# H-Audio Ebony review



## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

Carl (unpredictableacts) gave me his new Ebony mids to do an a/b comparison with my Soul mids. He broke them in for around 60 hours or better so I have no doubt that they're good and limbered up. The Soul and Ebony share a lot of the same parts except the cone. The Soul is an aluminum/poly blend while the Ebony appears to be either solid poly or close to it. They are VERY different sounding drivers. I'd even go as far as saying they are polar opposite of each other. 

If you read my Soul review you noticed that I was really happy with their revealing and laid back sound. I can't say the same about the Ebony and this is where being a reviewer gets tough. The Ebony is quite possibly the most laid back driver I've listened to in a very long time. It's a very forgiving driver that has somewhat of a dark sound that can be veiled at times. I'm not hearing nearly as much of the little things in songs that seem to pop out easily with the Souls. Depending on what you're looking for in a driver this could be a good thing but for me it's not. These mids remind me of Dyn, Hertz High Energy, and Morel. 

Bottom line is if you don't like my description of the Soul mids you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. If you want something that will help mask a bad recording you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid with a great bottom end you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid that defines a laid back sound you'll love the Ebony mids. If you like the sound of Scanspeak based drivers you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. I was told to be as honest as possible and I tried my best to post both the good and the bad. These mids really do sound good with a nice smooth response but just aren't for me. While my review isn't glowing I hope this will help you make the right choice if you decide to give H-Audio a try.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Hillbilly SQ said:


> Carl (unpredictableacts) gave me his new Ebony mids to do an a/b comparison with my Soul mids. He broke them in for around 60 hours or better so I have no doubt that they're good and limbered up. The Soul and Ebony share a lot of the same parts except the cone. The Soul is an aluminum/poly blend while the Ebony appears to be either solid poly or close to it. They are VERY different sounding drivers. I'd even go as far as saying they are polar opposite of each other.
> 
> If you read my Soul review you noticed that I was really happy with their revealing and laid back sound. I can't say the same about the Ebony and this is where being a reviewer gets tough. The Ebony is quite possibly the most laid back driver I've listened to in a very long time. It's a very forgiving driver that has somewhat of a dark sound that can be veiled at times. I'm not hearing nearly as much of the little things in songs that seem to pop out easily with the Souls. Depending on what you're looking for in a driver this could be a good thing but for me it's not. These mids remind me of Dyn, Hertz High Energy, and Morel.
> 
> Bottom line is if you don't like my description of the Soul mids you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. If you want something that will help mask a bad recording you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid with a great bottom end you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid that defines a laid back sound you'll love the Ebony mids. If you like the sound of Scanspeak based drivers you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. I was told to be as honest as possible and I tried my best to post both the good and the bad. These mids really do sound good with a nice smooth response but just aren't for me. While my review isn't glowing I hope this will help you make the right choice if you decide to give H-Audio a try.


I would have to say it a pretty go description of the two drivers. This is exactly want I have said the entire time about the two drivers. I will also add they do have nearly the exact same response, But sound totally different. 

This is the reason H-Audio states no entry or highend levels. Its more of the sound your looking for. The Ebony is the perfect match for the Trinity and Enigma in the EET 3-way arrangement (Harmony Series), warm and laid back with a very natural sound, very scan like. The X-Series is all about detail which is correct, can be a bad thing or a good thing, they can be a little over critical on some recordings, but this is what some people want and some others hate.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

Thanks for taking my review so well Mark. I hesitated clicking the button to post it. I will also add that the Ebony has a sound that really won't offend anyone. That's what makes it such a forgiving driver it seems.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Hillbilly SQ said:


> Thanks for taking my review so well Mark. I hesitated clicking the button to post it. I will also add that the Ebony has a sound that really won't offend anyone. That's what makes it such a forgiving driver it seems.


It was nothing not to take well sir. From the being we kind of knew which driver you would like from what you was telling me about the kind of sound reproduction you like.

My idea was to have something for everyone, which is not a easy thing to do. Some love the Scan, Morel, and Dynaudio warm, laid back and natural sound, when some other what to hear every last little thing. I kind of go for the warm and natural sound with good detail, This is way I really like the EET arrangement. The Trinity while very smooth has a good amount of detail, add the Enigma to the top end and the smooth, warm and detail sound is complete; now add the Ebony to the bottom end, as its better bottom end and its warmer sound works better to transition in with the Trinity. This combo is kind of the best of both worlds. This is the sound a like a little more as it adds a bit of emotion to the music. But at times I want to hear everything bad or good, so I look to a combo like the X-Soul Series.

What the Prolific will do is give you about 90% of what the EET arrangement gives you in one driver. Very detail, warm and natural, But will a little more detail and dynamics in the midrange.

I also have on the way, what just may be what I will call my High-End. These two new drivers are, well hmmmm, High-Resolution, they will take what the X-Series dose improve on it; then add some of the warm and smoothness of the Harmony series. True Audiophile drivers. Man I let the Cat out the bag sooner then I want to, but as we know I get a little excited at times about great drivers.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Someone going to be running the Ebony at the BBQ? I'd really love to hear the difference between the two myself.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

To elaborate on the above no matter how bad the recording is or how jagged the music is I couldn't get these mids to sound bad. They're just so laid back it's unreal. I returned the mids to their rightful owner and have my own back in their home.


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## newtitan (Mar 7, 2005)

okay im piggybacking a tad, Ill do my full review once I finish these darn pillars lol---my time these days and mood are limited

anyway Ive had the ebony's warmed up for like two weeks now off 70W rms 63hz to 1.6hz mated to my horns for the time being (only getting 25W rms since the sensitivity difference, and I must say ive never been a fan of poly cones--traditional paper man for the most part, 

I like smooth, laid back, not really a seas fan (although i appreciate the sparkle and clarity-ive used the lotus, 7, 8, w16, w18 etc)..dyn, scans and morel are more my taste...

but man these are a certified winner IMO

wonderful midrange output, with very little off axis tuning needed (they are in my doors not kicks), dont need a ton of power to reach optimum sensitivity, Very shallow, and amazingly light perfect for sports car, tuners etc 

and the low end in the proper midbass arena 63ish to 400ish is extremely pronounced with a very nice kick....im been using 8's for like 5 years now...and these cant match the cone area of course....but the actual sound, and fidelity of the notes is right on with some of the far more expensive drivers ive used

in this 6-7" driver size these are top 5 in my book so far

they need a few more hours of break in (ive finally learned my lesson after wasting some dyns too soon a few years back and then hearing them shine in another car lol) before I can finally do the full review

and of course I have to install the other two parts of the three way

for the price, heck screw the price AWESOME PERFORMANCE

im rather suprised why more people havent taken the chance to try these out

ill be back in a few weeks with more


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

Glad you like them. They do shine as a midbass and lower midrange.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

newtitan said:


> okay im piggybacking a tad, Ill do my full review once I finish these darn pillars lol---my time these days and mood are limited
> 
> anyway Ive had the ebony's warmed up for like two weeks now off 70W rms 63hz to 1.6hz mated to my horns for the time being (only getting 25W rms since the sensitivity difference, and I must say ive never been a fan of poly cones--traditional paper man for the most part,
> 
> ...


Glad you like them, just wait until you install the complete EET 3-way arrangement.

O yam, I did fry the monitor.:blush:


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

I yet to break my Ebonys in but so far they are sound very good.. 

Hey Mark - YGPM


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## friction (Apr 24, 2008)

Cant wait to get hold on the H-audio Ref 6.5. They are on the way to me.will post pictures soon


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

Hillbilly SQ said:


> Carl (unpredictableacts) gave me his new Ebony mids to do an a/b comparison with my Soul mids. He broke them in for around 60 hours or better so I have no doubt that they're good and limbered up. The Soul and Ebony share a lot of the same parts except the cone. The Soul is an aluminum/poly blend while the Ebony appears to be either solid poly or close to it. They are VERY different sounding drivers. I'd even go as far as saying they are polar opposite of each other.
> 
> If you read my Soul review you noticed that I was really happy with their revealing and laid back sound. I can't say the same about the Ebony and this is where being a reviewer gets tough. The Ebony is quite possibly the most laid back driver I've listened to in a very long time. It's a very forgiving driver that has somewhat of a dark sound that can be veiled at times. I'm not hearing nearly as much of the little things in songs that seem to pop out easily with the Souls. Depending on what you're looking for in a driver this could be a good thing but for me it's not. These mids remind me of Dyn, Hertz High Energy, and Morel.
> 
> Bottom line is if you don't like my description of the Soul mids you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. If you want something that will help mask a bad recording you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid with a great bottom end you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid that defines a laid back sound you'll love the Ebony mids. If you like the sound of Scanspeak based drivers you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. I was told to be as honest as possible and I tried my best to post both the good and the bad. These mids really do sound good with a nice smooth response but just aren't for me. While my review isn't glowing I hope this will help you make the right choice if you decide to give H-Audio a try.


there is a LOT going on with describing this driver...
1. exact opposite of the soul
2.but yet they are both "laid back" does this mean they love to chill on a friday night? what does laid back mean in a speaker review?
3. very forgiving yet dark and veiled..but still laidback.
4. lacking in detail
5 similar to dyn, hertz HE, and Morel
6. great bottom end...this must mean the soul has no bottom end?
7. again with some more "laid back"
8. scanspeak...i almost forget scanspeak...this driver will appeal to folks who like scanspeak
9. they sound good and have a smooth FR..but overall not an appealing sound i guess??

Geez send me a set i would be happy to review them for ya


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

Hillbilly SQ said:


> To elaborate on the above no matter how bad the recording is or how jagged the music is I couldn't get these mids to sound bad. They're just so laid back it's unreal. I returned the mids to their rightful owner and have my own back in their home.


sorry i missed this one...so all the bad things you said about them being veiled and lacking in detail, but yet you couldn't get them to sound bad???

laid back is NOT a good sonic quality.....it may be good marketing speak....but a speaker should not sound laid back....imagine going to a concert and coming away with the impression that the SQ was "laid back"....


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

friction said:


> Cant wait to get hold on the H-audio Ref 6.5. They are on the way to me.will post pictures soon


LUCKY @#$% 


We will need Pics


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

DAT said:


> LUCKY @#$%
> 
> 
> We will need Pics


Agreed. Hopefully I'll be able to work out a deal with Mark for a Ref setup to show off at the next Bama meet and give the DFW boys something different to take a gander at.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

miniSQ said:


> there is a LOT going on with describing this driver...
> 1. exact opposite of the soul
> 2.but yet they are both "laid back" does this mean they love to chill on a friday night? what does laid back mean in a speaker review?
> 3. very forgiving yet dark and veiled..but still laidback.
> ...


Hmmmm, let me see if i can clear it up a bit sir, as I understood what Hillibilly was trying to say.

The Ebony is nearly a 180 of the Soul. The Ebony is a very warm and natural sounding driver with very good detail. If you are a fan of Driver like the Morel, dynaudio, Audio Technology and Scanspeak Rev you will like the sound of the Ebony. It is a very forgiving driver as with most paper and ploy cone drivers. It's not that the Ebony lacks detail, the Soul is just a more revealing driver; as this is what it was designed to be.

After listening to the Soul you may think the Ebony or any other driver with higher 2nd and 3rd other distortion my lack a detail in comparisons, but is just that the Soul is not a forgiving driver. If you have a bad recording then it will/would reveal that. The Soul is/was a very critical and clinical sounding driver like with most hard cone drivers like the Sea Excel/Lotus with is hard magnesium cone, Rainbow Reference/Platinum, Dayton Reference, they are not to everyone liking. The Soul still has/had a good level of smoothness that would be revealed with the right amp/tuning combo. 

Not sure how you got that the Soul has no bottom end from him saying the Ebony has great bottom end. The Soul was design to excel in the upper mid-bass and great speed (attack and decay); kind of like the JBL 2118H and 18 Sound MB400; these drivers or more of a midrange then a mid/bass unit. All he is saying is he likes the Soul more transparent and revealing/clinical sound over the Ebony's warmer and more natural sound. But that others would likes the Ebony sound more, as I lean to the Ebony side of things more. But at times I like to hear every little detail bad or good in the recording, then I look to drivers like the Soul.

Hope that helps.

O, ya the new H-Audio Ref 6 is a ture Audiophile's driver and will give you the best of both worlds.


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> Hmmmm, let me see if i can clear it up a bit sir, as I understood what Hillibilly was trying to say.
> 
> The Ebony is nearly a 180 of the Soul. The Ebony is a very warm and natural sounding driver with very good detail. If you are a fan of Driver like the Morel, dynaudio, Audio Technology and Scanspeak Rev you will like the sound of the Ebony. It is a very forgiving driver as with most paper and ploy cone drivers. It's not that the Ebony lacks detail, the Soul is just a more revealing driver; as this is what it was designed to be.
> 
> ...


The Ref 6 takes what the Soul did to a new level. While it shares the same basket making it a true 6.5” transducer and the above average Sd rating, the new Ref 6 improves on the motor topology used for the Ebony and Soul. Making for a fast, dynamic, detail and simple put a true to life sounding transducer; a true audiophile’s driver.

You might want to hire a new person to do your copywriting. The description from your website is kind of hard to read. I also read a few others and they were also poorly written. High end drivers deserve high end writing...which was kind of the point of my first post. JMO....and yes, i know what they say about opinions


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

miniSQ said:


> The Ref 6 takes what the Soul did to a new level. While it shares the same basket making it a true 6.5” transducer and the above average Sd rating, the new Ref 6 improves on the motor topology used for the Ebony and Soul. Making for a fast, dynamic, detail and simple put a true to life sounding transducer; a true audiophile’s driver.
> 
> You might want to hire a new person to do your copywriting. The description from your website is kind of hard to read. I also read a few others and they were also poorly written. High end drivers deserve high end writing...which was kind of the point of my first post. JMO....and yes, i know what they say about opinions


Not sure what this has to do with the review of the Ebony, but......

Glad you know they say about opinions sir

But all opinion are welcome good or bad:thumbsup:


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

personally I would never describe the Scan Speak Revelator as warm or mellow or laid back. to me its always sounded sterile, analytical and dark or cold.
Dyn and Morel are definite warm and laid back sounding. Seas Excel have a smooth midrange with great detail and clarity which I would describe as being more neutral sounding.


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

Its good to hear more IASCA, MECA guys opinions.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Mic10is said:


> personally I would never describe the Scan Speak Revelator as warm or mellow or laid back. to me its always sounded sterile, analytical and dark or cold.
> Dyn and Morel are definite warm and laid back sounding. Seas Excel have a smooth midrange with great detail and clarity which I would describe as being more neutral sounding.


Hmmm not sure if I agree on the Scan Revs, the Scan 12m and 15W has some warmth to them and are bit more mellow sounding then the Seas Excel. I wouldn't say the Revs are dark or cold. I wouldn't call them very laid back either, I would have to agree with you there.

As for as the Morel and Dynaudio sound, i would have to agree. The Seas Excel/Lotus not sure if i would call them neutral sounding, but greatly detail with great clarity yes. 

Well now that I think about it a little more it depends on what you mean by neutral sounding when talking about the Seas Excel/Lotus. If you mean neutral sounding as in; what you put in is what you get out and/or transparent. Neutral meaning not adding much to the signal in the way of distortion when used with in their limits, I would have to agree. This is how I would/would have describe the Soul . I fell the Ebony falls somewhere between the Scan Rev and Morel/Dynaudio sound when used in a 2-way, but by your description it would lean more to the Morel/Dynaudio sound.


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## drtool (Nov 26, 2007)

Say Hillibilly how do you compare to the Focal's you ran?


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## ItalynStylion (May 3, 2008)

drtool said:


> Say Hillibilly how do you compare to the Focal's you ran?


That's what I want to know; they were my focals before his. And now I have a pair of Ebony's in the mail for myself. I figure if I'm going to sell them I'd better at least know what they sound like...yeah I'm justifying it that way


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Mic10is said:


> personally I would never describe the Scan Speak Revelator as warm or mellow or laid back. to me its always sounded sterile, analytical and dark or cold.
> Dyn and Morel are definite warm and laid back sounding. Seas Excel have a smooth midrange with great detail and clarity which I would describe as being more neutral sounding.


Total opposite of how I'd describe them. On all accounts.


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## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

bikinpunk said:


> Total opposite of how I'd describe them. On all accounts.


thanks for your opinion. I still stand by Revelators not being warm, laid back or anything close to that sound.
Ive used them in 3 installs for that purpose b/c I wanted a darker more sterile sound b/c many judges like that kind of textbook analytical sound.
It isnt a sound I really ever enjoyed personally tho.


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## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

I think the Revelator is somewhere between the warm/neutral Dyn/Morel sound and the analytical/cold sound of the Excels.


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

Mark was kind enough a while back to offer up a set of Ebony drivers at a price I could swing, and I ordered up a pair. As of today I still haven't installed my drivers as a complete install. I have completed the left side, but the right is still waiting on the right day and weather to complete. Its just been hectic lately to say the least.

That said, I LOVE the sound of these things. They are replacing the Alpine SPX17-PRO woofers, which to me are great but perhaps better in a small sealed or even ported environment. Conversely, the Ebony just begs to be pushed louder and louder, maintaining perfect composure at much lower crossover points. From Mark explaining to me how these drivers are, I smartly re-doubled my efforts in deadening and sealing the door, which has paid off so far. 

I do not feel that I can give a fully accurate and helpful review until I have installed both drivers, retuned the 3sixty.2 a little here and there, and given the system a good, long listen. 

Playing with the balance, running left (Ebony) to right (SPX-17PRO), the Ebony provides better midrange detail without harshness.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

ItalynStylion said:


> That's what I want to know; they were my focals before his. And now I have a pair of Ebony's in the mail for myself. I figure if I'm going to sell them I'd better at least know what they sound like...yeah I'm justifying it that way


Since y'all asked...the Polyglass mids were smooth as a babies butt with great manners. I'd put them between the Ebony and Soul. The Soul has that textbook sound that was described above and it suits my critical personality very well. The Ebony is a driver that most people will find appealing. No matter how hard you push the Ebony it keeps a sound that won't offend anyone. It's a great mid for people without a lot of tuning capability imo. The Soul needs a little more help but once dailed in can be VERY rewarding. I've managed to dail in that smoothness Mark was talking about with the Soul. When everyone heard it at the last Bama g2g I hadn't had enough time to work with the setup. New truck + new speakers + new headunit = a very unsure owner


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

OK, I got both units in, finally. You can thank the much improved weather for that. Firstly, I wholly agree with Hillbilly SQ's assertion of the Ebony drivers. They are amicable, smooth, and unflappable. 

In fact, I also agree with his opinion of these being great for people without a lot of EQ / tuning ability. I can expand on this a bit.. I DO have plenty of tuning capability with the 3sixty.2, but I found that these speakers sounded far, far better the closer I got to zeroing out each of the 31 bands of EQ I have. The Alpines needed a ton of EQ cut in the midrange (they had a hollow, out of tune horn type sound that irritates the ears when not adjusted), and a lot of EQ boost at select midbass frequencies to help their slightly thin midbass output in an infinite baffle situation. The Ebony drivers, on the other hand, are so neutral and well suited for infinite baffle design that I just needed to tweak a tiny bit in the upper midrange to blend perfectly with the Ring tweeters. Amazing.

I prefer speakers like this, primarily because with the music I listen to and the volumes I enjoy it, a smooth and pleasant sound is just what is needed. Any harshness or edginess would take away from the experience in my opinion. I listen to a ton of House, Trance, and other electronica and vinyl-based music. 

These sound a LOT like my Mission 770's at home, which is a very good thing.

I can get very, very loud on these. Now with both speakers properly installed and properly tuned (or is that de-tuned), I found my new limits to be extremely high. In fact, I think this is the first time I've reached the limits of the amplifier rather than the excursion limits of the speaker. Crossover point (chosen slope is 12dB/oct) has moved down from 80hz on the SPX's, to 65hz on the Ebony drivers, and boy does that make a difference to the staging I'm getting now. 

There is but one con to these drivers as far as I'm concerned. They might require you to break out your metal cutting devices a bit! I had to shave a tiny bit of metal to get them to go..the basket is over-sized quite a bit compared with the SPX drivers. Oh well, its all doable and worth it in my opinion.

Thanks, Mark. Your recommendation was spot-on, and I'm very glad to have made the swap.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

fourthmeal said:


> OK, I got both units in, finally. You can thank the much improved weather for that. Firstly, I wholly agree with Hillbilly SQ's assertion of the Ebony drivers. They are amicable, smooth, and unflappable.
> 
> In fact, I also agree with his opinion of these being great for people without a lot of EQ / tuning ability. I can expand on this a bit.. I DO have plenty of tuning capability with the 3sixty.2, but I found that these speakers sounded far, far better the closer I got to zeroing out each of the 31 bands of EQ I have. The Alpines needed a ton of EQ cut in the midrange (they had a hollow, out of tune horn type sound that irritates the ears when not adjusted), and a lot of EQ boost at select midbass frequencies to help their slightly thin midbass output in an infinite baffle situation. The Ebony drivers, on the other hand, are so neutral and well suited for infinite baffle design that I just needed to tweak a tiny bit in the upper midrange to blend perfectly with the Ring tweeters. Amazing.
> 
> ...


Dude you need your own review thread. 

And no thank you for giving H-Audio a shot, I'm truly glad your happy with your purchase of the Ebony. With a little more brake in time things will get even a better.

Whats your crossover point between the Ebony and the Alpine ring Tweeter?


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> Dude you need your own review thread.
> 
> And no thank you for giving H-Audio a shot, I'm truly glad your happy with your purchase of the Ebony. With a little more brake in time things will get even a better.
> 
> *Whats your crossover point between the Ebony and the Alpine ring Tweeter?*


3500Hz, @ 12dB/oct. I can do more or less, but this seems to be just fine. I like using 12dB slopes here over 24, I get slightly better stage coherence for some reason.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

Nice review. My amp also runs out of steam before the sound gets harsh with my Soul mids. Sounds like I could keep pouring the power to them.


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

I wonder if they would produce and additional 3dB if I fed them double the power (say, a Leviathan amp, perhaps?), or if I'm reaching the limits as-is. I can say that unless the windows are down and I'm out of the car, its louder than I can stand _without distortion_ mind you.

The only thing I'm working on now is time alignment, and stage centering. It might be a phase issue, but my stage used to be extremely focused to the center, if not slightly to a fault. Now, the stage is very wide but instruments do not prop on top of my dash like they used to. I have a feeling this is a matter of polarity and time alignment...because the speakers still create a hell of a presence.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

fourthmeal said:


> I wonder if they would produce and additional 3dB if I fed them double the power (say, a Leviathan amp, perhaps?), or if I'm reaching the limits as-is. I can say that unless the windows are down and I'm out of the car, its louder than I can stand _without distortion_ mind you.
> 
> The only thing I'm working on now is time alignment, and stage centering. It might be a phase issue, but my stage used to be extremely focused to the center, if not slightly to a fault. Now, the stage is very wide but instruments do not prop on top of my dash like they used to. I have a feeling this is a matter of polarity and time alignment...because the speakers still create a hell of a presence.


Yep sounds like you need to get them into acoustic phase.

How much power are you feeding them now?


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> Yep sounds like you need to get them into acoustic phase.
> 
> How much power are you feeding them now?


The PG RSd amps are conservatively rated at 78W RMS CEA2006 standard, but probably produce closer to 100W without clipping at my car-on voltage around 13.9v. I don't hear audible clipping at any sane volume of course.

I've found that crossed at 65Hz, they are unstoppable.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

fourthmeal said:


> The PG RSd amps are conservatively rated at 78W RMS CEA2006 standard, but probably produce closer to 100W without clipping at my car-on voltage around 13.9v. I don't hear audible clipping at any sane volume of course.
> 
> I've found that crossed at 65Hz, they are unstoppable.


You should be able to thru a little more power at them 150 rms at 65hz should be a good match.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

Bridge that amp and get a 2 channel for the tweets


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> You should be able to thru a little more power at them 150 rms at 65hz should be a good match.


****!

I mean uh... wow, my neighbors will be pleased to hear that.

<grin>


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

I just ordered a pair of ebony's today. can't wait to get them


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> You should be able to thru a little more power at them 150 rms at 65hz should be a good match.


I'm just curious about this a bit, on the specs sheets for the Ebony, it says 40 watts RMS yet you tell us to run 150 rms to them  can you explain why it doesn't say 150 watts rms on the specs sheet then? I mean, why would you so underrate them...


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## Weightless (May 5, 2005)

40 watts is full range with no high pass,


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

Weightless said:


> 40 watts is full range with no high pass,


Correct. We rate our cone drivers using no high-pass filter. Not that you will use it from 1hz up, it's just a better idea of what the motor can handle, torture testing! 

Also it is for the un-in-the-know users outside of Diyma that see 150rms as the rate power and then say it should handle a little more and then drops 250 watts on it and then adjust there gains to 4/5 of max. Then they turn their head unit to Max volume, Killing the driver. Then say ha the driver sucks, it fried within 5 minutes of me putting power to it.


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> Correct. We rate our cone drivers using no high-pass filter. Not that you will use it from 1hz up, it's just a better idea of what the motor can handle, torture testing!
> 
> Also it is for the un-in-the-know users outside of Diyma that see 150rms as the rate power and then say it should handle a little more and then drops 250 watts on it and then adjust there gains to 4/5 of max. Then they turn their head unit to Max volume, Killing the driver. Then say hi the driver such it fried within 5 minutes of me putting power to it.


thanks for explaining.. that makes sence, I will be powering them with 2 of my 4 chan. Sundown sax 100.4 so I should be good.


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

I got my ebony midbass today, will install on the weekend so what frequency range should I run these in a 3 way semi active system, I have Vifa pl11 in my kicks and focal tweeters on the dash that run throught the focal passive crossovers. and 1 12" ssa xcon in the trunk. I read somewhere before about the frequency range but I can't find it.. I think it was 65h to 240hz~ I'm using a sundown sax 100.4 to control the frequencies right now.


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

Well the Ebony enjoys playing much higher, but you should fiddle with it and see what sounds right. I have mine crossing in a 2way at 4k, 24dB/oct, and on the low end at 65hz, it works great. I can only imagine a 3way would be even better, but I would have to work on that lowpass cross point and take notes on the differences heard.


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

fourthmeal said:


> Well the Ebony enjoys playing much higher, but you should fiddle with it and see what sounds right. I have mine crossing in a 2way at 4k, 24dB/oct, and on the low end at 65hz, it works great. I can only imagine a 3way would be even better, but I would have to work on that lowpass cross point and take notes on the differences heard.


k so 65hz seems about right for a low end point, I'll play with it like you said for the frequency between the ebony and Vifa. so what do you use to tune it to these crossover points? a deck or some other device to pine point it to the right frequency.. with the Sundown i'm only guessing really as I can't know for sure. what would be a good investment for this? any suggestions?


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

Your ears make great tuning instruments!

All things considered, start conservative, adjust slowly and listen for what sounds right. I would say with a 3-way, the best thing you can do is keep the human vocal frequency range pinned to the midrange driver. There's going to be breakup points, places where the drivers don't like to play clean. There's also going to be places where the speakers sound strained, with too much x-max for the volume intended. There will be a sweet spot, just work with it. Remember your ears can only do this for a little bit at a time, so take breaks!


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

fourthmeal said:


> Your ears make great tuning instruments!
> 
> All things considered, start conservative, adjust slowly and listen for what sounds right. I would say with a 3-way, the best thing you can do is keep the human vocal frequency range pinned to the midrange driver. There's going to be breakup points, places where the drivers don't like to play clean. There's also going to be places where the speakers sound strained, with too much x-max for the volume intended. There will be a sweet spot, just work with it. Remember your ears can only do this for a little bit at a time, so take breaks!


ya that's pretty much what I am doing right now,but I thought some if not most of you guys used devices like RF 3sixty.2 or decks with built in crossovers. sometimes I even think of getting passive crossovers for the ebonys.. would be bandpass I guess, but I'd be done playing around and could just enjoy my music. but at the same time I know it's fun playing around with it..lol


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

Doing a 3-way without active crossovers has got to be F-ing scary. I would not suggest doing a passive because you cannot "get" one. you must "make" one,...and that is not easy. Passives have their own set of issues, and to boot, you are paying serious money for nice crossover parts. Money that, IMO, could be better spent towards an active solution and some amp power. You know, if you don't have lots of processing power, consider running the Ebony in 2-way... it is 100% capable of it.


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

fourthmeal said:


> Doing a 3-way without active crossovers has got to be F-ing scary. I would not suggest doing a passive because you cannot "get" one. you must "make" one,...and that is not easy. Passives have their own set of issues, and to boot, you are paying serious money for nice crossover parts. Money that, IMO, could be better spent towards an active solution and some amp power. You know, if you don't have lots of processing power, consider running the Ebony in 2-way... it is 100% capable of it.


ya I guess you're right about the passive crossover stuff, once it's done it's done no more playing around or tweaking with it.. but as far as playing the ebony's in a two way goes, I had custom kickpanels made to fit a 4"~ midrange so i'd hate to loose that really and just use the door speakers and tweeters.


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

dede11 said:


> ya I guess you're right about the passive crossover stuff, once it's done it's done no more playing around or tweaking with it.. but as far as playing the ebony's in a two way goes, I had custom kickpanels made to fit a 4"~ midrange so i'd hate to loose that really and just use the door speakers and tweeters.


The Ebony work amazing in a 3 way set-up as you don't have to concentrate on the midrange detail as you would in a 2 way.

Start with your midrange high-pass. Turn the mid-bass off and just listen to the midrange and tweeter alone.

Play the mid-range as low as you can without it having adverse effects on the resolution, dynamics and detail of the driver. Once you have nailed that down, now bring the Ebony in at the same Low-pass as the High-pass of the midrange. This will give you a great starting point and work your way from that point. In some systems a little under-lap helps the mid-bass to mid-midrange transition, so don't be afraid to leave a gap at a crossover point.


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> The Ebony work amazing in a 3 way set-up as you don't have to concentrate on the midrange detail as you would in a 2 way.
> 
> Start with your midrange high-pass. Turn the mid-bass off and just listen to the midrange and tweeter alone.
> 
> Play the mid-range as low as you can without it having adverse effects on the resolution, dynamics and detail of the driver. Once you have nailed that down, now bring the Ebony in at the same Low-pass as the High-pass of the midrange. This will give you a great starting point and work your way from that point. In some systems a little under-lap helps the mid-bass to mid-midrange transition, so don't be afraid to leave a gap at a crossover point.


that makes sense, thanks for the tips .. it's always good to have some kind of plan... and one more thing besides listening to music I am familiar with what song(s)/Artist do you recomand I use for tuning? I never asked about that before ..why not go with what the pros use ;-)


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

dede11 said:


> that makes sense, thanks for the tips .. it's always good to have some kind of plan... and one more thing besides listening to music I am familiar with what song(s)/Artist do you recomand I use for tuning? I never asked about that before ..why not go with what the pros use ;-)


I recommend downloading the Focal disc listed on the this forum. Do a search you will be able to find them.

Also contact Steve Head a.k.a Audionutz and buy a few of his SQ discs, these things are just great.


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

There was a SWEET list of 5 star reference CD's running around in this forum a few days ago. I torrented ALL of those CD's and am loving it.


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

fourthmeal said:


> There was a SWEET list of 5 star reference CD's running around in this forum a few days ago. I torrented ALL of those CD's and am loving it.


Fourth Meal actually I have all 7 Focal Discs... Plus I made 50 SQ discs that are all Unplugged it's got Every type of Music except classical on it. Really good music if anyone wants them.


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> I recommend downloading the Focal disc listed on the this forum. Do a search you will be able to find them.
> 
> Also contact Steve Head a.k.a Audionutz and buy a few of his SQ discs, these things are just great.


thanks i'll look "em up.. sounds like a must have.


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

DAT said:


> Fourth Meal actually I have all 7 Focal Discs... Plus I made 50 SQ discs that are all Unplugged it's got Every type of Music except classical on it. Really good music if anyone wants them.


ya I'm interested for sure. pm me the info on how to get them.

thanks


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

Yeah the Focal disks were available a few months ago on here, I pulled them while I could as well. Not a fan of the music within, for the most part. Otherwise they are stellar. But the reference disks like Garbage ...man they are fantastic.


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

fourthmeal said:


> Yeah the Focal disks were available a few months ago on here, I pulled them while I could as well. Not a fan of the music within, for the most part. Otherwise they are stellar. But the reference disks like Garbage ...man they are fantastic.


I just pm'd Audionutz for info on how to get those disk,.. so when you say "reference disks like Garbage" what do you mean? are you talking about the band Garbage?


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

ok so I got them in tonight. I put them in place of my peerless sls 6.5's. I was able to turn the volume to 35-36 out of 40 with the sls but with these in and no change to setings I can only go to 25-26 then they start to bottom out..! I don't plan on listening to them that loud during the break-in time but,just wanted to turn the volume up a bit to see. now is this due to them not being brokken in yet.. will the take more after the break-in.


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## Lanson (Jan 9, 2007)

dede11 said:


> I just pm'd Audionutz for info on how to get those disk,.. so when you say "reference disks like Garbage" what do you mean? are you talking about the band Garbage?


Yeah, here:
Examples of Great Sounding Commercial CDs

I just torrented everything


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

fourthmeal said:


> Yeah, here:
> Examples of Great Sounding Commercial CDs
> 
> I just torrented everything


ya I had seen that in my search, got a few names I like and will buy them at the store cause I don't want MP3's for SQ,did you get these in MP# format..?


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## LiquidClen (Dec 27, 2005)

H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come said:


> I recommend downloading the Focal disc listed on the this forum. Do a search you will be able to find them.
> 
> Also contact Steve Head a.k.a Audionutz and buy a few of his SQ discs, these things are just great.


Do you still have your shop in Miami


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

well I blew one midbass today!!. same one that sounded weird when first installed? man this sucks.. back to my sls or focal I guess.


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## sam3535 (Jan 21, 2007)

dede11 said:


> well I blew one midbass today!!. same one that sounded weird when first installed? man this sucks.. back to my sls or focal I guess.


Have you contacted Mark yet?


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

sam3535 said:


> Have you contacted Mark yet?


no I haven't, still bumed out..lol I was going to a soundoff tomorrow too so,change of plans. I still could put in other tonight but I spent all week breaking these in nice and easy. I thought it sounded weird on one side from the start like I said but was hoping it'd go away once broken in.. but that one on the drivers side is fine.


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## ItalynStylion (May 3, 2008)

Definitely contact Mark about the failure. You haven't had them that long. Be sure to let him know the details of your install.


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

I just sent him a pm explaining what happened.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

Mark will take care of you so don't worry about it. It happens to the best of us.


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## 26062 (Jul 5, 2009)

Hillbilly SQ said:


> Mark will take care of you so don't worry about it. It happens to the best of us.


ya already said he would


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## grga22 (Oct 11, 2010)

In my experience with Ebony, they are 5 steps up in comparison with DLS Iridium i had before. Now I have Ebony-Trinity-Enigma, and the sound is great. Almoust alive...  Even on DLS amps, and they are known to "sufficate" sound...

Great job H-Audio... Keep it up... Can't wait to hear Audible Physics...


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

grga22 said:


> In my experience with Ebony, they are 5 steps up in comparison with DLS Iridium i had before. Now I have Ebony-Trinity-Enigma, and the sound is great. Almoust alive...  Even on DLS amps, and they are known to "sufficate" sound...
> 
> Great job H-Audio... Keep it up... Can't wait to hear Audible Physics...


Wow you finely got them installed, Glad your liking them.

You have a PM


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## grga22 (Oct 11, 2010)

I took me a while...  I'm enjoing them for about 5 month now...


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

grga22 said:


> I took me a while...  I'm enjoing them for about 5 month now...


Ok so they should be broken in quite nice now.


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## grga22 (Oct 11, 2010)

I think they are... As soon as I finish grilles all get to fine tune system... Then I'll know better whati it can do...


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## Melodic Acoustic (Oct 10, 2005)

grga22 said:


> I think they are... As soon as I finish grilles all get to fine tune system... Then I'll know better whati it can do...


Any help i can give you please let me know.


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## grga22 (Oct 11, 2010)

Ok, tnx...

I have write down recomended HPF and LPF for the drivers i think I'll start there... A nthen I'll try with microphone, every driver for itself to see how does it plays...


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## cirodias (Dec 12, 2008)

This brand is growing up each year pasts!

good review!


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