I am in the process of figuring out what do in my 2006 Coupe. As some background my brother works at Harman Kardon so I get cost on Infinity/JBL and Harman Kardon. With that said I already have a bunch of gear that I must likely will use.

For the front stage I am planning on using the JBL 660GTi separates. If you have not seen these, they are positioned as one of the best component sets ever built and have won a bunch of competitions (there is a great PDF that talks about them at http://manuals.harman.com/articlefil...GTiOMnoFC.pdf). I have a set coming in a few days. My biggest concern is in order to get the most from them you need to use the tweeter waveguide which is 6"x4.5". I am not sure if that will fit up in the tweeter pod. I have never heard them but people that have were blown away.

For amps I currently have a JBL PX600.2 (180x2), a JBL PX300.4 (125x4) and a BPX500.1 (718x1). I am going to use either the PX600 or P300 for the fronts and the BPX for the sub(s). I am not sure if it would be better to use the 2 or 4 channel amp as the 660GTi's can be bi-amped through the crossover so I am thinking the 4 channel may give me more control. I am not planning on using any rears so I will use with the PX600 or PX300 not both.

For subs I am at a loss on what I should so. At this point I have not purchased anything but am thinking about a few options:

1. Stealth box from serenitynow - This has a decent mounting depth so would work with a fair amount of subs. Downside is it is only a single 10 and I like a fair amount of bass. Not sure what sub to use but maybe an Image Dynamics or JL 10W3v3.

2. Dual stealth box from madvette motorsports - Good thing is you can use 2 10's if you buy both the pass and driver side. Downside it it only has a 5" depth. Not sure what I would use here as there is only 5" depth.

3. Some kind of custom sub box. I really like Nomad's custom box. With a custom box I can use almost any sub. Like I said I can get cost on JBL and Infinify so the Infinity Kappa Perfect 10DVQ (reviewed very favorably and compared to the Image Dynamics ID10 v.3 D2) or maybe even JBL W10GTI MKII although I am not sure the BPX500.1 is enough for 2 of these beasts. I really like Nomad's design but am afraid to find out what Rocky or another installer would charge me for this.

I am still undecided on the head unit but I am leaning towards the Kenwood DNX7100 but an tempted to wait a bit and get the DNX8120 or DDX812 (both coming in March).

I am into SQ but not a completely **** about it. I think the 660GTi's will sound insane provided I can get the tweeter installed with waveguide. I am somewhat concerned about the amp quality. The spec's on them are pretty good but I know there are better amps. The big thing is I got them for an insane price and would like to see how they sound. I also plan on doing rammat and ensolite to tighten things up and make it a bit quieter inside. I may do all the install myself unless I go with a custom sub box then I would have to get someone to build it. I can build almost anything with wood but have no experience with fiberglass. I have done tons of installs including box design. What do you guys think? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

Steve

 

Any comments?

 

Hmn, on all the Audio forums I've been on I've never heard the GTI components come up in a 'suggest great components' thread. Not to say they aren't, just thought it was unusual.

The crossovers look insane though.

Looks like a pretty decent system altogether.

 

I think they are not talked about much due to their price and . The MSRP is $2000.00 and retail around $1500.00 and were released less then a year ago. From what I have read they have had great showings in SQ and SPL competitions. For what I got them for they are worth checking out. I think my biggest challenge will be dealing with the waveguide on the tweeter.

Any thoughts on a sub setup?

Steve

 

Anyone here can tell you that I suck on Image Dynamic's subwoofer nipple.

But I do know the Perfect 12 is a very nice sub and I wouldn't pass on a really good deal for one.



Funny I cant find any response or distortion graphs for those JBLs... Do you have the graphs? I'm really curious.

 

The only thing I was able to find is this:

http://www.speakerplans.com/forum/fo...s.asp?TID=9329

Also in this PDF http://manuals.harman.com/articlefil...0GTiOMnoFC.pdf. Looks pretty nice to me. I have never heard the 660GTi's but have heard perfect 10's. I can get them (perfect 10's) for $91.00 so it is hard to pass up. If I was not able to get JBL and Infinity stuff for these prices I would most likely go for Focal or ID but for these prices it is worth trying them out. I am really optomistic about the 660's. I just hope they live up to the hype.

My biggest concern is the sub design. I really like the Nomad design but I worry that fiberglass would not have enough mass and could ring a bit. I don't have a lot of experience with fiberglass. I have built a bunch of MDF boxes in the past but wood limits the esthetics.

Steve

 

I just looked at the PDF and there are a ton of graphs. They are towards the bottom.

Steve

 

Those are all response and Z plots, most meaningless. No distortion measurements are to be found in spite of the repeated assertion that distortion was a significant design criteria.

In most cases, I love JBL, but that pdf is just a wonderful example of what happens when you let marketing schmucks explain scientific concepts. Everything is ground-breaking and revolutionary.

 

I just hope the hype lives up in the case. Also for what I got the 660GTi's for it is well worth the chance. Also what do you think about using the bi-amp setup vs the 2 channel amp setup?

Steve