# Exodus Anarchy midbass/midrange - before/after review



## tRidiot (Jun 29, 2006)

Ok, well, I've had these midbasses in my Tahoe's doors for several months now and feel I can finally give them a good review, so here goes...

Initially these were mounted in my doorskins behind the doorpanel in 1/2" MDF baffles. The doors were sealed up as best I could, but these stupid doors have many holes in them which are required to mount the interior doorpanel to the doorskin, so they CANNOT be totally sealed to be a true IB enclosure. Therefore, I made metal flashing sandwiches with butyl rubber and screwed them to the larger doorholes and did my best to seal them as well as I could. Also applied damping mat to the inside of the outer doorskin to damp vibrations.

The system:

Pioneer AVH-P4200DVD double-DIN touchscreen headunit
Behringer DCX-2496 processor (12v conversion kit)
Image Dynamics Comp v2 HLCDs with mini horns
Exodus Anarchy 6.5" midbasses drivers
(2) TC Sounds TC9 12" subs
Phoenix Gold Xenon 200.4 bridged to horns (400x2 @ 8 ohms)
Phoenix Gold Xenon 200.4 bridged to midbasses (400x2 @ 8 ohms)
Planet Audio VX2200d sub amp (2200w RMS @ 1 ohm... yeah right)

Electrical:
685A alternator power
2 full-size Autozone batteries under the hood
MLA alternator control module
multiple runs of 1/0 power and ground
Stinger 5F capacitor

So, initially, the sound from these midbasses was just... underwhelming. They aren't BAD, per se, but they certainly aren't the beasts they look to be, and don't have anything resembling good midbass output. They are solidly-built speakers which have a reputation for being just about the best heavy midbass out there, with darn good midrange performance as well, and the best bang-for-the-buck you can get. 

But, even with all that power and the processing to EQ the hell out of the midbass to boost it all I wanted, the powerhandling was moderate at best, output was pretty decent, I suppose, in the midrange, but nothing to write home about. Breakup occurred when really pushing to get high volume, say at highway speed with windows down. And midbass output was really quite pathetic, to say the least.

Fast forward a couple of months to this week.

Now, we built custom enclosures to fit in the door of my Tahoe, cut some doorskin, cut some doorpanel, but everything still looks stock when put back together. Doorskins are no no longer as sealed, we removed some of the metal, but shouldn't be as necessary with enclosures. The enclosures were custom-made from fiberglass, attached to the baffle (again, 1/2" MDF) and something like 0.20-0.25 ft^3 each. Left one actually came out slightly larger, but I figured, "Oh well."

Let me tell you... these things come ALIVE in an enclosure. I mean... ALIVE! Midrange output and powerhandling is SIGNIFICANTLY better, and midbass output is through the ROOF! A few listening notes

Live recordings: 
Andrew Lloyd Webber's _The Phantom of the Opera Original Broadway Cast Soundtrack_
Tim Rice and Elton John's _AIDA Original Broadway Cast Soundtrack_
Ian Moore's _Live from Austin_

Studio recordings:
Johnny _Lang's Long Time Coming_
Storyville's _Bluest Eyes
_ZZ Top's _Greatest Hits_
Pink Floyd's _The Division Bell_
Skillet's _Collide_
Candlebox's _Candlebox_
_Daredevil Soundtrack_

Listening time has mainly been at highway speeds with windows both down and up on commute to work (2.5 hour drive one-way). Still dialing in some settings, but right now have the left midrange gained 0.6dB higher than the right, as the driver's side is quite a bit off-axis to me. EQ hasn't changed yet, but I will likely do some of that this coming week, if I find a little time. Crossover points varied a bit, with a HP running at either 50Hz 48 dB/oct or disabled (that's right, NO HP crossover). LP has been set at 1.5kHz 24dB/oct, I think... I'll have to check that one.

First off, the increase in overall output has been a huge boon. The vocals in the live recordings have gotten a significant boost. The lower registers of both the male and female vocals are so much more "filled out", sounding richer and more full. Michael Crawford's baritone on the Phantom soundtrack sounds much more like I know it from live performances, and the timbre of Heather Headley's AIDA solos literally actually brought tears to my eyes while cruising through Tulsa's busy Friday rush hour afternoon traffic.

I've seen the above shows many times live in great performance halls, so I know what it is supposed to sound like. 7 times for Phantom, including at The Majestic in NYC and the West End in London, as well as AIDA 3 times including twice in NYC on Broadway. I've got the performances burned into my brain, to say the least.

Another thing that really stood out to me a lot with the new setup is the impact of snare drums and toms. I mean, I always liked them, but in AIDA, there are several spots where the percussive *snap* literally caught me off-guard in smacking my chest. It really added a significant amount of impact to the performance and intensified the "live" feel of being back in the theater. I was... almost... happy in my pants! 

At times, especially at really *significant *volume levels (is there *any *other way to listen when driving long distances alone???), I did notice some coloration in the lower midrange, which I'm going to have to track down a bit. I don't THINK this is from my horns, as it sounded below the cutoff point, but I noticed it several times, so I don't think it was my imagination. It'll be hard to reproduce at lower levels, I think, so I'll have to park somewhere I can crank it without pissing my neighbors the **** off...

Now for my true passion and the reason behind all the rebuilds and this whole thing... *UP FRONT BASS*.

I'm a _fanatic _about it. This is now my 3rd complete door rebuild in 6 months just to achieve that sought-after illusion. And at high volume.

Originally, I got hooked by putting a set of 7" a/d/s/ S7 subs in the doors of my 240sx, then graduated to a cheap set of Beals Brothers 8s, and eventually put in a set of JL 8IB4s which impressed me quite a bit. I finally sold those in lieu of a pair of Oz Audio 200Ls (or 200Hs, I never truly found out which) in my doors, which was sonic nirvana! 40-50Hz tones in my front doors with authority, and a seriously transparent subwoofer blending into the front stage at up to moderate-to-high listening levels. Only with VERY bass-heavy music and at VERY high volumes could one begin to localize the subwoofers to the back of the car, if you could ignore the rattling.  The bass, really DID seem to come from the doors in front of you, NOT from behind. I was in LOVE... and so doomed myself to being forever dissatisfied with anything less! 

Well... now I have finally gotten CLOSE to what I had in the 240... of course, we're comparing a MUCH larger vehicle now and also going with 6.5s instead of 8s. But I am VERY happy so far with these little Anarchys! If I really EQ the midbass up by turning on the "LOUDNESS" function on my headunit from Off (where it usually stays) to Low/Mid/High, these suckers will really hammer away at your pantslegs like true aspiring subwoofers! With rap, heavy bass/midbass, they really thump. Solid impact. Of course, I don't want to run them there all the time, but oh my goodness! They have great output at these settings and NEVER bottom out! NEVER! I was impressed... to say the least.

Dropping back down to a modest setting, the midbass output is certainly tangible, and when slowly raising the gain on the subs, it is quite easy to blend them in perfectly with the midbasses, even up to fairly high volume, and keep them sounding as if they are 100% in front of you, with all that 30-40Hz bass coming from those doors! Even the impact of the increasing subwoofer output in your chest STILL feels as if it's coming from the midbasses in the front of the truck!

Folks... I just can't say enough about how amazing it is to have that up-front bass sensation once again, and now in my beautiful truck, my pride and joy. I don't think the midbass quite measures up to where my 240 was, but again, with the huge size of the cabin in this truck, plus the smaller speakers, I can't complain in the least... these things really do the trick!

The coloration will need to be worked on a bit, perhaps some EQing, if I can figure out where and how. My Behringer allows essentially any EQ point, level and Q I want to set, and as many as I need, really. So the sky is the limit... but so far, I am very happy. A little bit of breakup at extreme volumes with very heavy guitar distortion (Skillet and Candlebox and the Daredevil soundtrack, really), again, maybe some more level-matching and EQ will help with this.


Bottom line is, folks... put these babies in an enclosure and throw the power to them! You won't be sorry!!!

I hope this review helps someone decide what they want to do, and not give up... it IS possible to get that up-front bass feeling, you just have to go balls to the wall and throw convention out the door! Look for pictures to be attached to my build-thread next week when I get home (hopefully!).

The Power Plant - 2004 Chevy Tahoe


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## Wesayso (Jul 20, 2010)

Great read on those anarchy midbass. Always curious to read up on those.

Here's an idea to think about regarding the loudness curve. I read a lot of people have their "loudness" function off. The less you influence the audio the better. I get that but I like impact at lower volume as well. 
I use it to set my system to about "B weighting" at reasonable listening levels (volume at 35 of 62) so I'm getting the impact from my midbass even at those levels. When I turn up the volume the "loudness" will gradually fall off so I won't have overpowering bass (or highs) at higher volume.
Sure I could EQ the same B weighted curve without "loudness" but the bass and highs would kill me if I turn up the volume. 
See the testing doitor did on a high end Pioneer HU to view the changes in the loudness curve at different volume settings: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/member-reviews-product-comparisons/74329-testing-pioneer-carrozzeria-deh-p01-freq-respose-eq-x-over.html
I'll asume the other HU's from Pioneer behave somewhat the same. The idea to try B-weighting came from reading about "The Magic Bus" . I don't follow it exactly, slightly under the curve in the Bass section but the same overall shape. Tried the curve from Andy Wehmeyer first but I like the tonallity from b-weighting better in my car.


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

tRidiot said:


> Initially these were mounted in my doorskins behind the doorpanel in 1/2" MDF baffles. So, initially, the sound from these midbasses was just... underwhelming... midbass output was really quite pathetic, to say the least.


Dude, I just knew there were going to be some out there that were going to experience this. I looked at this driver in free air and it just does not look good. Small sealed looked so much better... and that was reason number one why they are high on my list as a candidate for great midbass in the kicks. It's a good thing that you did not write these off and considered the parameters and put them in the proper enclosure. 

...and MY GOD would your front stage would blow my head off! 1600 watts to horns and Anarchy's, WOW! However, we have similar taste I love the music from the Phantom of the Opera.....worn that disc out! I've seen it once in Toronto and once in Detroit... plus the 1989 performance by the Santa Clara Vanguard drum and bugle corps is one of my all time favorite shows: DCI-Santa Clara Vanguard 1989 Phantom of the Opera The music just grabs you and is so haunting!

Not to mention, I love Heather Headley....been following her since the Lion King on broadway...I saw the production years later in Toronto but would have loved to have seen the original cast. I never saw AIDA but I will be picking up that disc.


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## EricP72 (Mar 23, 2008)

Hey I checked out your build log. Do you have any pics of your sealed door pods with and/or without the drivers installed? And I love your review.


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## tRidiot (Jun 29, 2006)

WLDock said:


> D...and MY GOD would your front stage would blow my head off! 1600 watts to horns and Anarchy's, WOW! However, we have similar taste I love the music from the Phantom of the Opera.....worn that disc out! I've seen it once in Toronto and once in Detroit... plus the 1989 performance by the Santa Clara Vanguard drum and bugle corps is one of my all time favorite shows: DCI-Santa Clara Vanguard 1989 Phantom of the Opera The music just grabs you and is so haunting!
> 
> Not to mention, I love Heather Headley....been following her since the Lion King on broadway...I saw the production years later in Toronto but would have loved to have seen the original cast. I never saw AIDA but I will be picking up that disc.


The SCV Phantom show was pretty awesome... that's what kinda got me into it in the first place. They did an amazing job. Disappearing corps FTW...



manish said:


> Hey I checked out your build log. Do you have any pics of your sealed door pods with and/or without the drivers installed? And I love your review.


I've got some, I'll have to pull them off my camera. I'm not sure how they turned out, so we'll have to wait and see. They're not pretty, just effective.


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## charcoal grey (Feb 24, 2008)

What size enclosure did you use?


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## fish (Jun 30, 2007)

charcoal grey said:


> What size enclosure did you use?



He stated .2 - .25 cf each.


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## jsun_g (Jun 12, 2008)

Awesome review. Great to see that putting in the extra effort and doing something differently paid off. I used to have a Ford Probe and completely rebuilt the doors for about 0.5 cubes sealed in each door for an Altec Lansing 8" and that was the best midbass I ever had.


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## tRidiot (Jun 29, 2006)

Yes, I'm actually debating rebuilding my doors 100%, as well... something like a total gut-job of the whole inner doorskin, which is all molded metal with many shapes and curves, etc. If I cut all that out with a sawzall or plasma cutter, I'll have to remount the window motors back in place somehow. But, I'll probably buy some better or new window motors anyways, since mine are 7 years old. Then I can replace the inner doorskin with solid 1/4" flat sheetmetal and simply attach the doorpanel to that using screws or something. If I did that, I'd have a solid enclosure for the whole door... and I thought about putting 2 of these Anarchy's in each door...

I think that'd rock pretty nicely.


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## SQram (Aug 17, 2007)

Any problems with efficiency mismatches between drivers, especially with the amount of power on the horns?


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## tRidiot (Jun 29, 2006)

SQram said:


> Any problems with efficiency mismatches between drivers, especially with the amount of power on the horns?


That's what gains are for.

Horns currently are gained down over 10dB from the mids.

I have independent L/R gains, EQs and crossover points and slopes, so...


I also don't ever really crank it very far. Probably not using more than half of my power to the mids, less than 1/4 to the horns. Headroom was my goal here... overbuilt.


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## swong46 (Sep 25, 2009)

How do you know when it is too leaky? I played my Anarchys in free air while putting them onto my door mounting ring and volume instantly went up a fair amount.


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## WLDock (Sep 27, 2005)

swong46 said:


> How do you know when it is too leaky? I played my Anarchys in free air while putting them onto my door mounting ring and volume instantly went up a fair amount.


Generally speaking the long stroke and quiet motor on the Anarchy makes them great for open dipole designs...so i would think that they could work in a door design. However, the parameters suggest that they do well in enclosures. They even look good in small sealed that is why I plan to see how they work out in the kicks.

Nevertheless, you have to consider tRidiot's POWERFUL and efficient top end and low end. The low effciency Anarchy's in his system need all the help that they can get....and enclosures give him the boost in output that was missing in the "leaky door" install...Again...it goes back to the driver parameters and in vehicle response.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

interesting dude, i was unhappy with the anarchy midrange in my IB setup, but after crossing them and using a dedicated midrange i am very happy. that ZZTop album has some great midbass, one of my favorites.

any build pics of those doors?


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