# Diamond Audio HEX S600.25



## JerobZok (May 20, 2014)

Hey Guys,

Just getting into car audio scene and I have some old equipment that I just never installed. I have some old Diamond Audio HEX S600.25 6.5 components. I got them in the late 90's and I think they are the 1998 good ones made in Germany. They seem a bit deep, 3in, have huge magnets and may be trouble installing in my 02 Toyota Celica doors. Do you think they are worth the trouble to install? Can they be run by a MTX 2300x amp? 

I plan on getting the Pioneer DEH-80PRS to run everything and maybe an JL 8" Microsub.

Can anyone tell me the specs on these speakers and/or do you have a manual? I've scoured the web and found a little bit. I don't seem to have the manual in the box.

Thanks.


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

I sold a pair of the1st Generation 5.25" component set with silk tweeters a while back. Kinda regret it. And still have a set of the 6.5" 1st Gen mids in my old install. Still love them. See if they look the same as the 1st Gen set in my FS thread here:

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/car-audio-classifieds/69949-diamond-audio-technologies-d-t-hex-s550s-comp-set-bnib-1st-gen-2.html

I'll take a look and see if I still have a PDF of the Spec Sheet for the 1st Gen 6.5" mids...if I do I'll PM or email you...or post it here.

I would still install them.  I prefer other tweeters, but the silk tweets aren't bad at all, actually quite nice. I never used the Aluminum dome tweets.

For the 6.5" mid-bass, they work best (amazing) if you can get them into .25-.3.0cf SEALED enclosures with rock wool stuffing. Otherwise, if you mount them in your doors make sure to do a solid job of sound deadening with CLD, MLV, and CCF, if possible, and preferably sealing the large access holes in the doors. This deadening work would be beneficial to any door install.

They don't need a ton of power...a clean 50-150 watts is fine.

For HIGH PASS on the mids using the 80PRS, I wouldn't go much lower or shallower than 63Hz/24dB per octave slope. If you have a decent subwoofer setup to pick up the low end you'll be very pleased IMHO.

If you decide to sell them let me know! 

Good luck. Oh, post some pics of them! ...and welcome to DIYMA. 

EDIT: Regarding the MTX 2300x amp...it's an oldie but goodie. The only problem is that I can almost guarantee that the capacitors are shot just from age alone (leaking, buldging, or dried out). The thermal paste for the transitors is probably dried out, powdery, and ineffective as well. I would definitely have it checked out before you use it and possibly damage those awesome speakers. Sadly, it will probably be less expensive to replace the MTX with a new amp rather that fixing it.


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## JerobZok (May 20, 2014)

Thanks for the Reply bbfoto!

I actually have 2 of the MTX 2300x amps. Can I open them up and see if they are ok? They have been stored inside my air conditioned house if that helps any. Do all old amps get this way?

Here are some photos of the speakers:


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

Thanks for the pics (good ones, too!). Yep, you've got the 1st Generation HEX (Eton) goodness right there!  Rare to find them brand new...can you say "jealous", LOL?!

I still have those exact mids in one of my installs, paired with Hiquphon OW1 tweeters, active with a Sony CDX-C90/XDP-4000x combo, DLS & Arc Audio CXLr amps, and Infinity Beta 15x subwoofer. Still love listening to this setup as much as any others that I have!

And those tweeters are actually very nice as well (based on the LPG NFA tweeters, IIRC). I just chose the Hiquphons due to my particular install/location application. I know that a member here had custom-machined some aluminum waveguides for those tweeters and offered them up to me for free. People don't tend to invest that kind of time or energy to make custom waveguides for a pair of mediocre tweeters.  If interested, you might check my old FS thread for my 5.25" HEX set to find his user name.

And, yes, most amps of that age will have this problem. It's not always obvious to see unless you really know what to look for. You might search some of the old school amplifier repair threads here to see some sample pics and gather more info, or start a thread asking about them.

They *might* be okay, but if you take a chance and fire them up and there is a bad component in there it will most likely cause more damage when either the resistors or power transistors burn up and permanently damage the PC Board. Also this could cause the amp to send DC to the speaker outputs and blow your speakers. Better to be safe than sorry...

If you can get those HEX components to fit in your install, I think you will be VERY happy, unless you really like a very "dry" sounding tonal quality. These are a bit forward or "lively" out of the box, but nothing that a slight bit of EQ can't adjust.

Again, the mid-bass might seem a bit lacking if your install is not optimized (see my previous comments), but if they are installed and tuned properly, these have PLENTY of mid-bass output, contrary to what most people think. For a good demonstration on how to sound-deaden your doors, check out the "How-To's" at Welcome to Sound Deadener Showdown | Sound Deadener Showdown

Like I said, I will buy them from you in a heartbeat if you decide to go with something else  , but I think these are worth it for you to install. I don't know how much you have invested in them since you got them back in the day, but to find anything any better you would have to spend considerably more than what you would probably get out of these by selling them now. 

Thanks for posting! Get them installed and enjoy them!

P.S. I haven't come up with the spec sheet for them yet, but I'll keep looking...I know I have both a printed copy and a PDF somewhere!

P.S.#2 If at all possible, run these actively using the Active Crossovers in the DEH-80PRS. IMHO, the passive crossovers in this set do a terrible job and will make these speakers sound like doo-doo!


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## JerobZok (May 20, 2014)

Thanks man. The speakers aren't totally "new" actually. I bought them used but it is very hard to tell. There is some solder on the connectors. If I don't like em I will sell em to ya.  I've hardly listened to any aftermarket speakers, lately, so anything better than my stock speakers are going to make my ears orgasm! I'll take some more pics of the crossovers and the box when I get the chance. 

Are the tweeters aluminum or silk? I can't tell. 

I do plan on doing a very thorough door deadening job. I may try my hand at kick pods but I'd rather go the quicker route right now.

Sucks about the amps. I thought I wouldn't have to purchase any. Oh well, thinking about a 5 channel amp. Would it be ok to power these with 40w per channel or should I go higher like 75w? I'm don't care about how loud things are. I'm going for sound quality. 

Appreciate you looking for the manual. I found some for the newer HEX speakers on some Russian site. Hope I didn't get a virus.


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

Those are the silk tweeters, designated by the S600.25_s_ in the model #. The aluminum tweeters would have an "a" at the end of the model # and have bright/shiny aluminum domes.

They will definitely be an upgrade over your stock speakers. I would say that it would be difficult to make these mids work properly in a kick pod enclosure unless you used some type of porting/Aperiodic Membrane (AP), etc and tuned them via impedance measurements. If you had the 5.25" mids they would be PERFECT for this (1.5L sealed kickpods).

Personally, I would go for at least the 75watt/channel amp. 40-watts really isn't much more than HU/deck power, and you do want a little headroom to send them clean power, without having to max the gain and increase the noise floor/possible hiss.

Maybe get some opinions from the amp repair gurus here before you totally write off the MTX's, but from personal experience I wouldn't want to take a chance with them unless you had them checked out and tested by someone that's qualified.

The new 5-channel designs are awesome and will fit under the passenger seat with ease. Mids in the doors will be fine with a good deadening/sealing job, and tweeters have almost always worked well in the sail panels for me, especially if you will be running active with the 80PRS.


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## upgrayedd (Apr 19, 2011)

Those components are to this day one of the best sounding out of the box(ie passive) sets I have heard when installed and tuned properly.


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

^I completely agree. 

Unfortunately, my passenger-side 6.5" HEX mid just bit the dust after ~17 years of service. Can't really complain about that I guess, haha, but I really wasn't looking forward to the search for a different new set that could compare. Plus I had the tuning for those HEX drivers really dialed-in with the DSP. 

But luckily I found a forum member who happened to have one stashed away and he was kind enough to sell it to me. Thanks kmbkk!  So I should be back in business in a few weeks with that install.


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