# Review: Dayton RS180-4



## Chaos (Oct 27, 2005)

I know there is already a thread about this, but since I really want a DIYMA 12 I decided to post my own :blush: 

So here we go:

By now, alot of DIYers are familiar with the Dayton Reference line speakers and the 7" RS180 in particular. After a few weeks of listening to the 7" 4Ω versions, as well as the 5" & 6" sheilded 8Ω versions in my HT for several months, I would have to say that they deliver the goods as advertised. Generally speaking, the reference drivers all produce very clean vocals with above average definition of instruments without excessive distortion at respectable output levels. If you have any doubts about the value offered by these products, they are certainly inexpensive enough to try for yourself but I am confident that they are easily worth their modest cost and I don't regret purchasing any of them at all.

As for the 180's specifically, they are installed IB in the lower doors of a Dodge Dakota seeing about 50 watts actively bandpassed at 12db/octave between 90-2500hz. 
Initially, I was hoping to run them higher than 3kHz but as several other reviews have stated they aren't much good above maybe 2500hz at the most. Even so, they perform well for me and I think they sound quite good with most types of music. They render vocals very nicely with a natural timbre and neutral tonality. Also as advertised, they have great midbass response with a snappy kick that sounds fantastic with heavy metal, rock, pop, country & jazz. Lower bass from hip-hop & rap is driving me crazy because they have created a half dozen new rattles in the moderately dampened door panels - but eventually I will get it all nailed down. For my needs, they are capable of getting loud enough for my daily driver but with such moderate power they won't be setting any SPL records.

Overall, I am happy with the performance of these inexpensive speakers and I think they sound about as good or better that you can possibly expect for the money. Like the rest of my Dayton items, the build quality is solid and they seem to do what they say they would. 
The only complaints I have are the oversized 7.125" flange and the slightly undersized cone that is inherent to all the reference drivers, and the fact that it is tough to find the right compact tweeter to pick up where they leave off in order to create a decent 2-way front stage. 
At this point, I like the 180's enough to try a few other tweeters with them before I throw in the towel but if I hadn't already heard the other reference speakers in the house I may have been much more inclined to try the Peerless Exclusive 7" or one of the popular Seas 7" that we hear so much about on this forum instead. It may still come to that, but they were definitely worth a try for the money and I don't hesitate to suggest them for anybody who is looking to maximize value & performance on a modest budget.


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## bassfromspace (Jun 28, 2016)

Chaos said:


> I know there is already a thread about this, but since I really want a DIYMA 12 I decided to post my own :blush:
> 
> So here we go:
> 
> ...


Lengthy and excellent.


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## unpredictableacts (Aug 16, 2006)

I was thinking about going with this same mid running active with 90 watts at 4ohms and mating it with a max fidelity 30mm tweeter.....will there still be miss freqz or can those max fis pick up where the daytons stop? and thanks for the reasuring review.


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## Pb2theMax (Aug 26, 2005)

If you can fit 'em, go with RS225s. The RS180's are nice, but the 225s put out the sound more effortlessly. They really brought the bass guitar and drums to life.


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