Best C6 Speaker Placement?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 796
Likes: 4
Best C6 Speaker Placement?
Originally Posted by Kale (From another thread)
Off axis, in "stock location type install" (60-90' off axis) my $300 pair of Dynaudio tweeters kind of suck. They are hissy, and have no response over 10k or so.
In fact, my $60 pair of Seas Neos absolutely stomp all over them, no questions asked. Especially at 90' off axis. (typical stock location door install.)
Yet close to on axis, (30') its a completely different story.
Mids can suffer the same fate.
In addition, a Mid with too MUCH midbass response, and someone not wanting to go to the trouble of deadening the door.. .this can be much worse sounding than a cheaper mid with mediocre midbass.
Another example, the Focal TN51. This thing can downright SUCK if not installed right. I know this from much experience when I was 'new' to high end. My Focal Utopia set sounded worse in my 86 than my Infinity 6.5s + Pioneer 6x9s because of install issues. higher end sets tend to be much less forgiving.
In fact, my $60 pair of Seas Neos absolutely stomp all over them, no questions asked. Especially at 90' off axis. (typical stock location door install.)
Yet close to on axis, (30') its a completely different story.
Mids can suffer the same fate.
In addition, a Mid with too MUCH midbass response, and someone not wanting to go to the trouble of deadening the door.. .this can be much worse sounding than a cheaper mid with mediocre midbass.
Another example, the Focal TN51. This thing can downright SUCK if not installed right. I know this from much experience when I was 'new' to high end. My Focal Utopia set sounded worse in my 86 than my Infinity 6.5s + Pioneer 6x9s because of install issues. higher end sets tend to be much less forgiving.
In my C5 install, I was using Focal 165V3E 3-ways with the woofer and mids located in the doors and the tweets on the dash (at the front end of each A-pillar) with reversed polarity and the sound bouncing off the windshield. I thought this sounded pretty good. My main reason for this location for the tweeters is that, when I was using my original 2-way speakers and had mounted the tweet in the door, I would block it with my leg and the system sounded terrible.
In the C6, however, the tweeters could be mounted in the top 3.5" hole in the door. Main issue there is the driver side tweeter placement would suck (especially in a vert with the top down).
Would I still be better off to mount the tweets on the dash or use the door locations?
Is there a better option?
I am willing to pay the installer to do some modification but everthing in the doors needs to fit behind the factory panels and I don't want any kick panel installs.
What do you audio gods think?
Shan
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 796
Likes: 4
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 51,504
Likes: 6
From: Sacramento CA
run some cables for the tweeters loose, so you can use double sided tape to try different spots.
If they are metal dome tweeters though, I say put them on the a-pillars, facing directly at each other (cross firing.)
Maybe halfway up. Enough to clear the instrument hump at least.
I can say that I'd be very tempted to put the tweeters in the factory spot... Shouldn't suck too much with metal domes.
Imaging won't be great.
Last edited by Kale; Aug 4, 2007 at 03:17 AM.
Pro
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 744
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From: WayTooCloseToNY Northeast PA
There's virtually nothing you can do creatively with a >6" woofer in a C6. You can gain a little flexibility using the 3-way, but this will also depend on the tweeter angle. Forget the factory tweeter location if you're after imaging. I've worked extensively with the Focal TN tweeters and have some firm conclusions about them, supported by measurements:
As Kale has pointed out, they're very sensitive to placement. Bouncing them off the windshield whether reversed polarity or not produces a ragged response that can be downright shrill. If they're installed so that they're directly radiating, they respond quite well, and a solid image is possible with some work. Install them in the factory locations and they're decent but not spectacular. I've found their best performance is had by placing them on the dash aimed toward the space between the driver and passenger, and sitting several inches from both the windshield and the A-pillar. That sort of placement will be difficult to make look good, but if the best sound is your goal, there's no question this is the best location.
As Kale has pointed out, they're very sensitive to placement. Bouncing them off the windshield whether reversed polarity or not produces a ragged response that can be downright shrill. If they're installed so that they're directly radiating, they respond quite well, and a solid image is possible with some work. Install them in the factory locations and they're decent but not spectacular. I've found their best performance is had by placing them on the dash aimed toward the space between the driver and passenger, and sitting several inches from both the windshield and the A-pillar. That sort of placement will be difficult to make look good, but if the best sound is your goal, there's no question this is the best location.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 9,289
Likes: 16
From: Skippack PA
St Jude Donor '13
I have my TN47's in the stock 3.5" position and they are definitely fatiguing. *One of these days* I'm going to mess around with placing them down in the subwoofer spot with the 6.5" midbass on an angled mount and see how that sounds.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 796
Likes: 4
Know of anyone who has done something like that? Pictures? Again, I am trying to maintain the factory appearence.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 9,289
Likes: 16
From: Skippack PA
St Jude Donor '13
Are you using a two or three way setup? Wondering how difficult it will be to get my 6.5 and 4" into the door panels. Just don't see how I can make it work. Wondering if there is room to do a bit of glass/wood work on the lower portion of the door (behind the grill) and maybe, with a little cutting, get them both down there.
Know of anyone who has done something like that? Pictures? Again, I am trying to maintain the factory appearence.
Know of anyone who has done something like that? Pictures? Again, I am trying to maintain the factory appearence.
Unfortunately the thread I mentioned is old and would take some serious time searching the archives to dig up.
No idea how this setup will sound, but it will fit. Since you have the speakers I'd say it's worth a try, only real way to find out anyway.
