illusion audio products and do very well.

And, to put all of this in perspective somewhat, I will exit with this picture.. 














cajunner said:


> and it's official.
> 
> 
> Illusion arc has burnt itself out, retail pricing to reflect growing surpluses in stockrooms...
> ...


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

that was me being subtle....



you however, make a good point, and for those who missed my wry wit, I will admit to being facetious.

there, that's 3 explanations of my post, subtle, wry, and facetious.

you can decide on the amount of wit?

and Illusion shall ride this wave, because this too...



shall pass.










[email protected] said:


> I am not quite sure what your post says?
> 
> There are some new, very promising drivers coming out soon from Illusion. I don't see any arc being burnt out quite yet...
> 
> ...


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

jtaudioacc said:


> here's my 2 cents.
> 
> i probably would have sent them back after opening the box. phase plug speakers, reverse magnet, etc. you need to be a tiny bit careful with stuff like dust, plastic, metal, chips/shavings getting into the voice coil. seeing that tapered screw hole would instantly worry myself. once inside, it can sound all messed up, and damage the voice coil.
> 
> ...


Was more than carful. Door was vacuumed and washed inside and then sound deadened before the speakers ever saw the truck. I was apprehensive about the tapered hole but did not see any shavings or issues on the driver so continued on with the install.

As far as the foam goes it showed up a few days latter so that picture with just the driver in the door was taken 5 minutes before I did this:




I did not like that foam as it did not adhere well and was hard to form so I went with the FAST rings. I did neglect to take any pictures of them until the drivers were changed for these:









Now Joey said something interesting. "There are some new, very promising drivers coming out soon from Illusion." 

Will these shoot flames?

I kid, I kid.

I was planning on ordering my Illusion C12XLs next week but I was fortunate enough to have this experience and thus have saved $2000. I believe SI MB MKIV will be the better choice. Sure they may not be as powerful but a pair I think will go well with what is in the truck now. Plus Nick backs his stuff.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> Sorry to hear your problems with these.. We have successfully done many installs with them.
> 
> Just a note, I would look to move that crossover out of the door. IMO you are asking for further problems. I don't believe crossover networks belong in doors..


I don't like beliefs, they start religious wars. 
This is an issue some take, well, issue with. I have never had an issue with them in the door unless it was inside a door that leaks too much. Learned that one about 20 years ago. Now I tend to put them behind the door card if there is room. Sometimes I get creative.
Oddly enough the only part that never failed and is still in use is the crossover. That will change soon as I rewire for active just so I don't have to always hear "I wouldn't put the crossovers there." LOL


And Joey, no shot at you at all. Your installs eclipse mine by eleventybillion. Very impressive stuff. Always done right and always done clean. You have a good crew there. Its always 50/50 with installers about the door thing.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

mires said:


> Such a negative Nancy
> 
> Many other people seem to be perfectly happy with the Illusions including the guys at SIS who have used them god knows how many times. It seems like the ones that actually have problems were from the earlier runs and also keep in mind the OP in this thread is the 3rd owner of this particular set. I don't know how they were used prior or how many times they were installed/uninstalled plus being shipped several times now but I would imagine those things could certainly play into the odds of something being wrong with the drivers at this point.


I should point out at this point the speakers history. They were purchased from Don at Unexpected Creations and installed in Coppertones car. They stayed there for a very short time before he went back to UC to have them replaced with something a bit more special. They were boxed and shelved for another short time before being sold to Tyroneshoes. He never installed them and they again sat for a month on a shelf before I showed up shouting "Shut up and take my money!" So my truck is their second and final install.


On that note here is a short video of the "good" driver. Somehow they have gotten worse just sitting in their box. Maybe I packed them wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnXXwMai_Rg&feature=youtu.be
http://youtu.be/RnXXwMai_Rg


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

LaserSVT said:


> I don't like beliefs, they start religious wars.
> This is an issue some take, well, issue with. I have never had an issue with them in the door unless it was inside a door that leaks too much. Learned that one about 20 years ago. Now I tend to put them behind the door card if there is room. Sometimes I get creative.
> Oddly enough the only part that never failed and is still in use is the crossover. That will change soon as I rewire for active just so I don't have to always hear "I wouldn't put the crossovers there." LOL
> 
> ...


before i went active, i usually put the crossovers in the doors with never a problem. If the door was at all leaky, i covered the XO with a plastic bag. 
The problem i did have, and maybe this is what joey is refering to, is the door opening and closing has caused problems for me with the screws loosening on a pair of ID XO's . I added Loc-tite and that went away


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## [email protected] (Nov 7, 2010)

My issue with crossovers in doors is that I have seen about 4 pr of crossovers in doors over the span of my career that had coils, etc coming off the board. I don't think they are designed to be on a door that is constantly experience the shock that a door does. 

I don't think it is a 50/50. I think if you asked skilled installers VERY few would say they belong in the door. To me, why take the risk? Kind of like running a wire through bare metal without a grommet. Sure, it might work for a while, but is it the right solution?

(I didn't take any offense, just offering my insight... Others could feel differently..)


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## DonH (Jun 25, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> My issue with crossovers in doors is that I have seen about 4 pr of crossovers in doors over the span of my career that had coils, etc coming off the board. I don't think they are designed to be on a door that is constantly experience the shock that a door does.
> 
> I don't think it is a 50/50. I think if you asked skilled installers VERY few would say they belong in the door. To me, why take the risk? Kind of like running a wire through bare metal without a grommet. Sure, it might work for a while, but is it the right solution?
> 
> (I didn't take any offense, just offering my insight... Others could feel differently..)


not to mention water damage. you cant image the amount of crossovers we replace due to water damage from being in the door.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

Its solid and sound insight. I have only delt with 1 set to fail but that's because the installer tightened the screws down so tight it cracked the board.
It seems though stuff may have been more rubust during the 90's. LOL


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

I'm not in the habit of installing $1000 retail speakers, so obviously this post is irrelevant.


but the higher quality in the build of the crossover, the more mass in the coils and capacitors, and the greater likelihood for shock-induced damage to occur.

this may be why I've never had a problem with my crossovers in doors.

they are usually made with 20 gauge conductors and 50V or 100V poly caps, if that.

not the behemoths that the upper crusties like to use.


so people that say "never had a problem" may miss this slightly important observation.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

cajunner said:


> I'm not in the habit of installing $1000 retail speakers, so obviously this post is irrelevant.
> 
> 
> but the higher quality in the build of the crossover, the more mass in the coils and capacitors, and the greater likelihood for shock-induced damage to occur.
> ...


Excellent point. Before these the largest crossover I ever used was a Boston SPZ one. I only had them for a year or so before selling the car so I cant say if they lasted any longer than that. I can see what the greater possibility of damage is with larger crossovers now that you pointed it out.

I don't think I would try to shove a Focal Utopia or Hertz Mille in a door just due to sheer size. LOL


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

LaserSVT said:


> Excellent point. Before these the largest crossover I ever used was a Boston SPZ one. I only had them for a year or so before selling the car so I cant say if they lasted any longer than that. I can see what the greater possibility of damage is with larger crossovers now that you pointed it out.
> 
> I don't think I would try to shove a Focal Utopia or Hertz Mille in a door just due to sheer size. LOL


another good point.

the best crossovers aren't really able to fit behind a door panel. Or at least, shouldn't be squeezed through the speaker or access holes to mount inside the door, and anyone mounting a crossover actually inside the door is asking for trouble, especially in the area of window gasket leakage mounted positions.

now, if it's just the increased humidity and decreased climate control of the inner door space, say in a door without a moving window at all, that's different too.

then it's all about shock and alleviating failure modes on that front, but general corrosion concerns aside, most of the crossovers made for car use will accept a greater variety of climate conditions than the average passive for a home speaker.

when a car audio manufacturer makes their crossovers with the same price points as the home audio variety, there is less securing of components to the board, there is less structure involved.

a well-made car audio crossover should be built twice as strong as the home audio equivalent if not more, and even if less complex they should survive their install. Which is not always the case.


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## cajunner (Apr 13, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> I am not quite sure what your post says?
> 
> There are some new, very promising drivers coming out soon from Illusion. I don't see any arc being burnt out quite yet...
> 
> ...


I should probably also go over my somewhat unique *edit* or not reeeeally... mental process.

I see a post that is over negative, no fault of it's own, it's just meandered that way and I feel like I should tilt the balance back.


sometimes, you have to combat cynicism with overt cynicism, or heap cynicism on top of cynicism, to bring the numbers back, to get the meniscus above and below the line.

that's what my post attempted to do, in it's crude, bumbling way.

I don't believe a rash of Illusion bashing is going to result from my little "problem" of pare, or parity.

I do this all the time, but sometimes it's less subtle, for instance I was banned for doing the exact same thing, when dealing with racism-charged content.

and I don't always expect to be understood, I just think a little push to the middle is warranted...


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

I have been getting some messages about what happened with the Illusions and really, not much.

I waited for final responses from Orca and after getting them I sold the tweeters and put the mids to other uses. Then someone from Orca contacted me to say they could do something about replacing the mids but I guess they changed their minds as they have yet to return a PM. No loss, as I said I still use both of them.

I have a vent above my desk that is always blowing my invoices and such around and the speaker has a great weight to hold them down.




The other is being used for my bad habits.

Good thing I don't drink! LOL


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## [email protected] (Nov 7, 2010)

You should buy a C10, looks like you are about to fill that C6 up pretty soon!


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

I was thinking C12XL. Bet it can hold a cartons worth. LOL


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

I don't like to do it but I've never had an issue putting a crossover in a door but I've never put in anything more complicated than a crossover like one that'd come from a JBL MS-62C or something similar. Solidly mounted with some double stick foam around it in two spots works. I put the crossover in the area between the door car and first layer of metal and try to get as close to the hinged side (front of car) vs. the back where the swing impact would be more pronounced.


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

I'm late to the party but how old were these drivers? And were they purchased from an authorized dealer? They look pretty beat up


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

All in the op I believe. I bought them with a bit of usage from well known members that sell things on here all the time. They were purchased and installed at an authorized dealer that also uninstalled them. I was the next person to send a signal to them.


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## [email protected] (Nov 7, 2010)

I just can't believe people are selling speakers full of used cigarettes now! Craziness!!!


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

A bit of usage? Look at the screw indent on that one driver. Holy moly . Sorry u had a bad experience with them but being the third owner and the one driver looking like that it would be hard for me to warranty them if I were the mfgr.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

BigRed said:


> A bit of usage? Look at the screw indent on that one driver. Holy moly . Sorry u had a bad experience with them but being the third owner and the one driver looking like that it would be hard for me to warranty them if I were the mfgr.


Oh I don't blame Orca. They could if they wanted to but I don't blame them for not replacing them. And yes, very very little use. The person they came from is known ONLY to sell perfect stuff.

As for the way they failed, it is identical to how several other members on here C6 sets have failed. Like EXACTLY the same. A couple have had the drivers replaced several times, a couple have had them replaced once and no longer have issue and a couple have give up on them entirely. 

Orca is a great company to deal with and I will buy Focal speakers again. Jacob is very helpful but his hands are tied. I understand.
Illusion I will never buy again though due to my issues and what others have had happen.
That's not to say they are a bad company but they were not good to me.

I have been told by 12 people now that they returned or canceled their orders due to this review. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand it may have saved them some headache but on the other they may have never had an issue with theirs and are missing out on one superb tweeter.

I am not telling anyone not to buy Illusions. I am only stating my experience with them. I know where they came from and who installed and know that none of the issues were install/previous owner related. Defective drivers. Plain and simple. It is what it is.

All I know is I have much cheaper drivers in there now that perform 10x better and are significantly louder and clearer.


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## BigRed (Aug 12, 2007)

I hear ya man. No worries.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

Test.


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## "that boy asad" (Feb 15, 2008)

I don't mind taking those cigarette infested woofers from you


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

They don't work as noise makers and I am using them. Makes for an interesting conversation piece at my shop.


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## BlueAc (May 19, 2007)

LaserSVT said:


> Oh I don't blame Orca. They could if they wanted to but I don't blame them for not replacing them. And yes, very very little use. The person they came from is known ONLY to sell perfect stuff.
> 
> As for the way they failed, it is identical to how several other members on here C6 sets have failed. Like EXACTLY the same. A couple have had the drivers replaced several times, a couple have had them replaced once and no longer have issue and a couple have give up on them entirely.
> 
> ...


My Carbon's pooped the bed again. I think this is like the 5th or 6th time now. I've tried everything up to and including changing my radio to get a better signal. I'm probably done with these speakers. They sound good when working but they just don't last. I have to consult with my installer to find a good set of replacements.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

BlueAc said:


> My Carbon's pooped the bed again. I think this is like the 5th or 6th time now. I've tried everything up to and including changing my radio to get a better signal. I'm probably done with these speakers. They sound good when working but they just don't last. I have to consult with my installer to find a good set of replacements.


Sorry to hear that man. I have quite a few messages from people that have had the same issues over the last month or so. Kinda ticks me off now the more I think about it as it is pretty obvious there are issues with a good portion of these speakers yet my amps were blamed by Orca.


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## Maximilliano (Aug 14, 2011)

I'm having the exact same issue with a set of drivers that I purchased from a local dealer. I've bench tested them but have found that the speaker lead to the coil is damaged. Dealer said they would swap but I cannot risk going through multiple drivers to get one which will work for short durations and having to swap out constantly. One driver appears to be fine but the other is toast. tweeters however work perfectly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45p2qW1-AiM


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## tyroneshoes (Mar 21, 2006)

Whats a shame about all this is pior to illusion being revamped, they sold Luccent 6.5s fo $40 a pair on ebay (old stock I guess) and I installed a set in my close friends car and 7 years later, not an issue. Still sound great. I never installed the carbon woofer because they looked too small.

Seems like the previous generation of illusions were more rugged.


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## sirbOOm (Jan 24, 2013)

Maybe their factory is screwing them over with incorrect materials or build quality... happens. Or maybe a couple duds made their way to the boards here. I sure have whined about my ZED amps but I should hope my experience is not typical.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

So its been a couple months now that Orca has had them. Not getting calls or emails returned. Been trying for a couple weeks now. If they aint gonna fix or replace them I sure wish they would send them back.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

Wow. That's ****ed


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

This is ridiculous. If I ran my company like that I would be closed down before Summer.


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## DLO13 (Oct 24, 2010)

LaserSVT said:


> Good thing I don't drink! LOL


Perhaps they don't appreciate seeing their product used like this? 

Please keep in mind that you purchased used gear, not from the original owner, but a 3rd owner. WHO KNOWS how they were stored, how they were kept before they got to you? That mounting hole may give you a good idea of how they were cared for. 

The fact that you got a response at all from the company is impressive. You aren't entitled to one, being the third owner.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

Oh so its okay for a company to tell you to send them something and then just keep it and blow you off? Dang, been doing it wrong all these years. Stupid me wanting to keep customers happy.
Don't make a **** product and I wont treat it as such.


This is how they were sent to Orca last year:







As you can see the picture of them I posted before was a joke. Yeah an ashtray was emptied into them but that was to convey their worth. I dropped the issue and gave up. An individual from Orca contacted me about doing something. Then they ignored me for a couple months and then they contacted me again and had me send them in and now they are yet again ignoring me.

I am not a noob. This is not my first rodeo. I have purchased more products from Orca over the years than 95% of the people on here. I still buy Orca supplied products. This whole thing has me questioning if I ever will again. If you are not going to do something, fine. Stop poking the bear and leave it be. That is not the case here.


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## rton20s (Feb 14, 2011)

I don't doubt you have issues, and I'm not even going to get into the conversation of what Orca is or isn't willing to do. Or the conversation about whether or not you have a legitimate reason to be upset with Orca. But I will say this...

The picture that you posted with the heading, "This is how they were sent to a Orca last year" means absolutely nothing. You've already posted the picture prior of at least one of the drivers being treated as an ash tray. Cleaning them up, in my opinion, means absolutely nothing. Whether you had the issue prior to "the ash tray incident" is irrelevant at this point. I wouldn't expect any driver to function properly after dumping ashes into them. Cleaning them up and posting the picture of their condition as if they hadn't been abused is a bit deceptive, in my opinion. Even with as much disclosure as appears to have been provided in the past. 

Just my 2 cents.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

Dont matter. I was not expecting much to happen anyway. I just wanted Orca to return a call or email to let me know what they have been doing with my speakers for the last couple months. If they were not going to do something, fine but give me the speakers back. 
It took reopening this wound to get a response. As expected they will not warranty them. Fine, dont care. Really, i dont. I have not gotten word as to if they will send them back to me or not. 


If you follow along you will notice i had dropped the issue. An individual from Orca contacted me about it and offered to help. I accepted. After that it was months of waiting and then send them in and wait months more. The communication was nearly inexistent. 


The poor performance of these speakers and the lack luster customer service and repeated run around is what makes me want to never own or install a set of Illusions ever again.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

Well after many calls and emails they sent them back stating the tech couldn't verify the problem. I would imagine as he would need to open the ****ing box first.

Orca, I am done with you. I can see not honoring a warranty but they seemed to go out of their way to screw with me.

I sell a customer a transmission. It is $2200 installed. It has a one year warranty. Customer sells car and new owner has a trans issue. I see its due to a failed part installed. You know what I do? I WARRANTY THE DAMN THING.
You go to BMW and buy a used BMW that's still under warranty and guess what? BMW fixes it under warranty.
3 years ago I bought a Rockford Power amp used but it was 4 months old. It lost a channel. Guess what Rockford did? They fixed it under warranty.


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## mark620 (Dec 8, 2010)

Maybe they don't like smokers!


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## Guest (Feb 12, 2015)

What's the old adage... 

_"Draw more flies with honey than with vinegar...."_


.... pardon me, I'm Southern ...


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

mark620 said:


> Maybe they don't like smokers!


LMAO! +20 internet points. 




Moving along....
And I was nice to them many times. I take Jack Daltons advice. Be nice until its time to no longer be nice.

I could see a problem if I used poor quality equipment or havent installed 1000's of components over the years. I could even see a problem if the person I bought them from was a known BS artist (he is the exact opposite) or I could see a problem if the authorized dealer that installed them did it wrong or even if they were out of their warranty period but none of that is the case.
I could also have dropped it had they not decided to run me around for a few more months. Alas they did not.

Not a problem. My customers know the issue and wont even risk trying them. I know how they perform and would never recomend them to anyone.

I have gone on this board and still supported them and said not all have issues. But as a company when you screw someone around like they did to me than I will never buy from them again. That includes Focal. 
Monday I got my first set of Focal Be tweeters. Been wanting them and saving for a long time. They were sent back Tuesday. I told my friend why and that I didnt even open them and I would pay all shipping. I did that because gawd forbid something was wrong and I had to deal with Orca again.




I also appologize to most of you here as I am not one to bash but they have managed to push my buttons. I respect most of your opinions and I know I am not coming off in the most positive light here but this company has just ticked me off too much.


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

I wanted to bump this thread for a few reasons. One is I dont think I gave Illusion a fair shot. I started off with used drivers that apparently were initially installed by a somewhat incompetent installer. Many things could have led to their issues that i experienced. I handled myself poorly when dealing with Orca, specifically Jacob and Nick. All they were trying to do was help and I behaved like an ass.

Since this review was made I have had the opportunity to demo several top level installs with the Illusion speakers and I have to say they are some really sweet sounding speakers. Very smooth and detailed. I have also had the opportunity to hang out with some Orca crew and they are just killer people. Chad, Eric, Chris and all the other guys really made me feel at home and part of the clan. I also just delt with Jacob concerning a mistake on my part with ordering the wrong part for one of my Mosconi amps. Man really knows his stuff and instantly knew what the issue was and what I messed up. Now i am getting the correct part sent and getting it corrected.
Jacob was not only professional but very friendly and let me know there were no grudges. I feel bad for what I had said in the past and wish to also apologize to my followers in these reviews. I didnt give them a fair shake and I promise I will not let it happen again.

Thank you orca for working with me and making me feel like a valued consumer.


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Great post in my opinion! Thanks for sharing that experience. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## frontman (May 1, 2013)

Thank you for setting the record straight and making things right. Good on ya mate!


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## LaserSVT (Feb 1, 2009)

I messed up and let my frustrations get the best of me and then behaved poorly when they were just following the rules. That was simply wrong. Yes my Illusion drives had issues that were not my fault but after learning a few things from members on here and from some I met at car shows it seems I have a better understanding of the root problems.

The lesson here is when dealing with high end equipment you should ONLY use an authorized dealer and if a deal seems too good to be true than it probably is.
I will make sure future reviews that I do not let such a thing happen again so that when I make a recommendation on a product I test that people can have faith in what I am saying.

I wish I could go back and clean up most of this thread but what is done is done. 

When the Illusion components are installed properly and not abused they are quite capeable speakers. Nice and crisp tweeters with excellent detail. The mid-woofers are very smooth with the vocals and have great detail in string instruments. They are a bit weak on impact below 160hz but they are very shallow and any good sub crossed over at 80hz helps to take up the slack well enough.

At the risk of upsetting people, I do not think they are $1000 level speakers though. $500-$600 would be a much better price for them. At a grand I would lean more to Hertz Mille or Focal K2 Powers although the Illusion tweeter does sound a bit nicer than the Focals. But heck, $750 will get you the entry level Sinfoni components and those are down right impressive. Cant think of any full component systems in that price range that sound nicer.


Now you switch that Illusion to the C8 and its a different story. The C8 has some very nice impact in the 60-200 range and stays very composed all the way until the tweeter takes over. Kinda shocked me for an 8".


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