# STEVENS AUDIO SA 6 CS **Gorgeous Speakers People Need to Consider More**



## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

Yes, I am a dealer for Stevens Audio.....so keep that in mind while I am showing you these gorgeous speakers Eric Stevens (If you don't know, he founded Image Dynamics back in the day) designed for his new company, STEVENS AUDIO!!!

These speakers have been out for a few years now, but I don't think people either know about them or are considering them (and they should be). 

I am building a demo car with these and thought I post a few pics so you can see the quality of these.....and they ooze quality!!!

The Active Set (no crossovers) MSRP is $589 and the Passive Set (with crossovers) MSRP is $699. 

Please consider these for your next build and don't drool too much when looking at the pics.


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

Love the Stevens I've used but just couldn't get past those silver tweets


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## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

Most cars I've seen have silver accents inside. The Sinfoni Tempo/Grandioso, Hybrid, Focal Be, Scan silver series, Dynaudio Esotar2 110 and many more are also silver.


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## Shootinnutz (Sep 6, 2018)

Niebur3 said:


> Most cars I've seen have silver accents inside. The Sinfoni Tempo/Grandioso, Hybrid, Focal Be, Scan silver series, Dynaudio Esotar2 110 and many more are also silver.





Niebur3 said:


> Most cars I've seen have silver accents inside. The Sinfoni Tempo/Grandioso, Hybrid, Focal Be, Scan silver series, Dynaudio Esotar2 110 and many more are also silver.


How does the Stevens compare to audio development or audiofrog?


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## GMCtrk (Apr 14, 2018)

Shootinnutz said:


> How does the Stevens compare to audio development or audiofrog?


I'll second that. Say the sa6 active vs gb60/15.


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## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

Well, I sell both, and I would say the GB Series is better. But you also aren't comparing apples to apples. The Active Stevens Audio set is $589 MSRP and the Active GB60/GB15 is $1,348 MAP Pricing (not actual selling price for either) but you can see the sets you guys are comparing aren't comparable in price as the GB is more than 2X the price.

As far as other brands, like Audio Development (I am a dealer for them as well), this is impossible to answer as they have so many different lines.

What I can tell you is that you would be hard-pressed to find a better (or even comparable) sounding set at the same price point. I would honestly say that most $1,000 sets won't outperform these.


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

Id run them next build


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

My SA6cs set is a very good performing set.

I’ve installed about 5 sets of these now... they work very good. With a LR2 alignment the tweet and mid work remarkably good together.... I run mine at 3.5khz the tweet playsdown to like 1.8k crosses at 3.5khz LR2


The mid has warm mid almost like a polypropylene come mid but without the resonance of a poly cone.... it has none ... the mid seems to have a little tiny mode at 1.6k but it’s very small and is to be expected out of that type of driver and size... I play mine into the ringing and it’s fine ... I can only hear it balls to the wall loud listening... 

Normal volume it’s very minute and substantially less modes than any polyglass type drivers of the same cost... way way way better driver the SA6 is very good...


It plays comfortably to 80 , doesn’t like to be driven at full power at 80hz with a phase or room issue causing destructive interference..but what driver does lol ...

Overall , and I’ve said it before ... I like this set better than the focal utopia M series...


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

Great write up. Are you saying the sa6 had a tiny bit of ringing it are you using a 3 way? Are you running the 2 way up to 3.5?


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

dcfis said:


> Great write up. Are you saying the sa6 had a tiny bit of ringing it are you using a 3 way? Are you running the 2 way up to 3.5?


When played at full blast there’s a small breakup at 1.6k ..... and it’s so so small and almost can’t even tell it’s there... and that’s with putting 200w into the little thing. At 125w I cant hear any ring at all... 

I guess my point being , all speakers have a mode somewhere, there’s seem to be around 1.6k and it’s got to be driven pretty hard to even notice it... and keep in mind mine are big passed at 300 , so anyone running them to 80hz wouldn’t be able to put the kind of power I can anyway so it’s a non issue for most ppl... but it’s still there. 

Yes I use a three way, the Stevens S6 plays 300-3500... I have a a set of mw172s running below 300. I also have3.5”s but those are not part of the mains. I’m using those as control speakers that play 110hz to 630hz and are turned way down and used for small small amounts of steering the waveform for the midbass.... and it works very good for that purpose.


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

Edit edit sorry sorry 2.6 K is the most not 1.6 K that’s a pretty big difference sorry about that just had a brain fart wasn’t thinking


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

Great info. Isn't 2.6 around beaming? 

Ps you are a badass for using a 6.5 in a three way


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## bnae38 (Oct 3, 2015)

Hmmmm, just beginning to think about an install in a 2015 Escape. Contemplating a c4cx in the center.. maybe a set of these would be a good fit for mb/tweets without breaking the bank.


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

dcfis said:


> Great info. Isn't 2.6 around beaming?
> 
> Ps you are a badass for using a 6.5 in a three way


LOL thanks .... I install a large volume of components and a 3” speaker is way way too small to be crossed below 800hz and still be able to get nice n loud without driver damage within 12mo ..... problems with a 30w driver in a 2kw system... there’s a handful of 4” drivers up to the task , but 3” is just too little... there great for stock locations ... 

So .... it seemed it wasn’t a choice it was the only way...


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

In my ever so humble opinion. I'm sure Eric's products are spot on. However, if he wants to actually take this seriously he should maybe setup a new web site and stop relying on a low traffic Facebook page to do his marketing. Even when on the Facebook page it is a pain to find info about the products.

That's my rant. I am done.

Ge0


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

Ge0 said:


> In my ever so humble opinion. I'm sure Eric's products are spot on. However, if he wants to actually take this seriously he should maybe setup a new web site and stop relying on a low traffic Facebook page to do his marketing. Even when on the Facebook page it is a pain to find info about the products.
> 
> That's my rant. I am done.
> 
> Ge0


I don’t think that’s what Eric is trying to do....
I’m just guessing here but I’ve been installing since 93’ and been in the industry and have known Eric for awhile since I was an ID dealer , and I am going out on a limb , but I don’t think he’s tryin to get rich off speakers... it’s more of a passion for him and his goal is to have the best speakers for cars, which he has always done since he stared making car audio equipment. All his stuff has always been top tier and none of his brands were largely pimped out smoke n mirrors... ID was largely successful because the product sold itself. ID was around way way way before it was largely recognized I remember clearly most ppl never heard of it for years , than it wasn’t just a recognized brand but a respected one.

Eric is nearing retirement now, his legacy is strong as one of if not the best car audio speaker designers and this line sure expresses that.

Being known is a secondary artifact of being the best. I don’t see that many Lamborghinis in traffic on my way to work... just sayin or any lambo dealers either


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## bnae38 (Oct 3, 2015)

I nearly said the same thing earlier. Having a website with easy to find information on products would be much more ideal.

I'm not a fan of Facebook.


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

bnae38 said:


> I nearly said the same thing earlier. Having a website with easy to find information on products would be much more ideal.
> 
> I'm not a fan of Facebook.


But you know where to find and contact him....


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## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

bnae38 said:


> I nearly said the same thing earlier. Having a website with easy to find information on products would be much more ideal.
> 
> I'm not a fan of Facebook.


If I want to find a hyped up shaver to trim my nut sack I go to Facebook. I don't shop for speakers on Facebook.

Ge0


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## SiW80 (Mar 13, 2019)

I feel similar about lack of proper website and only on FB. However, Eric responded quickly and covered all my questions.

Get he is concentrating on the product but a web store would give more confidence. 

Heck, for a set of speakers I’d be happy to set it up for him 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

Ive had these speakers since I beta tested them. I use them in both our competition cars. All the above reviews are spot on. IMO they are an excellent speakers set regardless of price point but at its price point its unmatched. I even have some prototype 3s, some different versions of tweeters that were considered and some Custom one off 10s made specifically for my install

Ive known Eric for little over 20 years. I was a die hard Image Dynamics Team member. Eric was Image Dynamics. Without Eric at the helm, ID is just a name,. 
As others have pointed out, He isnt trying to get rich off Stevens Audio. Its something to keep his passion going but at the same time--he also has quite a bit of business and connections from his days at ID, so he has an established client base all over the World. Sales of Stevens products overseas is actually fairly consistent.
Also, Eric actually designs and builds speakers for other companies. He's designed speakers for A LOT of brands that people wouldnt even think that he had a connection to or with today and in the past.

I totally get the whole needs a website thing, Ive probably mentioned it to him several dozen times. But if hes doing as much business as he can handle now with no real plans to expand or grow--why bother?


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

Are the Stevens Audio products drop-shipped to customers and/or dealers directly from the build house?

Or does Eric keep all inventory/stock locally in CA and ship to his dealers & customers from there?

I also feel that Eric would benefit from a legit web site. He already has the domain name so I'm not sure what is holding him back?

Squarespace and several others make it dead easy to create a professional looking website complete with web shop.

I also don't completely buy into the theory that Eric produced these "just for the passion of it". Yes, he is obviously passionate about audio and speaker design seeing that he's been in this game and stuck to it for many, many years.

But no right-minded business person takes the time, effort, and expense to design, engineer, and have tooling made for a product, have it manufactured, and then is complacent with a lot of it just sitting on the warehouse shelves and not maximizing ROI and increasing sales along the way.

If he can afford to do that, more power to him and that is his prerogative.

But if he was passionate about creating this component set for car audio enthusiast masses, you'd think he would also be compelled to get it out into as many enthusiasts' hands as possible, or at least on their radar.

The fact that Jerry felt compelled to start this thread to inform the car audio enthusiast public regarding this component set is telling.

I understand that I.D., Zapco, and a few other old school American brands have quite a large following in Asia and in the EU as well. So perhaps he _is_ selling a lot of these in those markets. I wouldn't know.

I know that Eric traditionally favors high-efficiency designs (and I do as well for the most part). And I've considered this 2-way component set a few times, but the lowish Qts for use in typical door locations as a 2-way has ultimately steered me to other options.

If the midwoofer had just a bit more xmax capability I might be okay with trying to compensate for the bottom end with XO and/or pushing the EQ a bit, like the original JBL GTi660 midwoofer.

Did Eric design these midwoofers more for sealed kick-panel installations where you'd also benefit a bit more on the low end from boundary loading? IDK

And sure, if you have the right subwoofer with clean upper-end extension, and can implement it properly in your vehicle, you can make these work.

But why did _oabeieo_ ultimately just decide to only use the 6.5" as a midrange?

Side Note: I wish Eric had included impedance plots with the amplitude response graphs (which do look really good, BTW) and more complete measurements, including distortion, etc.

These do look really good on paper (other than the small quibbles I noted above) and the price is compelling if they do perform on par.

I do wish Eric and especially this brand could gain more wide-spread recognition in the car audio community.


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

Yeah ultimately it came down to a single speaker playing through the midrange from 300-2k has a much better phase responce.
And a 6.5” has a lot more SD than a 3” and a hell of a lot of power handling compared to a whimsy 3”..... so for me it was a no brainer.... but ultimately... the SA6 sounded bad ass by itself.... didn’t see a need to try and screw that up.

The car below about 425hz in most cars is where the comb filter issues require multiple speakers in multiple locations to over come the big dips caused by the room and where you sit in the room. So using an 8” in kick and 6.5s in doors was a logical choice .... if I could have got the SA6 location to reinforce properly down to 80hz I surly absolutely would have just used that set alone...

For a guy that wants a solid two way this set can’t be beat especially when price is concerned....

Remember adding a dedicated midrange can make the stage higher if you have a stock 3” location in the dash.... but you’ll have a plethora of phase issues between the midrange and midbass...unless you cross it low enough.... low enough means a 3” has poor power handling and your system is only as good as that 60w (if your lucky) usually 30w midrange...... poor little things just can’t keep up with the big boy midranges...unless you cross at like at least 800 or even 1k . With a shallow slope that could work good ...... like a BW6 at 1k would work... need I say the problems that come with a BW6 and crossing in the delicate midrange.


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## bnae38 (Oct 3, 2015)

I'm really close to pulling the trigger on an active set. My only concern is with the tweets. Not so much a concern with the sa6 tweets as much as I prefer the sound of a larger format (love the sb29). I always find myself crossing them around 3k despite the fact that they could go lower, things just sound smoother/less ratty to me that way.

Where do the guys that use the sa6 set cross their tweets? How are you liking them?


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

I have run them around 2900 to 4200. No issues.
The Tweeters are quite nice. My only issue is that are quite big. I'm not a fan of huge tweeters.
But after some metal removal I got them recessed enough in my car. tweeter is only thing that I haven't changed in 3yrs w this install


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## bnae38 (Oct 3, 2015)

That's all I need to hear, I'm in for an active set.


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

I’m right on same page as mic , it’s a big tweet ... good luck fitting it into any factory sail.... if a car has a spot for a factory 2” or bigger it will fit no problem, otherwise custom..

As far as performance, using a LR2 the forward lobes match very well to the sa6 and the back chamber on the tweeter can be attributed to that. The set are very well matched to each other. 

I use a LR2 at 3200 and it hits the spot for me. i Have always disliked the resonance from soft dome. And of course these tweets have a resonance just like any soft dome. However , that resonance is low enough that it’s largely unheard unless your really really playing very loud. Like any soft dome it fuzzes out a little bit and gets a tiny bit harsh. 

WITH THAT SAID, this tweeter takes considerably more power without that breakup, like compared to an audio frog or morel or dynaudio for instance.... I actually am very much liking it and the 5k and up response is to die for... the highs are very crisp and clean lots of air


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## Don Camillo (Jul 13, 2017)

oabeieo said:


> Yeah ultimately it came down to a single speaker playing through the midrange from 300-2k has a much better phase responce.
> And a 6.5” has a lot more SD than a 3” and a hell of a lot of power handling compared to a whimsy 3”..... so for me it was a no brainer.... but ultimately... the SA6 sounded bad ass by itself.... didn’t see a need to try and screw that up.
> 
> The car below about 425hz in most cars is where the comb filter issues require multiple speakers in multiple locations to over come the big dips caused by the room and where you sit in the room. So using an 8” in kick and 6.5s in doors was a logical choice .... if I could have got the SA6 location to reinforce properly down to 80hz I surly absolutely would have just used that set alone...
> ...


Is the 800hz for a 3" recommendation only for SPL guys?... 
I mean I have read many times for SQ (which is my goal) that lets say a Scan speak 10f can easily run from 300hz. Or even 250hz if you dont play very loud... Okay it is a 3.5" but still pretty small driver...
Or am I wrong here..


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

oabeieo said:


> I’m right on same page as mic , it’s a big tweet ... good luck fitting it into any factory sail.... if a car has a spot for a factory 2” or bigger it will fit no problem, otherwise custom..
> 
> As far as performance, using a LR2 the forward lobes match very well to the sa6 and the back chamber on the tweeter can be attributed to that. The set are very well matched to each other.
> 
> ...


Really? I can't get anywhere near the limit of the gb15. Is it bigger than a gb15?


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

No no no
Gb10 or Gs10..... 1”

The gb15 is a completely different platform, that thing Is a beast and plays into the midrange.... not a comparison

I meant like a GB10 or a car audio version of the morel or dyn .... the 1” type , with no back chamber..... 

Some of the home Morel’s and dynaudios would be up to par....

My point being .... it’s a big 1” that has a lot of good things going for it that other car audio 1” don’t.... if someone was to buy a 6”component set of like , even the ones that are far spendier (is that a word lol)


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

Look ......
I would even go as far as to say it would stand up to the gb15 at certain things

Sorry my camera doesn’t take sexy pics like nicks does ....lol (where is skiz when you need him huh )


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## bnae38 (Oct 3, 2015)

Is that a gb10 or 15?


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

bnae38 said:


> Is that a gb10 or 15?


GB10  

I don’t have a GB15 on hand , I have GB25s but that’s not a tweeter


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

That semi horn loading helps


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## Mrdgz71 (May 22, 2020)

Been looking into purchasing a set of these Steven Audio. What 2”-3” midrange would you guys considering pairing with a set of these in an active set up? Trying to keep it under $300, Ive been looking at audiofrog gs25, audio dynamics ADMC334, morel ccwr254, open to options, what would you guys recommend? Thank you.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

I use Arc Audio Rs3 in my wife's BMW paired with SA65 for midbsss


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## bnae38 (Oct 3, 2015)

To anyone considering these, I definitely recommend them.

The tweets in particular are stellar. My L and R tweet response is dead nuts matched stock and I have 0 eq on them, shocking really.. they sound wonderful too.

The midbass I don't have quite dialed in yet but has also been fairly easy. Lots more eq issues down low, just is what it is.

Tbh, the sound with crossovers only (80 and 3.5k) on this set was very impressive!


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

Ge0 said:


> In my ever so humble opinion. I'm sure Eric's products are spot on. However, if he wants to actually take this seriously he should maybe setup a new web site and stop relying on a low traffic Facebook page to do his marketing. Even when on the Facebook page it is a pain to find info about the products.
> 
> That's my rant. I am done.
> 
> Ge0


I have to agree. Every time someone mentions these, the only place I have ever seen info is the Facebook page, which I am not on. It seems no website, no social media, just facebook and that site isnt that great. It made me shy away from the company and if I am looking that hard to find info on products, it seems to me the company has a reason behind that.


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## Sam Spade (Mar 16, 2020)

Ge0 said:


> If I want to find a hyped up shaver to trim my nut sack I go to Facebook. I don't shop for speakers on Facebook.
> 
> Ge0


Don't you have a personal assistant to do that? 🤣


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## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

I get it. I’m not a Facebook person either, but you guys should give these a try. Eric stevens made some great speakers.


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

I love my set with no wide q peaks that are higher than the mid... I was running with an almost flat curve +/-1db but had a 1db wide Q peak at 3500 

I went to eq and dialed a -1db Q 1.4 and the set sounded absolutely stellar after that.....


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## The Italian (Feb 11, 2020)

I have to agree with the general consensus about a website. It's not a criticism and not too different from what I have done with FB in my own hobby/passion/business muddied area. I'm only speaking for myself here, and from the consumer side. It makes me realize that others can be, and probably are, frustrated with me so I need to address this myself. 

If I go through previous threads and even my own private conversations, I can probably find the information I'm looking for after a 6 month absence, but it's a pain in the ass. It would be infinitely easier to look up specs, pricing, etc on even the simplest of websites. I knew the info at some point but have forgotten in the meantime.


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

I’ve installed a bunch of these now 

andI’m also a JL and Focal dealer
And I’m not kidding, these stand up proudly to the 5000$ set of focal 3 way M series.... that tweeter (when dialed in properly) is a big badass! No spot for a 3way ? This IS your next set.... very very good sounding set


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

What do you cross them active in a typical door/sail 2 way?


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

3.2k LR2

The Twitter really doesn’t mind some of that loworder roll

you have to tune the crossover a tiny bit or the crossover area there’s going to be some peaks obviously the Twitter will resonate And have a peek
If you’re using the passive set you could knock that out while you’re doing your main EQ work

That seems to be the sweet spot for me


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

One all the peaks are knocked down the tweeter sounds ohh laaa laaa so smooth..... very crisp sounding lots of air....


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

Why lr2?


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

dcfis said:


> Why lr2?


it’s tough to explain, maybe eric can help , you’ll have to read about back chambers on 1” domes and crossovers 
It gets technical, as far as the forward lobe goes the spl is more constant in the axis relative to the fixed seating position.
It’s more equal energy. I’ve tried a bunch of crossovers on this set and the LR2 works excellent!


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

So i should just try lr2 at 3.2k? You flipping polarity?


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

dcfis said:


> So i should just try lr2 at 3.2k? You flipping polarity?


so polarity flip on the low pass side , for complimentary crossovers yes ...

But that polarity flip May or may not be needed if your band passing the mid and depending what crossover your using on the high pass of the mid.

if you download the latest version of helix software and go into demo mode you can turn on both crossovers (mid and tweet) and turn on the phase view

you will seeabout midpoint on the mid band pass a minimum phase twist caused by both filters in the band pass
look and see which one puts you closest to the phase line on tweeter, 

look at sub also, more important to have the sub phase match to mid bass ,you could possiblyflip on sub or mid, depending which gives better overall phase 
l


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## dcfis (Sep 9, 2016)

I use helix but what is this phase view?


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## oabeieo (Feb 22, 2015)

dcfis said:


> I use helix but what is this phase view?


set up a two way in helix
On right of main screen each channel can be muted and there is a little “A” and a little “P” click the P and it shows channel phase electrical phase for the crossovers

if you click A it shows all ....Iirc someone chime in it’s been at least two months since I’ve tuned a helix


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