# Audible Physics AR Duo initial impressions



## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

So I typed up this long wordy story and my dang power went out before I could post it. I'll start again but make it shorter.

I'm no expert, just fyi. I have listened to a variety of speakers and setups and know when I like something.
I've had CDT, SEAS Perf, OZ Matrix, Diamond Hex, etc.

After a couple year break from car audio (had BMW's which suck to mod) I got a chance to try Rainbow's in my new truck last year.
I really like them but couldn't resist the urge to try something new in my STI.
I started with Morel Elate 6 2 ways... I had demoed the 3 way and thought they were nice. Well, the 2 way was not impressive. I think the lack of mid speaker makes the tweets play too low and sound harsh.
I took that annoyance as a sign that I should try the DIY way. Took a chance on the XR6.5M from a guy I'd never heard of... I'm really glad I did!
The XR6.5M is a great speaker. Lots of detail and a wide range.
I thought I'd pair that with the Hertz ML280s... they sounded good but I just wasn't blown away. For how much they cost I just didn't feel I got my money's worth.
That put me back on the hunt for tweets... low and behold, Mark at H-Audio has a pre-order for another new speaker. I thought the idea of a 3/3.5" from 300hz on up sounded intriguing so I hopped on the buy.

A couple months later and I'm so glad I took the chance!

The AR3K's are definitely awesome! I could tell that right away after I got the levels matched for all my drivers.
I've been playing a wide range of music and they sound great on everything. I've been especially impressed by stuff like Jeff Beck's guitar with Joss Stone on vocals (I put a spell on you). The guitar and vocals sound fuller than the XR6.5 did solo or even with the ML280s tweets. 
They also mellowed out the little bit of sharpness in the really high range. 
Oh yeah, I heard some Jimi Hendrix yesterday on my way home and it sounded awesome too. His guitar was really 'there' and I could hear the slight echo of his voice in the recording. Usually I can only hear that when I'm sitting in my chair at home with my NAD/Monitor setup.
I even enjoyed Coldplay (which I haven't liked in years) because the vocals and piano sounded great.

At first I was bummed because the AR6K didn't 'stand out' when it comes to midbass. Then I realized this is what a system should sound like. I can't pick out one driver and say where sound is coming from... it's all blended together so well.
And I wasn't disappointed when I played some Primus... I could definitely feel the attack of the kick drums and their thick bass guitar.

I have a big smile on my face when I get to sit in the car and listen. It was definitely worth the wait and the effort getting those installed. And that's with no eq/ta and just a half assed gain/level setup.

I'm hoping to get some time this weekend to do some more level and crossover adjusting. I'm really happy with how it sounds now but I just know I'm not doing the speakers justice yet.


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## NewOldGuy (Oct 26, 2008)

Thanks for the review...i was wondering how much power you were sending to each driver?...


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

Nice review - I'm glad you landed on drivers that you like. You tried some very good equipment that just didn't seem to appeal to you, but in the end you took a chance and it paid off. I predict that more people will have the same exprience when they hear the Audible Physics drivers. It should be an interesting year as guys get these installed, start showing them at comps and meets, and others become aware of their potential.


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## Boostedrex (Apr 4, 2007)

AWESOME! I'm so happy to hear that you're pleased with your new AR duo. If there is anything I can help with from customer service to bouncing tuning ideas off of each other please don't hesitate to let me know. Just shoot me a PM whenever. And thank you for taking a chance on Audible Physics!

Zach


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## ~Spyne~ (Oct 17, 2008)

Mark, you have PM


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

The only kit I was really happy with was the Rainbow Profi's which I still have in my truck. But I still like the AR Duo's better.

I think it's awesome that we have guys like Mark that have a passion for audio and go to great lengths to keep improving our choices.

I'm running them off a Rainbow iPaul 4.300 which I think is 90w per driver.


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## Nass027 (Oct 25, 2006)

How and where are these installed?Kicks or dash or... Also,where have you got the 3's crossed over at?Good to see more positive things about these drivers.I can't wait til it warms up in the "great white north" so i can start on my install.Minus 30+ just don't work for a good install.


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

They look like this:









I have them crossed around 300hz at the bottom. I say 'around' because I have to use the amps crossover which is an imprecise dial. Some day maybe I'll pony up for another processor.

You'd be breaking a lot of trim pieces at that temp... haha I did some of the install when it was 40 in my garage and broke a couple tabs on trim.


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## Nass027 (Oct 25, 2006)

So there mounted a little off-axis.Aimed more at the side windows or across the dash?Looks great by the way.That's what i am hoping to do.I imagine the soundstage is above dash too.Great job and thanks for sharing.Cheers.


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Thanks!
Yup, aimed between the dash and opposite windows. I was trying to avoid reflections from the windshield. The far side driver is about 30 degrees off axis to the listener and the near side 50-60 degrees.


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## Nass027 (Oct 25, 2006)

So are the highs rolled off at all or still extended?Also,have you done any EQ-ing at all? Thanks for answering my queries as this will definitely help me design my system.(When my igloo melts)


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Without an RTA i can't be certain the highs are rolled off. It doesn't sound like they are to me but I have poor hearing when it comes to really high frequencies.
No eq adjustments at all yet. Just level matching.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Nass027 said:


> So there mounted a little off-axis.Aimed more at the side windows or across the dash?Looks great by the way.That's what i am hoping to do.I imagine the soundstage is above dash too.Great job and thanks for sharing.Cheers.


LOL , have you seen the graph on the AR3K, they don't start rolling off until out pass 20khz, around 22khz. And with the raise that kicks up at around 12khz about 5dbs over 10khz and smooths back down around 18.5khz and extends out pass the 20khz. The top end info is there no matter how you mount them. Phantom off-axis response (P.O.A.R)at its best. 

Is it airy like tweeter not quite, but the impact of the top-end is something no small dome can match. Some will like the more airy sound of a tweeter and some will love the added dynamics of the wide-band upto. But if you add a tweeter you will more then likely be adding it in around 10-12khz to add the airy sound and just about any small format tweeter will do. It just comes down to personal taste.


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Mark explained it much better than I could. 

I guess that's what I mean when I said I like the 'thick' sound of the AR's. I don't miss the 'airy' sound of tweeters at all. For me the wide band speaker sounds so much better all the way up.


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## strakele (Mar 2, 2009)

I'm going to post most of this in my build log, but I figured since this thread is dedicated to them and will probably get higher traffic, I'd post my initial impressions of the AR Duo here as well.

I tried out the whole AR Duo with the 3K's magnetized to my A-pillars and towels stuffed around them, aimed about how I plan to have them when they're glassed into the pillars.

I don't miss tweeters at all either. They sound great. It took a song or 2 to get used to having so much of the sound coming from one place, but it's really very neat. 

I started out with the AR6K's crossed low at 63Hz / 24dB and high at 315Hz / 12dB, and the AR3K's crossed low at 315Hz / 24dB. I later bumped the LPF of the woofers up to 500Hz to get some more drum attack out of the bigger cones.

Then I ran the Imprint auto tune software in my car and listened to a whole lot of stuff. The soundstage has a great height and had a more open feeling than I was expecting after reading about people still wanting to add tweeters to add that bit of airy-ness to the top end. I was impressed. I can definitely see why people say the 3K's sound great on strings - I definitely agree. Acoustic guitar, electric guitar, or an orchestra sound very detailed and lifelike.

I need to re-run the auto tune with all the EQ and levels turned flat, since I'm not sure if it takes any of it into account when it runs.. sometimes it seems like it does. I'm also going to try a HPF of 250Hz for the AR3Ks.

So far with just a quick tune and some towels stuffed behind them, I'm definitely liking how the AR3K's sound at the base of my A-pillars, and the AR6K's in my doors. Can't wait to get them installed for real.


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## Nass027 (Oct 25, 2006)

Great,i'll be watching as my install won't start for quite a while yet.Damn Canadian winters,oh wait it's almost spring right? Keep us posted on your progress


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## strakele (Mar 2, 2009)

I'll definitely be updating my build log. Sucks about your weather... it's been great here in Atlanta for the past 2 or 3 weeks. This weekend turned really cold (like 40 degrees ) so I didn't get a whole lot done.


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## strakele (Mar 2, 2009)

Any comments from anyone else with these installed yet? Mine are now installed in my A-pillars and I've posted pictures and some thoughts in my build log. Just wondering how these are working for everyone else


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## bertholomey (Dec 27, 2007)

You may have already read this one - not installed yet, but a thorough review:

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/member-reviews-product-comparisons/101695-audible-physics-ar3k-initial-review.html


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

Yeah, I'm surprised we haven't heard more reviews... there's several sets out there.

I'm still more than pleased with the AR3K and wouldn't consider going back to a 2way w/ tweet setup. So much more substance than having a 1" tweeter.

But... no matter what I try I just can't get happy with the midbass output of the AR6K. The detail is great and it blends with the AR3K but there's not enough impact. I can turn the Ar6K off and just run sub w/ AR3K and don't notice a difference...
Seems weird to me too because the 6K is supposed to be more efficient than the 3K yet I have to turn the 3K's down because they get loud so quickly.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

brocken said:


> Yeah, I'm surprised we haven't heard more reviews... there's several sets out there.
> 
> I'm still more than pleased with the AR3K and wouldn't consider going back to a 2way w/ tweet setup. So much more substance than having a 1" tweeter.
> 
> ...


Dude there is something wrong there. Really wrong there is no way the AR3K should be getting louder then the AR6K with a 7db difference in sensitivity. Check you phase, something is not right.


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

brocken said:


> Yeah, I'm surprised we haven't heard more reviews... there's several sets out there.
> 
> I'm still more than pleased with the AR3K and wouldn't consider going back to a 2way w/ tweet setup. So much more substance than having a 1" tweeter.
> 
> ...


Have you tried building an enclosure in the door for the mid? It should make a HUGE difference.


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

I'll try flipping the phase tonight. Any other suggestions to try? I spent quite a bit of time checking/rechecking everything and messing with gain and xover(testing one thing at a time).
I unplugged the AR3K's and turned off the sub and I could make the 6K's loud enough to hurt my ears. It just felt like something was missing though.
They're hooked to the same amp/channels and wiring as the XR6.5M's I had before. And the Morel Elate 6's before that.

No plans on building a door enclosure. Door cards are too expensive for me to hack up.


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

Behind the door card? Not sure of your vehicle but I have about .75L enclosures behind the card. The differnce is night/day since I did them.


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## cheesehead (Mar 20, 2007)

chefhow said:


> Have you tried building an enclosure in the door for the mid? It should make a HUGE difference.


Enclosures for the AR6K's? How much space do they require?


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## chefhow (Apr 29, 2007)

cheesehead said:


> Enclosures for the AR6K's? How much space do they require?


4-6 liters


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## brocken (Apr 26, 2010)

It's not a phase problem... tried messing with that last night.
I can get them loud, there's just no punch on the low end.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

brocken said:


> It's not a phase problem... tried messing with that last night.
> I can get them loud, there's just no punch on the low end.


hmmmm very strange to me as you say the XR6.5M had more punch in every test I have done the AR6K was the better all out mid-bass. Very strange to me. Not there is difference in the QTS the AR6K is .57 and the XR6.5M is .73 maybe in your doors the higher QTS works better.

Give me a call when you have a moment.


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